Official Starrsoft WIN500 Software Thread

[BOBRR]

Scan List Transferring ?

Hello,

A few more dumb questions:

I am entering Conv objects.
They are all being assigned, apparently, to the default scan list number 1.

How do make some of the ones I've entered become part of scan list No.2 (and not of 1 anymore), to scan list 3, etc. ?

Suggestions:

Might already be there, but if so, I can't do it:

e.g., for setting a led light color: would it be possible to just set the color for the first item in the list, and then be able to drag that selection down to the hundred or so other items listed, rather than having to do them individually ?

Same thing for the scan list assignments, once you tell me how to transfer ?

Regards, and thanks for all the help,
Bob

 

[BOBRR]

Don: Copy And Paste

Hi,

Playing with the copy and paste this afternoon.

Will definitely let you know how it goes.

Regards,
Bob See preceding question, please

 

[DonS]

A few more dumb questions:

I am entering Conv objects.
They are all being assigned, apparently, to the default scan list number 1.

How do make some of the ones I've entered become part of scan list No.2 (and not of 1 anymore), to scan list 3, etc. ?

In the CONV tab, select the objects you want to change, then click the "scan list" boxes to the right of the grid. All selected objects will be changed together.

Suggestions:

Might already be there, but if so, I can't do it:

e.g., for setting a led light color: would it be possible to just set the color for the first item in the list, and then be able to drag that selection down to the hundred or so other items listed, rather than having to do them individually ?

Same as scan list settings. Select the objects you want to change, then select a new LED Color from the drop-down list to the right of the grid.

 

[BOBRR]

Copy And Paste, And Another Question

Hi,

Pretty much the same type of question as previous, please:

For the Squelch setting, the Mode setting, etc., how can I drag the setting I want
(e.g., None) to all the other listing, rather than doing them individually >

Update on Copy and Paste -

The program seems to accept them just finafter copying from Butel's Arc996 !!

Sure does make life easier.

I do have to go into Excel first, apparently, though.
No big deal.

Haven't tried uploading to the radio yet; probably not until tomorrow.

Will keep you posted.

Bob

 

[DonS]

Pretty much the same type of question as previous, please:

For the Squelch setting, the Mode setting, etc., how can I drag the setting I want
(e.g., None) to all the other listing, rather than doing them individually

You can't, at present. If a setting doesn't appear in the block of items to the right of the "grid", it must be set individually.

Update on Copy and Paste -

The program seems to accept them just finafter copying from Butel's Arc996 !!

Sure does make life easier.

I do have to go into Excel first, apparently, though.

Based on reports I've heard previously, you shouldn't have to go through Excel. If the data pastes into Excel, it's almost certainly "tab-delimited lines of text". That fomat is accepted natively by Win500.

 

[BOBRR]

Squelch Column Setting ?

Hi,

Re Squelch Mode:

If I leave it as "Search" which seems to be the default, but have nothing in the "Squelch Code" column right next to it, is this equivalent to having "Squelch Mode" set to "None" ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[DonS]

Re Squelch Mode:

If I leave it as "Search" which seems to be the default, but have nothing in the "Squelch Code" column right next to it, is this equivalent to having "Squelch Mode" set to "None" ?

No.

If "Squelch Mode" is set to "Search", then "Squelch Code" is not applicable. The radio will search through the three possible modes (CTCSS, DCS, and P25 NAC, based on what type of audio is being received) and will display any detected squelch code.

 

[BOBRR]

Hi,

New at this Squelch operations, so please bear with me.

Trying to figure out how not to have to change 1,000+ freq's to "None" manually, or even if I have to ?

So, per your comment, the only thing that happens if I leave it on "Search" is that it will display what's found on the scanner's display.

The speed, or operation, of the scanner is therefore not effected in any other way.
True ?

If so, and I don't plan on use the Squelch function(s), I might as well just leave it alone at the default of "Search".
Agree ?

Thanks for help,
Bob
--------------------------------------------
If I leave it as "Search" which seems to be the default, but have nothing in the "Squelch Code" column right next to it, is this equivalent to having "Squelch Mode" set to "None" ?

No.

If "Squelch Mode" is set to "Search", then "Squelch Code" is not applicable. The radio will search through the three possible modes (CTCSS, DCS, and P25 NAC, based on what type of audio is being received) and will display any detected squelch code.
Bob

 

[DonS]

If you don't care about any received Squelch Code (CTCSS, DCS, or P25 NAC), you can leave the CONV objects at the default of "Search". There's no need to change them to "None". It shouldn't impact the radio's scanning speed, or anything else you'd notice.

 

[troymail]

Do you have any CONV objects with PRI turned on? If so, it sounds like they're now enabled for scanning. The behavior you describe is exactly what I'd expect if I had CONV / PRI objects, not locked out, in enabled scan lists.

Hmmmm... that does in fact seem to be the issue.... ok not a Win500 problem per se -- but odd...

Why does the PRI on a convention channel/frequency interupt/interfere with voice on a TSYS/TGRP object but other TSYS/TGRPs don't do they same thing??? I guess this is a question for GRE....

 

[DonS]

Hmmmm... that does in fact seem to be the issue.... ok not a Win500 problem per se -- but odd...

Why does the PRI on a convention channel/frequency interupt/interfere with voice on a TSYS/TGRP object

Because you have "TGRP Pri Int" turned ON in the GLOB menu.

but other TSYS/TGRPs don't do they same thing??? I guess this is a question for GRE....

Maybe because it's far less intrusive to check for activity on a CONV channel as opposed to looking for desired TGRP traffic. To look for an active CONV "PRI" channel, all the radio would have to do is tune, look for RF Sq, and maybe check for any "coded squelch". To look for an active TGRP "PRI" object, the radio would have to tune to a CC and hang around for a while looking for the desired TGRP. This could lead to some pretty major gaps in your monitoring.

 

[kikito]

Hmmmm... that does in fact seem to be the issue.... ok not a Win500 problem per se -- but odd...

Why does the PRI on a convention channel/frequency interupt/interfere with voice on a TSYS/TGRP object but other TSYS/TGRPs don't do they same thing??? I guess this is a question for GRE....

It doesn't seem like it's an issue at all, it's working as advertised. Like DonS already answered, it can't check for a TG as quick and easy as a conventional frequency. We would need one of two things, willing to put up with the longer pause that it will cause or have a second built-in receiver just for that.

As you may know, you can also disable the radio from checking conventional PRI while on a TG on the GLOB menu. Then it'll only check conventional PRI while scanning conventional and it'll check TG priority only while scanning the trunked system.

BTW, the Priority on this radio seems to be the best of any radio I've tried in the past. I remember long time ago some Uniden models had a TG priority feature but to tell you the truth, it never seem to have worked and makes me wonder if that's why they don't offer it anymore in their latest models. But on the PSR-500 works great. I can be monitoring one talkgroup and as soon as there is pause, it'll quickly switch to the priority TG if it's active.

 

[BOBRR]

SKY In Scan Lists ?

Hello,

In the Scan Lists under the CONV Tab:

FAV is obviously Favorites, but what is SKY please ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[DonS]

In the Scan Lists under the CONV Tab:

FAV is obviously Favorites, but what is SKY please ?

"SkyWarn"... the special "scan list" that's scanned when you press FUNC + WX on the radio's keypad.

 

[troymail]

It doesn't seem like it's an issue at all, it's working as advertised. Like DonS already answered, it can't check for a TG as quick and easy as a conventional frequency. We would need one of two things, willing to put up with the longer pause that it will cause or have a second built-in receiver just for that.

As you may know, you can also disable the radio from checking conventional PRI while on a TG on the GLOB menu. Then it'll only check conventional PRI while scanning conventional and it'll check TG priority only while scanning the trunked system.

BTW, the Priority on this radio seems to be the best of any radio I've tried in the past. I remember long time ago some Uniden models had a TG priority feature but to tell you the truth, it never seem to have worked and makes me wonder if that's why they don't offer it anymore in their latest models. But on the PSR-500 works great. I can be monitoring one talkgroup and as soon as there is pause, it'll quickly switch to the priority TG if it's active.

The problem is that when the priority channels are checked, the active voice is interupted quite a bit - enough in my opinion to be annoying. I guess I like the PRI checks for TRS objects - between transmissions.... sure, it isn't as good as constant checking but I can't take that constant interuption in the active conversation.

 

[DonS]

The problem is that when the priority channels are checked, the active voice is interupted quite a bit - enough in my opinion to be annoying. I guess I like the PRI checks for TRS objects - between transmissions.... sure, it isn't as good as constant checking but I can't take that constant interuption in the active conversation.

The only way to avoid the "constant interruption" is to disable Priority on the CONV objects.

You can change the frequency of the interruption via the "Pri Interval" item and (to a certain extent) the duration of the interruption via the "Pri Channels" item, both on the GLOB menu.

 

[BOBRR]

V Folder Question

Hi,

This is the last one for tonight, honest.

We BOTH deserve a rest now !

I know it's there somewhere, but darned if I can find it.
Sure I'm looking right at it.

How do I select a bunch of Conv. Objects from the main scan listing, and then send them to a
particular V Folder, please ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[DonS]

How do I select a bunch of Conv. Objects from the main scan listing, and then send them to a particular V Folder, please ?

A V-Folder is a complete image of the scanner's programming. Win500 manages the V-Folders by sending/receiving P500 files to the radio.

To put a few CONV objects into a V-Folder, you'll have to have a P500 file on your computer that represents the contents of that V-Folder. You'd open that P500 file (along with the the file that contains the CONV objects to copy), then copy and paste between the two. Save the V-Folder's P500 file, then use Win500's Scanner, Virtual Scanner function to upload the file to the radio.

If the V-Folder you want to modify only resides on the radio (that is, you haven't yet retrieved it to your computer), you'd use the same Scanner, Virtual Scanner function to read it to a P500 file. Then modify it and send it back.

 

[n4jri]

Object renumbering

I've been playing around with object renumbering in order to get my scanlists like I want them for browsing with the arrow keys. (all in prep--my radio hasn't arrived yet)

I understand that a TSYS object occupies 10 blocks, but some of my TG's will be the next number in sequence above a TSYS's object #. Is this a problem, or something that indicates a need for a mask in the software?

Also, to avoid stepping on existing object numbers, I've been reassigning objects with block-sequential numbers in the 2000's and 3000's. I see that the software displays up to 5 digits, but only remember 4 on the radio. Is there a certain number range that I should stay within, when assigning new object numbers?

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[DonS]

I've been playing around with object renumbering in order to get my scanlists like I want them for browsing with the arrow keys. (all in prep--my radio hasn't arrived yet)

I understand that a TSYS object occupies 10 blocks, but some of my TG's will be the next number in sequence above a TSYS's object #. Is this a problem, or something that indicates a need for a mask in the software?

It's not a problem. There's no reason why they cannot be consecutive Object IDs.

Also, to avoid stepping on existing object numbers, I've been reassigning objects with block-sequential numbers in the 2000's and 3000's. I see that the software displays up to 5 digits, but only remember 4 on the radio. Is there a certain number range that I should stay within, when assigning new object numbers?

The radio's range of Object IDs is 0 through 1851 (for 1852 objects max, though some of the "space" will be used by TSYSs, and maybe SRCH and SWPR objects if you create any).
If you try to upload to the radio a P500 file that has Object IDs outside that range, or even save it as a "BIN" file compatible with the GRE Demo App that comes with the radio, Win500 will put up a warning. You'll be asked if you want Win500 to "reassign" the offending IDs itself and then perform the upload.

If you're creating a P500 file with your own Object IDs, and you want those IDs to appear the same on the radio, stay below 1852.