my reveiw of new gre 800ez month of use new

[Hexmaster]

I love it. But as usuall the software has some minor bugs. I've noticed the software program for the Grecom is the exacct same software maker for radio shacks Pro 106 that I own and the funny part is I have to be carefull not to confuse the programs. One day I opened up the Radio Shack user interface with the Grecom 800 ez plugged in and renamed the boot, changed some freg's, updated library then I noticed there where allot of extra things missing. THIS IS THE ANOLOG VERSON! But it actually worked and updated my card and talked to scanner.

Anyways. I love this scanner although I have had some problems with software on this one in the medium range. Thiis micro sd card seems to get errors on it very easy, this seems to come from to much update checks or especcillay after optimizing the card. The scanner will die,windows won't reconize it anymore with deive faliure. I unplug the scanner and turn it on for error messages.

Well instead of coming in here. I knew this was computer related and a simple software problem. I refused to give up on the Grecom 800ez.

If yours does this to you. Your best bet is to get a micro card reader that plugs into your computer as a periphial. Now format that micro card clean down to nothing. Put it back on your scanner. Your problem will be solved.

I no longer optimized or at least not to often. My issues alway like to happen after optimizing the micro card.

Also make sure you click on file, new configuration, highlight 0 and select yes. This will erase all your scanner set freq's scanner light settings, default anything you changed on the boot dispay, change your display back to simple mode instead of advanced like we all like it and so forth. IF YOU SET A PASSWORD THAT WILL REMAIN.

Last but not least if you get this stuck boot error message on your Grecom 800 EZ

General settings page then at the bottom click default all scanlist.

Your library will still be on your software all your firmware and other updates will remaine and or be on your hard drive your will need no new updates unless they release some while you do this process and anything is possible with all these freqenxcies being changed.

plug your Grecom800ez in then upload your library first

then remake your scan list (I like zip code verson allot but old scholl for some things)

Your done.

Oh pray for a software update, it's not your scanner. The problem is in the software, very buggy but I have found ways around most all of it.

Anyone else having this simular problem?

Otherwise I love this thing. I do recomend getting an after market antenna because that stock one is for the birds.

I typed this fast. I took typing in school. My hand type faster than my brain can get the singles to them so forgine the errors becuase i am not spell checking today, to lazy.

Get one of these antenna's makes your scanner look well should I say a bit more pimp (in steet lago) or professional (In professional terms)

Police Scanner Antenna Tuned 800 900 MHz Pro Digital Scanner Upgrade | eBay

 

[tilt404]

I've been having so many problems, but like you I love the scanner. I've had it a little over a month and it has twice got to the point it will stop working and I will have to delete everything and start over. I'm still trying to figure out what is causing it. Thanks for telling people not to optimize though since I started doing that this time and will stop. I believe the software is to blame also. Even the library updates with RR i've been suspicious of. Not to blame RR, but I've noticed updates don't even match what is on RR with the library. I don't think I will update the library anymore. It's helpful to have this feature, but I wish it showed you FIRST what was in need of updating due to changes on RR, then you could see the changes first and verify that they are needed.

I still wish GRE would let another company write software for the PSR800 like Butel. It would solve so many of my problems I believe.

 

[jackj]

Some suggestions that will help:

1. Read the manual and follow it's instructions on how to handle the MicroSD card. Don 't remove it with the scanner powered up, etc.

2. Search for and download a free program called SDFormatter. It is put out by the folks who wrote the specs on SD cards. Find the formatting requirements of the PSR-800 in the manual and follow them.

3. Be sure that you are using the latest version of EZScan software.

4. Transfer data to/from the card using your computer's card slots, not the USB cable hooked to the scanner. Less chance of accidental disconnect.

This should eliminate your problems with the MicroSD card, unless you have a bad card.

 

[tilt404]

Done all that and still get errors all the time. And this is with the card that came with it, AND other cards I have tried. The software is the problem in my mind. Like every time I just try to get the audio files off it each day, gives me a error. Then I shut down the software, try again and works fine. I go through that every day.

 

[Hexmaster]

Some suggestions that will help:

1. Read the manual and follow it's instructions on how to handle the MicroSD card. Don 't remove it with the scanner powered up, etc.

2. Search for and download a free program called SDFormatter. It is put out by the folks who wrote the specs on SD cards. Find the formatting requirements of the PSR-800 in the manual and follow them.

3. Be sure that you are using the latest version of EZScan software.

4. Transfer data to/from the card using your computer's card slots, not the USB cable hooked to the scanner. Less chance of accidental disconnect.

This should eliminate your problems with the MicroSD card, unless you have a bad card.

I agree with your post 100% but It's the software. The scanner and card are not the issue. always happens after an update and sometimes and most of the time the updates work even the optimization but once in a while you get a crash. I also notice once you start anythigng on the this specific version of the 800ez program, DON'T touch anything on it. Walk away and let it finish. Everytime I try to do something else whille the software is talking to scanner is about 80% where the program freezes and the scanner s.d. card gets errors.

just one more update. I think and hope they still have devolpers or did the whole company disapeer. They gotta still have developers. Still getting weekly updates for my Radio Shack Pro 106 anolog and Grecom 800 someone is working on them.

out.

 

[jackj]

Tilt404's problem sounds to me like a card problem. He states:

"I've had it a little over a month and it has twice got to the point it will stop working and I will have to delete everything and start over. I'm still trying to figure out what is causing it."

That sounds like a bad card to me. I don't know if he has another card or not but he should get another one, format it properly and program it. Then try it in his scanner. If he still has problems with the scanner stopping then he has a scanner problem. There isn't any way that EZScan will cause a working card to suddenly stop working while in the scanner and operating.

The cards are pretty easy to corrupt if not handled right, that's why I suggested reading the manual and following GRE's instructions. Once a card is hosed, you might have a difficult time recovering it using Windows or EZScan. That's why I recommended getting SDFormatter and using it to format the card.

 

[tilt404]

When I said 'done all that', that is what I've done, all 4 steps. More than once. My SD card is not hosed. It was brand new, just like the one in the scanner that came with it and I've had this trouble from day 1. So its the software corrupting the card. These cards don't go bad from day 1. I've had SD cards for years. If they do, they don't start working again.

How come when I format the card again using the methods recommended by GRE and install the software again, everything works great - for a short time, then it starts all over again. This is not a SD card that magically comes to life again. A card is either bad or good. Its the software that is corrupting the card. Or the scanner just decided to stop and give me a error on the display, that was the first time it stopped working, told me to initialize the card. Second time it just stopped receiving. So then I would format the card again and start over. All would be well, until things got messed up again. Its why I wish GRE would let someone else write software for this great product.

I emailed Butel (who makes great software) and they said GRE will not let anyone write software for this product since they won't release the things needed for people to do so. So we are stuck with a great product and terrible software. With no options. Every time I put my SD card in the laptop or use the USB cable to get audio files off it for instance, I get a error and have to shut down the software, and start it again. Then it reads it fine.

I've never had a single error on all the years I've used Butel's software. Ever. And I've used their software with Uniden, GRE, Icom and Radio Shack products. It's not me corrupting the cards either since I have read and know what I'm doing. This isn't rocket science. I know how to safely remove hardware and eject media. The scanner works fine when the card is removed, but always happens after I transfer the settings to the SD card with the software. So that tells me right there, its the software because if it was fine when I had it in the scanner, safely ejected, then new configuration sent to it, that caused it.

You say "There isn't any way that EZScan will cause a working card to suddenly stop working while in the scanner and operating.", but how do you know this for fact? Then you say "That sounds like a bad card to me. I don't know if he has another card or not but he should get another one, format it properly and program it", as if I don't know what program to use to format it. I read the info at GRE's site, and do. I already got a new card for it also, so I'm supposed to go out and buy a 3rd card?

I don't mean to sound angry and sorry if I do. I just don't understand why GRE won't let other people write software for it. Even Uniden's new Home Patrol has new software written by Butel. You think if anyone was going to close off software it would be Uniden. So why is GRE doing this? Especially if the company is in a state of uncertainty right now. I am sure some of the blame could be me and how I programmed, and that may be why things got messed up in the past. I've seen strange things happen though. Usually the scanner doesn't just stop working, it will show signs first, and it won't be working the way it should. I could explain more but I think I've already been too long winded.

 

[JoeyC]

During library updates I have noticed longggg delays in writing the the SD card. I have always used the USB cable to transfer data so I am used to the lengthy waits. During the last update (and I am doing one now as I type) the software appeared to freeze on one of the files, and didn't report progress-remained at 88% for several minutes. I was convinced it had frozen and was about to pull the plug (and definately corrupt things) but I held off and decided to do something outside. While I was out there a neighbor got to talking so I was out there longer then I anticipated (about 20 min) and when I returned the transfer completed successfully. You aren't losing patience and assuming a transfer is frozen are you? Other than those long delays, I have never had a corruption of data after MANY many uploads and reuploads. I don't do recordings, so I haven't been able to evaluate that aspect of the software.

 

[tilt404]

No, the audio files never complete, this is what I see on the screen. Error. Submitted ticket to GRE and they didn't have a answer. Do you do programming though and add stuff, delete stuff? I keep trying to do that to get the thing programmed how I want, but maybe that's why it gets all mixed up or corrupted, but shouldn't be.

 

[jackj]

That error, tilt404, IS a problem with EZScan. The software will read the audio files without error but only if getting the audio files is the FIRST thing you attempt to do after the program starts. I downloaded and installed the beta updates for P-25, Phase II which included an update for EZScan. They seem to have fixed the audio file error problem.

I'd like to make a couple of observations about your problem:

1. The card is in the scanner, the scanner is operating properly, EZScan isn't running or accessing the card. How can EZScan cause the card's data to become hosed?

2. If your problem is caused by the EZScan software, why aren't hundreds or thousands of people reporting the same problem.

I didn't know that you had a second card, sorry. You are right, the odds against of two MicroSD cards having exactly the same problem are really high. So the next thing for you to do would be to open a trouble ticket with GRE and follow their suggestions.

Good luck

 

[lep]

EXTRACT

I emailed Butel (who makes great software) and they said GRE will not let anyone write software for this product since they won't release the things needed for people to do so. So we are stuck with a great product and terrible software. With no options. Every time I put my SD card in the laptop or use the USB cable to get audio files off it for instance, I get a error and have to shut down the software, and start it again. Then it reads it fine.

I've never had a single error on all the years I've used Butel's software.

I don't mean to sound angry and sorry if I do. I just don't understand why GRE won't let other people write software for it. Even Uniden's new Home Patrol has new software written by Butel. You think if anyone was going to close off software it would be Uniden. So why is GRE doing this? Especially if the company is in a state of uncertainty right now. I am sure some of the blame could be me and how I programmed, and that may be why things got messed up in the past. I've seen strange things happen though. Usually the scanner doesn't just stop working, it will show signs first, and it won't be working the way it should. I could explain more but I think I've already been too long winded.

END OF EXTRACT

Uniden requires anyone who wishes to write software for the HP-1 to first sign a written agreement regarding certain proprietary features of the file structure and limits what they can publish regarding features that are revealed to them as part of the agreement. Butel has explained this several times on the Home Patrol website.

No reason of which I am aware that GRE (before their recent financial troubles) could not have done the same if they wished.

 

[tilt404]

That error, tilt404, IS a problem with EZScan. The software will read the audio files without error but only if getting the audio files is the FIRST thing you attempt to do after the program starts. I downloaded and installed the beta updates for P-25, Phase II which included an update for EZScan. They seem to have fixed the audio file error problem.

I'd like to make a couple of observations about your problem:

1. The card is in the scanner, the scanner is operating properly, EZScan isn't running or accessing the card. How can EZScan cause the card's data to become hosed?

2. If your problem is caused by the EZScan software, why aren't hundreds or thousands of people reporting the same problem.

I didn't know that you had a second card, sorry. You are right, the odds against of two MicroSD cards having exactly the same problem are really high. So the next thing for you to do would be to open a trouble ticket with GRE and follow their suggestions.

Good luck

Do you work for GRE? Seems like you speak for a lot of people out there and know the answers. When I had done the beta update my scanner worked worse and I still has the audio error. Someone in another post I did last night on here even got the same error when they tried.

For answer to 1., I don't think you understand how things work. EZScan is what wrote the data to the card and now the scanner is reading it. So that is how EZScan can cause the data to become messed up.

For answer to 2. not many people have downloaded the update. 700 doesn't seem like much to me from GRE's site. Very few post on RR anyway in case you haven't noticed. Maybe more people submit tickets to GRE instead and I don't think you know how many have done that.

I was having the same problem for 2 months, but didn't report it since I've been fed up. Is it possible more people are feeling the same but haven't reported it? I have opened a trouble ticket with GRE and all they said was 'are you use USB to read the card, if so try that.'. I get the same error with USB or reading directly. Explained that to them.

 

[tilt404]

END OF EXTRACT

Uniden requires anyone who wishes to write software for the HP-1 to first sign a written agreement regarding certain proprietary features of the file structure and limits what they can publish regarding features that are revealed to them as part of the agreement. Butel has explained this several times on the Home Patrol website.

No reason of which I am aware that GRE (before their recent financial troubles) could not have done the same if they wished.

Thank you for explaining that. I don't know why they made this decision either. I hope its not too late. I'm on the verge of wanting to sell my scanner now due to having no options before me. This scanner needs software to run. I wonder if once I get everything programmed how I like it, and leave it be, will it behave? I don't know. I don't like Uniden's handheld digital though or the home patrol. The BCD996XT is one option but its not a handheld. Not many choices out there. Its a true shame that this PSR800 has to suffer due to choices made at GRE. At least suffer in my eyes due to removing any options from the owners/users.