HomePatrol-1 Extreme Upgrade Post-Release Thread

[ka3jjz]

To allow for future growth, and correct a potential URL error, I've split Marshall's excellent article into 2 parts listed below...

Importing and Exporting Sentinel .hpe Files - The RadioReference Wiki

Sentinel .hpe Files Library - The RadioReference Wiki

In the library article, I'd like to get a little description of downloading using each of the browsers. I'm stuck with putrid IE7 while at work, so if anyone can add a little detail there, it would be helpful. Remember that these articles are being written with a newcomer in mind, so details are important.

best regards..Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

I've had to deal with TCP tuning over high latency (and tunneled) systems in the far,far past. If you have HughesNet modem's Turbo Page Accelerator in use, try shutting it off. Also, I've heard the the Chrome browser is the fastest and may help on sat links. The consensus from several sources is that HugesNet causes lots of problems (other than the expected 1/2 second or greater latency).....McDonalds also has free Internet in lots of their restaurants

Many libraries now have free wifi too best regards..Mike

 

[jyanacek]

Done

Drove in to "town" and parked as close to the restaurant as possible. Got on their wi-fi while in my car and was able to download the firmware and database updates. Guess that will be my method in the future unless something changes on Uniden's end.

Thanks all..

Jim Yanacek

 

[OCO]

B52H:
I found that I'd get the error if I'd set up the search while a Favorites list was loaded, but I now had the entire database loaded or vice versa, even though the system I was doing the discovery on was there in both cases or even switching from one Favorite list to another, even if the system that the discovery was being run on was in both...

edit:
jyancek:
Glad you got it, even if it'd cost you the price of a Coke.... While I'm not going to say that Uniden doesn't have a problem, you are dealing with a TCP nightmare when you start using satellite links and specific services like HTTP/FTP, direct FTP , etc. Network routing and all the optioning on all the equipment in-between weighs in on it also. I had network people spinning in circles over web pages outside of our networks that would work for some users and not for others because somebody set the "do not fragment" flag on a router..worked just fine except where some tunneling was being used.

 

[Jay911]

B52H:
I found that I'd get the error if I'd set up the search while a Favorites list was loaded, but I now had the entire database loaded or vice versa, even though the system I was doing the discovery on was there in both cases or even switching from one Favorite list to another, even if the system that the discovery was being run on was in both...

I mentioned this earlier, but the hundred or so posts about maintaining the wiki caused many of my posts to get overlooked and/or buried.

For some reason, Trunking Discovery only allows you to select a system or start a discovery session if the system in question is "in range". I have a situation in my area where I can get a certain system very well at my desk at work - but if I move anywhere, it's not detectable until I'm about 1 to 1.5 miles out (at work, I'm about 5 miles away). So in the DB it's set to 2 miles IIRC. I can't run Discovery on this system unless I switch my Favorites list from "Use Location Control: Yes" to "No".

Personally, I'd like for it to allow you to choose a system or start Discovery regardless of where I am or where the system is, but that might cause undue hardship for people trying to pick from systems with a large number of sites (many of which are not near them).

 

[jyanacek]

B52H:
I found that I'd get the error if I'd set up the search while a Favorites list was loaded, but I now had the entire database loaded or vice versa, even though the system I was doing the discovery on was there in both cases or even switching from one Favorite list to another, even if the system that the discovery was being run on was in both...

edit:
jyancek:
Glad you got it, even if it'd cost you the price of a Coke.... While I'm not going to say that Uniden doesn't have a problem, you are dealing with a TCP nightmare when you start using satellite links and specific services like HTTP/FTP, direct FTP , etc. Network routing and all the optioning on all the equipment in-between weighs in on it also. I had network people spinning in circles over web pages outside of our networks that would work for some users and not for others because somebody set the "do not fragment" flag on a router..worked just fine except where some tunneling was being used.

B52H
Thanks, I'm happy too. The HP is a real quantum leap in scanning. I equate this to going from a DOS 3.0 command line to having GUI's to click on ... only better. Kudos to the Uniden Design Team for clean-slate-out-of-the-box thinking.
The post I made before this one is missing. Describes the environment I live in. How about it Mods? I'm past my 3 post probation.

Jim Yanacek

 

[b52hbuff]

I mentioned this earlier, but the hundred or so posts about maintaining the wiki caused many of my posts to get overlooked and/or buried.

For some reason, Trunking Discovery only allows you to select a system or start a discovery session if the system in question is "in range". I have a situation in my area where I can get a certain system very well at my desk at work - but if I move anywhere, it's not detectable until I'm about 1 to 1.5 miles out (at work, I'm about 5 miles away). So in the DB it's set to 2 miles IIRC. I can't run Discovery on this system unless I switch my Favorites list from "Use Location Control: Yes" to "No".

Personally, I'd like for it to allow you to choose a system or start Discovery regardless of where I am or where the system is, but that might cause undue hardship for people trying to pick from systems with a large number of sites (many of which are not near them).

Maybe you should start a wiki on the Discovery mode?

I need to experiment a bit with Favorites. But can they duplicate? Can they duplicate each other? Can you have a favorites list that duplicates a system name?

What is the value of LBS and Discovery mode? Let's say you're travelling and systems are being enabled and disabled based upon location. In TDS, you can only Discover on TRS CC at a time. There is no data in the RR.com that associates TGID and system sites. And I don't think there is any LBS data stored within the TDS logs to let you know where the radio was when it did/didn't get a database hit.

Same for CDS, if the radio is enabling/disabling systems based on location, what is the value? LBS data isn't store in the hit and you have no way of knowing why a hit may or may not be compared.

I may be totally off base, so I look forward to a general education on the value of LBS/GPS and the Discovery modes. It seems like these are best used in a fixed location. I could see how mobile operation would be desirable, but until/unless LBS data is part of the log, I'm not understanding it...

So I come back to, if you are already going to create a linkage between the TDS system settings and the TRS you're going to discover... Then why does that TRS need to be active?

And one final question while we're here... The legacy DMA radios would identify the SID with a text label. I realize this was a result of a SID database in the radio. Does the HP-1 have a similar functionality? The ability to decode the SID and identify it with some sort of text label?

Thanks...

 

[biomedbob]

Making "discoveries" useful!

I’ve search the forums and on Google but I have not figured out how to convert my “discoveries” to actual useful frequencies in my favorites.

Through the Sentinel software I am able to view my discoveries (local 2 meter ham band), but what do I after that?

If someone could walk me through the process (and then submit it to our Wiki) I sure would appreciate it.

biomedbob

kf4br

 

[jkahn]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the advice on getting my HP firmware and database updates. I have never been able to get a database update at home and have actually only been able to get one. That was at a relatives apartment (130mi away) when I visited her and piggy-backed an unsecured wi-fi signal at the complex.

I live on Deal Island on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake. My "neighborhood" of a dozen houses is surrounded by wetlands and water. Phone service is always staticy and weak because the one an only phone line comes through the marsh and the salt water corrodes the connections. Here, a really good dial-up connection is 32k and you're lucky to get that, it's mostly 28.8k.

The nearest wi-fi spot is a restaurant 25 round trip miles away in another small town. Nearest city is Salisbury MD, a 52 mile round trip.

If I get no help from Uniden I'm going to have to accept making a lot of trips to "town".

Thanks again,

Jim Yanacek
Retired XRay equipment and networking speciaist.

Jim:
I see later in this thread that you have been able to use a wifi link to get the updates. I was going to offer that in return for a dozen crab dinner at fisherman's pier, I would drive down with my laptop and load them for you! Of course after Emily, that might be moot anyway! Baten the hatches and be safe.
Seriously, if I can get a software update and the email it to you, let me know if that would work. I'm an hour away near the "big" city but I have Deale roots!
JK

edited:
Oops. wrong Deale on this side of the bay, but if the email thing works, I am still willing !

 

[KD8HE]

I’ve search the forums and on Google but I have not figured out how to convert my “discoveries” to actual useful frequencies in my favorites.

Through the Sentinel software I am able to view my discoveries (local 2 meter ham band), but what do I after that?

If someone could walk me through the process (and then submit it to our Wiki) I sure would appreciate it.

biomedbob

kf4br

I run the trunking system or range of conventional frequencies of interest
I noted the hits that did not match database as indicated by the HP1
Listened to the audio to further define the function/location of the "hit"
Report my findings to RR. I've turned up more in my area than I thought I would.
Mostly a manual process, i think.
KD8HE

 

[Viper43]

I know someone on Hughes Net. He hates it but no cable or DSL there.

None here either but AT&T netbook works great even with updates/upgrades. And the nice thing is when I go on a trip I can take it with me.

 

[Jay911]

I need to experiment a bit with Favorites. But can they duplicate? Can they duplicate each other? Can you have a favorites list that duplicates a system name?

I haven't tried to have duplicate items in favorites lists yet, but I would imagine you can, since yes, you can have a system in one favorites list that is a duplicate of (or named the same as) an existing system in the main DB.

My favorites lists are:

"Local Stuff" - counties and systems that I listen to on a regular basis. Some of them are simply the existing main DB stuff copied over, some of them are modified versions of the main DB (because I prefer different text descriptions/channel configurations than the main DB/DB admin handbook allows), and some have completely new stuff that I'm trying to detect (like unpublished info, unknown frequencies I've pulled from the Canadian equivalent of the FCC licensing info, etc).
"Common" - Stuff that is universal and not going to change. CB radio, FRS/GMRS, etc.

I have both favorites lists switched on and the main DB switched off. If you did turn the main DB on, however, my understanding is that you would scan the main DB once, and then each favorites list once, and repeat - the scanner doesn't care if there are duplicates in a favorites list vs. another favorites list (or the main DB).

What is the value of LBS and Discovery mode?

Haven't had enough time to explore this concept yet. I tend to mark my discovery sessions with names based on where I am, if I'm traveling. IIRC, there is one GPS co-ordinate pair recorded at the start (or maybe the end?) of the discovery session, but nothing for individual hits - but if it did, that would be awesome.

The legacy DMA radios would identify the SID with a text label. I realize this was a result of a SID database in the radio. Does the HP-1 have a similar functionality? The ability to decode the SID and identify it with some sort of text label?

The answer you're probably going to get is that it does this in the Activity log. If you haven't tried that, it's a neat feature to play with. Think Unitrunker raw logs with some rudimentary "human" translation thrown in.

 

[Xray]

Ok, you guys got me running round in circles here. There is talk of a $49.99 pre release, yet the upgrade is listed as $99.99 on uniden. Can someone tell me which it is ?

 

[Jay911]

Ok, you guys got me running round in circles here. There is talk of a $49.99 pre release, yet the upgrade is listed as $99.99 on uniden. Can someone tell me which it is ?

When it was a pre-release, prior to August 15, the cost was $49.99 for the "Extreme" features (the firmware update is free). Since the Extreme upgrade has now been released, it is no longer a "pre-release", and thus the cost is now $99.99.

 

[Xray]

Bummer.
Maybe then they should take down the talk of $49.99 located here

Extreme Things Coming

 

[DaveIN]

Well, at the bottom under Update it also says this: "Once we release the update, the price will go to the normal $99.99 price.", however it doesn't tell you that it's been released in the blog until the latest posting.

 

[chas228]

The question is when are those of us that have already paid for the privilege to unwittingly be beta testers going to get actual fully functional, as advertised, upgrades.

 

[Xray]

Well, I tried to get a handle on the release date in the other thread, and was referred to the above inconclusive post. Guess I'll have to wait until the Xmas sale, I doubt if I'd have much use for most of the upgrades anyhow.

 

[OCO]

Xray:
The answer to your question was posted about 10 hours before the release on the 15th. It was clear at the time and if you'd taken the time at any point after that to see if the update/upgrade had been released, the answer was still valid. Note that the Blog where you were pointed to was the official Uniden answer, not what any RR member "thought" the policy might be...

 

[Viper43]

Well, I tried to get a handle on the release date in the other thread, and was referred to the above inconclusive post. Guess I'll have to wait until the Xmas sale, I doubt if I'd have much use for most of the upgrades anyhow.

I highly doubt there will be a "Christmas Sale" as Uniden isn't Radio Shack, and I doubt they will have a sale, especially a 50% off sale....