SDS100/SDS200: Firmware Release 1.07.00-1.07.04 Main / 1.02.00 Sub

[kc5igh]

Thanks, sibbley.

However, I want to leave my primary trunked system unfiltered, and experiment with conventional systems. Should I move the global setting to inverted, for example, and move that trunked system to "off"?

Also, my primary listening environment is rural, with many signals being somewhat weak, so I don't think overload and intermod are my biggest issues. Is "inverted" mode a generally better place to start under these circumstances?

Thanks for your time and patience! I'm on my way to a meeting now and haven't had time to get back into my radio. I'll try all this tomorrow.

-Johnnie

Update for sibbley: I think the answer to my first question was in the first of your two responses above.

Thanks again for your patience. I shouldn't be trying to do any of this when I'm as tired as I am.

 

[WX4JCW]

Thanks Paul


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[sibbley]

Update for sibbley: I think the answer to my first question was in the first of your two responses above.

Thanks again for your patience. I shouldn't be trying to do any of this when I'm as tired as I am.

I would turn global scanner setting to off and just use the normal or inverted setting under systems and departments.

I've just tried either inverted or normal for a few hours at a time on my conventional analog VHF/UHF to see which is best. Oddly enough, I have some that better with normal and some that were better with inverted. This can create it's own problem, by making you create a new department to have the normal frequencies and one with the inverted frequencies. Not that big of a deal though.

Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Ubbe]

I hear Transmissions right from the first word every time and can hear short responses like "okay" using a system hold time of 2 seconds.

Had nothing to do with hold time, as it is used as a delay time when you initially go to a site with no active conversations. The TG delay time are the setting that tells how long you stay on the TG to hear a response.

Or you have configured to hear several sites with the exact same conversations in the same system and you are wasting valuable scan time.

/Ubbe

 

[Ubbe]

I thought set as auto, the scanner would make the call and use which ever filter setting was best.

The scanners auto mode can only detect if there are a signal or not. If there are a signal it doesn't check a second time using the other filter mode for a possible better signal quailty. That would take extremly longer to detect and would make it Icom slow in scanning speed.

/Ubbe

 

[todd818]

MUCH better with conventional digital in the San Fernando Valley. Receiving LAPD channels now that I wasn't before. It's not perfect, but a dramatic improvement.

 

[mule1075]

The scanners auto mode can only detect if there are a signal or not. If there are a signal it doesn't check a second time using the other filter mode for a possible better signal quailty. That would take extremly longer to detect and would make it Icom slow in scanning speed.

/Ubbe

Might want to reread the release notes. See below.

Note: If Auto is selected, conventional scan and search speed will be greatly slowed, as every frequency on which a signal is not detected on first pass will be rescanned using the inverted HPF setting.

 

[PRO2006]

A big selling point was travelling with the whole database loaded and GPS updating your location/systems along the way. All these filter settings might help on local systems after some trial and error, but that does not seem feasible while travelling through unknown territory. I guess just pick a setting while travelling and hope for the best.

Travelling with previous scanners just meant figuring out the freqs and systems, not how to make the radio perform best on each system.

 

[trentbob]

Had nothing to do with hold time, as it is used as a delay time when you initially go to a site with no active conversations. The TG delay time are the setting that tells how long you stay on the TG to hear a response.

Or you have configured to hear several sites with the exact same conversations in the same system and you are wasting valuable scan time.

/Ubbe

That's interesting I'd like to know more about that as the only way I ever made this system work was a system hold time of 255 seconds which appeared to allow the radio to lock onto the one of three simulcast Towers I was approximately a mile and a half from each one of them. The radio actually worked well at 255 second system hold time, when it blinked after 4 minutes or so it reacquired the same Tower of course unless I was mobile and then the radio didn't work at all. It worked great but of course I couldn't scan anything else but that system because of the extended system hold time. This is a 700 megahertz Phase 2 single site called simulcast with 26 Towers close together.

With the new filters on 0 or 1 second system hold time the missed Transmissions are still happening even though less than before. I settled on a 2 second system hold time because I could at least scan the one UHF single-channel repeater that I needed which is a local car to car Channel off of the county system. I would love to gain time in scanning and get rid of that 2-second system hold time. Any suggestions?

Just to make sure we're talking about the right thing here I'm not talkin about a delay on a single talk group of two seconds before scanning again I'm talking about a system hold time a very valuable tool in picking up simulcast systems that goes all the way back to the x36. We may be talking about two different things but I'm open to suggestions.

Ps... because there is only one site called simulcast I cannot turn on and off each Tower that are all within a few miles of me. I hear whatever my radio is calling for from each Tower simultaneously. It's an LSM nightmare. LOL I would be interested in your suggestions as I would like to be able to have a faster scan.

 

[hiegtx]

A big selling point was travelling with the whole database loaded and GPS updating your location/systems along the way. All these filter settings might help on local systems after some trial and error, but that does not seem feasible while travelling through unknown territory. I guess just pick a setting while travelling and hope for the best.

Travelling with previous scanners just meant figuring out the freqs and systems, not how to make the radio perform best on each system.

That's really about all you can do when traveling in an area unfamiliar to you. However, I doubt there'd be an effective, practical method to "set" the filter in the master database. Not all systems are constructed to conform to optimal specifications, and even those that were, may not be maintained that closely. Over time, systems could drift slightly, antennas could degrade or be pushed out of alignment by storm winds or icy weather. What works well today, may possibly need additional tweaking a year or more from now. As a traveler going through areas you've never been before, you would not have advance knowledge of what works best at the present time.

 

[racing1]

Just for clarification, if im on 1.07.00 and mine is working great,do I REALLY need to update to 1.07 04?

 

[gillham]

Just for clarification, if im on 1.07.00 and mine is working great,do I REALLY need to update to 1.07 04?

No

 

[trentbob]

Just for clarification, if im on 1.07.00 and mine is working great,do I REALLY need to update to 1.07 04?

Hahaha, I am actually still on 1.07.00 also because I'm still on the street and haven't gotten back to the office yet. Yes of course you can stay on your present update however, the next time you update to get some other benefit it will update all updates prior to that update. I'll change mine to the new update when I get a chance at a computer... Maybe... LOL.

 

[PRO2006]

That's really about all you can do when traveling in an area unfamiliar to you. However, I doubt there'd be an effective, practical method to "set" the filter in the master database. Not all systems are constructed to conform to optimal specifications, and even those that were, may not be maintained that closely. Over time, systems could drift slightly, antennas could degrade or be pushed out of alignment by storm winds or icy weather. What works well today, may possibly need additional tweaking a year or more from now. As a traveler going through areas you've never been before, you would not have advance knowledge of what works best at the present time.

You mention valid variables, however this radio is adding even more variables on top of those when travelling. So now I have everything you mentioned plus a myriad of filter settings to help me receive communications while travelling in new areas.

 

[BigWonton]

No

For all intents and purposes, isn't 1.07.04 the same as 1.07.00 with the exception of "Original" being renamed "Off"?

Also, if one does not upgrade to 1.07.04, will the latest update of Sentinel, which added the "Off" menu option for RF filters, work with the older firmware (ie, will "Off" map to "Original")?

 

[trentbob]

I would think for everything to work right with Sentinel and so forth you need to update to the latest version which will match the settings in Sentinel but the question of can you leave an update in your radio, sure, why not. I remember way back when the first digital Bearcat 250 came out in the early 2000s a lot of people didn't even have computers. LOL. A lot of people programmed manually and never did any updates. For everything to work well it's always a good idea to update to the latest available. I'm just about to update from 01. 07. 00 now but I'm too tired, I'll wait till tomorrow.

 

[baayers]

Thank you for the update. Installed and working great.

I don’t know if this is a possibility but is there a chance that a keyboard shortcut could be made that would allow us to toggle the global filter selection without having to go into the menu? This would be awesome especially when traveling.

 

[hiegtx]

You mention valid variables, however this radio is adding even more variables on top of those when travelling. So now I have everything you mentioned plus a myriad of filter settings to help me receive communications while travelling in new areas.

Remember that if traveling, and using the main database along with a GPS, you're not going to be able to tweak the filter settings for individual systems, as editing individual systems would only be possible if said system was in a Favorites list. So probably, you'd leave the filter set to off. Essentially, that's where it's been, for all practical purposes, until the ability to adjust and use a filter was added via a firmware update. Of all the various posts, from members who have used their SDS100 with a GPS while traveling, the majority of them were reasonably satisfied with the results. Yes, there will just about always be a system or two that could use some adjusting, but on the whole, if you're driving down the road, that system (or site on a larger system) will come and go from your reception within an hour or two (depending, of course, on the range you are using, and your traveling speed). Not making a specific filter adjustment is not likely to prevent you're monitoring the system at all. If you were passing through an extended area where the main system in use was a statewide system, or a large regional one, then perhaps you might take a moment to change the global setting and see if any improvement was heard.

If your journey included one or more stops of a day or more, then at those points you could take a few minutes to see if a filter change (globally) has a beneficial result. You also can build a quick Favorites list by using the main database & location, then selecting the "add channels in range". That would give you a Favorites list with individual systems that you can adjust. Note that, if setting up a Favorites list by that method, whether done through the scanner keyboard, or in Sentinel (if you were traveling with a laptop, or set up lists for your stops before your departure), you can, sometimes, end up with more than you really want, so you may want to turn off Nationwide systems.

 

[Ubbe]

Remember that the filter settings have nothing to do with the system but have everything to do with the RF enviroment, where the interferencies are in the frequency band. Impact from interferencies will change when you drive and are the reason for that the values are stored temporarely, like temp avoids, as temp avoids and filter settings are probably used differently the next time you power on the scanner while mobile in a vehicle.

/Ubbe

 

[Markscan]

I updated to the latest firmware this morning. So far no problems. I have noticed the radio seems to be running warmer than usual. Anyone else notice this?


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