NEW UPDATE - 3/1 TRX-1 and TRX-2

[Wilrobnson]

FlexStep has become a little tricky for us in Alaska now because we need it enabled to enter the proper step size in the ALMR system but have that problem you brought up when enabled for the UHF band.

Since giving up my ALMR radios, I've simply used autofill when programming sites and haven't missed much that I'm aware of.

New radio comes in August though.

 

[racingfan360]

Yes, he (and everybody else) does. The 'T' icon does not mean "trunked". It means (has always meant, was always intended to mean) the scanner is looking for and decoding digital information on the currently-tuned frequency, whether it's NXDN, DMR, P25, or even LTR.

NXDN 9600 and 4800 show slightly different behavior because 9600 sends messages more frequently - before the 'T' icon times out. 4800 sends them less frequently, and the 'T' icon can time out before another message is received.

Thanks for that DonS . I find it odd then how Whistler use this T symbol to tell you anything useful. The manual still says it's for Trunking control channel data. We all know that the inherent format of NXDN, p25 and/or dmr means the channel wil always incorporate digital signalling data, and perhaps most confusing is that you get completely different results depending on whether you scan the frequency as a scan object, or search/tune to the frequency. In one case the T symbol shows, in the other it doesnt.....yet its the same signal !! The TRX decoding just seems to behave differently if you either search or scan a frequency. Same goes for the E symbol. And frankly I now just have to learn to ignore both these symbols, given these inconsistencies.

 

[Melv7956]

New UK Bandplan working well, and 'tune mode' is a very welcome (Albeit long overdue) addition. Thanks to those at Whistler.
?

But still missing chunks of the uk spectrum on sweeper mode! Apart from that I'm loving the new features. Well done whistler.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SCPD]

whistler new paramters

They are fine tuning parameters for the zeromatic function, when searching it should not stop on a frequency that are some KHz offset.
I wish to also see that enabled during normal scan but probably isn't at this moment.

When the VCO shifts to a new receive frequency it needs time to stabilize on the frequency, that's the delay.
Threshold are probably the size of the window where the frequency are accepted as valid and not offset.
Smaller window will need longer delay but a too long delay will be longer than the scan time and it will never stop on a frequency.
Slope is probably a variable to compensate for the differencies when the VCO are on the lowest or its highest frequencies.

/Ubbe

I thank you for explaining tthat to me and everyone else out there that was wondering. So its all zeromatic tweaks then.

 

[BrianG61UK]

+1

Please pleeease.

Even just bug fixes for the WS1088 would be appreciated if there is no space for more features.

 

[Air490]

Loving the new "tune" feature, but not happy about the Australian bandplan disappearing completely.

 

[milcom_chaser]

Loving the new "tune" feature, but not happy about the Australian bandplan disappearing completely.

They simply need to do away with fixed step size and mode with in the segments of the band plan...

 

[AggieCon]

They simply need to do away with fixed step size and mode with in the segments of the band plan...

For manual entry, yes, perhaps maybe the user is smarter than the device...

The step sizes are important for searching, and it would be good for them to be correct for that application.

 

[Machria]

•Added 'search for objects' via Fn+9

DEAR WHISTLER,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, ..................................................... [infinity]....

Holy smokes does that make life easy!!! Hallelujah!!

When they going to make the alphatags work like a cellphone keypad?
When entering alphatags its difficult the way it is.
They should make it like this
tap the number 2
1st result A
2nd result B
3rd result C
4th result 2
this way its quick and simple to enter Alphatags in that mode (programming the alphatags)

Yep, this is a big one for me to! It takes me what seems like hours to enter in a simple alpha text with their "key saving method" that does not conform to any other equipment I have ever used.

The whistler method is "interesting", but it does not work very well. We need this to go back to the regular method everyone else uses.

Probably never. Conservation of keystrokes.

The existing, 10-year-old method (inherited from the PSR-500) takes exactly 2 keystrokes to enter any letter, number, or symbol. (Toggling between upper and lowercase or between the two symbol sets is another keystroke (the Fn key)).

Your description above does not include lowercase. Would the sequence be like my stupid Panasonic cordless phone: A-B-C-a-b-c-2 ? Five keystrokes to enter 'b'? Then, to move to the next character position, I hit an arrow key, wait for a timeout, or start using a different key?

For example, if I want to enter "DGLS SO CH A", and presuming the . (decimal) key enters a space:

Your method would be 25 keystrokes (1-4 for each letter, 1 for each space):
345557777.7777666.22244.2

On the TRX, it's 21 keystrokes (2 for each letter, 1 for each space):
31745374.7463.2342.21

It might conserve keystrokes, BUT you need to move your fingers around on the keypad more than twice as much. Instead of picking a key and pressing it once, twice or three times, you instead need to pick the key and hit it once, then move your fat finger out of way to figure out/find the next key either 1, 2 or 3... and then move you finger to it and press it. It takes less keystrokes to do, but a longer timeframe to accomplish. Added up the time for 25 keystrokes vs 21 keystrokes in your example and you will find the method the rest of the planet uses is much easier and faster.

That, and the fact we are all "used to" the regular method. So every time I pick up the whistler and try to type something I have to "re-learn" entering text.... very annoying.

If there are people like yourself who like the current "whistler method" (which I'd bet they are few and far between), they should be able to get both methods working and allow the user to choose in settings which text entry method they want to user.

I'll be adding ASCII IO to libtrx (http://forums.radioreference.com/whistler-scanners/349122-trx-2-maybe-trx-1-cross-platform-api.html). Meaning you can just connect the USB cable, execute the upcoming "trxtype" app.

The program will first pause, user inserts ascii, program saves, and unpauses. So with this, it's one keystroke .

I have to go check that link out... what is this? Sounds interesting...

 

[BrianG61UK]

DEAR Yep, this is a big one for me to! It take me what seems like hours to enter in a simple alpha text with there "key saving method" that does not conform to any other equipment I have ever used.

The whistler method is "interesting", but it does not work very well. We need this to go back to the regular method everyone else uses.

I don't specifically like the "Whistler method" but it has to be better than copying the idiotic "normal" method where Whistler would have to include a timeout to identify when input of one character has finished and the next started. The trouble is you cannot choose a timeout that isn't either excruciatingly long for a nimble young person or too fast for someone who is much older.

 

[Machria]

Yes, he (and everybody else) does. The 'T' icon does not mean "trunked". It means (has always meant, was always intended to mean) the scanner is looking for and decoding digital information on the currently-tuned frequency, whether it's NXDN, DMR, P25, or even LTR.

Thanks for that explanation... I wonder why they didn't make it a 'D' then for "D"igital instead of "T" which makes more sense to be "T"runked ?

The "Preparing" step when you start scanning? No, there's no way to speed it up. It's going through your enabled scan lists, building lists of "things to scan" (conventional channels, trunked systems). The more scan lists you have enabled, or the more things you have in each scan list, the longer this takes.

I'm pretty sure he was referring to the initial boot up process at power on, which has been discussed thoroughly in other threads. A firmware update awhile back increased the time it takes (there's a reason but I don't remember off hand - you probably do, considering your role).

Yea, I think he meant the "BOOT" up time, not the start scanning time. Start scanning delay isn't bad, takes a few seconds to compile the scanlsits, no biggie. BUT, the boot time of the TRX1 is quite long. I can live with it most of the time, but when you are programming/ making changes/ removing SD card, re-inserting to try new stuff.... it gets old waiting for it to boot up.

@DonS:

Is there a patent issue that's stopping Whistler from allowing band segments to be user programmable in terms of step size and mode detection (AM, FM, NFM) ?

Thank You.

That is not something that could be patented....

I don't specifically like the "Whistler method" but it has to be better than copying the idiotic "normal" method where Whistler would have to include a timeout to identify when input of one character has finished and the next started. The trouble is you cannot choose a timeout that isn't either excruciatingly long for a nimble young person or too fast for someone who is much older.

That's a good point, they do have to have a timeout period. But most devices I use work fine, I never really noticed the timeout. If they incorporate a "caps lock" key (i.e. pressing Fn key while in text entry switches the case), then you only have to hit a key 1, 2 or 3 times. If you hit it 3 times, it should immediately take the 3rd letter and move on, so you only have a delay/time-out on 1st and 2nd key press. That's still way better than the whistler method I think.

 

[Machria]

The Bandplan posted above re-formatted if anyone wants it.... Just the US section.

 

[kikito]

Since giving up my ALMR radios, I've simply used autofill when programming sites and haven't missed much that I'm aware of.

New radio comes in August though.

I too use Autofill, but the unique 12.5kHz steps in that 154.6500MHz to 156.2400MHz chunk of spectrum, the radio doesn't normally tunes to it correctly, unless you use the FlexStep option.

 

[Anderegg]

Is there a specific reason why Whistler does NOT allow us to reorder the trunking talkgroups in the scanner? I am assuming there must be a good reason, such as someone screwed up designing the codeplug structure and it's too complex to change at this point.

Paul

 

[Ubbe]

I have two anomalies I have reported to whistler in october when I got my TRX-2. I haven't seen them mentioned anywhere so I'm beginning to think they are unique to my TRX-2.

1. When using the control knob it works as expected when adjusting volume, squelch, entering frequencies, and scrolling through objects and recordings. But when scrolling in main menu it goes backwards, increasing by turning clockwise makes it go down in menu and when entering alpha tags it goes backwards, decreasing numbers and going backwards in the alphabet when turning clockwise which makes it awkvard to edit alpha tags.

2. When monitoring a mobil to mobil conversation (without using a TG) in DMR trunked systems the unit id are displayed in hex digits. Sometimes they are in decimal and I beleive that happens if one of the ids are programmed in memory and both are not wildcards.

/Ubbe

 

[pyeman99]

"Updated all supported bandplans."

It sure would be nice to have a copy of the bandplans so customers understand what values will be accepted by the scanner.

Yes please. also search menu items added where the user can select search steps.
ie 6.25khz 12.5khz 25Khz this would be really helpful.Keith uk

 

[BigC801]

for 150.852500 to 154.497500 7.5 step does not work, our local power company uses the pager band with a lot of frequencies you can't get to with 7.5 step size..... so searching on the TRX doesn't work well for me.