MStep
Member
After using the Ash-By Products computer-controlled software for the DV1 for about two weeks, I thought it was about time to share some of my views about the software. This is not going to be an especially in-depth review of every single feature that the software accomplishes; there is a free trial package that is available to anyone who wants to explore some of the ins and outs of the program, and certainly I have discussed in the forum at some length the operation of this fairly new software. So this will address some of the more interesting elements of the software package, but also address the philosophy of the program and how it integrates with the philosophy of the DV1 receiver.
The DV1 is a very special radio--- in fact, I have described it many times as a highly-specialized communications receiver which has some cursory scan and search functions built in. As such, I suspect that proportionally fewer units have been sold the hobbyists and the general public, with perhaps more sales going to government agencies and press services.
Soon after the DV1 became available, Butel Software introduced a "basic" package which includes features to import frequencies and other data from the Radio Reference database. The Butel package is very good for that purpose. It also allows users to cut and paste, as well as perform other functions. A pro version has just become available, as of this writing.
The Ash-By software that I am addressing in this post took the opposite approach, and introduced the computer-control portion of their program first. Jeff Ashby is an avid hobbyist and DV1 enthusiast who has put his programming skills to work to make a very nice and inexpensive program for fellow hobbyists and other who want computer control of their units. It was apparent from the start that a lot of work has gone into the Ash-By product. This has been complicated by the slow release of very important programming elements that are being made by AOR. To that end, Jeff Ashby has had to develop many innovations and work-arounds to get the program to the point that it is at now.
This is really a very good package if you want to control your DV1 via a serial cable connected to your computer. The program mimics much of what the DV1 radio does itself. Jeff designed the "display" in his software to replicate as closely as possible the display on the DV1. In addition, Jeff has been very responsive to inquiries and bug-reports in a very timely manner. In some cases, bugs that I have reported to him have been corrected, and new versions of the software posted, in a matter of hours-- in fact, in some times under an hour! Jeff explained to me that because this is only software package he works on, he can commit 100% of his programming time to this one package.
This is not just a radio "monitoring" program--- this program can actually read AND write to the DV1 memory banks, allowing users to make quick, on-the-fly changes to the radio. The download also includes a PDF file (about 15 pages) outlining "how to" and other technical information about the program. As a hobbyist, Jeff is encouraging everyone to try to the program--- the trial version works with some limitations, but at £10.99 for the full package, (or about $15 or so USD), if you are also an experimenter or tinkerer, the price of the program is really a no-brainer. Jeff would like as many folks to come on-board and help maintain and improve the program with thoughts and suggestions. He would like to make this the definite program for controlling the DV1. And that doesn't just mean "reading" and operating the DV1, but actually being able to write to the radio's memory banks in real-time, a feat that the program accomplishes right now.
In addition to all the functions that you would expect to find, there are some very clever built in features that take advantage of the DV1 technology which are not even available in the DV1 itself. For example, a "MUTE" button in built into the software to quickly quiet the radio if you get a phone call.
But there are other features which are even more clever in the work that Jeff has done. I will try to describe a few of them here. One that I especially like is the ability to click on the "tuning knob" in the software. What that does is quickly release the radio from computer control and put it back into "manual control" so that without disconnecting the cable or shutting down the program, you can quickly get over to the radio and have full control of all the radio's features. When you are done, you just click the tuning knob in the software again and the radio is once again controlled by the program and the computer. Incidentally, Jeff recommends that when going into manual mode, the user should only adjust the tuning dial on the radio--- I adjusted many other functions and the program pretty much was able to catch up when I returned to computer control. Your mileage may vary in this regard, and you should experiment. When you do return to your computer, you'll find a nice flashing indication reminding you that you are still in "manual mode" and to click on the tuning knob again to return control of the radio to the program.
Speaking about the tuning knob in the program, while it actually only serves the purpose outlined above (for now that is, but more on that later), you will find up and down buttons right above the tuning knob, very similar to what you see on the radio. But Jeff has used his computer prowess to provide some interesting functions to those buttons. Yes, you can use them to step up and down frequencies with a click of the left mouse button over the appropriate arrow key. But Jeff has also incorporated a right mouse key function that allows for continuous stepping with a single click. And it gets better. If you set your squelch on an FM frequency for example, and a signal appears which breaks through, the radio will also pause for a number of seconds on that frequency so you can decide if you want to listen or continue to "tune". That's another very clever feature that he incorporated that is not available on the radio itself. But it's something that is extremely useful if you are tuning from the program in front of you computer as opposed to sitting in front of the radio.
By the way, when tuning around on the mediumwave,shortwave and ham bands, the up and down buttons can be used in conjunction with either their single step, or continuous-stepping functions as well. You can simply slide the squelch control to the off position, set the step function just as you would on the radio, and tune right in to your favorite foreign broadcast activity or sideband station. The flexibility of the up and down buttons allow for a degree of accuracy and comfort in "tuning" that's practically rivals using the radio's own tuning knob.
Everything has been designed to give the user as much control (and sometimes even more control) from the computer as opposed to from the radio. As AOR releases new firmware updates and more information about codes that are used to control the radio, Jeff plans to incorporate more features into his software.
As mentioned previously, the Ash-By software lets you bring up each bank in real time, and make on-the-fly changes to channel parameters quickly and efficiently, and then save those changes to the radio. You can also move individual channels, delete channels, or delete entire banks. As with the tuning knob, as the program continues to grow, I expect Jeff to add functions to move whole banks and provide additional functions as well. But like most software of this type, you have to be sure you are happy with the features "as-is", since there is a no-refund policy. In addition, other features and functions will be added as AOR releases new firmware upgrades and additional coding information for the radio.
Also remember that Jeff's program does NOT save any information to the program itself, so you should always be saving your information to the SD card which is supplied with the radio (or one of your own), using the radio's own built-in backup functions.
Let's get back to another of those other "special" functions that you will find in the software that is not available on the radio itself. How about a group of "Favorite" frequencies that you can access quickly two quick clicks of the mouse? Well, it's built into the software, and lets you get to any of your favorite frequencies without have to fumble looking for them in the radio's memory.
In terms of actual operation, the program may respond slightly differently in different operating system environments. On my computer, I had an issue with the Windows 10 UAC--- Jeff at Ash-By was able to offer several suggestion to overcome that issue. And once the program is running, it is generally very stable. The "trail version" is limited to some degree in the number of memory banks you can manipulate, or the number of DMR color codes you can chose. To unlock the full edition, you get a key from Ash-By, which is a text file that you simply copy and paste into the existing License.txt
The program is malware-free, although my admittedly "over-protected" Windows 10 computer (I run numerous antivirus and malware programs) set off the expected alerts when I installed the program. Not to fear--- I have run all updates to Ash-By's software package with absolutely no problem in terms of any of those issues once I cleared the UAC hurdle. The program is free of any type of malware whatsoever. And I have to give Jeff some credit for really being on top of things in terms of updates--- it's not unusual that if an operation bug is found, a new version of the program appears within the day.
Like the DV1 itself, the Ash-By software has to be "learned", as sometimes the commands are not consistent across the entire package. In one window, you may have to click on one item--- in another window, activation is caused by double-clicking or right-clicking. It's fair to mention that the radio itself works the same way--- sometimes you have to punch a command or parameter; other times you have to dial it in. But once you learn all the facets of the program, it becomes pretty easy and routine to operation. The fact that you can change parameters in real-time and "on-the-fly" is quite an advantage.
And some commands are more flexible than they would originally appear. The channel move command actually gives you the ability to either copy OR move. Once you have done the "MOVE", the program asks if you want to delete the original channel location. So in essence, you can use the move command to do a "COPY" as well. These are the little facets of the program that you learn as you move along thorough the various commands.
In the end, because the program is so highly specialized, it's likely that not every single bug has been worked out. Like the radio itself, one should consider this software to be an unfinished work of art. Jeff seems to really be on top of things, always fine-tuning his work to get better results. Folks who like to experiment and tinker with the DV1 should be as interested in tinkering with the Ash-By software and offering Jeff suggestions on improving the package. Incidentally, Jeff is also a member of the AOR forums here on RR, and is available under his online name "marlbrook".
As an additional incentive for those who are technically oriented, Ash-By has also added to their "package" (and is currently refining) a special set of instructions on how to get the radio to operate with the software remotely via wi-fi. While I have not personally tried this myself, I understand that it operates extremely well, streaming both computer control and audio from the radio over the internet to any smart device that you have.
The biggest surprise is that the program sells for an extremely reasonable introductory price of £10.99 UK. (With the exchange rate, that's about $15 USD.) I believe that the program should be considered by anyone seriously interested in computer control of the DV1--- both hobbyists and businesses alike will find the program useful. And according to Ash-By Products, this includes free updates going forward on any new versions of the software.
Version reviewed: 5.031
As of this writing, Version 5.032 is now available for download, and it contains some additional features including a number of new "skins" to choose from.
The trial version, as well as purchase and other information about the program can be found at this link:
ardv1
The DV1 is a very special radio--- in fact, I have described it many times as a highly-specialized communications receiver which has some cursory scan and search functions built in. As such, I suspect that proportionally fewer units have been sold the hobbyists and the general public, with perhaps more sales going to government agencies and press services.
Soon after the DV1 became available, Butel Software introduced a "basic" package which includes features to import frequencies and other data from the Radio Reference database. The Butel package is very good for that purpose. It also allows users to cut and paste, as well as perform other functions. A pro version has just become available, as of this writing.
The Ash-By software that I am addressing in this post took the opposite approach, and introduced the computer-control portion of their program first. Jeff Ashby is an avid hobbyist and DV1 enthusiast who has put his programming skills to work to make a very nice and inexpensive program for fellow hobbyists and other who want computer control of their units. It was apparent from the start that a lot of work has gone into the Ash-By product. This has been complicated by the slow release of very important programming elements that are being made by AOR. To that end, Jeff Ashby has had to develop many innovations and work-arounds to get the program to the point that it is at now.
This is really a very good package if you want to control your DV1 via a serial cable connected to your computer. The program mimics much of what the DV1 radio does itself. Jeff designed the "display" in his software to replicate as closely as possible the display on the DV1. In addition, Jeff has been very responsive to inquiries and bug-reports in a very timely manner. In some cases, bugs that I have reported to him have been corrected, and new versions of the software posted, in a matter of hours-- in fact, in some times under an hour! Jeff explained to me that because this is only software package he works on, he can commit 100% of his programming time to this one package.
This is not just a radio "monitoring" program--- this program can actually read AND write to the DV1 memory banks, allowing users to make quick, on-the-fly changes to the radio. The download also includes a PDF file (about 15 pages) outlining "how to" and other technical information about the program. As a hobbyist, Jeff is encouraging everyone to try to the program--- the trial version works with some limitations, but at £10.99 for the full package, (or about $15 or so USD), if you are also an experimenter or tinkerer, the price of the program is really a no-brainer. Jeff would like as many folks to come on-board and help maintain and improve the program with thoughts and suggestions. He would like to make this the definite program for controlling the DV1. And that doesn't just mean "reading" and operating the DV1, but actually being able to write to the radio's memory banks in real-time, a feat that the program accomplishes right now.
In addition to all the functions that you would expect to find, there are some very clever built in features that take advantage of the DV1 technology which are not even available in the DV1 itself. For example, a "MUTE" button in built into the software to quickly quiet the radio if you get a phone call.
But there are other features which are even more clever in the work that Jeff has done. I will try to describe a few of them here. One that I especially like is the ability to click on the "tuning knob" in the software. What that does is quickly release the radio from computer control and put it back into "manual control" so that without disconnecting the cable or shutting down the program, you can quickly get over to the radio and have full control of all the radio's features. When you are done, you just click the tuning knob in the software again and the radio is once again controlled by the program and the computer. Incidentally, Jeff recommends that when going into manual mode, the user should only adjust the tuning dial on the radio--- I adjusted many other functions and the program pretty much was able to catch up when I returned to computer control. Your mileage may vary in this regard, and you should experiment. When you do return to your computer, you'll find a nice flashing indication reminding you that you are still in "manual mode" and to click on the tuning knob again to return control of the radio to the program.
Speaking about the tuning knob in the program, while it actually only serves the purpose outlined above (for now that is, but more on that later), you will find up and down buttons right above the tuning knob, very similar to what you see on the radio. But Jeff has used his computer prowess to provide some interesting functions to those buttons. Yes, you can use them to step up and down frequencies with a click of the left mouse button over the appropriate arrow key. But Jeff has also incorporated a right mouse key function that allows for continuous stepping with a single click. And it gets better. If you set your squelch on an FM frequency for example, and a signal appears which breaks through, the radio will also pause for a number of seconds on that frequency so you can decide if you want to listen or continue to "tune". That's another very clever feature that he incorporated that is not available on the radio itself. But it's something that is extremely useful if you are tuning from the program in front of you computer as opposed to sitting in front of the radio.
By the way, when tuning around on the mediumwave,shortwave and ham bands, the up and down buttons can be used in conjunction with either their single step, or continuous-stepping functions as well. You can simply slide the squelch control to the off position, set the step function just as you would on the radio, and tune right in to your favorite foreign broadcast activity or sideband station. The flexibility of the up and down buttons allow for a degree of accuracy and comfort in "tuning" that's practically rivals using the radio's own tuning knob.
Everything has been designed to give the user as much control (and sometimes even more control) from the computer as opposed to from the radio. As AOR releases new firmware updates and more information about codes that are used to control the radio, Jeff plans to incorporate more features into his software.
As mentioned previously, the Ash-By software lets you bring up each bank in real time, and make on-the-fly changes to channel parameters quickly and efficiently, and then save those changes to the radio. You can also move individual channels, delete channels, or delete entire banks. As with the tuning knob, as the program continues to grow, I expect Jeff to add functions to move whole banks and provide additional functions as well. But like most software of this type, you have to be sure you are happy with the features "as-is", since there is a no-refund policy. In addition, other features and functions will be added as AOR releases new firmware upgrades and additional coding information for the radio.
Also remember that Jeff's program does NOT save any information to the program itself, so you should always be saving your information to the SD card which is supplied with the radio (or one of your own), using the radio's own built-in backup functions.
Let's get back to another of those other "special" functions that you will find in the software that is not available on the radio itself. How about a group of "Favorite" frequencies that you can access quickly two quick clicks of the mouse? Well, it's built into the software, and lets you get to any of your favorite frequencies without have to fumble looking for them in the radio's memory.
In terms of actual operation, the program may respond slightly differently in different operating system environments. On my computer, I had an issue with the Windows 10 UAC--- Jeff at Ash-By was able to offer several suggestion to overcome that issue. And once the program is running, it is generally very stable. The "trail version" is limited to some degree in the number of memory banks you can manipulate, or the number of DMR color codes you can chose. To unlock the full edition, you get a key from Ash-By, which is a text file that you simply copy and paste into the existing License.txt
The program is malware-free, although my admittedly "over-protected" Windows 10 computer (I run numerous antivirus and malware programs) set off the expected alerts when I installed the program. Not to fear--- I have run all updates to Ash-By's software package with absolutely no problem in terms of any of those issues once I cleared the UAC hurdle. The program is free of any type of malware whatsoever. And I have to give Jeff some credit for really being on top of things in terms of updates--- it's not unusual that if an operation bug is found, a new version of the program appears within the day.
Like the DV1 itself, the Ash-By software has to be "learned", as sometimes the commands are not consistent across the entire package. In one window, you may have to click on one item--- in another window, activation is caused by double-clicking or right-clicking. It's fair to mention that the radio itself works the same way--- sometimes you have to punch a command or parameter; other times you have to dial it in. But once you learn all the facets of the program, it becomes pretty easy and routine to operation. The fact that you can change parameters in real-time and "on-the-fly" is quite an advantage.
And some commands are more flexible than they would originally appear. The channel move command actually gives you the ability to either copy OR move. Once you have done the "MOVE", the program asks if you want to delete the original channel location. So in essence, you can use the move command to do a "COPY" as well. These are the little facets of the program that you learn as you move along thorough the various commands.
In the end, because the program is so highly specialized, it's likely that not every single bug has been worked out. Like the radio itself, one should consider this software to be an unfinished work of art. Jeff seems to really be on top of things, always fine-tuning his work to get better results. Folks who like to experiment and tinker with the DV1 should be as interested in tinkering with the Ash-By software and offering Jeff suggestions on improving the package. Incidentally, Jeff is also a member of the AOR forums here on RR, and is available under his online name "marlbrook".
As an additional incentive for those who are technically oriented, Ash-By has also added to their "package" (and is currently refining) a special set of instructions on how to get the radio to operate with the software remotely via wi-fi. While I have not personally tried this myself, I understand that it operates extremely well, streaming both computer control and audio from the radio over the internet to any smart device that you have.
The biggest surprise is that the program sells for an extremely reasonable introductory price of £10.99 UK. (With the exchange rate, that's about $15 USD.) I believe that the program should be considered by anyone seriously interested in computer control of the DV1--- both hobbyists and businesses alike will find the program useful. And according to Ash-By Products, this includes free updates going forward on any new versions of the software.
Version reviewed: 5.031
As of this writing, Version 5.032 is now available for download, and it contains some additional features including a number of new "skins" to choose from.
The trial version, as well as purchase and other information about the program can be found at this link:
ardv1
Last edited:
