[<^..^>Smokey Joe]

If you want to use HCFR, build the matching probe. I have and it is quite fast and reports to low stimulas levels. It is DIY through and through and excellent value for the DIYer with techo skills.

This is how I cut my teeth.....however when I decided to do other peoples displays I thought it was prudent and respectful of their investment(at what ever level they have purchased) to buy quality equipment that can be trusted, that is the catch I supose. The i1pro is Nist traceable and should be itself be calibrated at the factory once a year. It is the most afforable quality radiospectrometer, others are far to expensive for the majority.

The main problem with the filter based meters is they age with time(and light use) and drift over time, essentially fading. So replacement is required if you were to be using them in the field, the i1s cost to recalibrate. So there you go.

In a DIY sense keeping everything real and cost effective is the game, in the pro sense it always costs to be up to spec.

Software is a little more difficult than probes to choose because the price varies between nothing and several thousand dollars.

I don't get paid by SpectraCal because I use a pro version of CalMAN, however after looking at a few packages myself before starting with CalMAN(then it was v2),I would say the CalMAN v3 is cost effective even compared to the Free HCFR.
If you understand calibration and try HCFR you might get what you need.
If you don't understand calibration CalMAN is better as the help contained within the programme and from the forum helps so much better it offsets the cost in time wasted searching for answers with HCFR.

The pro version is really still in advanced beta development, I might add it contains features which others struggle to do. Some of these features will be brought back into the consumer version once they have been debugged and tested in the field.
For the home user the pro version is not cost effective.

I have found some minor different measurements comparing HCFR to CalMAN. I trust CalMAN, because I compare the results. The differences are minor in some areas, however I am particular about what I do especially when doing someones elses display and CalMAN commands a greater overview ofwhat is going on.

Regards