If you’ve been keeping up with my posts, you know that last week I won a FlexRadio Systems FLEX-1500 in a drawing at the Lone Star DX Association quarterly meeting. That post is titled Lucky Guy and, indeed, I am a very fortunate guy to win this gem.

After I got the rig home, I started looking over the website determining how best to get it set up. First issue, it operates in Windows only. That’s not the best situation in an all Apple household. Second issue, while Boot Camp on a Mac is supported, vitual machines are not. But after contacting Greg Jurens, K5GJ, of FlexRadio Systems, who was the speaker at the meeting, he noted that he and many others operate with a virtual machine and that the FLEX-1500 was well suited for this approach since it uses a USB connection rather than the Firewire connection for their other rigs.

So today I connected everything to the very compact box and fired it up. For a computer, I used a MacBook Pro running Parallels as the virtual machine with Windows 7. The initial steps are all about getting the software set up, which you’d expect from a software defined radio. All that was pretty straightforward using the software disk that’s supplied with the rig. Then, when you turn on the rig a few more drivers are installed. Here’s a photo of the rig in operation.

I tried CW using my Begali Graciella key, which is close in size to the rig itself. For some reason, the internal keyer didn’t readily connect my ear and key as I had a bit of a problem matching up my fist. But the tuning was great and the visual display really stunning. There were a number of useful features around filtering, etc. Plus, there is a contest window for programming your messages for the function keys. I also connected my NorCal QRP Wattmeter and can verify that the rig can put out 5 watts.

Next I tried the WWV settings where it very handily moves from one frequency to the next (2.5, 5, 10, 15) with the click of a button. I also tried the general coverage bands and listened to some AM broadcasts. It’s a very nifty full-featured receiver and could be fun entering some of the contests in QRP categories or just getting on the air and working QRP. In addition, as Flex points out, it would no doubt work great with transverters for VHF-UHF operation.

For me the next steps in the Windows world that this rig operates in would be to set up a logging program along with a digital modem for RTTY and PSK. Over the past year or so I’ve wrestled with getting a Windows computer just for the ham shack. What’s tempted me along these lines is that it would allow me to put into play all the great sofware that is available for ham radio in that operating system, from N1MM to MMTTY and so on. My latest venture into RTTY makes this an very interesting option and this rig would make one more reason. Still, not really sure I’m ready for that move. Plus, my finances this year are strapped with all the travel, etc. needed around the National Scout Jamboree.

Stay tuned to see what happens going forward — always finding ways to achieve some level of continuous improvement — or is it continuous movement?

Yesterday I attended the Lone Star DX Association‘s quarterly meeting. The meeting promised a presentation by Greg Jurrens, K5GJ, from FlexRadio Systems to discuss Software Defined Radio (SDR). An exciting addition was a drawing for their FLEX-1500 160-6m QRP transceiver. The BBQ lunch is always good as well. Plus, I brought my QSL cards for card-checking — should have DXCC 200 countries on CW soon.

Greg took us through the principles of SDR along with some comparisons of existing amateur radio transceivers. He also went well into the detail around signal processing and just how the whole thing works — at least as much as I could handle. The versatility is really amazing and the display with panadapter visuals, etc. is really neat.

Then it was time for the drawing. They slowly announced the winner: K-5-N-D. I sat there waiting for someone to jump up all excited about winning. When that didn’t happen, I processed the call sign and found it was me! It was a bit like waiting in a CW pileup and when they finally call your call sign you’re stunned and slow to action. How lucky I am!

I now have the radio at home. Looked up the software requirements — it runs on Windows only and they are noting that you can run it on a Mac using Boot Camp but don’t recommend using virtual machines, like Parallels. I have been toying several different times with getting a Windows computer for my ham shack to support contesting and now RTTY. This could certainly provide the momentum to move in that direction.

This promises to be another incredible ham radio adventure — and this one is just getting started!