Official Starrsoft WIN500 Software Thread

[scan-pa]

Official Starrsoft WIN500 Software Thread.

This thread is to report & Discuss anything related to The WIN500 software.


Starrsoft WIN500 Software: http://starrsoft.com/ Version 1.07 is now Available **** updated on 11/27/2007

System Requirements
In order to run Win500, you'll need the following:

* A copy of the Win500 program
* A PSR-500 Scanner
* The blue GRE USB Scanner Programming cable that came with your PSR-500.
* A Windows (2000, XP, Vista) PC. Sorry - 95, 98, and Me are not supported.

 

[IndyEmsGuy]

Thanks Don,

I understand how it all works now. Like I said they were wishes lol. Also guess I will have to type in all the Indy ARTCC stuff huh? Would it be very hard for a SEARCH/REPLACE function on alpha tags? i.e. A tag name of ISP53DISP I could do a search for ISP53 and replace it with ISP-53- so that the tag would look like ISP-53-DISP just a thought. Thanks for responding so quickly!

 

[fmon]

EDIT: Hmmm.... it wouldn't be too tough to have Win500 do that automatically. An analysis of the system frequencies (plus any 'custom bandplans') should tell me what 'channels' are in use across all bands.

Salivating, How do you want the steak? Millers ok?

 

[rdale]

Web import bug (painful since I discovered it after long times of getting the MPSCS listing checkboxes down to a reasonable size :< )

When you import a system, if you select / deselect the talkgroup and tower info, then decide to check either "cc only" or "hide alternates" -- it will clear all the checkboxes in the tower & talkgroup settings!

Also as soon as I'd set up all the checkboxes - I saved the XML file. It did not save that...

 

[DonS]

Web import bug (painful since I discovered it after long times of getting the MPSCS listing checkboxes down to a reasonable size :< )

When you import a system, if you select / deselect the talkgroup and tower info, then decide to check either "cc only" or "hide alternates" -- it will clear all the checkboxes in the tower & talkgroup settings!

That's less of a bug than an intentional design behavior. Since early Win96, the "tree control" and the downloaded XML have never been tied to each other, and the tree control is completely refreshed when you toggle those checkboxes - throwing away the 'checked' state of any items.

I've added a bunch of code to carry the check states back and forth between the tree and the underlying data. The states should now be preserved across tree control refreshes.

Also as soon as I'd set up all the checkboxes - I saved the XML file. It did not save that...

Whether a box in the tree is checked or not won't be saved with the XML. The "Write XML File" just dumps the data as it was received from RR.

There's another button at the bottom of the dialog: "Write Confined XML File". This button will write out an XML file containing only the items you've checked. Be sure to use Win500 v00.34, as prior versions wrote a different format of XML file - one not compatible with the RR spec. v00.34 will write a file that can be read back using the "Read XML File" button.

 

[DonS]

Yes. Because you've told the radio to use "custom tables" for the whole TSYS, you have to set up custom table entries for every potential 'channel'. Fortunately, the system you're monitoring uses the standard table entry for the 800 MHz channels - you can just add that entry to the end of the 400 MHz custom entries.

EDIT: Hmmm.... it wouldn't be too tough to have Win500 do that automatically. An analysis of the system frequencies (plus any 'custom bandplans') should tell me what 'channels' are in use across all bands.

I think I have the above working. It's deciding to add an additional custom table entry for the 800 MHz range based on the 800 MHz frequencies in use by the system. In the case of the http://www.radioreference.com/module...ame=RR&sid=654 system, that ends up being the first "default" entry in the table I posted earlier.

I don't know of any other systems with which I can test, but I'm sure they'll be pointed out to me if/when Win500 fails on them.

I'll put version 00.35 up shortly.

 

[fmon]

I think I have the above working. It's deciding to add an additional custom table entry for the 800 MHz range based on the 800 MHz frequencies in use by the system. In the case of the http://www.radioreference.com/module...ame=RR&sid=654 system, that ends up being the first "default" entry in the table I posted earlier.

I don't know of any other systems with which I can test, but I'm sure they'll be pointed out to me if/when Win500 fails on them.

I'll put version 00.35 up shortly.

0.35 imports correctly. Although I've submitted to the Virginia DB admin a request to have the 800 custom tables listed in same format as the 400 sites. However, shouldn't be necessary with your software for this system.

Thanks for the resolution.

 

[DonS]

0.35 imports correctly. Although I've submitted to the Virginia DB admin a request to have the 800 custom tables listed in same format as the 400 sites. However, shouldn't be necessary with your software for this system.

Thanks for the resolution.

I don't know if it's necessary, but 00.36 will also cover 800 MHz splinter freqs. At present, a splinter frequency will be counted as a 'standard' 800 MHz freq (00.35 just does a range compare, without looking at actual offset from base frequency).

Without knowing how many of these systems are out there (I think you hinted that yours might be the only system in the world like this), this feature might be more of a curiosity than anything else. I think it's kind of cool, though.

I'm also going to expand 00.35's VHF/UHF table checking (used in the above auto-populate) to all VHF/UHF systems, just putting up a warning if any system frequencies don't "belong to" the RR XML bandplan.

 

[scan-pa]

Don,

on version Alpha 0.3.7:

On the General Settings Tab:

Under Battery Settings:

Alert Interval gives a "please enter an Integer between 1 - 65" msg.

I have it set in the scanner for "0" so there is never an alert, however the WIN500 software does not like that setting.

 

[DonS]

On the General Settings Tab: Under Battery Settings:

Alert Interval gives a "please enter an Integer between 1 - 65" msg.

I have it set in the scanner for "0" so there is never an alert, however the WIN500 software does not like that setting.

Thanks. Copy/paste goof. Fixed for next rev.

 

[scan-pa]

Thanks. Copy/paste goof. Fixed for next rev.

Thank You Don...

 

[DonS]

Thanks. Copy/paste goof. Fixed for next rev.

Done (v00.38 posted)

 

[radionut44]

I notice that if I save a file as a .bin rather than .p500 and then try to exit I am prompted that the file has not been saved. I understood that other than the extension that the files were the same. Are they the same?

 

[DonS]

I notice that if I save a file as a .bin rather than .p500 and then try to exit I am prompted that the file has not been saved. I understood that other than the extension that the files were the same. Are they the same?

No, they are most definitely not the same. A .BIN file is limited by the radio's available memory. A .P500 file is not. They are totally different formats. Exporting as a .BIN does not change the fact that the .P500 file has not been saved.

 

[TES]

Version 0.39 It just gets better & better! Thanks Don.

 

[KC9NEG]

Wow, Don you're pouring it on... I can't keep my installation up to date! Maybe add a check/auto-update feature

Todd/Indy

 

[DonS]

Wow, Don you're pouring it on...

Not really. This is all stuff I had a while back, but never completely integrated.

 

[scan-pa]

o.40 alpha now available

 

[IndyEmsGuy]

CONV Frequency Input Problem

Don,

I am trying to enter a frequency of 118.520000 for a CONV object and once I press enter or tab off the field it changes the frequency to 118.516666 Just thought you would want to know.

Thanks,
Kris

 

[DonS]

I am trying to enter a frequency of 118.520000 for a CONV object and once I press enter or tab off the field it changes the frequency to 118.516666 Just thought you would want to know.

That's correct. The radio's step size from 108.000000 to 137.000000 is 8.333 kHz. You can't get exactly 118.520000 MHz. The closest "good" frequency, as far as the radio is concerned, is 118.516666 MHz.

 

[IndyEmsGuy]

Ahhh Dummy me. Thanks Don!