A combo I started using that I'm pleased with is DTN IQFeed + Dynastore ---> TS4. DTN has a good internet feed, and it is easy to download and paste in missing data on the fly. Dynastore for IQFeed has made great strides forward since I started with them and is now stable and usable. DTN IQFeed has a very competitive price for Dynastore users. https://www.iqfeed.net/dynastore/
Natalie, I've been using Tradestaton 4 for years and for ease of use, joy of charting, graphic aesthetics, I think it's the best. Tradestation 2000i probably shares all of these qualities as long as you get the latest version, I'm told it's much more bug free than the earlier versions. The earlier versions of TS 2000i caused a lot of grief to a lot of people but I think most have gotten past that with the SP5 version. You need a lot of Ram and the build 822(I think) SP5 version. You can find all the information, opinions, and help(especially with Easy Language and formulas) on the Omega mailing list. I'll paste in the subscription email I received from the list almost 2 years ago: ======== Please confirm that you do indeed wish to subscribe to the omega mailing list at eskimo.com. If you prefer to receive the list in digest form rather than as individual messages, let us know. Thanks, jimo@eskimo.com maintainer of omega-list@eskimo.com ================ If you have Tradestation this list is the best source of information that I know of. It's an old list and has many long time Tradestation users as members, including some well known persons from the trading world. Tradestation 4 is available via the Russians for either $100 or $150. The latest version is v.27 and I can't think of any real problems it has accept that it isn't set up for internet data but you can use Dynastore Lite for TS4 to solve that problem. Easy Language is not that hard to learn, and there are many people very adept with it on the Omega mailing list who will help you with just about any problem...and there is also an archive web site run by one of the members called www.traders2traders.com with formulas, some refresh data, and archives of messages. Good luck, John
Does anyone here have an opinion as to how TS6 stacks up to RealTick? I currently am with Terra Nova Trading and using RealTick ver. 7.6. I'm really looking for a good alternative, especially since Real Tick has no back testing capability. In my conversations with the sales people at Tradestation, they tell me I have to either open an account or pay $220 a month to get TS6. I was hoping to be able to demo it for a day or two to explore the capabilities, but that doesn't seem possible for them. How does the charting and order execution on TS6 compare to RT? rah
rah, why not keep both? I use RealTick for direct access and Level II (since TradeStation's Level II has quirks) and use TradeStation for backtesting / systems / etc. Plus, having a redundant feed is good for comparing speed of the respective platforms.
Rah, Ask for a demo CD from TS. I received one in the mail with a certificate to try ts6 free for 2 months. The opportunity to try it free may be available only to past customers of Omega, but I would think they would be anxious to send out the demo CD to anyone. O.
What kind of level 2 quirks does TS6 have? My main problem with RealTick is system lockups during very high peak trade activity with the E-minis I trade. I've tried everything I can think of to determine the cause but can't determine why. During peak trading, my keyboard and mouse inputs get buffered and then sent in when the trade activity slows back down. That is deadly! I have a cable connection, I've verified my CPU utilization, I've been working with Terra Nova and Townsend Analytics, but no one has been able to help. I figured I would try another platform to see how it compares. As for the demo CD, that's pretty much useless to really see how the platform compares to RealTick. It's far too general. I need specifics. For instance, I saw a thread elsewhere mention something about TS not having a stop loss order available? I need to be able to compare chart functions, window customization, indicators available, etc. The demo CD just doesn't cut it.
You are right that the demo does not give many specifics on advanced charting and analysis capabilities, but it does give a good feel for the trading/quote screens and some order functionality, e.g., the discretionary and hidden size orders. Don't they have a money back guarantee on data charges and the funds wire fee for the first 30 days? It would mean opening an account and sending some funds, but it would give you 30 days to evaluate functionality, CPU usage, etc.