396T: Firmware Upgrade Wish List.

[JohnnyGalaga]

1. While trunktracking, it looks like there's enough room to the right of the frequency to also show the talk group ID, that way you can see the frequency, the talk group ID, and your alpha tag all at the same time which would be nice. There's also room to move the frequency 1 digit to the left. I realize that room to the right of the frequency is used for messages like 'LNK', 'ENC', or 'P25', so maybe the talk group ID and the message could flicker or alternate. Maybe the extra room to the right of the enabled system and group list could be used for those messages. Either way, there's enough overall room on the screen to add the TG ID.

2. Same thing with conventional scanning. If you move all the 'FM' and 'C100.0" stuff all the way over to left or right, then there's enough room to show the frequency along with the alpha tag. Then you can get rid of the whole FUNC + 5 thing.

3.During an emergency call (when a subscriber hits the emergency button on their radio) It would be kinda cool if the radio display could scroll or alternate something like 'EMERGENCY' on the screen until the talk group is no longer in emergency status.

4. Rather than setting the emergency alert volume independent of normal audio volume, make it with respect to the current volume. When I'm listening to a talk group and the volume is 9 for example, the emergency alert comes through kind of quiet. Granted, I could set the emergency alert to 14 or something, but then when I listen to the scanner at a lower volume (say 3 or 4) it'll seem too loud. If there was someway to make the alert volume +3 or +4 louder than the regular volume it would be nice! I know this is picky, but it's just my 2 cents. Perhaps the emergency alert volume settings could be something like: NONE, AUTO, -3,-2,-1,0,+1,+2,+3, etc.

5. When you get a hit during close call operation, make it so that the frequency is displayed right away without having to press a button.

6. Allow the user to enable or disable a low battery alert regardless of whether or not the keypad beep is enabled or disabled. Personally, I don't like the keypad beep, but I would like an audible low battery alert.
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Welp, that's my $.02 for what it's worth. This is a great scanner! I shouldn't have waited as long as I did.

Perhaps others could post their firmware upgrade wish lists here?

 

[Al42]

5. When you get a hit during close call operation, make it so that the frequency is displayed right away without having to press a button.

That's the only one that annoys me. I'd like that too - see the frequency without having to press any buttons.

 

[Steve2003]

It would also be cool if you could press a button (func something) and have the radio look for another control channel. This would be great for scanner users who monitor multi-site trunked systems.

 

[mancow]

If I recall correctly the close call frequency display was setup like that due to some legal reason.

Strange.....



mancow

 

[Kirk]

Kirk's firmware upgrade wishlist:

1. The ability to put the scanner into a mode by holding down a combination of keys when power it on, that displays the www.badgerbadgerbadger.com animation.

2. The ability to press any key to speed up both of the opening screens. The custom screen and copyright screen are both on timers, which is fine. I'd just like to be able to advance through them faster by hitting a key.

3. A less kludgy way to lock out various tone outs than changing their Rx mode. Although the kludge doesn't really bother me, it'd be cleaner with some sort of lockout mode.

And I'd settle for just #2.

 

[Voyager]

1. While trunktracking, it looks like there's enough room to the right of the frequency to also show the talk group ID, that way you can see the frequency, the talk group ID, and your alpha tag all at the same time which would be nice. There's also room to move the frequency 1 digit to the left. I realize that room to the right of the frequency is used for messages like 'LNK', 'ENC', or 'P25', so maybe the talk group ID and the message could flicker or alternate. Maybe the extra room to the right of the enabled system and group list could be used for those messages. Either way, there's enough overall room on the screen to add the TG ID.

Most people don't want to see the TG. If you want to see it, include it as part of your text tag.

2. Same thing with conventional scanning. If you move all the 'FM' and 'C100.0" stuff all the way over to left or right, then there's enough room to show the frequency along with the alpha tag. Then you can get rid of the whole FUNC + 5 thing.

Same answer.

3.During an emergency call (when a subscriber hits the emergency button on their radio) It would be kinda cool if the radio display could scroll or alternate something like 'EMERGENCY' on the screen until the talk group is no longer in emergency status.

The alert tone isn't enough?

4. Rather than setting the emergency alert volume independent of normal audio volume, make it with respect to the current volume. When I'm listening to a talk group and the volume is 9 for example, the emergency alert comes through kind of quiet. Granted, I could set the emergency alert to 14 or something, but then when I listen to the scanner at a lower volume (say 3 or 4) it'll seem too loud.

That is what AUTO means. It changes with the colume control. As for the relative tone, you can set the tone different. Some tones attract more attention than others.

5. When you get a hit during close call operation, make it so that the frequency is displayed right away without having to press a button.

There may be some patent infringement issues there with some frequency counter/recorders.

[/quote]
6. Allow the user to enable or disable a low battery alert regardless of whether or not the keypad beep is enabled or disabled. Personally, I don't like the keypad beep, but I would like an audible low battery alert.[/quote]

I do agree with that one, but for a different reason. I find the low battery beep, at normal level, annoying. I have to turn down the keypad beep to keep sane due to the fact that it is tied to the leypad beep. So, my keypad beep is not as loud as I would like.

I like the PRO-96's ability to set the point at which the alert comes on, too.

Joe M.

 

[tennesseefreq]

Kirk's firmware upgrade wishlist:

1. The ability to put the scanner into a mode by holding down a combination of keys when power it on, that displays the www.badgerbadgerbadger.com animation.

2. The ability to press any key to speed up both of the opening screens. The custom screen and copyright screen are both on timers, which is fine. I'd just like to be able to advance through them faster by hitting a key.

3. A less kludgy way to lock out various tone outs than changing their Rx mode. Although the kludge doesn't really bother me, it'd be cleaner with some sort of lockout mode.

And I'd settle for just #2.

I Like the bager bager idea the best. I would really like to be able to lock out certain fire tones though. That would make my life easier.

 

[Dubbin]

Most people don't want to see the TG.

Joe how do you come up with that? Did most people tell you that I would rather have as much info as I could in the display (freq, ID, alpha, the whole works).

 

[h8tdigitalradio]

A less kludgy way to lock out various tone outs than changing their Rx mode.

Hello,

For FTO, my setup up is 6 pairs of tones on one frequency, and 4 pairs on another. If I want to scan the 6 set, or 4 set, FUNC+Scroll to one of the tones in the set. It will scan the 6 set, or 4 set, not both. No L/O or Mode change necessary. You can set it up anyway you want.

Using this method makes it not so kludgy. lol. And FTO will work for either set.

73

Dave AKA The Tripzter

 

[DaveNF2G]

When my 396 is in FTO Standby mode, I don't have to hit FUNC anything to scroll to particular slots. I simply rotate the volume/squelch/etc. control knob on the top of the scanner.


73 de Dave, NF2G

 

[ICP963]

badgerbadgerbadger

Kirk's firmware upgrade wishlist:

1. The ability to put the scanner into a mode by holding down a combination of keys when power it on, that displays the www.badgerbadgerbadger.com animation.

Kirk, you are demnted!!

That animation is evil, it only took about 2 loops to give me a headache.

And yes, I think Paul needs either a short vacation or a nap.

 

[Al42]

If I recall correctly the close call frequency display was setup like that due to some legal reason.

There's a legal reason a frequency counter can't directly display a frequency?

Just think of all the illegal counters in use all over the country.

 

[rdale]

It's not a frequency counter - it finds a freq and tunes to it.

 

[loumaag]

Most People Don't want to see the TG.

Joe how do you come up with that? Did most people tell you that I would rather have as much info as I could in the display (freq, ID, alpha, the whole works).

I am not most people, but I am one who agrees that the TG ID# and the Alpha Tag don't need to be shown at the same time. Once you know what the TG is and assign it a name, the number then becomes extra garbage on the screen. (A screen with limited "real estate" to begin with, I might add.)

 

[Kirk]

Hello,

For FTO, my setup up is 6 pairs of tones on one frequency, and 4 pairs on another. If I want to scan the 6 set, or 4 set, FUNC+Scroll to one of the tones in the set. It will scan the 6 set, or 4 set, not both. No L/O or Mode change necessary. You can set it up anyway you want.

My setup is three pairs on one frequency, and others on other frequencies. At times, I want to monitor for all three sets on that one frequency. Other times, I just want one of them. You can't make it stop scanning the other tones on the same frequency without changing the mode (NFM/FM/etc) or turning on the attenuator or something to make the channel "different" from the other two.

That's a bit kludgy in my book.

Doesn't anyone else use the word "kludge?" Is it just a California ham-geek thing?

 

[rfaricy]

It's not a frequency counter - it finds a freq and tunes to it.

It most certainly is. How the hell do you think it FINDS the frequency?

It even has a frequency counter MODE ... HOLD+3+0 while powering on (IIRC). It doesn't freakin' search through every single frequency and stop on the strongest one, lol. That would take forever and it wouldn't work at all.

Cripes ya look stupid sayin' that.

 

[Al42]

Doesn't anyone else use the word "kludge?" Is it just a California ham-geek thing?

No, it's a geek thing. We kluge things in NY too.