Question Regarding Uniden Software Protocols

[KC1UA]

Hello,

I am in the process of experimenting with a new type of scanner feed. This feed uses a Uniden BC780XLT (or 796, which I'm testing with). Information is extracted from the 780 via a terminal program. Another program views the information received from the 780 by the terminal program, and checks it against a text file with alpha tags. The alpha tag is then sent to a program called Simplecast, which provides the audio stream to Icecast, an audio feed server. Clients can connect to the feed via Winamp (or equivalent), listen to the feed, and can see the alpha tag in the section of Winamp that normally displays song or file information.

I am able to extract talkgroup ID data without a problem using the IDN command. This works superbly. However, I am having no success at all trying to have conventional frequency data stream from the 780. I have checked, re-checked, and re-re-checked Uniden software protocol websites, including the superb one located at The Freq of Nature site, http://www.freqofnature.com/software/protocols.html . I have tried what I thought to be the correct commands. However, it appears that only two commands, the aforementioned IDN and the CDN command (provides subaudible tone info) provide streaming data from the 780 (or 796).

Can anyone here with programming experience shed some light on how I might successfully accomplish this? It HAS to be possible, otherwise programs like ARC780, ARC250, Scan*Star, wouldn't work with displaying conventional data.

I have made this inquiry elsewhere as well, and have received some replies, none of which I've been successful with to date. I have an inquiry in to Gommert Buysen of Butel Software but he's on holiday until 9/20. If anyone has any information I would be indebted. This is a really neat way of providing alpha tag data for a scanner feed, but I'm coming up short in this vital area. To cover my area properly I have to scan both trunked and conventional systems.

If you run Winamp and would like to see an example of what this feed looks like, check the following site:

http://sagansstash.ucsd.edu/Scanner/connect.html

Click on the yellow "Tune In" button at the top of the page.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SCPD]

You have to poll the radio for the current active channel. I thing the "WI" command will do that (it's been a while).

-rick

 

[AZScanner]

This might be just the ticket for ya:
http://www.freqofnature.com/software/protocols.html#LCD

You can use this command to pull anything shown on the LCD display.

I think that for the 780 you'll have to send "LCD LINE1" and so on - not sure. I no longer have mine. On the BC250 and up this has been shortened to what you see on Tracy's site.

Sending LCD alone gives you the whole string. Sending LCD1 will give you line 1, and so on.

Hope that helps!
-AZ

 

[KC1UA]

Thanks, guys. WI was the WInner, in conjunction with QUN. Sending QUN makes the scanner send a plus (+) sign to the terminal program each time the squelch opens. When the terminal program being used receives the +, it sends WI to the scanner. This returns the window voltage which is discarded, and the frequency information which is kept. The frequency information is then checked a text file list of alpha tags, and if there is a match it's sent to Simplecast for streaming. If it's a talkgroup, the IDN command has already handled the alpha tag check. Works like a champ. I did most of the research but the real force behind this is the sysop of www.scangwinnett.com . He wrote the software necessary to make it work, and after our testing is now offering it for download at:

http://www.scangwinnett.com/downloads/Software

It does require that Simplecast is used as the streaming software. This can be downloaded from http://www.spacialaudio.com .

I am in the process of testing my feed at this time. If you have Winamp installed on your computer you can give it a try at:

http://www.scancapecod.net/livescan/scancapecod.pls

I'll be working on a way to provide it in both Winamp and Windows Media formats. There is an "easy" way to do this, and a more "sensible" way...time will tell which one I use.

Thanks again for the help!