PSR800 Firmware update wants

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pratzert

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Who wrote EZ-Scan for the PSR-800 ?

Does anyone know if Don Starr wrote the EZ-Scan Software for the PSR-800 ?

It sure seems like he must have.

He responds on the forum to questions with the same intellegent information as he does for Win500/Win96.

The man is a GENIUS !!!!

I'd like to nominate him for the Scanner Hobby Hall of Fame.

Tim
 

ctripps

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User selectable or programmable step search. The milair band could use a 50khz step rate.
 

TedRHayes

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There are several features I’d like to see added to the EZ Scan software:

1. A way to automatically enable the “record” field when new conventional channels or TGIDs are added – it’s a pain to have to manually set the fields (especially TGIDs).

2. When viewing a Scanlist, I would like to be able to view the Frequency/TGID field for each channel record – The Alpha Tag alone is often not enough fully identify the channel.

3. In the Scanlist Pulldown Item on the Scanlist Tab, would like to see the Scanlist # and Name displayed – once a name is applied to a Scanlist its number is not displayed, I’ve found that I lose track of what a scanlist’s # is.

4. In the Library Import tab, would like the option to import channels from the Nationwide datasets to the “Service Type” scanlists – one can do a standard import, but the channels won’t be directed to the appropriate service scanlists.

5. Would like an easier mechanism to “move” one or more scanlists to s different scanlist # (or range of #s).

6. Would like a mechanism to select one or more scanlists and clear them in one step.

7. Would like a mechanism to copy one or more scanlists from one V-Scanner Folder to another V-Scanner Folder – this would also require the appropriate Conventional Channels and Trunk Systems/TGIDs to be copied/merged into the target V-Scanner Folder which complicates the process.

8. Would like a mechanism to define one or more scanlists that could be automatically included when a new V-Scanner Folder is created – probably would want a use selectable option a create time.

9. When “Library Updates” are downloaded, the user is given the option to apply those updates to existing Conventional Channels and Trunked Systems. I believe the updates are only applied to the currently active V-Scanner Folder. If one changes to a different V-Scanner Folder, there appears to be no mechanism to apply (or reapply) updates to that V-Scanner Folder. Would like that capability.

Been meaning to put these down for a while, enjoy!
 

TedRHayes

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Thought of another capability I'd like to see:

10. Would like to be able to copy the general and advanced scanner settings (sans scanlist names and scanset names/settings) from one V-Scanner Folder to another V-Scanner Folder - I have found that sometimes I've found a different setting works better, if I want to apply it to more than on V-Scanner Folder, I half to manually reset each one.

Ted
 

Halfpint

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TedRHayes,

Great list! In fact you've managed to come with a few more items that I have been ruminating about putting up!

Now... I guess all we can do is keep on `bugging' them to do it whilst we sit back waiting and hoping for GRE to make those changes/upgrades? {DANG!}

Any how, here is another `vote'/`cry out' for them.
 

scosgt

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OK, here is the biggie that no one has mentioned (If someone knows a way please post it):

On every other radio I own, I can lock on the control channel with the squelch open and move the radio/antenna around to "tune" a distant system. The PRO-96 give a % reception, and if I can find the sweet spot with 75% + I'll be able to listen.

The only ways I can figure out to do this on the 800 are:

1. Use a limit search on the CC and lock it in and listen for a strong signal with 3+ bars. PITA and you need to know the CC. Not practical in the field
2. Program all the CCs as objects in a system and lock them out. In the field browse them one at a time until you find an active one. Very clumsy. It was a lot easier to just hit the MANUAL button!

The problem with this scanner is, when you are trying to listen to a TRS, there is no way to know if there is nothing being broadcast or the radio is not working or the antenna is bad or whatever. Absent stopping on a channel, there is no real indication that anything is out there.

Another issue is this:
My scanner works great at my house. I took it to work, about 8 miles away. Standing in the middle of a large parking lot, in a town with a few buildings that run up to 6 stories, and near a "big box" retail store, I could not receive either of the distant (one in each direction) trunking systems that I can get at home. I was 8 miles closer to one, 8 miles further from the other. HOWEVER, the problem is the scanner seemed to "stick" on the failed trunking systems, as I was not receiving much of anything on the local conventional channels. When I turned off the trunked systems and kept NYPD, the scanner never stopped chattering. Which it did not do with the unheard TRS enabled.
So my conclusions were:
1. Poor reception area
2. Too much time spent seeking on the trunking systems which also seemed to drain the battery.

A quick fix would be a simple way to determine that I was not able to "hear" the CCs, in which case I could stop wasting my time and turn off the trunked scanlists.

So, does anyone have a cure? Can a firmware update allow the unit to stop on a CC like other scanners do?

Thanks!
 

N8IAA

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Fortunately, GA
I'm going to put in my two cents worth. This scanner was designed to be ready to use out of the box with updates to the Radio Reference database, and as a scanner to decode other digital signals with dsd software, by selecting the earphone plug as a raw data out tap. Being that the 900 won't come out until much later this year, I don't believe that there is going to be any firmware upgrades for this scanner till then. GRE and Uniden are companies that 'market' scanners along with other products. They have made, with the exception of poor digital decoding, inexpensive multiuse scanners. I can be paitient. I waited over a year to get a digital scanner when the only county in my metro area went digital years ago, and I couldn't monitor them after they pulled the simulcast on their VHF frequencies. Now, everyone around me has gone P-25 digital. With the exception on a few that have gone NEXEDGE and Mototrbo conventional.
I work in retail, and watch how different manufacturers market their products, especially the gaming industry. They give enough to tease, and then slowly put new games, etc., on the market. What makes you believe that GRE and Uniden are any different?
Would I love to have a scanner that decodes NEXEDGE, Mototrbo, and Phase II P-25? Heck yeah. But until it happens, I'll keep using what I have.
JMTCW,
Larry
 

TedRHayes

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Here's a change I'd like to see with the radio itself:

When I use the PSR-800 in my car, I connect it to power via the cigarette lighter. On my Honda, the power to the cigarette lighter circuit is interrupted when the ignition/starter is engaged. This causes the PSR-800 to turn itself off - even with internal batteries in place (and sufficiently charged). I must manually turn the PSR-800 back on - and the larger the number of scanlists active, the longer it takes to start scanning again.

Would like the PSR-800 to continue operating with short interruptions to the input power. My GPS is smart enough to start a 30 second count down before turning itself off (also giving me the option to continue on batteries). I also don't have this "problem" with my Uniden scanners.

Makes me wonder how the PSR-900 will behave.

Not sure if a Firmware change can change this behavior, or if it would require a redesign of the hardware itself.

Ted
 

scosgt

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Don actually stated that he could write a control only program for the 800 (no programming). I wish he would, that would be really interesting and useful.
 

riveter

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Some of the following may be repeats, but another voice doesn't hurt, so please forgive me for missing whatever post may have said them already.

A: CQPSK modulation support if able. This would VASTLY improve reception on recently-built motorola P25 systems and essentially make GRE scanners look like gods compared to anything else.

B: Ability to custom create several objects on the fly: namely and most usefully conventional frequency objects, and radio IDs for an extant loaded trunked system. This does not seem technically difficult to accomplish- frequency or RID number selection can be done the same way as alpha tag editing on extant objects. This, especially the ability to add new RIDs on the fly, would be a great help.

C: I'm not sure if this exists (somebody please let me know via PM if it does, but I've fiddled extensively and haven't seen), but I would greatly appreciate a way to have radio ID tags show on an active system when transmitting WITHOUT those talkgroups being included as scanned objects as they are now. Currently things get cumbersome quickly, because the scanner will attempt to watch talkgroups on the system AND watch radio IDs for private calls, and if you have as many RIDs as Baltimore County has radios, that is a LOT of RIDs to scan. And if you skip or lock out RIDs or deselect the scanlist that has RIDs in it, the RID tags no longer show up when those radios key up on active talkgroups. What I'm asking is for a way to have those RIDs set up so that they are basically skipped, locked out or scanlist-deselected and therefore not scannable (and therefore not taking up valuable scanning time in the cycle), but still show up if the associated radio keys up on an active talkgroup.

Thank you, I hope these are considered!
 

DonS

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C: I'm not sure if this exists (somebody please let me know via PM if it does, but I've fiddled extensively and haven't seen), but I would greatly appreciate a way to have radio ID tags show on an active system when transmitting WITHOUT those talkgroups being included as scanned objects as they are now. Currently things get cumbersome quickly, because the scanner will attempt to watch talkgroups on the system AND watch radio IDs for private calls, and if you have as many RIDs as Baltimore County has radios, that is a LOT of RIDs to scan. And if you skip or lock out RIDs or deselect the scanlist that has RIDs in it, the RID tags no longer show up when those radios key up on active talkgroups. What I'm asking is for a way to have those RIDs set up so that they are basically skipped, locked out or scanlist-deselected and therefore not scannable (and therefore not taking up valuable scanning time in the cycle), but still show up if the associated radio keys up on an active talkgroup.

Having the RIDs as "active objects" doesn't take any additional scanning time. The only "downside" to having the RIDs in an enabled scan list (so that you'll see their alpha tags in normal Group Calls) is that you'll also see Private Calls involving those RIDs.
 

riveter

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Oh ok, I suppose I stand corrected. I have been getting the distinct feeling that as I add significant numbers of RIDs to my PSR, it takes a lot longer for the scanner to cycle (on the order of several seconds more), but I guess not. Thanks!
 

detroit780

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Motorola TRBO

With so many additions of Motorola TRBO here in Michigan I agree, TRBO would be a very welcome addition to the PSR-800.

Les



I'm going to put in my two cents worth. This scanner was designed to be ready to use out of the box with updates to the Radio Reference database, and as a scanner to decode other digital signals with dsd software, by selecting the earphone plug as a raw data out tap. Being that the 900 won't come out until much later this year, I don't believe that there is going to be any firmware upgrades for this scanner till then. GRE and Uniden are companies that 'market' scanners along with other products. They have made, with the exception of poor digital decoding, inexpensive multiuse scanners. I can be paitient. I waited over a year to get a digital scanner when the only county in my metro area went digital years ago, and I couldn't monitor them after they pulled the simulcast on their VHF frequencies. Now, everyone around me has gone P-25 digital. With the exception on a few that have gone NEXEDGE and Mototrbo conventional.
I work in retail, and watch how different manufacturers market their products, especially the gaming industry. They give enough to tease, and then slowly put new games, etc., on the market. What makes you believe that GRE and Uniden are any different?
Would I love to have a scanner that decodes NEXEDGE, Mototrbo, and Phase II P-25? Heck yeah. But until it happens, I'll keep using what I have.
JMTCW,
Larry
 

TedRHayes

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Beavercreek, Ohio
More Firmware and EZ-Scan update wants

PSR-800 requested change:

Not sure how it could be done, but would like some improved "Hold" capabilities. Right now I believe you can only hold on an individual channel/TGID. This is very limiting if you are trying to follow a rapidly developing event. Would like to be able to easily and quickly "hold" on a selected ScanList (or possibly even a ScanSet), with continued scanning of Channels/TGIDs in the selected List/Set. It might be useful if there were a way to hold on a given Trunk System.

EZ-Scan change:

In the "Set Import Options" dialog, you can select the options "Do not change scanlists on existing Conv or TG objects" to on or off. Would like a third option/behavior: leave existing obj scanlist assignments as is, but add new scanlist assignments if specified.

I know I could go to the Conv Freq Tab or the Trunked Radio System/Talkgroup and assign Channel/TGIDs to specific ScanLists. But there times when its easier to select groups of Channel/TGIDs from the Library Import tab (using Standard or Location based imports). This especially true since the objects in the Conv Freq Tab or Talkgroup Details tabs only show the short Alpha Tag and do not include the longer "Description" and "Category/Sub Category" groupings available when viewed in the Library. (That too, storing long description and cat/sub cat groupings, would be a useful improvement to data stored for each Channel/TGID object).

Ted
 

KCoax

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I would like to see conventional tone data logged. I believe I've tried all settings and have not seen them come up on the EZScan audio in the software or the playback in the device. Also, I've probably spent 30+ hours programming the 800. I have 2,313 conventional channels in 143 Scanlists (hey 40 or so are from trunk systems). The main issues I have with the software is a user can not copy multiple freqs. Having to use a separate window to put in a scanlist number is VERY time consuming. And as pointed out above... the Scanlist section conventional does not contain the frequencies in the scanlist???

Users might want to double check their library. I've had a couple trunk systems were I've downloaded from RR DB in Ezscan and have found out that I am unable to put in a wildcard PVT! TGID search. I've been able to overcome this by adding 99999id's, then the wildcard option button becomes active. Another is a local LTR system frequencies is downloaded blank, even though they are listed in the DB. I've already tried deleting everything and starting over. I'll summit GRE tickets when I have free time. Thought I'd pass that along.
 

robschonk

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A small change, but I'd like to see in "Update Existing Channels From Library", the option "Replace Alpha Tag" default to unchecked.

I've spent a lot of time customizing my Alpha Tags, and sooner or later I'll probably forget to uncheck it, and have them all overwritten. :mad:
 

zzdiesel

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Kennett / Dunklin Co, Mo.
A small change, but I'd like to see in "Update Existing Channels From Library", the option "Replace Alpha Tag" default to unchecked.

I've spent a lot of time customizing my Alpha Tags, and sooner or later I'll probably forget to uncheck it, and have them all overwritten. :mad:
Keep backups of your EZ-Scan folder under My Documents. That's what I do. :wink:
 
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