GRE-800 Volume/Squelch

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kermitdafrog

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This post will probably serve no purpose, so I guess it's just a vent:)

I have had my 800 for about a month and is the first dedicated scanner I have ever owned, but have owned Ham and Commercial HT's since there was such a thing.

My overall impression is "I love it", but for the life of me I can't figure out what the designers were thinking when they took the only, easy to access knob, and wasted it on squelch, then made the volume part of a multifunction, difficult to find by feel, mp3 player type control.

With the scanner sitting on my desk running in the background all day, the squelch is something I might adjust two or three times, if at all, but the volume gets tweeked pretty much all day, especially everytime I answer the phone or someone walks into my office. If I have the usb cable plugged in for power, I have to hold the antenna with my left hand while adjusting with my right to keep from knocking the radio over.

When I ride my motorcycle, I plug in my single earbud and stick the radio in my shirt pocket. (CAUTION! Since one end of my beltclip pin slipped out, I no longer trust the belt clip so on the motorcycle it always goes in the pocket. YMMV) It would be nice if I could briefly reach my hand inside my jacket to adjust the volume according to speed and noise, like all of my other HT's. With the mp3 control, I have to slip it partially out of my pocket and try to hold onto the radio and at the same time feel the volume with my right thumb, (which also happens to be the throttle hand but cruise control helps). If you "fat-thumb" the volume, you can accidentally enter Browse mode and it will quit scanning.

When I'm in a car, depending on the car/sunvisor, I clip the radio to the sunvisor, otherwise it's back in the pocket, with that stupid squelch knob poking out. When I need to adjust the volume it really only requires a brief glance to find the control, but I'd rather be able to do it by feel.

If I could make only one change to this radio it would be to swap the volume and squelch controls.

Kermit
 
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tampatracker

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Yes, I agree with you !00%. I was surprised and disappointed to find that GRE had arranged it that way.
 

kermitdafrog

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If I thought I could sacrifice the squelch control altogether to have the volume moved to the knob I'd do it in a skinny minute. In exchange I'd be happy with it as a menu item if it couldn't be swapped with the volume rocker. I almost never use the squelch. To me the display and front panel finish are non-issues compared to the volume knob thing.

However, in spite of my whining, I had some P-25 questions when I first got the radio and the tech support/engineer guys at GRE exchanged a number of emails with me, and answered everything to my satisfaction. Kudos to support, I am very pleased with them

Kermit
 

JoeyC

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I agree, very stupid design. I have YET to adjust the squelch but the up and down on the volume is getting old.
 

Gilligan

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Personally, I'd rather see one multi-function knob on the top that could be set up for a variety of things. There would be a firmware option to use it as a volume or squelch, or if neither, it could be used as an incremental knob in place of the Left & Right buttons on the front (much like the knob on the Uniden BC246T).
 

a388sig2

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I agree, I keep finding myself instinctively adjusting the squelch because years of radio use has taught me that's where the volume control is supposed to go.

I'd love to see if a new version of firmware could make this a menu option.
 

BeerNutz

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One day another scanner owner wanted to look at my PSR-800. First thing he did was turn my squelch knob, thinking he was adjusting the volumn. If looks could kill...
 

jaspence

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I have over fifty years experience with various handy talkies and back to the first RS 4 channel scanners (crystal controlled). One of the things I have learned it that every radio presents a new challenge and changes. The 800 was designed with the idea of getting a new generation involved, and the key layout is designed to be like their MP3 players. If you don't research a radio before you purchase it, then you need to look in the mirror and complain to yourself. Did you junk the TV remote because it was a new way to tune the channels? Do you still drive a stick shift because that's how cars were supposed to always be? What about the single knob on some of the Uniden/RS products? On my 137 it serves three function, and volume isn't the first.

Lighten up and have fun with a good radio.
 

rwier

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,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, The 800 was designed with the idea of getting a new generation involved, and the key layout is designed to be like their MP3 players. .................................
Lighten up and have fun with a good radio.

I have never even touched an MP3 player and that is probably why I was never able to master the four-way button on the 500 and the 600. For some unknown (to me) reason, the 800 hit my sweet spot, and now I am very comfortable with the 500 and the 600. Not afraid of those 4-way buttons any more, lol.
 

pwscott

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Volume/Squelch

Too bad they didnt do what Uniden does on the BC-396T...make it multi-function...tunes, but when you press down once it's volume. Press again it tunes or scans.
 

Gilligan

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The reality is that 99% of scanner users rarely ever touch the squelch once they set it. It simply could have been implemented digitally.
 
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