Apache Labs 7000DLE VS 100D

User avatar
w-u-2-o
Posts: 5539
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:47 pm

Apache Labs 7000DLE VS 100D

Postby w-u-2-o » Sat Jan 12, 2019 2:25 pm

Good evening Scott,

All this talk has inspired me to consider purchasing a 7000DLE MKII. It sounds like a fabulous radio. But I have limited computer skills. I’m actually pretty good at using a computer but I seem to be one or two levels below where the best people are. Do you think I can make it work? I have an ANAN 10 and I’ve found the basic software to be years ahead of ALL the other programs available.

I was a bit surprised to learn a month of two ago that you own an 8000DLE. I seem to recall that sometime last summer you posted an email spelling out why a 7000DLE was a better radio (or a better value for your dollar) than the 8000DLE. Is my memory correct?

Do you intend to buy a 7000DLE MK II?

What does DLE stand for?

Yup, time for a Martini.

73,

Harry K1RSA

P.S. Feel free to answer this in the forum if you think others may have the same questions.
User avatar
w-u-2-o
Posts: 5539
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:47 pm

Re: Apache Labs 7000DLE VS 100D

Postby w-u-2-o » Sat Jan 12, 2019 2:43 pm

Harry,

As you can see, I did post your direct email to me onto the forum, per your suggestion and permission. As a general policy and philosophy I only provide support via public venues. That way everyone can benefit and, more importantly, take part in the discussion.

All this talk has inspired me to consider purchasing a 7000DLE MKII. It sounds like a fabulous radio. But I have limited computer skills. I’m actually pretty good at using a computer but I seem to be one or two levels below where the best people are. Do you think I can make it work? I have an ANAN 10 and I’ve found the basic software to be years ahead of ALL the other programs available.

You will find the experience of using the 7000DLE MKII almost identical to that of your ANAN-10. The 7000DLE MKII is nothing more than a Windows computer running PowerSDR (or, someday, Thetis) in the same box as the radio hardware. Therefore you will need exactly the same computer skills and exactly the same level of familiarity with PowerSDR. Other than the slightly different feature set and the improved performance of the 7000 radio hardware you will find it no different. In other words, the 7000DLE MKII will not make things any easier for you, and it will not make things any harder for you, either.

I was a bit surprised to learn a month of two ago that you own an 8000DLE. I seem to recall that sometime last summer you posted an email spelling out why a 7000DLE was a better radio (or a better value for your dollar) than the 8000DLE. Is my memory correct?

Your memory is correct. The arrival of the 8000 here predates the 7000. If I didn't have the 8000 I'd probably have a 7000. At this time there's no reason compelling enough for me to change. And I still do think the 7000 is a better radio, and a much better value.

Do you intend to buy a 7000DLE MK II?

Even if cost were no object I still would not buy one. I much prefer the idea of a separate PC. It is easier to work on and easier to upgrade, with many more choices of hardware available. Perhaps more importantly, it is easier to upgrade the radio and the PC separately, each on their own upgrade schedule as technology moves forward. And I already have a PC that is 10X the power of the NUC PC that is in the 7000DLE MKII and it is already perfectly configured for operating openHPSDR architecture radios.

There is one thing that might motivate me to purchase a radio with a built-in computer, and that would be the availability of a true client-server version of PowerSDR or Thetis. The server side would run on the built-in computer, of course. However there is absolutely no signs of anyone working on a client-server version of PowerSDR or Thetis, nor is there any software out there that approaches the capabilities present in PowerSDR and Thetis. I'd bet that we will see at least another generation of hardware before we see any such advances in software. There are people out there interested in developing hardware. There is practically no one that is interested in developing software like this.

What does DLE stand for?

The "D" in the Apache Labs part numbering scheme always referred to the presence of dual ADCs in the hardware. I don't know what the "LE" stands for.

Yup, time for a Martini.

Always! :D

73!

Scott

Return to “Everything Else: Antennas, Relays, Switches, Power, Grounding, Cooling, etc.”