On January 27, 2011, I received a call from Matt Youngblood at Flex Radio in Austin, Texas. He said they were ready to receive my Flex 5000A to install the new V/U unit inside my 5000A. I was given an RMA number which identified my radio when shipped to them, thenI took it to the closest UPS facility which went out on January 29, 2010. The original shipping box was damaged because of water leakage in the basement where it was stored but UPS can quickly packed it in a safe box with the RMA number on the outside and on the shipping order. Flex Radio said it would take about 2 weeks and was in no hurry since my HF antenna was down for repairs anyway. A new Skywire Loop antenna is in progress now which will give me 40 through 6 meters and 80 meters when using it in vertical mode by shorting the center and outside conductor using a tuner. The Skywire Loop is also used on 160 metres for receive only and a 43 foot vertical for transmit. This setup works well since I have no room for a beverage type longwire. Flex Radio's 144/432 internal 60 watt transverter, must be installed by Flex Radio since it requires rerouting of the 13.6 supply and new VHF/UHF antenna connectors. The 5000A can then be used for all operations in the shack since it will have the ability to monitor VHF/UHF while operating other bands. Of course the HP Z3810A 10 MHz reference will keep the 5000A right on frequency on all bands. Below are the specifications of the V/U transverter unit. Our other radios such as the FT847, IC756PRO and IC910H radios are mounted in special rack panels which are installed in a rack panel cabinet. I have an older SDR1000 using Windows XP which can be my backup rig if needed but we also have the Flex 1500 QRP rig which is amazing to use with a good laptop. A piece of RG6 cable is already in the shack for the 10 MHz frequency reference from the Z3801A GPS oscillator in the basement workshop.
UPDATE: Just received my 5000A today February 22, 2011 VIA UPS. It took almost a month to have the install completed but considering bad weather with ice and snow not only in Maryland but in Austin, Texas. It was packed carefully in a box with special cushioning and with instructions and CD for it's installation. Software is 2.0.19 RC1 and contains Firewire signed driver software, making it easy since before, we had to bypass the signed signature requirement leaving small warninsg on each monitor saying it was bypassed. In a matter of a few minutes, I was receiving stations on 20 meters and then after connecting my 2 meter 13B2 beam, I heard several beacons in Pa. and Virginia. I can see now that I have the ideal all band rig and will begin operations tomorrow after rearranging my shack, making the Flex 5000A my central piece of gear even though "it has no knobs".
The FLEX-5000 V/U upgrade module (FLEX-VU5K) is a fully integrated all-mode, all-band full-duplex VHF/UHF module that adds both 2m and 70 cm capabilities to the already outstanding FLEX-5000 family of software defined radios. The FLEX-VU5K module transforms the FLEX-5000 into the ultimate satellite or terrestrial weak signal transceiver with enough RF output (60w) on both bands to drive high power V/U amplifiers. Or you can run it in low power mode with its 50 mW output that can drive a wide variety of external transverters for microwave operations. The FLEX-VU5K module's oscillators are locked to the 500 MHz master oscillator in the FLEX-5000, which in turn is locked to the internal 0.5ppm reference or it may be connected to an external 10 MHz reference, such as a Rubidium clock or GPS disciplined oscillator for even greater frequency stability and accuracy. With the latest SDR software 2.2.3, all features are working great and many people say the audio is excellent using my PR40 microphone and the Flex 10 band equalizer.
FLEX-VU5K Module Features and Specifications:
Frequency Range: 2m (144-148 MHz) and 70 cm (430-450 MHz)
Low noise preamp: 1 dB NF
Frequency stability: ± 0.5 ppm (internal) or greater using the external 10 MHz reference
Both V/U oscillators are locked to the 500 MHz master oscillator in the FLEX-5000
Class AB biased power amplifiers
60 watts on both VHF and UHF
PA RF bypass (50 mW output) for transverter operation
All mode support - supports SSB, FM, FM-N, CW and digital modes (ASFK)
Full duplex cross band operation mode - Satellite ready: B and J modes supported
Simplex operation mode.
Same band split operation for FM repeaters
CTCSS encode for FM repeaters and LEO satellites (PowerSDR v2.2.3). Separate dedicated antenna connectors for VHF and UHF.
Internally installed in the FLEX-5000
This is what the rear of the Flex 5000A with a V/U install looks like with the front remaining as it was. Was hoping they would use SO-239 connectors since BNC types are prone to damage if using heavy coaxial cable. I will be using a good quality RG58 jumper from the 144 connector to my 400 watt Tokyo amplifier. The same goes for the UHF connector except I won't have my 432 MHz amplifer ready for a while. The rear panel will be busy with VHF/UHF coax cables, 13.6 volt supply wire, Firewire cable, Balanced Mic in, PTT in, HF coaxial cables, 6 meter coaxial cable, audio in/out for speakers, amplifier relay and Flexwire control cable. Ferrite clamps will be on each exiting cable and wires to prevent any posiible RF problems, especially using the HF Ameritron on the lower bands.
Received my 5000A on February 22, 2011 and had the new software installed within an hour. The 10 MHz reference was also connected since we have an active splitter in the basement workshop with a piece of RG6 and BNC fitting routed into the shack and connected to the 5000A. Right away we checked the 2 meter beacons in Pa. and Va. right where they belong. Now if we are lucky to contact another station also using a reference, we can experiment making schedules on selected frequencies. We have already made contact with another ham in Baltimore using a Flex 5000A and experimented running PSK31 on the 432 band. He also uses a GPS controlled reference oscillator and doing some experiments, found we had perfect frequency stability with an accruacy of +/- 2 hz on 2 meters and +/- 3 hz on 432 MHz..
Here is an example of the Flex 5000A frequency stability using a 10 MHz reference
Plans were to use a 1 Kilowatt amplifier, the Commander ll but recently while browsing the Ham Radio Outlet store in Delaware, I noticed a neat small amplifier, the TOKYO HL-350VDX 350 watt unit. It requires 48 amperes for full power and I already have an Astron 70 amp supply which is never used. By using 25 to 30 watt driving power, this little amp will be ideal to use with my Flex 5000A and it's 144 Mhz output. Many operators are capable of working Moonbouce, Meteor Scatter etc. with this amp and have read and heard many good reviews about it. It weighs only 9 pounds and is 14 inches wide with a built in adjustable preamplifier. My operating room would require a 220 volt line for the Commander amplifier which would be difficult to run at this time. Since he Tokyo amplifier has a built-in preamp, plans are to run the amp remotely in the garden shed which is directly underneath the 2 meter antennas and satellite roof tower.
