RadioReference WebService Betatest

[Butelsoftware]

We are testing the new RadioReference WebService.

With this new service, registered and donating users of
radioreference.com get direct access to the RadioReference database.

For beta testing we have created a small application that creates CSV
files using the Webservice. Future versions will also create dedicated
mem files for ARC software.

This application directly connects to the Radioreference database and
then you can browse States and Counties for trunk system information.

When you select a system, the system frequencies and trunk id's are
downloaded and saved on your harddisk in CSV format.

After the csv is downloaded you can very easily copy/paste data in our
ARC246/250/780 software. Open the csv files in Excel and use copy/paste.

This is a beta test, please report any problems or send us your
suggestions.

IMPORTANT:
You must be a donating member of radioreference.com to get access.

The application must be installed on a PC with internet access, also
you must allow this application to connect to the internet /
radioreference website.

The application can be downloaded using this link:
www.butelsoft.com/radioref/webservice_setup.zip

Any feedback is much appreciated.

Gommert
www.butelsoftware.com

 

[dave3825]

Any chance of us seeing some screenshots???

I guess one could also convert csv files to xls and copy/paste to win 93/95?

 

[Butelsoftware]

I can put a screenshot online but it's pretty straight forward and still beta, at this point I like to get feedback how it works and what improvements we can make to the csv output file.

Any software that allows pasting data will work. The result is saved in common CSV format and can be viewed with Excel and pasted to any application that supports the clipboard like all our ARC software packages.

The final version will also automatically create mem files for different ARC software packages.

Gommert

 

[Butelsoftware]

Version 0.81 is now available, with 'preview' option. See screenshot.

Gommert
www.butelsoftware.com

 

[mrcpu]

After hitting login and waiting for the "WAIT" message at the bottom of the screen to go away, I get nothing in the dropdown lists on the program. I tried this URL in my webbrowser:

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/xml/sl=1

This produced an XML list of US states! Since I'm in Canada I tried sl=2 and got Canadian Provinces.

So, 2 questions:

a) how do I set it to Canada
b) Why don't I see anything in the drop down list anyways?

Thanks

 

[MacombMonitor]

Thanks Gommert! I'm a registered user of your software products, and always recommend them to others. Keep up the good work, it's appreciated!

 

[seamusg]

Is it possible to leave in the Tower Numbers in for a system like MPSCS?
Jim

 

[DonS]

Is it possible to leave in the Tower Numbers in for a system like MPSCS?

There is no "Tower" field in the XML data supplied by RadioReference. Are you referring to the "Site number" (e.g. 101 for Dimondale)?

That is, something like this (from another implementation of the import feature):

 

[seamusg]

The site number on the MPSCS is the Tower number on the PRO 96.
Also when I downloaded the MPSCS system data I got TG 7022 duplicated many times.

 

[DonS]

The site number on the MPSCS is the Tower number on the PRO 96.
Also when I downloaded the MPSCS system data I got TG 7022 duplicated many times.

Using which software? I ask because, while this is supposed to be a thread about Butel software, you mention the PRO-96 - and I believe you're a registered Win96 user, based on your RR username. If it's a Win96 question, could you start a new thread for it? It wouldn't be nice to hijack Gommert's thread

 

[seamusg]

Using the beta software this thread is about, NOT win96.

It wouldn't be nice to hijack Gommert's thread

I'm only making suggestions on the Beta software NOT TRYING TO HIJACK ANYTHING. The fact that I have win96 is not material.

 

[DonS]

Using the beta software this thread is about, NOT win96.

OK. I was just wondering, since I'd posted a Win96 screen shot and then you'd mentioned the PRO-96. My confusion.

It wouldn't be nice to hijack Gommert's thread

I'm only making suggestions on the Beta software NOT TRYING TO HIJACK ANYTHING.

Understood. I only mentioned it because (again, my own confusion) I thought you might be referring to Win96.

The fact that I have win96 is not material.

At the time I posted, I thought it might be. I wasn't sure if you were talking about Gommert's utility or Win96's built-in import feature.

 

[Al42]

at this point I like to get feedback how it works

Beautifully. It connects a little faster than one I wrote. You save the login and password from session to session. Nice. I suppose, since you only mean for it to be used for your software, there's no reason for you to give us filename and path choice, but that would be nice.

and what improvements we can make to the csv output file.

For Motorola systems, how about only the control channels? We don't need the voice channels.

Oh - maybe label "Preview System" something else? I was expecting Notepad to come up with the csv loaded. How about "View System", to keep it consistent with the other 2 buttons?

Otherwise, I can't think of a thing - it's about what I wrote to learn XML parsing, with the previews added.

(Faifax County, VA comes up double - I didn't check to see whose bug that one is, yours or the XML generator's.)

At least I know one thing now - since your program and mine both work, RRDB has a problem. (It won't connect from my computer.)

 

[DonS]

(Faifax County, VA comes up double - I didn't check to see whose bug that one is, yours or the XML generator's.)

The RRDB returns two entries for Fairfax in VA's county list - one is a county, the other an "independent city". The two county elements have different "type" attributes in the XML (0 = "normal county", 1 = "independent city"). Lindsay did this for a reason (though I can't recall what it was - it was a few months ago).

 

[fmon]

For Motorola systems, how about only the control channels? We don't need the voice channels.

Not so, I have two GRE scanners (92 & 2067) and two Uniden built RS scanners (2050 & 2052) needing VC's.

 

[Al42]

(Faifax County, VA comes up double - I didn't check to see whose bug that one is, yours or the XML generator's.)

The RRDB returns two entries for Fairfax in VA's county list - one is a county, the other an "independent city". The two county elements have different "type" attributes in the XML (0 = "normal county", 1 = "independent city"). Lindsay did this for a reason (though I can't recall what it was - it was a few months ago).

Because Lindsay's sharper than I am. I'm sitting in Fairfax county at the moment, but I'm about 5 miles from the city of Fairfax. They're two different entities. It's probably the same situation for another duplicate I noticed when I was playing with the program.

 

[Al42]

For Motorola systems, how about only the control channels? We don't need the voice channels.

Not so, I have two GRE scanners (92 & 2067) and two Uniden built RS scanners (2050 & 2052) needing VC's.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be elitist. I guess I'll delete them for my use.

 

[DonS]

The RRDB returns two entries for Fairfax in VA's county list - one is a county, the other an "independent city". The two county elements have different "type" attributes in the XML (0 = "normal county", 1 = "independent city"). Lindsay did this for a reason (though I can't recall what it was - it was a few months ago).

Because Lindsay's sharper than I am. I'm sitting in Fairfax county at the moment, but I'm about 5 miles from the city of Fairfax.

I think there was another reason. Even without the distinction, anything in the city of Fairfax would appear in the county's listing (assuming, of course, the city was wholly within the county), making the city/county distinction superfluous.

The "other reason" might've been something as simple as "because that's how the RRDB is already organized". Like I said, I can't remember.

 

[ericcarlson]

I think there was another reason. Even without the distinction, anything in the city of Fairfax would appear in the county's listing (assuming, of course, the city was wholly within the county), making the city/county distinction superfluous.

The "other reason" might've been something as simple as "because that's how the RRDB is already organized". Like I said, I can't remember.

Virginia has lots of independent cities, meaning they are effectively their own county (they do not reside within the jurisdiction of any county). Independent cities exist in a few other states as well (e.g., the city of Baltimore, the city of St. Louis). This gets confusing because many of these independent cities also have identically named counties in the same state which may or may not surround the city of the same name (e.g., Fairfax, Baltimore, St. Louis, etc.).

-Eric