SDS200: Saving recordings from the replay buffer

[w4rez]

Sometimes when I am scanning I will hear something interesting enough that I want to save it for later use. Is there any way I can save traffic that's in the replay buffer? I am aware of the record function but I don't really want to have the scanner recording all the time.

Is this possible?

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

This is explained on Page 5 of the user manual...

REPLAY TRANSMISSIONS
Your scanner’s Replay feature acts as an instant replay of the transmissions you’ve just heard.
You can set how long a period Replay records for instant playback. This period can range from
30 seconds to 240 seconds (4 minutes). While you can replay that recording immediately and
continue replaying it, you cannot save it for future listening.

 

[fxdscon]

Sometimes when I am scanning I will hear something interesting enough that I want to save it for later use. Is there any way I can save traffic that's in the replay buffer? I am aware of the record function but I don't really want to have the scanner recording all the time.

Is this possible?

The replay recordings are temporarily stored on the SD card in the "inner_rec" folder under the "audio" folder. Those replay buffer files are continuously overwritten according to how much time you have set for the replay function.

If you hear something you want to save, immediately plug the scanner into your computer and select the "mass storage" mode. Then use Windows Explorer to access the SD card and look in that inner_rec folder. If the replay buffer has recorded more than the amount of replay time you have set for the replay buffer by the time you get into mass storage mode (max = 4 minutes), the recording you want will be gone.

Much easier to use the record function, really no reason not to if your using a quality SD card. If you are in the replay mode, as soon as you hear something you want to save, hit FUNC + record, and the current audio in the replay buffer (again, according to time set) will be appended to the recording files (in the user_rec folder) and stay there.

Just leave "record" on, and you will have all audio continuously recorded.

 

[hiegtx]

Sometimes when I am scanning I will hear something interesting enough that I want to save it for later use. Is there any way I can save traffic that's in the replay buffer? I am aware of the record function but I don't really want to have the scanner recording all the time.

Is this possible?

As already noted, there is no menu option to do what you are asking.

This is explained on Page 5 of the user manual...

REPLAY TRANSMISSIONS
Your scanner’s Replay feature acts as an instant replay of the transmissions you’ve just heard.
You can set how long a period Replay records for instant playback. This period can range from
30 seconds to 240 seconds (4 minutes). While you can replay that recording immediately and
continue replaying it, you cannot save it for future listening.

As an experiment, I tried a work-around method to see if it works, Apparently, it does.

First, I put my SDS200 into mass storage mode, so that I could clear out any saved audio files in either "inner_rec" (the folder used for replay) as well as "user_rec" which is where file folders used when set to record everything are located.

I took the SDS200 out of mass storage, & let it record several transmissions to go into the inner_rec folder.

Then, after another conversation was collected, I immediately started "record everything" as soon as that transmission ended. I let the scanner record another conversation while set to "record everything".

I let that conversation take place, and when it ended, I hit Function + Replay to turn off 'record everything'. I immediately got an on screen prompt that there were 12 audio files, did I want to save them?

I selected E (yes).

I let the scanner record another transmission (into the replay folder, 'user_rec"), then put the scanner into Mass Storage mode again.

Looking at the folders via File Explorer, I see only one file in the inner_rec folder.

That's the first conversation after I turned "record all", and it is in the replay's home folder. (I did not have that folder set to show a channel name; that was enabled for the files captured below.)

But now, looking at the "user_rec" folder, there are 12 audio files stored. The one recorded when I set 'record all' (before immediately turning it back off), plus eleven more, apparently harvested from the 'inner_rec" folder when I first enabled record all.

Remember that I noted only one call recorded under 'record all' before turning it back off. So, the other files had to have been pulled from the 'inner_rec' folder into 'user_rec'.

So it appears that you can trick the scanner into saving an audio file, even if, at that time, you were not set to 'record all'.

But as already noted, if you set it to record everything, then all files will be saved. The memory card can easily hold several days worth of audio, even if you are not using a large card.

 

[Ubbe]

Set the Replay audio buffer to max time, 240 sec, and whenever you hear something interesting you start manual recording, Function+Replay and it will start recording and also save whatever are in the last 240 sec buffer. So you have time to decide if you want to save what you have heard for the last 4 minutes. It takes at least 20 years of continuous active conversations to wear out a SD card. If they only talk half of the time it's 40 years. It's a 128kb 8bit audio stream, 15kB/sec=600hours, that records compared to a videos that will fill a 32GB memory in 5 hours.

/Ubbe

 

[mc48]

I do exactly as Ubbe stated and it works great for those times when something happens and I'm not already recording.