Portable Frequency List = PDA or something else?

[RedPenguin]

I was just wondering, what some of you, use as a portable frequency list.

See, I live in Cambria County, PA but sometimes I take trips to places like New York City and Atlantic City, NJ and I usually like to have frequency lists with me, now in Johnstown, PA, Cambria County, we have really only 5 real police frequencies, one EMS dispatch, and one fire dispatch, so it would not be so horrible to carry a list around, but now some place like NYC, you need like 50-100 pages to fully cover the NYPD alone it seems.

So I was wondering, do you, use PDAs or something else, so when you are traveling with a portable scanner, you can easily look up frequencies for that area. And does anyone have a wireless FCC search? What I mean is, like had a PDA or something, that they can just go to a hot spot location, and search the FCC site, with all the frequencies they found that day.

 

[902]

So I was wondering, do you, use PDAs or something else, so when you are traveling with a portable scanner, you can easily look up frequencies for that area. And does anyone have a wireless FCC search? What I mean is, like had a PDA or something, that they can just go to a hot spot location, and search the FCC site, with all the frequencies they found that day.

My short answer is "Yes!"

I use my PDA with Excel that's sync'ed with my laptop. I have a freqs database that lists frequency, CTCSS/ CDCSS/ P25 Network Access Code, modulation, user, county, state, input (if any) and comments. That's for things that I may come across. I have several thousand lines of frequency/ user combinations I've accrued in my travels. I can reconcile that to ULS at a later time. With a few keystrokes, I can sort on user instead of frequency. Or, on county and state. Excel is really flexible.

The PDA (an HP) also has an 802.11g interface and can access FCC ULS searches or look at the RR database from any hotspot. Or, I can use the laptop with an aircard.

This works very nicely for me.

Good luck!

 

[blackacid]

I myself used to carry an ipaq 3870 with a pcmcia add on sleeve and a wireless card. Whenever I was near an open hotspot you could just fire up the browser and lookup any frequency you wanted on the fcc website. Would also keep a list of common freq's in a document.

 

[radio10-8]

Yes me too. I use my pocket PC with an excell or word with most of my freq info that I need. If I need to seard FCC or RR databases I just look for Wi-Fi or use my cell phones web access. I keep them on the removeable memory so I can update at home or share with others.

 

[Universaldecoder]

Treo. There is no substitute.

 

[hotdjdave]

RadioReference.com

This is what RadioReference.com is for. You can access the RR database anywhere in the world if you can get online. You can access it from a net-enabled PDA, laptop, Blackberry, SideKick, Treo, from an internet cafe computer, your friend's Mac, your relative's PC, or just about any other device that goes online and uses a web browser.


Just go to http://www.radioreference.com and click on Database.

 

[RedPenguin]

Hmm

Well, I am new to the mobile computers, so what would be perfect for me? I mean, I don't really know the PDAs and the Treos and what's good in a PC and what isn't. See I am really into PCs, and I am like a PC expert also, everyone comes to me when they need help, but I never bought or used a PDA or similar, so I am like blank at figuring out which would be good for me.

Any recommendations?

 

[blackacid]

Really the only way to know what you like would be to take a trip to the local geek store and try em out. I'm a computer guy myself and I have had both palm's and pocketpc's. I really liked the interface of pocketpc better than the palms. Since it also runs a mobile version of windows it pretty much works the same as windows with drivers etc. Also they are lots of programs that can be fun to play with on a pocketpc. If you like to wardrive perhaps try out ministumbler. There is a version of skype for the pocket pc as well so if your at a hotspot and would like to call someone over skype you can. There are so many programs that are shared between a computer and a pocketpc that it would take a good while to sort through em. I believe there are a few versions of linux as well for pocketpc's if you wish to play around with that.

As for brand that would be up to you. The most popular I have seen would be the hp line. A treo is a phone/pda built into one and runs the palm os. I really don't like to many gadgets all built into one as I like to keep things separate but thats just me. Of course around where I live there isn't much cell phone service so a phone wouldn't do me any good.

I myself will be buying another hp ipaq when $$$ allows.

 

[BaLa]

get the best you can afford.

I have never really used a PDA except at work, but If I were to buy one I'd stick with something that uses, a Version of the Windows OS as opposed to Palm.
Simply because I've been using Windows in all my comps.

Some people like the Palms.
Also I would make sure it's got Wireless in it 802.11g.
That would allow you to surf the internet and stuff at 'hotspots'. Although it is prolly hard on the eyes.

 

[902]

I have an HP iPAQ that runs Windows Mobile. It has applications that are similar in operation to regular Windows and I can port files from one to the other. The bad thing is I can't find them anymore. The local Best Buys, Circuit Cities and Office stuff stores don't seem to carry them. The kids working there tell me it's because "most people" use a cellphone that has an integrated PDA, like a Raspberry or Treo. I guess I missed the boat somewhere. The only ones I can find are Palms. They have a different OS and I don't know whether the files can port between Palm and Windows easily. I had one from about 5 years ago, but those are long obsolete now, too.

My wife wants a PDA for her genealogy stuff and the only thing we can find on the shelves is a Palm. Any of you guys know if those files can work with Windows? Of course, I (think I) can still order an HP online from somewhere... .

One thing - be careful! You can end up either dropping or washing these things very easily! Done both, and they will DESTROY your PDA. The only thing I could salvage was case parts, the battery and SD memory card. Use a padded case or holster, back up your stuff FREQUENTLY and always check your pockets!

 

[benjaminarthurt]

I have a treo 650 for verizon. I love it, and using it with windows is a snap. I find that my palm runs faster than mobile windows devices which i think is basically because Palm uses less memory to run the OS than windows.

I just wish there was a way to reprogram my scanner directly from the palm.

 

[jparks29]

Treo. There is no substitute.

Sure there is...

I have a PPC-6700, an I730 before that, and a HW6515 before that ...


I use a combination of internet, and hardcoded HTML databases....essentially, I synchronize my 'favorite' agencies everytime I sync with the desktop....automatically downloading the relevant page from radioreference, and dumping it onto my PDA phone...

with Opera for PDA's, and horizontal viewing, it's a dream..

 

[Universaldecoder]

I have a treo 650 for verizon. I love it, and using it with windows is a snap. I find that my palm runs faster than mobile windows devices which i think is basically because Palm uses less memory to run the OS than windows. I just wish there was a way to reprogram my scanner directly from the palm.

Being able to program from a palm/WM would be geeky cool.

 

[csvff78]

I have been using PDAs for years. I had been using Palms, but have just switched to a HP Ipaq.

I have been using a database program called Mobile DB. I know someone else who is using HandDbase on his. Both work great. Both the Palm and Pocket PC will do Excel spread sheets. The Palm requires a program to convert to something it can play with.

It is by far the best thing I have found for keeping things organized. No more little scraps of papers with charts or notes. All kept on a little device. I even keep magazines, scanner manuals, and other forms on there in PDF format. I always have my scanner or radio manaual there to help do those things I don't do very often and require odd key sequences.

The reason I switched to the Ipaq are two fold. First pocket PC's have a mic. You can record notes or use it for some digital decoding. By running Pocket Digi and laying the pocket PC by the speaker you can decode CW and many other types of digital modes. No wire interface. I have played with it for CW and and it works great. Makes it easy to ID those stations once they put their CW call out. Second was this one has WiFi capability. I know the Palm is capable as well, just can cost more.

I have placed some files on my site that are databases for download. I need to update them and am working on that.

Frank K3FSS
http://www.geocities.com/csvff78/pghradio.html

 

[Universaldecoder]

2 flavors and more colors......

I have an HP iPAQ that runs Windows Mobile. It has applications that are similar in operation to regular Windows and I can port files from one to the other. The bad thing is I can't find them anymore. The local Best Buys, Circuit Cities and Office stuff stores don't seem to carry them. The kids working there tell me it's because "most people" use a cellphone that has an integrated PDA, like a Raspberry or Treo. I guess I missed the boat somewhere. The only ones I can find are Palms. They have a different OS and I don't know whether the files can port between Palm and Windows easily. I had one from about 5 years ago, but those are long obsolete now, too.

Palm Treo now can now be had with either Palm OS or Windows Mobile.
See www.palm.com

This post was sent via Treo700P at a restaurant in Royal Oak, MI. Uses Sprints EVDO data network, and I think it runs at 2.5 MBps. I've had WiFi pda's in the past. They're fast, but hotspots were few and far in between. For the best coverage, I would go for a smartphone with WiFi, and for world wide coverage go with a GSM network smartphone..

 

[benjaminarthurt]

Being able to program from a palm/WM would be geeky cool.

Now if only we could talk Uniden into installing a Bluetooth or some sort of wireless protocol into its newest models for remote control and programming. I would pay for that!



My Treo came with "documents to Go" it can open native Microsoft office documents with out conversion. I use excel documents on my palm for work, and also store frequencies in there with all the advantages of excel, sorting and formulas and such. It syncs the docs when i sync the device. This way I can edit them on my pc, and save it on to the phone. Now if only this device had WIFI capabilities.

 

[N4JNW]

I always made a small laminated peice of paper that I could carry in my shirt pocket that had each bank, and what was assigned to it listed. I have also took the "sticky" peice of laminating tape and laminated the list to the back of the scanner for quick reference.

 

[hotdjdave]

Well, I am new to the mobile computers, so what would be perfect for me? I mean, I don't really know the PDAs and the Treos and what's good in a PC and what isn't. See I am really into PCs, and I am like a PC expert also, everyone comes to me when they need help, but I never bought or used a PDA or similar, so I am like blank at figuring out which would be good for me.

Any recommendations?

If you have cell phone service, you may want to look into a cell phone that is also a hand held portable computer-type phone, known as a SmartPhone.


Here are some SmartPhones:

• RIM Blackberry uses Microsoft (MS) software.

• Palm Treo uses a proprietary software package, but is getting better at being compatible with MS.

• Samsung Blackjack uses MS software.

• HP iPAQ uses MS software.

• Motorola MC70 uses MS software.

• iMate JAQ uses MS software.

• Each cell phone company has their own brand models, too (Cingular, Sprint, Verizon).

Here is a Microsoft web link that shows some of these SmartPhones: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/smartphone/default.mspx

 

[RedPenguin]

Yep

Being able to program from a palm/WM would be geeky cool.

I would also love this then just program my scanner on the fly, LoL. Would be way less wear and tear on the buttons and knobs.

 

[jb872033]

That would be F--ing awesome... especially with large systems..by the time you program the frequencies in your wife/gf isnt talking to you and your vacation is over unless you brought your computer...

JB