TRX Android Client

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visegrip72

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I am currently working on a TRX (and compatible)Android Client App, very similar to my Win500 Android app. It will include/require a Windows server program. The Windows program will look very similar to Whistler's Remote Control Demo. The Android side will look and work much like the Win500 Android app does. Basically, it looks like you are holding your scanner, when it's really at home.

Thanks to Whistler for making their communications protocols public. This was much appreciated, and without them, I don't know if I would have been able to do this. Hopefully they get a bunch more sales from this optional added functionality. Everyone should also thank user Anderegg. He uses my Win500 Android App all the time and was really the driving force for me, even made a long time loan of a TRX-1 for me to write this software. Of course, also DonS. Not a chance this would exist without what he did with Win500 and sharing the protocols and info for my Android app. I'd probably not have written that one, nor this.

The software currently does work. I can listen to and control my scanner from my phone. It is not ready for public use yet at all. The windows program is VERY raw. Two buttons, a lot of hard code, etc. It needs to be cleaned up a ton and optimized as well. The Android side also needs a few things fixed up and done too. Overall, not too much, mostly just time consuming for the android side. The Windows side has a lot.

This software suite should work with all scanners that work with Whistler's demo, not just the TRX models. I hope to have my beta testers putting the software through the tests in the coming weeks and officially releasing the software soon after. See the attached screenshots of what it looks like. I am still playing with colors, not satisfied yet.

At this point, there are no plans to create the server to run anything other than Windows, nor any plans to create an iPhone app.
 

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Anderegg

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Yay! I personally think whitish text on black display background as a nightmode option would look killer on an AMOLED phone screen. :-D

If anyone would like to help out on an iOS version, or knows someone technical enough to be motivated to help create one, please send them to this post.

I would like to point out that this app passes AUDIO as well as full control with a typical 2 second delay on the Win500 version I use. It is like having the actual scanner in the shape of your Android phone...will even pass audio through the phones Bluetooth to an earpiece, how I use it. Want to turn on scanlist 112? Press 1, 1, 2...that's it, no weird crap like Uniden Siren app, and you can use this even if you are on the opposite side of planet Earth. Leave you TRX2 at home hook up to this thing, and you have basically a TRX1 on demand in app form, with the benefit of a stationary base antenna setup at your home.

Paul
 
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visegrip72

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So I've been working a ton on the project this week. The Windows server side of things is a bit complicated and it took me a lot longer than I'd like to admit to get something going mostly stable. A lot of running in circles chasing my tail. Google can only help so much. Today I hit some major breakthroughs on many of the things that were annoying.

I still have to work on the layouts (button look & position) for the Android side. Right now it crashes if you rotate it, but that is expected. Other minor stuff too. There are still a few things on the Windows side I want to change or fix. It works great overall, just bombs when you exit the server totally sometimes. I've had it running connected now for well over a half hour non-stop.

There's not too much left to be done. I hope to knock out the rest of this stuff soon and have something up for the initial release. The below attachments look a ton better before resizing them.

As for the iPhone version. There's a few reasons for not pursuing it. The biggest overall is cost. Apple still charges a bunch to have an app in their appstore. That is a yearly fee. Once you stop paying, the app is removed. Also, they take a huge percentage of the profit. Honestly, if I my Win500 Android app was an iPhone app, I would be nearing breaking even now, starting to lose money! That is because nobody is buying the app any more, yet I'd still have to pay the annual fee for it to be there. I could try and write something for the jailbroke iphones, but there's just no point of it for me. On top of all of that, I've only touched the surface of iPhone apps a while ago doing the "Hello World" stuff. I am more than happy to work with someone on it, I'm just not sure it is worth it.
 

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Machria

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DANG, that sure does look "AWESOME"!! Almost makes me want to switch to an Android.

Regarding Ios and Apple store, as a guy with 35 years of IT experience I'm embarrassed to say I had no idea Apple charges a fee to have apps in the store!! That's ridiculous. I can understand them taking a small cut of purchased apps, so they can finance the store it self, but there should not be a fee.

Anyway, nice work vicegrip! Do I understand you right, you are the person that developed the Win500? Is that not the application that worked with a scanner (forget make/model?) that was just a PC card that you put into a desktop PCI slot, plugged an antenna into the back of and ran the software on the PC?
 

KB3ZWI

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This is extremely exciting news. I will have my TRX-1 tomorrow and would love, as I'm sure your fellow enthusiasts would love, to be an app beta tester. Keep up the excellent work!
 

grahampaull

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Audio

Excellent job. Can I ask, I know this sounds silly but will it bring the audio through to the app if the scanner is connected only by the USB cable to the windows server or would we need to run an audio cable from the speaker socket on the scanner to the line in on the server ?

I hope this makes sense.

Any videos of the app available ?

EDIT : Ahh, never mind. I just noticed that it needs a line in..
 
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SCPD

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Very awesome work! Keep it up,dont abandon the project,this looks like a valuable App,maybe you can sell it to Whistler.
 

BartowCountyScanner

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I just got the TRX-2 this weekend and am still learning a lot about it, but this looks like it will be something very useful. I mainly listen to the scanner when I am at work and that is when I often detect issues. Having the ability to access the scanner remotely is a dream come true! Can not wait until it is available!
 

scosgt

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Just so everyone knows, you can use the Control Demo and Splashtop ($10 a year) to control and listen to a Whistler Pro-18 on up. There is an Android client for Splashtop, and you can zoom the screen etc.
 

visegrip72

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Just so everyone knows, you can use the Control Demo and Splashtop ($10 a year) to control and listen to a Whistler Pro-18 on up. There is an Android client for Splashtop, and you can zoom the screen etc.

Good point. I use Teamviewer myself, as I have an account with my business. It helps if something messes up on the pc and I need to reset it. Same thing though. Either way, you will need to connect your scanner to an audio input. With Spashtop (or Teamviewer, etc) you need to also have your pc set to "listen" to that audio input device to pump it through the audio output. Then, either have the speakers on and listen to the audio, or keep your speakers off. My app uses the audio input, but has listening local optional instead of required. I also think using my app is a lot easier. Regardless of all of this, it is good to know all the options available! You also can do this same thing with the old Win500 desktop application instead of using my Win500 Android client. The more options out there, the better!
 

visegrip72

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Another teaser, getting REALLY close to (a hopefully short) Beta time...
The windows side has:
- A local listener option, which pumps the sound via the pc speakers as well as transmitting.
- Can automatically start the server when loaded
- Optionally can minimize to the system tray.
All these get saved when the stream is started.
Android side has the layouts done, just doing some fine tune adjusting, seeing where buttons would best go, etc.
 

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