Ardv1/Ardv10-pc-computer-control-new-s-w

[marlbrook]

WOW

Thanks, great picture.

TWO thanks messages in one day..

This looks like a record attempt in the making.

Should I alert the Guinness Book Of Records to look out for one more, I wonder.

Probably not (sigh)

 

[marlbrook]

Additional thought

On the other hand, this could be my 'I'm Spartacus' moment, and the thread be inundated, lol

 

[G7HID]

Je suis Spartacus...

 

[MStep]

The latest version is now ready.

I just need to update the Manual, and prepare the final installation setup-files.

So please check the web-site over the weekend for v.6.0005.

The program is now even 'smoother' and 'more responsive' than ever (or so I am told from my band of intrepid 'Beta' testers).

I have to admit, that compared to how the program was just a few months ago, it is vastly different and a better 'experience' to use, with lots of added features.

So, if you have never tried the program, or did sometime ago, you really should consider trying this latest version.

I have received some emails suggesting the program is 'too functional' in its free 'Try Before You Buy' version, so people will just stick to that, and let me and mine 'starve', (sigh).

That may be so, but I am leaving it like that, and risk the fact it will never support my 8 Rolls Royce cars, 25 Manor Houses, 6 private jets, 227 luxury yachts, and 27 wives (or is that 27 yachts and 227 wives?)
(I wish lol).

On a serious 'tone' (for once)

Just some things to think about.

1. Am I a 'big player' in the software game - NO
2. Do I provide round the clock 'solid' support and free updates always - YES
4. Do I answer all emails quickly and fully - YES
5. Do I 'listen' and often very QUICKLY add new things to the program that people ask for - YES
6. Do I usually bring out the neatest innovations first, and are they often better implemented - YES
7. Does a company like AOR-FRANCE just endorse eSPYonARD - YES
8. Would you have ever had more than one CAT program to choose from if I had not made mine - ?
9. Are those things not really positive, if the program and you gain from that - ?
10. It may not be a 'professional' approach to put you and the program above financial gain, but I do.
11. Does well over 10,000 views on the Forum since mid February indicate anything?
12. Is the quality of the program itself more important than the people who created it - ?

I have now worked solidly on the program for 8 months. Not a couple of times a week, every single day, just to bring people the best AR-DV1 P.C. control experience I can.

I know lots of users appreciate that, and thanks again for all your supporting emails and posts, here and elsewhere.

Only one way for you to decide .... try v.6.0005 once I upload it, and see for yourself

ardv1

Cheers folks

I for one appreciate the fact that you have put so much time and effort concentrating on just this one project, and I have to agree that as it stands now, eSPYonARD is really a whole different experience than it was when it was first introduced. Many, many more functions, several which are extremely unique and can only be found in your program. In addition, your program has increased the "surveillance" aspect of communications monitoring to an entirely new level and has really allowed me (and other users as well, I'm sure), the ability to "eek out" every last ounce of capabilities from the DV1.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Faramir]

Stunning...

Been messing around with the program but got into trouble every time I tried to install it. I sent an e-mail to Jeff who almost instantly answered and got me on my way. Program runs fine now and I'm stunned what this software can do. Just going calmly through the manual and playing along I find so much I didn't know and now the receiver is working for me like clockwork.
Although I haven't tried out most of it I bought the PRO version. It's worth it. A new side of my radio hobby has arrived. With the recording function I can observe searcharea's over time.
Still learning about the digital stuff I find that before turning the radio on, my notebook is already starting because I want the program running when I start listening.
Truely I find this program stunning!
Thanks again Jeff!

 

[marlbrook]

Thanks

Thanks for the nice post. Enjoy.

The latest version, with some little extra things, and the Regional Settings code so the program should always work in any part of the world should be ready by the weekend.

I have made a couple of small changes today, and want to test everything a little longer.

All those interested, it will be v.6.0005-002

Cheers

 

[MStep]

Been messing around with the program but got into trouble every time I tried to install it. I sent an e-mail to Jeff who almost instantly answered and got me on my way. Program runs fine now and I'm stunned what this software can do. Just going calmly through the manual and playing along I find so much I didn't know and now the receiver is working for me like clockwork.
Although I haven't tried out most of it I bought the PRO version. It's worth it. A new side of my radio hobby has arrived. With the recording function I can observe searcharea's over time.
Still learning about the digital stuff I find that before turning the radio on, my notebook is already starting because I want the program running when I start listening.
Truely I find this program stunning!
Thanks again Jeff!

Hi Faramir, and welcome aboard to the AOR forum here on the Radio Reference Website. You are quite correct when you say how awesome that Jeff's eSPYonARD software is. Jeff really did an incredible job in combining the radio's own functions with his own creativity in producing his program. I was an early adapter of Jeff's program, and have really seen it grow into the remarkable program that it is today.

I would advise the you read and re-read Jeff's Instruction Manual several times, and then take your own time to explore the features of his program. Not all the features are immediately evident until you delve into the program a little bit at a time. You'll find that many functions are initiated or modified by a right-click vs. a left-click, and the program can really do some amazing things if you are geared towards using your DV1 for serious communications reconnoitering.

Enough said--- welcome aboard once again--- we've got a great group of folks here interested in many of the various AOR receivers, although the DV1 seems to be the prime focus of much of the discussion here.

 

[marlbrook]

The New Big Leap Forward

In other threads here I mentioned another very interesting function is on the cards. More than that, it is up and working.

Several people have emailed me asking when this new feature will be available, and to give them a hint as to what it is.

Sorry, I cannot do that. Many of of you will understand why.

It should be ready in a week or two, and v.6.0005-002 will be posted this weekend, with a few new, if not quite so BIG extras.

Cheers

 

[Faramir]

Enough said--- welcome aboard once again--- we've got a great group of folks here interested in many of the various AOR receivers, although the DV1 seems to be the prime focus of much of the discussion here.

Thanks for your kind and warm welcome. Picking up the radio monitoring hobby again after a while I read the AR8200 manual again from cover to cover. My trusty Mk3 still going strong and I wouldn't change it for the world. Things are getting more and more digital these days so after a while decided to get the DV-1.
Together with an LA-400 and a DA3200 and an ABF128 for mobile use my AOR shack is more or less complete. Together with some RTL-SDR's and the great Lowe HF-150/PR-150 I've got all the equipment I desired.
For the DV-1 I use both Butel and Jeff's eSpy and my latest gem; the PowerMate. Now going trough the learning process of it all and already having days and days of fun!

Dou you know if the memory card can be safely hot-swapped from the receiver? By some factor I do not yet know it fills up very quickly when experimenting with the record/log options.

Thanks again!

 

[G7HID]

Yes you can hot-swap the memory card, just check that that the AR-DV1 and any program running it is not accessing the card..
Had the same problem with the memory card seeming to fill up quickly, found out that it was the Windows formatter, downloaded and ran:
https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
Problem solved..

Mike

 

[Faramir]

Yes you can hot-swap the memory card, just check that that the AR-DV1 and any program running it is not accessing the card..
Had the same problem with the memory card seeming to fill up quickly, found out that it was the Windows formatter, downloaded and ran:
https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
Problem solved..

Mike

Thanks indeed! Installed it just now and awaiting results. First impression is good though.

 

[marlbrook]

Sorry - smacked wrists

Now, much as it pains me to do this, to two of my favourite customers, please bear in mind if a post is relevant to eSPYonARD or not.

If not, then possibly a new thread is called for?

I am not being 'pedantic', lol. If new posts go 'off topic', and that escalates, then it is not helpful to those trying to follow the program's developments.

It is one of the reasons I ask people to email me with technical enquiries or suggestions (polite ones), so the thread is not bogged down and becomes difficult to follow.

Having said that, if the request is one that means I add or amend anything in eSPYonARD, then I do post something here, because it has relevance to a lot more people.

No apologies called for, or expected, I know the posts were well meant.

Cheers

 

[marlbrook]

New update - v.6.0005.002

Just published a new update.

No point in repeating things, the changes/additions are all set out in the Manual's Changes Log.

I had hoped to send this one to the Web-Site over the weekend, but I had another 'break-through' moment during the rare times I actually sit here and just 'play' radio, as I already mentioned above, which will be published soon.

I will naturally try to keep people informed about the latest development. I do not anticipate that will be released for at least a week or two. Sorry, I cannot give any details about it, except to say that my BETA testers and I agree it is pretty special.

However, in the meantime, please download and install v.6.0005.002. It has some nice additions and improvements that certainly makes updating now worthwhile. Please do not be tempted just to wait for the next one.

The new 'breakthrough moment' will be (is) an addition to v.6.005.002, so you will be helping everyone concerned it you install and use it. In the hopefully unlikely event it has any problems, or anyone has any suggestions about it, then that gives me time to look at them before the next release.

As usual I do ask that you email me, using the email Icon on eSPYonARD's webpage, regarding any technical queries, or suggestions. That helps keep this thread easier to read, and more useful for all who look at it.

ardv1

I always 'listen' and respond personally and very quickly to emails, with interest. If your email results in an update, then I mention the details here.

Cheers

 

[marlbrook]

Please read - important

I have good reason to believe that someone is trying to 'crack' the activation method for the program.

PLEASE, under no circumstances reveal your activation code with or without the AR-DV1 Serial Number to anybody

I will NEVER send out an email asking you to tell me the code you were sent, with your radio's Serial Number, so should you receive any such request it is not genuine, and you must

a. Not reply
and
b. Please send me details

Most of you will I hope agree that I have kept the price of eSPYonARD low. It certainly does not reflect the quality of the program, and certainly not the thousands hours I spent not only developing it, but providing 7/7 service, free upgrades always, and on-going additions and improvements.

I did write in coding that would, if absolutely necessary, allow me to render all current activation codes useless, in case anything like this ever happened.

That would mean a lot of inconvenience to a lot of people, and I hope I never have to do that.

 

[marlbrook]

Another news update

I am waiting to hear back from my patient and invaluable BETA testers.

If they report everything seems OK then v.6.0006 will be uploaded to the web-site later today.

This is a BIG update, and I think you will find takes P.C. Control and Memory Management of the AR-DV1 to a new dimension.

The new additions are called 'Q' Functions.

At their basic level they are really easy to use, just a click of a button usually, however they have many sophisticated functions too, none of them complicated, just very comprehensive.

The scope of the new 'Q' functions are too numerous to detail here.

They are set out in the program's manual. You can read all about them in the Features.pdf and/or the 'Q' Functions.pdf at the web-site.

ardv1

Very occasionally a concept becomes much greater than the sum of its parts. I really believe the 'Q' functions are one of those times.

Whether they be the 'Q-LIST', the 'Q-SEARCH', 'Q-SCAN', 'Q-ARCHIVES', or the ability to save any of the frequencies they find to the AR-DV1's memory channels, the scope of their usefulness almost defies imagination.

If you are asking yourself is that just 'hype' or really true, then download and install the latest version and find out for yourself.

Try the 'Q' functions for an hour, and judge if they are the tools that make you think 'however did I survive without them', lol.

In the 'Try Before You Buy' version they are fully functional, but limited to just 5 frequencies. In the PRO version the number of frequencies is unlimited.

Any technical queries, please click on the email icon at the site and them to me direct.

 

[G7HID]

Well I have taken your advice Jeff, or can we call you 'Q' and ran the Q functions for a hour or two..
Some really well thought out stuff there, you can leave eSPYonARD to search a quiet band unattended and come back later to see what has been caught ! THEN scan those search captures to evaluate them, THEN Cherry Pick the good stuff into memory.. Not only that you can go back to earlier searches and harvest them..! One band I can think where the Q functions would come into their own is the military air band - very little traffic at times and a large band to listen to - leave eSPY running Q Search over the band for a few hours and you should come back to logged activity ready for scanning - takes all the guesswork or sitting there with a pencil and paper noting any activity..

Nice work Q
M ike

 

[marlbrook]

'Q SEARCH' and AUTO-STORE

Someone emailed me asking to explain the difference between the AR-DV1's Auto-Store, and 'Q-SEARCH' in auto mode.

At the most basic level they are similar, but that is where the comparison ends.

The AR-DV1's Auto-Store will save any frequency it finds during a search to Memory Bank 39.

This function has limited actual results. All you know is a frequency was active. It can have its uses, but the results are hardly useful.

'Q-SEARCH' in auto mode is very different. Here are a few details:-

a. In the PRO version of eSPYonARD it has unlimited frequency storage (subject to your P.C.'s capabilities naturally);
b. Any frequency found is Date and Time stamped and saved to a file on your P.C.;
c. Those files can also be saved as an Archive, for later use;
d. All the frequencies in the 'active' 'Q-Search' file, can be scanned;
e. The files and their contents can be amended or deleted quickly, from within the program;
f. Archived files can be imported as the active 'Q-Search' file, and the contents scanned.
g.'Q' lists are fully interactive. Click on any entry and the frequency and mode is instantly transferred to VFOZ for monitoring.

Any and all of the above achieved rapidly and easily from within eSPYonARD.

All very useful in their own right, but probably the most IMPORTANT thing is they can be used to quickly build up a database of the frequencies actually CURRENT, and of interest to you, in you area.

This takes frequency identification and management to a completely new level.

Programs that just rely on relaying / entering information obtained from other databases and sources are useful at times, and look very useful initially, however that method soon loses much of its value once you discover the frequencies they contain are either not of interest to you, or are already out of date.

If that program also transfers those frequencies to the AR-DV1's memory channels automatically, it means over time you need to delete many that you later discover were not relevant to your needs.

The 'Q' concept is totally different.

It provides a quick and easy way of always knowing what you want to listen to, of the frequencies currently really active where you are.

You can save those 'found frequencies' as an archived file.

You may easily retrieve and SCAN them, without having to have first entered them into the radio's memories.

Scanning known active frequencies is a much better way of deciding what you want, and far superior than trying to find them with a simple search, or a third party frequency list.

Often when performing a standard search of a wide span of frequencies, Military Air Band for example, the chances of a standard search being in the right place at the right time is quite small, as is the chance of you finding relevant information.

Entering possible 'likely' frequencies from a list is an option, but takes up Memory Channels, still without knowing if those frequencies are still current, and likely to be what you actually want.

With 'AUTO Q SEARCH' the 'Q' frequencies that have been discovered, can be quickly scanned (using 'Q' SCAN).

None of the AR-DV1's memory channels are involved.

That means, using 'Q', you know which frequencies are up to date, and which you might like to store in one of the AR-DV1's memory banks later.

If you wish they can also be quickly transferred to a Bank and Memory Channel of your choice by clicking the 'SAVE TO MEM' button, but in addition you always have the option of saving and referring to any 'Q' archive you decided to save.

I have just dealt with 'Q AUTO SAVE'. There are many more 'Q' functions available, and you can read a detailed explanation at the web-site.

Singly and collectively the new 'Q' functions ensure your monitoring and frequency management experience is second to none.

 

[MStep]

Someone emailed me asking to explain the difference between the AR-DV1's Auto-Store, and 'Q-SEARCH' in auto mode.

At the most basic level they are similar, but that is where the comparison ends.

The AR-DV1's Auto-Store will save any frequency it finds during a search to Memory Bank 39.

This function has limited actual results. All you know is a frequency was active. It can have its uses, but the results are hardly useful.

'Q-SEARCH' in auto mode is very different. Here are a few details:-

a. In the PRO version of eSPYonARD it has unlimited frequency storage (subject to your P.C.'s capabilities naturally);
b. Any frequency found is Date and Time stamped and saved to a file on your P.C.;
c. Those files can also be saved as an Archive, for later use;
d. All the frequencies in the 'active' 'Q-Search' file, can be scanned;
e. The files and their contents can be amended or deleted quickly, from within the program;
f. Archived files can be imported as the active 'Q-Search' file, and the contents scanned.
g.'Q' lists are fully interactive. Click on any entry and the frequency and mode is instantly transferred to VFOZ for monitoring.

Any and all of the above achieved rapidly and easily from within eSPYonARD.

All very useful in their own right, but probably the most IMPORTANT thing is they can be used to quickly build up a database of the frequencies actually CURRENT, and of interest to you, in you area.

This takes frequency identification and management to a completely new level.

Programs that just rely on relaying / entering information obtained from other databases and sources are useful at times, and look very useful initially, however that method soon loses much of its value once you discover the frequencies they contain are either not of interest to you, or are already out of date.

If that program also transfers those frequencies to the AR-DV1's memory channels automatically, it means over time you need to delete many that you later discover were not relevant to your needs.

The 'Q' concept is totally different.

It provides a quick and easy way of always knowing what you want to listen to, of the frequencies currently really active where you are.

You can save those 'found frequencies' as an archived file.

You may easily retrieve and SCAN them, without having to have first entered them into the radio's memories.

Scanning known active frequencies is a much better way of deciding what you want, and far superior than trying to find them with a simple search, or a third party frequency list.

Often when performing a standard search of a wide span of frequencies, Military Air Band for example, the chances of a standard search being in the right place at the right time is quite small, as is the chance of you finding relevant information.

Entering possible 'likely' frequencies from a list is an option, but takes up Memory Channels, still without knowing if those frequencies are still current, and likely to be what you actually want.

With 'AUTO Q SEARCH' the 'Q' frequencies that have been discovered, can be quickly scanned (using 'Q' SCAN).

None of the AR-DV1's memory channels are involved.

That means, using 'Q', you know which frequencies are up to date, and which you might like to store in one of the AR-DV1's memory banks later.

If you wish they can also be quickly transferred to a Bank and Memory Channel of your choice by clicking the 'SAVE TO MEM' button, but in addition you always have the option of saving and referring to any 'Q' archive you decided to save.

I have just dealt with 'Q AUTO SAVE'. There are many more 'Q' functions available, and you can read a detailed explanation at the web-site.

Singly and collectively the new 'Q' functions ensure your monitoring and frequency management experience is second to none.

Thanks for that explanation Jeff. I've come to think of eSPYonARD as the "Swiss Army Knife" for my DV1. Many, many features and functions, some which must be used individually, and others which can be used in concert with other features.

And while some of the features are fairly straight forward, many do require that you keep a printed copy of your excellent PDF manual at hand in order the finesse and "tweak" the most out of the DV1. That is at least until one becomes proficient at the many "nuanced" operations that the program offers.

I've only started to play with the latest update, but the "Q" functions certainly add a new dimension for those in the (and I love the term) "frequency reconnoitering" business.

 

[marlbrook]

Hi

Thanks,

I have had quite a few emails already, in praise of the new 'Q' functions.

Also a couple of (polite) suggestions.

I have added two extra buttons to the 'Q' Archive Form.

One allows you to select and DELETE a saved archive file, the other lets you RENAME archived file to help identify them for future reference.

Both add to the overall usefulness.

I am looking hard at the new functions at the moment, in case I spot anything that needs to be added whilst actually 'playing radio'.

One other thing I have added is a bit of code that monitors how long the squelch has been held open, before an entry is added to the auto - Q-SEARCH list. This just helps to cut down any 'false positives' as it ensures that any frequency needs to be active for a second or two before it is included.

So I will wait a day or two before uploading the new version, with the above changes. They are not essential to using the 'Q' functions as they are in the current release, but will prove useful.

 

[marlbrook]

Wouldn't it be luverley

http://forums.radioreference.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=56100&stc=1&d=1469035843

What are those new modes doing there?

Don't get too excited, just looking into the future, but the picture is real, the buttons are real, just waiting to add the control coding so they can do something when clicked.

Not a fake picture, the actual program, all ready to go as soon as AOR do their bit, and no, I will not be charging for an upgrade, lol.

In the meantime my next update, the current v.6.0006-002 should be uploaded by the beginning of next week.