UniTrunker first public beta

[inigo88]

Hey Rick, I just got your program and I'm running it on a Motorola Smartzone 3600 bps Digital UHF system, and I really like it. It works great, and the interface is very intuitive. However, I can't see myself using it all that much as I have 160+ talkgroups logged and named and 1400 subscriber radios logged with a couple hundred named in MTrunker32, and I'm totally starting from scratch. I could literally go crazy re-typing all that stuff LOL. Is there any way to convert the trunker files to the unitrunker file format other than manually? (Which I'm doing right now.) Could someone cook up a program that could read the Grp and IDs files in trunker and convert them to unitrunker files?

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but I tried the search function and there are a lot of thread pages to look through. Thanks for your excellent work!

-Inigo

 

[SCPD]

Is there any way to convert the trunker files to the unitrunker file format other than manually? (Which I'm doing right now.) Could someone cook up a program that could read the Grp and IDs files in trunker and convert them to unitrunker files?

It's been brought up before. I don't have a silver bullet for this one just yet. The data is what some call "CSV" or "CDF". It's a comma delimited format. If you have a spreadsheet program like Excel you can load your group file, re-arrange columns, and save the result to a text file. Make sure the columns are in the right order. There are a few caveats relating to embedded punctuation. Otherwise, Unitrunker should load it up just fine.

Oh, I almost forgot. If your data differs significantly from what's published in the RR DB, be careful using the RR DB download feature (another way to avoid lots of typing). It might over-write some of the talkgroup labels.

-rick

 

[FLANO]

Rick,

I have been having some fun with this 1st version. I'm not sure where you stand on the next version, but if there is some way to code the frequencies that have had "I-Calls" placed on them that would be fantastic. I've finally figured out why I am getting more frequencies than I should on the normal trunk-tracking. Your software is showing the I-Call frequencies too. Here I thought I was doing something wrong I'm having to manually watch the active trunking frequencies to determine which ones are the I-Call frequencies.

I am re-arranging my scanner so that I can hear them, as I'm using a PRO-96, which has no I-Call capability :<

John
SE of Tucson

 

[Joseph11]

P25 Waveform

Can anyone tell me if this is a good waveform for decoding P25 systems? This is the waveform I get when UniTrunker tells me I have the best decoding quality (around 90-95%, though it sometimes drops down to 50-80%). I attached the program I used to get the waveform. Thanks.

EDIT: I attached a screen shot of UniTrunker (ZIPed).

 

[electricsheep]

Soon?

A few things looking forward (SOON?) to beta 2 of Unitrunker.

Will the Affiliations display have the option of being in DECIMAL, right now, no matter what the Display Mode is set to, it displays affiliations as HEX. It would be nice to see the radio ID and groups in decimal. I believe this is being fixed, but am not sure after reading all the posts here.

Please will we be able to choose to log Affliliations to a file?

Is it possible to log ALL transmissions? I know this would be a lot of data, and something you would not want to be on all the time, but it would be nice to have a .tx file for example that listed which radios had transmitted on which talkgroups and exactly when.

Radio control, coming in this beta?

Any definitive list of Call Types codes for different formats of trunking systems? I am especially interested in CT codes for EDACS 96 systems...

 

[Jay911]

Question for Rick (I think) but the rest of the group could prove helpful.. or, I could be asking a totally newbie grade question altogether.

Is it safe to assume, if you are receiving a talkgroup that is divisible by 16 (decimal) AND that talkgroup shows up with a subscriber ID (all this happening in Unitrunker BTW), that this is a Type II talkgroup?

This is relevant to a Mot IIi system I'm (still!) trying to figure out the fleetmap for. I'm running Uni on it to gather as many Type II talkgroup IDs as possible, to throw into the equations provided on the "how to figure out Type I" reference page. I just walked past the PC that is logging the system and saw that tg 52832 was active with a subscriber ID, while most of the others I've seen did not include a subscriber. Lightbulb turned on, and so here I am.

 

[SCPD]

Is it safe to assume, if you are receiving a talkgroup that is divisible by 16 (decimal) AND that talkgroup shows up with a subscriber ID (all this happening in Unitrunker BTW), that this is a Type II talkgroup?

Probably so. If the program has been running for a while (days?) take a look at the "[P]rops" display. It's the right-most menu choice under the [V]iew submenu. That will display the program's best-guess fleetmap for all eight blocks. This may help you if the program has properly fingerprinted the system as being a hybrid system.

-rick

 

[MattSR]

multiple sites

Rick,

Can you add something to the list of things-to-do? I would like to be able to use 2 scanners through the one soundcard. Can you add a feature that lets you select the channel of the audio device that you specify as the input? This way I can feed two scanners into the left and right inputs of an audio device, and run two separate instances of Unitrunker two track two sites of the once Smartzone Omnilink system at once on the one machine.

I guess the only problem with this is that the two unitrunkers will be fighting over the same database files (same sysid and RID's etc etc)

What is your opinion on this?

Kindest Regards,
Matt.

PS - hmm.. I am now dreaming of a client-server version of Unitrunker that can have several PC's tracking several sites at once and all updating a centralised database.. I guess dreams will be dreams

 

[BANDIT]

I use two sound cards. You can do that. Works pretty good.

 

[electricsheep]

Rick,

Can you add a feature that lets you select the channel of the audio device that you specify as the input? This way I can feed two scanners into the left and right inputs of an audio device, and run two separate instances of Unitrunker two track two sites of the once Smartzone Omnilink system at once on the one machine.

I guess the only problem with this is that the two unitrunkers will be fighting over the same database files (same sysid and RID's etc etc)

PS - hmm.. I am now dreaming of a client-server version of Unitrunker that can have several PC's tracking several sites at once and all updating a centralised database.. I guess dreams will be dreams

Seconded! This would indeed be a most great advance. I have another program I use for scanner recording and logging (VRS Recorder by NCH Swift Sound) that allows me to do this, so with two $9 soundcards in a computer I can record four channels. The program supports up to 32 channels of vox controlled and timestamp logged recording... it is certainly sweet.

As for fighting over the databases, if you installed to two separate directories, and each instance of Unitrunker behaved and only accessed it's own home directory, everything should work fine as long as you can select R or L channel input on the sound card.

 

[electricsheep]

Future features...

Rick, I know the list for desired features of a dream Unitrunker is probably getting as long as your torso, but a couple of features that I know I would do ugly things for: Some of these I have mentioned before, but for clarity, I will put them all here.

Alerts - Being able to turn on an alert for notification of new subscriber ids, talkgroups, patches etc... Configurable for different .wav or .mp3 files for different alerts.

Transmission logging - a total disc and horsepower hog I would imagine, so you would not want this on by default. Being able to log which subscribers key up on which talkgroups and exactly when would really help sometimes in cracking the who and why mysteries.

Affiliation logging - Same idea as above, wouldn't want this on all the time, but it is a handy tool to decypher which channels are out there that people may have not keyed up on in forever. My favourite is when those bored police officers scroll through every channel on their radio nice and slow and allow us to see talkgroup numbers that we have never seen a transmisison on.

Tracking/logging/recording: Tracking of transmissions (with controlled second scanner), based on priorities, radio ids or talkgroups. Audio recording built in to record what is being tracked.

Far off dreams: Remote control of Unitrunker from the net. Remote display of Unitrunker screen via web app. Public client/server structure to allow the realtime sharing of Unitrunker with other Unitrunker users... Streaming Unitrunker. Pocketpc client for streamed unitrunker. Imagine being able to see the output of your unitrunker gear that is based at home while out and about with a pocketpc with wifi access... Am I geeking out too much here?

Take care Rick, and again, thanks for all your work on this.

 

[mmcgee]

External Soundcard

If you need more sound cards, look at the iMic (by Griffin?) - check eBay, they usually go for under $30. They are fully-contained USB devices. I've heard of people using 4 or more before choking the USB bandwidth...

 

[SCPD]

Rick, I know the list for desired features of a dream Unitrunker is probably getting as long as your torso, but a couple of features that I know I would do ugly things for:

Hey now. No need to get ugly! Seriously, most of these are more advanced features that go beyond what UniTrunker is trying to accomplish - which is to mostly function in a "trunker-like" way. Look for more advanced features in the re-write of T4Win.

Alerts - Being able to turn on an alert for notification of new subscriber ids, talkgroups, patches etc... Configurable for different .wav or .mp3 files for different alerts.

I'm working on adding a place to specify what settings a new talkgroup and/or radio id takes on when first created - like default text, color, and priority. Actual annunciation (a sound or alarm) is further down the road.

Transmission logging - a total disc and horsepower hog I would imagine, so you would not want this on by default. Being able to log which subscribers key up on which talkgroups and exactly when would really help sometimes in cracking the who and why mysteries.

Look for something like this in T4Win down the road.

Affiliation logging - Same idea as above, wouldn't want this on all the time, but it is a handy tool to decypher which channels are out there that people may have not keyed up on in forever. My favourite is when those bored police officers scroll through every channel on their radio nice and slow and allow us to see talkgroup numbers that we have never seen a transmisison on.

Affiliations are displayed, but not logged. However - the talkgroups and radio ids from affiliations are captured.

Tracking/logging/recording: Tracking of transmissions (with controlled second scanner), based on priorities, radio ids or talkgroups. Audio recording built in to record what is being tracked.

Heh, not this week.

Far off dreams: Remote control of Unitrunker from the net.

How about a VNC client and server like RealVNC or TightVNC?

Remote display of Unitrunker screen via web app.

Um, Java VNC client?

Public client/server structure to allow the realtime sharing of Unitrunker with other Unitrunker users... Streaming Unitrunker. Pocketpc client for streamed unitrunker. Imagine being able to see the output of your unitrunker gear that is based at home while out and about with a pocketpc with wifi access... Am I geeking out too much here?

Yes, you've hit your geek quota. Seriously, I'm trying to get the basics thoroughly covered: accurate, robust decoding of all supported protocols combined with a simple, effective means to view the results. Afterwards I can move on to more sophisticated stuff.

Data conversion is another thorn in my side ... I need to provide classic trunker users a way to import their talkgoups and radio ids. Then I can finally start adding support for actual tracking of voice calls by controlling a second scanner (or possibly support a single radio setup where the radio leaves the control channel for the duration of the voice call).

-rick

 

[SCPD]

Can you add something to the list of things-to-do? I would like to be able to use 2 scanners through the one soundcard. Can you add a feature that lets you select the channel of the audio device that you specify as the input?

You've been talking to Lindsay haven't you? T4Win already does this. Unitrunker is mono-only (trying to keep it simple here) but adding left/right channel support to Unitrunker would be easy. It would only work for Windows XP. I don't think Windows 2K or 9X supports two programs recording from the same audio source at the same time.

This way I can feed two scanners into the left and right inputs of an audio device, and run two separate instances of Unitrunker to track two sites of the Smartzone Omnilink system at once on the one machine.

T4Win was built for this - I need to re-write the program to take advantage of the much improved capabilities that make up the core of UniTrunker.

I guess the only problem with this is that the two unitrunkers will be fighting over the same database files (same sysid and RID's etc etc)

Each system is stored in a separate set of files so as long as they are two distinct, separate systems you can run everything from the same file folder. BUT different sites on the same system won't work - you'll lose data. If you have a pair of systems where one delegates it's TGs / RIDs to the other (such as OmniLink), then this will be a problem for the same reason.

-rick

 

[SCPD]

Can anyone tell me if this is a good waveform for decoding P25 systems? This is the waveform I get when UniTrunker tells me I have the best decoding quality (around 90-95%, though it sometimes drops down to 50-80%).

Joseph - that waveform image does not look good - it might just be the way that particular program handles the display. Eventually I'll get around to updating the documentation - the troubleshooting section will benefit from having examples of good vs. bad waveforms.

-rick

 

[electricsheep]

Packets.exe

Hey Rick,
I want to pipe the output of packets.exe to a file, but I need to invert the signal. If I create a batchfile that has packets.exe > output.txt, the result is an empty file due to the lack of inverted signal. Is there a way to pass a command line argument to packets.exe to invert the signal right off the bat?

 

[SCPD]

Use the invert commandline option:

invert=0 or invert=1

-rick

 

[grosminet]

connecting ICR10

I tried to connect ICOM ICR10 to monitor my local motorola type II networks . It can't work (suppose because it isn't a discriminator output)

is it possible to use Icom ICR10 as second scanner using CIV interface ?

If so what is the command to put the ICR10 in remote mode

thanks for answer

Best regards from France

 

[SCPD]

Is it possible to use Icom ICR10 as second scanner using CIV interface ?

I don't know the command for the ICOM. The program does not (yet) support controlling a second radio.

-rick

 

[Jay911]

Hey Rick,

When will we get to see a thread entitled "UniTrunker second public beta"?