Selectable step sizes for the U.K USERS

[m0mbn]

The U.K users of the TRX1 & TRX2 need selectable step sizes and not automatic band selected steps

can Whistler make an update in the firmware to allow selectable step sizes for search and tuning modes

thanks

 

[BrianG61UK]

In which bands are you finding the default steps in the UK band plan are incorrect?

 

[Ubbe]

If it where selectable it wouldn't be neccesary to have different selections for different parts of the world. Even in one country the regulations change over time and stepsizes and ranges change.

I would like to see 20 different settings where you specify min and max frequency and its stepsize.
Software wise there's no problem doing it, it only takes a little more memory to store the settings and add code lines in firmware to handle it while doing search and tune, but are minimal compared to the size of one recording of a transmission.

My Icom receivers have search ranges where I can set 169.0125 as the start frequency and a 25KHz step size and it actually uses 169.0125 as a base and adds 25KHz to it for each step. And 420.00625 as a start with 12,5KHz will actually step 12,5KHz from that 6,25KHz offset, unlike Uniden and Whistler who can't handle offset and will tune to 169.025 and then step up to 169.050 and not the correct 169.0375Mhz and I will be forced to use 12,5KHz steps and will take twice the time to do a search and strong signals will bleed over and it will be neccesary to do a lot of frequency lock outs .

It is so easy to fix a "one setup fits all" but maybe the USA FCC regulations have something to do with it.

/Ubbe

 

[BrianG61UK]

If it where selectable it wouldn't be neccesary to have different selections for different parts of the world. Even in one country the regulations change over time and stepsizes and ranges change.

I would like to see 20 different settings where you specify min and max frequency and its stepsize.
Software wise there's no problem doing it, it only takes a little more memory to store the settings and add code lines in firmware to handle it while doing search and tune, but are minimal compared to the size of one recording of a transmission.

My Icom receivers have search ranges where I can set 169.0125 as the start frequency and a 25KHz step size and it actually uses 169.0125 as a base and adds 25KHz to it for each step. And 420.00625 as a start with 12,5KHz will actually step 12,5KHz from that 6,25KHz offset, unlike Uniden and Whistler who can't handle offset and will tune to 169.025 and then step up to 169.050 and not the correct 169.0375Mhz and I will be forced to use 12,5KHz steps and will take twice the time to do a search and strong signals will bleed over and it will be neccesary to do a lot of frequency lock outs .

It is so easy to fix a "one setup fits all" but maybe the USA FCC regulations have something to do with it.

/Ubbe

UK Band plan also includes extra frequencies. How would you handle that?

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

[Ubbe]

UK Band plan also includes extra frequencies. How would you handle that?

I don't really understand the question?

You set a min and a max frequency for a range. You set a stepsize for that range. This include all frequencies in the scanner except the forbidden cellular band in the US bandplan which are blocked in the firmware for all countries as it is now. Extra frequencies, like the 70-88MHz range with reduced sensitivity and are not forbidden in any way in US, would be handled in the exact same way as all other frequencies.

I don't really know why Whistler made the decision to exclude the 70-88MHz range in the first place as I have seen that there are frequencies in the US that is in use and can be monitored.

/Ubbe

 

[racingfan360]

The ability to have more than one user-definable band for Limit Searches would IMHO be equally useful. On the comparative Uniden model, I have 10, and each can be simply modified as per my needs. The ability to modify/set custom limits for Spectrum Sweeper wouldn't go amiss either.

The problem seems to be that the TRX is really only useful for scanning known channels.....the features for finding new frequencies are much more limited, and are miles behind the competition in this regard.

 

[BrianG61UK]

Yes, you're right, extra flexibility with, as it would be in this case, very little extra complexity would be good.

So far I haven't in practice, found the steps to be too annoyingly inappropriate on my WS1088 with the UK band plan but I decided to try and check exactly what's in the UK band plan on my WS1088:

25.000000 to 26.960000 in 10kHz steps
26.965000 to 27.405000 in 10kHz steps (with 5kHz offset)
gap
27.601250 to 27.991250 in 10kHz steps (with +1.25kHz offset)
gap
29.510000 to 47.000000 in 10kHz steps
47.000000 to 47.995000 in 5kHz steps
gap
50.000000 to 52.000000 in 10kHz steps
52.000000 to 88.000000 in 12.5kHz steps
gap
108.000000 to 137.000000 in "8.33kHz" steps
137.000000 to 138.000000 in 5kHz steps
138.000000 to 220.000000 in 6.25kHz steps
220.000000 to 225.000000 in 5kHz steps
225.000000 to 400.000000 in 12.5kHz steps
400.000000 to 512.000000 in 6.25kHz steps
gap
806.000000 to 960.000000 in 12.5kHz steps
gap
1240.000000 to 1300.000000 in 6.25kHz steps

I think I have it right.
Is that the same as on the TRX-1?

I admit there is more wrong, or less than ideal there than I thought.

There are one or two weird gaps for no obvious reason like between the two blocks of UK CB frequencies around 27.5MHz though I guess the illegal users there usually use SSB rather than AM or FM.

Also why a gap at 48 to 50MHz and the 10m amateur band is mostly in a gap too, though the part you'd usually expect to hear scan-able, I mean AM or FM, stuff on is there.

A lot of stuff below 50MHz would be better with 5kHz step rather than 10kHz. 11m broadcast band for one.

Having the whole of the 4m amateur band in 12.5kHz steps is not idea either, the first part of it isn't channelised so you might need smaller steps, actually that probably applies to parts of most amateur bands.

Some people might want 8.33kHz steps only in the part of airband where they are already in use, and 25kHz steps in the rest.

I think the 5kHz steps from 220 to 225MHz must be left in from the US band plan. I don't think they're right for UK.

For 806 to 960MHz smaller steps would be good because much of what little is scan-able in there is small devices like wireless microphones that are liable to be off channel.

Finally, though I very very rarely hear anything happening there, it'd be nice if the whole of the UK 23cm amateur band could be included (1240 to 1325MHz).

 

[BrianG61UK]

...
The problem seems to be that the TRX is really only useful for scanning known channels.....the features for finding new frequencies are much more limited, and are miles behind the competition in this regard.

In the US market it seems aimed mainly at people who really don't know their FM from their kHz and just want it to work out of the box.

 

[racingfan360]

In the US market it seems aimed mainly at people who really don't know their FM from their kHz and just want it to work out of the box.

Agreed, albeit that it seems to be a characteristic of most people in this day and age when it comes to tech. The art of exploring and discovering new things seems to passed them by.

 

[questnz]

I don't really know why Whistler made the decision to exclude the 70-88MHz range in the first place as I have seen that there are frequencies in the US that is in use and can be monitored.

/Ubbe[/QUOTE]

Ubbe, this may apply in USA, but in AUS/NZ there are still plenty to listen in this range.
Mainly Police and Fire, Police also on 485.xxx MHz frequencies, some 75.xxx MHz channels are linked to that frequencies.
Thank you Whistler to include Australian Band plan in the firmware, scanner is now more appealing to buy in htis parts of the World and we are not limited to Uniden as in the past. Now we have more options. Actually I just shipped in first TRX-1 for that very reason, I suspect this also apply to UK Band Plan?

 

[Ubbe]

Yes, rest of the world have lots of users in the 70-88MHz range, I have almost all transport and roadworks in that range. Whistler only opened it in software but filters are hardware and cannot be changed so that 70MHz are pretty good but up at 86MHz it is totally dead in sensitivity.

/Ubbe

 

[questnz]

Ubbe, just got TRX-1 not setup yet, it have to be weekend job.
Hardware says frequency range 25-54 MHz. 108-174 MHz. 216-512 MHz. 764-960* MHz. 1240-1300 MHz. This is US Band plan, By selecting Australian or UK Band plan plan can TRX-1 scan programed or in search mode 75.xxx frequencies or it will be deaf. Seems to be that Ez Scan accepting this frequency and nor rejecting as out of range or similar what will happened any clues ?
ps Got Ez Scan before scanner arrived, nothing uploaded to TRX-1 yet, only played with the the software so far.

Thanks Chris

 

[Ubbe]

It will be gradually worse reception the higher in frequency you go. I can barely hear truckers with 25W transmitter on 86MHz from the highway 1km away. They go out of reach and dies after 30 sec.
On 72MHz there is something like a 5km range.

/Ubbe

 

[questnz]

Not good, I will try over the weekend against other scanners if not perform to my satisfaction TRX-1 will be sold /passed on and my second option is Uniden 3600, it will/should definitely work on my Band plan as other Uniden's I have now and in the past. Except there is no upgrades either from Uniden or distributor in Holand. Just have to take the risk. US versions of Unidens are no good to me, new SDS100 looks like a "half baked" and prematurely released solution. Need to give engineers some time to iron out the glitches people complain about.

Thanks Ubbe from Down Under

Regards Chris

 

[Ubbe]

I cancelled my SDS100 order the first day it came out as I had seconds thoughts about using a SDR chip for the whole RF instead of only the IF/demodulator. I expect Whistler to use a more robust design with a conventional RF part and a SDR for IF in their new scanners that are supposed to be available in 6 months from now. We'll have to wait and see.

/Ubbe

 

[pyeman99]

User selectable steps TRX 1 & 2

In the US market it seems aimed mainly at people who really don't know their FM from their kHz and just want it to work out of the box.

Yes thats right & unfortunately the manufacturer & UK distributor is not listening or does not care about the end user.
Ok the European market is small compared to the US.
Such a pity the TRX range could be so much better with user selectable steps, search speed in most cases would improve too.
That upgrade would make the radio sell in much larger numbers Mr Whistler.

 

[phillmobile]

Also in the UK nxdn can be 0.003125khz either side of a main channel for example i have a license on 165.021875

 

[Ubbe]

TRX1 and TRX2 only have to IF filters, one for the 25KHz channel width and one for 12,5KHz channel width, so it wouldn't matter to the receive quality if you set the frequency 3,25KHz offset.

/Ubbe

 

[phillmobile]

TRX1 and TRX2 only have to IF filters, one for the 25KHz channel width and one for 12,5KHz channel width, so it wouldn't matter to the receive quality if you set the frequency 3,25KHz offset.

OK thanks for that info