FlexRadio 4o3a TGXL Ship Date Announced – Q3 2021

The new FlexRadio TGXL TunerGenius Antenna Tuner

FlexRadio made the announcement last night via a FlexInsider announcement – the TGXL Tuner Genius antenna tuner developed in the FlexRadio Systems/4o3a working group, is ready to roll out.

The FRS link:  https://www.flexradio.com/products/tuner-genius-xl/ The 4o3a page hasn’t been updated but can be found at: https://4o3a.com/tuner-genius

Two models in the initial launch, an SO2R version at $2499 and a single-path 1-input-to-3-output version at $2199.

Early PGXL Power Genius Amp buyers who had a TGXL included in their early adopter package should receive their PGXLs by early summer, with new orders to follow.

Looking forward to receiving mine.

73

Steve
K9ZW

FlexRadio makes a TunerGenius XL annoucement

FlexRadio Systems 4o3a partnership project’s long await TGXL Tuner Genius XL is in final beta testing. At the recent online hamfest a video was launched:

Per FCC rule FlexRadio cannot take orders prior to FCC approval but they are collecting a list of interested parties.

To quote the FRS community:  Mack (W4AX) did an excellent job explaining the certification and shipment issues on his latest post on the Flex Forum:

Here’s the official word.

The TGXL’s have shipped.

I am running a very small Beta test to make sure they are rock solid.

I expect that to take three weeks. By then we will have the full FCC and CE certifications.

The first shipments will go to people who purchased a PGXL during the promotional period that included a free tuner.

We expect to clear that backlog not later than the end of June.

At that point shipments will begin to people who are on the wait list.

Firm orders will be taken as soon as we have the FCC and CE certifications.

TGXLs are being manufactured as quickly as possible.

There is a huge demand.

Mack W4AX
Program Manager

Nothing heard in years on the Alpha 4040 or the Kessler autotuners. I’m hoping to seem my PGXLs by summertime.

73

Steve
K9ZW

Printed Flex-6000 Series Manuals

Several new FlexRadio Flex-6000 series owners have emailed me asking about pre-printed manuals.

FlexRadio as a Software Defined Radio outfit sends a CD with new radios (or at least mine came with them) and depends on downloads for updates.

That is great if you are somewhere with good cheap connectivity and if you are like me where a printed manual is helpful, are willing to print out a copy.

Peter WA2CWA at the ManualMan has an arrangement to offer preprinted manuals: ManualMan.com FlexRadio Manuals

Technically the Hardware and Software manuals are different downloads, which ManualMan offers unpunched, pre-punched or comb-bound.

They print the latest public released version, unless you ask them for an older version.

I started using their manuals when my Flex-5000A arrived in 2008 – WHERE IS THE BOOK ON THIS THING? – HIGH QUALITY VINTAGE MANUALS FROM THE MANUALMAN

Of course they offer a lot of other manuals, claiming to have some 15,000+ manuals available!!!

73

Steve
K9ZW

K9ZW Main Home Rack Progress

Spent some workshop time on the last Saturday in January 2021 getting the main K9ZW Home QTH FlexRadio Rack up and running.

The FlexRadio setup had been usable barefoot but  operated from other power supplies, routers and gear not actually on the rack itself.  I refused to take a picture of the rats-nest of layered cabling that had been in use.

Main K9ZW Home QTH FlexRadio Rack

I’d been putting off wiring everything to essentially make everything work. So today I got out my Andersen PowerPole tools, made cables, did software updates and got the whole lot working right. Walking you from the top down:

Interesting Project – Teensy-Maestro for Flex-6000 radios by Len KD0RC

The TeensyMaestro by Len KD0RC is a Teensy (Arduino work-alike) based set of controls for the FlexRadio 6000 series. It provides knobs, buttons, display and a keyer. It is designed to augment SmartSDR (SSDR), not replace it.

The GitHub repository:  https://github.com/KD0RC/Teensy-Maestro-for-Flex-6000-radios

The FlexRadio Community Thread:  https://community.flexradio.com/discussion/8023866/teensymaestro/

TeenseyMaestro #2 on the operating desk of of Dave Patton, W4WKU

From the TeenseyMaestro Readme File:

Teensy-Maestro-for-Flex-6000-radios

The TeensyMaestro is a Teensy (Arduino work-alike) based set of controls for the FlexRadio 6000 series. It provides knobs, buttons, display and a keyer. It is designed to augment SmartSDR (SSDR), not replace it. There are many functions that the TeensyMaestro cannot perform that still need to be done using SSDR or a real Maestro. The TeensyMaestro uses a USB cable for power and an ethernet cable to connect with the radio. All communication with the radio is via TCP/IP, not the USB cable. The primary design goal was to provide the most used controls in the form of knobs and buttons while retaining all the power and convenience of the computer-based SSDR. It uses the extensive TCP/IP Application Programming Interface (API) provided by FlexRadio. It also leverages the Flex Arduino library built by Enzo, IW7DMH. Without this library, the TeensyMaestro would not have been built. While the TeensyMaestro has a color touch screen, it does not display a panadapter or waterfall. It does show basic slice information in a similar way as the “flag” does in SSDR. The touch screen is a rudimentary resistive type, so it does not have cell phone like capabilities but provides some simple functions. There are no functions that rely solely on the touch screen; the physical controls cover all touch screen functions.

Using the Teensy.exe Loader to program the Teensy board

1. Make sure the Teensy 4.1 is plugged in to a USB port

2. Download the .hex file

3. Download Teensy.exe if it is not already on your computer

4. Run Teensy.exe

5. Click File, Open HEX File

6. Navigate to the file saved in step 2 and select it

7. Click the Program button on the Teensy board to start the download

Interesting project and makes a lot of sense. I had done a sketch and pitch to FlexRadio Systems eight years ago on a commercial product that is much like this bench built project. Believe that my suggestions were premature and would have involved too large of a resource diversion from a project that eventually became the Maestro.

It is really neat to see Len KD0RC developing his project!

73

Steve
K9ZW

Welcoming 2021 – First QSO if the year is DX with Yoon HL5BLI – Flex-to-Flex too!

A few Edits after communicating by email with Yoon HL5BLI

 

After my morning swim – also a first for the new year – I stopped at my office to do a couple small chores.  I ran up my remote Flex-6700 at the home QTH and set it to run FT8 while I watered my plants and fiddled with a new trackball mouse.

Wow – almost right away (after my second CQ K9ZW transmission) I hit a DX QSO from a country that is uncommon when I am working with my vertical on 30m.

It was HL5BLI Soo-won Yoon from Ulsan city, on the south east coast of South Korea. Yoon came in strong and we quickly complete our QSO.

It was really nice that first K9ZW 2021 QSO ended up being a DX QSO, and as I found when I looked up his call on QRZ.com, an all FlexRadio QSO to boot!

Yoon HL5BLI uses a Flex-6400 and I was using a Flex-6700 as we made the 10,400 KM (roughly 6,500 mile) QSO.   Later by email Yoon HL5BLI confirmed he was also operating barefoot and that it was also his first QSO of 2021!!

A very good QSO to start off my 2021 radio efforts!

73

Steve
K9ZW