Your question is an excellent one. I'd love if you would change the title of this topic to "There is no such thing as an ANAN-7000DLE MKIII".
Since you are new here, a short disclaimer: I'm the moderator of the forum. I am not an Apache Labs employee and they don't pay me a dime.
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The confusion is because Apache had to make three parts list revisions to the main SDR board:
- Originally called the Orion MKII with an EP4CGX150F896 Cyclone IV series FPGA
- Then a second version still called the Orion MKII with an EP4CE115F29C8N Cyclone IV series FPGA because the original FPGA was no longer being produced.
This was the first mistake. They should have called this the Orion MKIIA so that people knew more easily what firmware to load. Since the entire assembly is still functionally an ANAN-7000DLE MKII they quite rightly did not change the name, and it remained an ANAN-7000DLE MKII.
- Then a third version poorly named the Orion MKIII with an 5CEFA9F31 Cyclone V series FPGA because, again, the previous part number was no longer being produced.
This was the second mistake. They should have called this the Orion MKIIB, again so that people would know more easily what firmware to load, and by calling it the "MKIII" they have produced an illusion that it is somehow better than the previous board revisions even though it is functionally identical.
It is quite correct to continue to refer to the top level assembly as an ANAN-7000DLE MKII because it remains functionally identical as the previous revisions. Although there have been tiny differences that have crept into the line over years, like changes to the fan controller, changes to the current measurement IC, etc., but no significant differences, nothing in the RF or SDR areas.
Then there is the final, ultimate, mistake: Apache is (reportedly, I've never seen one myself) shipping these units marked on the front panel as "ANAN-7000DLE MKIII". How Tony can't know this and respond appropriately is really unfathomable. Maybe they've gone back to labelling them as a MKII?
In the engineering world a revision is something that is functionally identical although it may be built a little differently. What we have is three revisions (at least, not including niggling little details like fan controllers, external fan connectors, case colors, current IC's, etc.), not three entirely different part numbers. They are all functionally the same regardless of how they are labeled or described.
Bottom line: order one. You'll get an ANAN-7000DLE MKII, possibly labeled as a MKIII, with a Cyclone V FPGA in it.
You can find additional historical details here:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4462and here:
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3960