![]() ![]() If you are a Flex Radio - Mac user like me, you owe it to yourself to check out DogparkSDR, from Don Agro VE3VRW, the same developer who gave us the highly recommended MacLoggerDX logging application. Panadapter shows call signs, smooth tuning, clean interface If you've already dropped the money for a Mac and a Flex radio, you shouldn't hesitate going the small step further and really making your amateur radio experience a *true* Mac experience. The bottom line for me as a Mac user and a Flex radio owner is this: dogparkSDR is a must-have. And the author, Don Agro, is receptive to feedback and suggestions (though he is judicious about balancing feedback with actually making changes, as most software authors are careful to do). That does not take away from the utility of the software itself. For example, I would love to see realistic meter widgets for things like SWR. In some ways, it's almost too thin in points. The software mostly "stays out of the way" and lets you focus on operating, making it a true thin client in every sense of the word. Its genius is taking a complex task like operating a radio and giving it a minimalist touch. dogparkSDR makes operating the Flex radio feel like it's an Apple-esque experience.įrom using profiles to creating keyboard shortcuts to adding and removing pan adapters and slices, the software does not "get in the way" with superfluous buttons and whiz-bang interface choices. Being a "purist," I refuse to use Parallels to run Windows apps on my Mac. Of course, among the pantheon of Dog Park's apps is dogparkSDR, a Mac client for Flex radios. This is partly what propelled me to purchase a FLEX-6400 recently. I've been using MacLoggerDX for a number of years, so I'm very familiar with Dog Park Software's support for the amateur radio hobby for Mac users. Makes Amateur Radio feel like a true Mac experience It seems rock stable and gives met the flexibility to do what I want to do without having a visual smorgasbord to have to sort through each time I want to change a setting. It has a more minimalist approach and frankly I like using it a lot more. I have both SmartSDR and DPSDR on my mac and run whichever I'm in the mood for, and I'm finding myself in the mood more and more to use DPSDR. I now understand the logic and UI flow of the program and really enjoy it. After purchasing the newest version of MacLoggerDX and getting that set up, I thought - why not try DPSDR again? So I did. When SmartSDR for the Mac was released (and my PC died) I went back to my old 2012 MacMini, downloaded SmartSDR for the Mac and was in Flex heaven. I found it a little confusing at first and then ran back to a PC and SmartSDR. Ok - I have had a bit of a love and slightly-less-than-love relationship with this piece of software over the years. Very good at what it does once you get the hang of it ![]()
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