From October 2009 QST © ARRL
Table 1
FlexRadio FLEX-3000, serial number 1709-0037
Manufacturer’s Specifications Measured in the ARRL Lab
Frequency coverage: Receive, 0.03-65 MHz; Receive and transmit, as specified.
transmit, 1.8-2.0, 3.5-4, 5.3305, 5.3465,
5.3665, 5.3715, 5.4035, 7-7.3, 10.1-10.15,
14-14.35, 18.068-18.168, 21-21.45,
24.89-24.99, 28-29.7, 50-54 MHz.
Power requirement: 13.8 ± 10% V dc; receive, 13.8 V dc; receive 2.8 A (max audio);
3.5 A (max audio); transmit, transmit, 18 A typical (100 W out).
23 A (100 W out).
Modes of operation: SSB, CW, AM, FM, RTTY, As specified.
Packet.
Receiver Receiver Dynamic Testing
SSB/CW sensitivity: 500 Hz bandwidth, Noise Floor (MDS), 500 Hz filter:
14 MHz MDS, preamp off/on: Preamp off Preamp on
–123/–133 dBm. 0.137 MHz –123 dBm N/A
0.505 MHz –126 dBm N/A
1.0 MHz –125 dBm N/A
3.5 MHz –118 dBm –122 dBm
14 MHz –120 dBm –135 dBm
50 MHz –114 dBm –137 dBm
Noise figure: Not specified. 14 MHz, preamp off/on: 27/12 dB
AM sensitivity: Not specified. 10 dB (S+N)/N, 1 kHz, 30% modulation:
Preamp off Preamp on
1.0 MHz 3.63 µV N/A
3.8 MHz 7.15 µV 4.36 µV
50 MHz 12.6 µV 0.72 µV
FM sensitivity: Not specified. For 12 dB SINAD:
Preamp off Preamp on
29 MHz 3.63 µV 0.23 µV
52 MHz 6.38 µV 0.32 µV
Spectral display sensitivity, preamp off/on: –125/–140 dBm.
Not specified.
Blocking gain compression: Not specified. Gain compression, 500 Hz bandwidth*:
20 kHz offset 5/2 kHz offset
Preamp off/on Preamp off
3.5 MHz 111/107 dB 111/111 dB
14 MHz 112/105 dB 112/112 dB
50 MHz 109/104 dB 109/109 dB
Reciprocal Mixing (500 Hz BW): Not specified. 20/5/2 kHz offset: better than 114 dBc.**
ARRL Lab Two-Tone IMD Testing
†
Measured Measured Calculated
Band/Preamp Spacing Input Level IMD Level IMD DR IP3
3.5 MHz/Off 20 kHz –17 dBm –118 dBm 101 dB +34 dBm
–13 dBm –97 dBm +29 dBm
14 MHz/Off 20 kHz –23 dBm –120 dBm 97 dB +26 dBm
–14 dBm –97 dBm +28 dBm
0 dBm
††
–13 dBm +7 dBm
14 MHz/On 20 kHz –40 dBm –135 dBm 95 dB +8 dBm
–37 dBm –97 dBm –7 dBm
14 MHz/Off 5 kHz –24 dBm –120 dBm 96 dB +24 dBm
–15 dBm –97 dBm +26 dBm
0 dBm
††
–13 dBm +7 dBm
14 MHz/Off 2 kHz –25 dBm –120 dBm 95 dB +23 dBm
–15 dBm –97 dBm +26 dBm
0 dBm
††
–13 dBm +7 dBm
50 MHz/Off 20 kHz –22 dBm –114 dBm 92 dB +24 dBm
–13 dBm –97 dBm +29 dBm
use for portable operation — a good match
for a notebook computer.
The FLEX-3000 lacks some of the fan-
cier bells and whistles of its larger kin, and
the FlexRadio Web site has an extensive
chart comparing the features of the various
FlexRadio models. Many of the differences
between the two are in the areas of antenna and
transverter capabilities and input/output con-
nections. The FLEX-5000 has three separate
RF antenna connectors that can be configured
for specific band/mode/antenna combinations.
It also has two BNC receive antenna inputs
that can be configured to allow insertion of
preamps, filters or preselectors into the receive
path. The FLEX-3000 has only one antenna
connection. The FLEX-3000 does have a built-
in antenna tuner, an option on the ’5000.
The FLEX-5000 can accept an optional
second receiver and 2 meter transverter. It
also has several rear panel interfaces to allow
the insertion of external transverters via low
level connectors and manage their control
directly with software. The FLEX-3000
has neither provision. The FLEX-5000 also
has more extensive provisions for control-
ling external amplifiers. The ’5000 offers
cross-band/cross-mode capability and its
panadapter covers a wider frequency range.
If you have a large station with multiple
antennas, or if you do a lot of contesting or
DX work on the low bands and/or the VHF/
UHF arena, then the FLEX-5000 is probably
the better choice. For hams with more limited
operating interests and capabilities, the FLEX-
3000 will be a good fit. Its performance is ex-
cellent for transceivers in this price range, and
its range of standard features is impressive.
The Hardware Part
The ’3000 is a very small radio measuring
1 foot square and standing about 2 inches
tall. The left and right sides are perforated
for ventilation to allow sufficient air flow on
both sides of the radio.
The front panel has only a power switch,
1
⁄4 inch jacks for CW key and headphones and
an RJ-45 microphone jack wired to match the
Yaesu MH-31 microphone pinout. Optional
microphone cables, headsets and accessories
are available.
The rear panel (Figure 1) is a little busier,
but not much. It has a Molex connector for
dc power, a ground screw, BNC antenna con-
nector, FireWire interface and external PTT
connection for a foot pedal or hand switch.
A keying line is also provided for control of
a power amplifier or other external equip-
ment. A line level audio output is included
for connecting to powered speakers. Finally,
the rear panel has a FlexWire I/O interface
for use with FlexRadio accessories.
For the basic configuration all you need
is power, ground, antenna, FireWire cable,
speakers or headphones and a microphone.
Hardware connections are minimal; hookup
is the usual, plug this here, plug that there.
No big deal. As tempting as it may be, don’t
power up the FLEX-3000 until you complete
the software installation, though.
The Software Part
To put the ’3000 on the air, first you have
to get PowerSDR (PSDR) properly installed.
When we received the ’3000, version 1.18.0
was current. As is common today, FlexRadio
provides a hardcopy Quick Start Guide. The
QSG separates the installation process into
four parts: hardware hookup, IEEE 1394
FireWire driver installation, PowerSDR instal-
lation and driver/PowerSDR configuration.
To install PSDR v1.18.0, we also needed
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