**NEW - Q-LISTS - A NEW DIMENSION TO FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT**

Transcription

1 espyonard PRO (Lite) is being provided by AOR-FRANCE with EVERY AR-DV1 they supply CAT CONTROL PROGRAM - FEATURES - SEE SCREEN SHOTS v **NEW - Q-LISTS - A NEW DIMENSION TO FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT** The program has been tested on Windows XP/7/8/10. The display screen mirrors that of the AR-DV1 in almost all respects, which is an added bonus. The program has been specially designed for ease of use. On a day to day, moment by moment basis, it controls of almost all the functions of the AR-DV1 that are available. If you want to experiment then you can, in real-time, and listen to the results before you decide whether to implement them or not. Many additional functions have been added, not available in basic manual operation of the receiver. It is logical and really easy to use, and opens up the possibilities of all the radio has to offer (without having to constantly refer to the AOR manual to find out which buttons have to be pressed on the AR-DV1, to do what), but still retains the look and 'feel' of the radio on screen. While this software package has been designed for ease of operation, please understand that some of the features in this program have been incorporated for very specific communications surveillance activity and as such are not necessarily designed for use by the casual radio listener. These features have been included to provide a full package of monitoring tools.. These tools, such as the advanced Alert and Logging functions, may require a degree of practice, patience, and persistence, in order to configure and operate properly in various 1

2 monitoring environments, however once mastered they yield excellent results and opportunities. The playback of AUDIO logs available is unique. To date I am unaware of any scanner/software combination which has achieved this, with recording and playback taking place via the receiver itself. NO EXTRA CABLES REQUIRED OPERATION NOTE all buttons have a TOOL TIP - hover over a Button to read BUTTON BANK 1 - TOP RIGHT (BB1) Below the display are buttons re. SQUELCH type, VSQ, LSQ, NSQ, AUTO and TSQ. Under these are the MODE controls. (See Important Notes below re 'FM-W') BUTTON BANK 2 - BOTTOM LEFT (BB2) If you 'right-click' the VSQ (Voice Squelch) button, a window appears and you can use the sliders to adjust the 'Squelch Level' and 'Delay'. NOTE - These buttons are not visible while the radio is in a search mode. DIGITAL MODE ADDITIONS Right clicking on DMR, NXDN or P-25 brings up the new options released by AOR. DMR Color Code selection, Color Code muting and DMR slot selection. Right click on the DMR button and a small window appears bottom left. You can select MUTE ON or OFF, and one of the 16 Color Code options. If MUTE is ON, selecting a code means THAT code remains UNMUTED whilst all others are not. When MUTE is selected, the DMR button changes to yellow. Right click again to close the window. Select the Slot Selection you want from the drop down list. P25 NAC selection and muting. Right click on the P25 button and a small window appears bottom left. You can select MUTE ON or OFF, and an NAC code option. If MUTE is ON, 2

3 selecting a code means THAT code remains UNMUTED whilst all others are not. When MUTE is selected, the P25 button changes to yellow. Right click again to close the window. NXDN RAN selection and muting. Right click on the NXDN button and a small window appears bottom left. You can select MUTE ON or OFF, and a RAN code option. If MUTE is ON, selecting a code means THAT code remains UNMUTED whilst all others are not. When MUTE is selected, the NXDN button changes to yellow. Right click again to close the window. SKINS There are now 12 different SKINS. The 'SKN' button will cycle through these. The main window disappears for a few seconds as each new skin is loaded. The program remembers the last skin you selected. MEMORY CHANNEL MANAGEMENT in REAL-TIME Once you have done this a couple of times you will see it is an easy and quick way of to make adjustments to your Memory frequencies. MANUAL FREQUENCY ENTRY TUNING KNOB there are occasions when the delicate control of the human hand just cannot be reproduced digitally. Under Serial control the firmware only allows the user to adjust the VOLUME of the radio manually, all other features are disabled. VFO SELECTION 'UP' (BB1) and 'DOWN' buttons can be used to change frequencies. Right click on either button and they will 'repeat', as long as the key is kept down. You can slide SQUELCH to OFF, and the keys still function. If SQUELCH is ON, the receiver will PAUSE for 10 seconds when the program detects a signal. Just release he mouse button if you want to stay on that frequency. 'VOL' (BB1) and 'SQU' (BB1) sliders are self explanatory. 'SET SRCH' (BB1) Set and save search parameters 'SEARCH' (BB1) This brings up BANK selection (bottom right).by default Bank 00 is selected The searches are defined using 'SET SRCH'. 'AGC' - AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL (BB2) [AM, LSB, USB and CW ONLY] Left click to cycle values, between fast, medium,slow and manual (RF-G 'MEMORY SCAN' (BB1) The display speed of the scan has been slowed down, which may mean it appears some frequencies are being skipped. The radio is scanning all the frequencies in fact. If it stops on a carrier the correct information appears on the program's screen. (See M-BANK) 3

4 'NR' - NOISE REDUCTION (BB1) The button activates Noise Reduction. Each click cycles between the three levels and OFF 'NOTCH' (AUTO) (BB1) [AM, LSB, USB and CW ONLY] The button activates Auto-Notch. Each click cycles between the three levels and OFF 'PRI' - PRIORITY CHANNEL (BB1) 'SCRAMBLER' (BB2) - [Firmware disabled in some Countries] - PRO VERSION ONLY Control over 'ANALOGUE' and 'DIGITAL' de-scrambling options 'AUTO' - AUTO SQUELCH (BB2) 'TSQ' - TONE SQUELCH (BB2) 'DCS' - DIGITAL TONE SQUELCH (BB2) 'FAV' (BB1) You may store a number favourite channels, for quick selection. When selected a list of these frequencies is displayed (under their name). 'MEM' (BB1) (ADDED FEATURE) When this button is clicked the Bank selection is displayed bottom right. Stored memory Bank frequencies are downloaded from the receiver and shown. 'M-BANK' (BB1) A list of all the Bank memories is downloaded from the receiver and displayed, and can be added, deleted, copied, moved or edited, in REAL-TIME 'PASS SET' and 'PASS CLR' (BB1) 'IFBW' (BB1) 'DELAY' (BB1) DELAY sliders for all eventualities AUDIBLE ALERTS ****Only available in PRO version**** (ADDED FEATURE) You may program up to 10 individual audio alerts. In either SCAN or SEARCH your nominated frequencies will trigger an AUDIO ALERT if a signal appears. The alerts sounds, both the receiver and program will halt, displaying that frequency for a period of seconds (pressing the 'Esc' key on your keyboard releases this), after which the radio resumes its Search or Scan operation. In the program's folder there is 'ALTERNATIVE ALERTS' sub-folder with extra.wav files. 4

5 SCALEABLE WINDOWS - ENLARGE DISPLAY OPTIONS and AUTO-SIZE re Screen Resolution (ADDED FEATURE) INCREASE the size of the display. Automatically adjusts its INITIAL size, with regard to the screen resolution of the computer on which it is installed. QUICK MEMORY CHANNEL TRANSFER (ADDED FEATURE) You can quickly transfer a VFO frequency, or a SEARCH frequency to a Memory Channel MUTE / MONITOR (ADDED FEATURE) Volume and Squelch can be temporarily defeated using the MUTE button. Right click and hole to disable the squelch settings.. NEW FEATURE - 'SEARCH' 'SCAN' 'VFO-MEM' and 'QUICK' LOGGING + AUDIO ONLY available in the PRO version of the program (ADDED FEATURE) You can choose UNATTENDED, or ATTENDED logging functions, with or without AUDIO Previous unattended logging might have shown you that particular frequencies were 'active' but only told you the date, time, frequency etc. NOW with the click of a button you can actually HEAR what happened. This is a revolutionary feature. To my knowledge no scanner / software combination has EVER provided the ability to store and re-play the actual audio for each log entry via the radio itself There are a number of FILTERS which can be applied to each LOG, which sort the details into the order or details you wish. The audio files are recorded on the radio's SD Card. Four types of logging are available, SEARCH, SCAN, VFO/MEMORIES and :- QUICK LOG This feature allows you to quickly start logging in ATTENDED operation. If AUDIO is set to on, an audio file will also be created on the SD card. QUICK RECORD There is a red button ('REC'). Clicking this automatically logs both the current details AND switches AUDIO recording 'ON'. The resulting log can be viewed by clicking the 'VIEW' button next to 'QUICK LOG'. Quick RECORD entries have the word 'Quick Record' appended to their entry. Clicking on the audio file shown will play back what you recorded via the receiver. 5

6 Created logs can be transferred to a suitable SPREADSHEET if one is available on the PC. NOTE No extra cable is require for AUDIO logging. No PC setup, or line input jack needed. The internal speaker on the receiver is not used, so you can add an external speaker if you wish. All recording and playback is done via the AR-DV1. NEW FEATURE - INDIVIDUAL BANK and ALL BANKS SPREADSHEET ABILITY Creating logs with the program is very easy, however there are several KEY options, so I really recommend you read this section carefully. The following options are available:- SINGLE BANK Top of the M-BANK screen there is a green button. By default it says 'QUICK LOG Y'. If set to 'Y' the program produces very fast spreadsheet entries, which contain only the essential BASIC information you may usually require:- If set the green button to 'N' the program produces a full and comprehensive spreadsheet entry, which contains much more information about each Memory Channel, including extra data about Digital Channel parameters. This of course takes longer to produce:- When you bring up the M-BANK window and click on a bank, brief details of each channel is displayed in an interactive list on the right of the screen (see 'M-BANK' above) 6

7 Whenever that information is downloaded from the AR-DV1 and displayed, a spreadsheet file is created, automatically, in the background. A 'quick log' adds no extra time, however if you have decided you want a comprehensive log, it adds a few seconds to the process. When the last channel has been downloaded, a small flashing Red Dot appears at the top of the screen. Click the 'BANK DB' button, a FILE LIST will appear, and if you have a spreadsheet program on your PC which interprets.csv files (most do), then you can select and display the available information for each channel in the BANK. A QUICK LOG has the name 'QUICK' appended to it, and each BANK is numbered. For both type of single BANK log, the old one is automatically deleted when a new file is created. FULL DATABASE OF ALL 39 BANKS If you RIGHT-CLICK on the 'FULL DB' button, you may decide to create a full spreadsheet for ALL memory banks and the channel information they contain, either as a QUICK LOG, or a comprehensive one, depending on the green button selection. Depending on how many Banks are populated, and how many channels are stored, both types of LOG will take some time to complete. The time this takes will also depend upon whether you have chosen to create a quick log or not. That may sound like a long time, but in fact it is extremely FAST, given all the information that must be downloaded from the receiver, and processed, and of course you are unlikely to wish to produce a FULL spreadsheet entry very often. When completed, the program plays a sound, and the flashing red circle briefly appears. Click the 'FULL DB' button and as before you will see a File List. Select the file you want and the information will be shown in the spreadsheet. FULL spreadsheet entries are NOT deleted. When you create a new one, the previous file is saved with a time and date stamp, so if necessary you can refer to older entries. NOTE By design, ONLY populated BANKS and Channels are displayed, i.e. those with stored Memory Channels. By reading down the list you can easily discover which BANKS or CHANNELS are free. You may of course then use the spreadsheet to sort on any criteria. This is particularly useful for discovering duplicate frequencies, and whether you have set any of them to 'PASS', as these would not then show up while the receiver is scanning, for example. 7

8 SMART-LOG A new feature, as of v The more information you produce for a log or spreadsheet, the longer it takes to create, and sometimes, the more confusing the result. The ideal thing would be to be able to choose the items you want to look at, as and when you want them. That is what SMART-LOG is all about. Just tick the items you want to explore, and create logs tailored to your exact need at the time. 'ON TOP' You can set the program to be 'ON TOP' of all other windows. 'SETTINGS' (NEW feature as of v.6.003d.003) The above settings can now be altered from within the program. Right-Click on the yellow display to open the above window (again to close it). Some AR-DV1's do not always change the key-colors correctly. This is a hardware issue. 8

9 EXTERNAL USB TUNING KNOB COMPATIBILITY As from v the program has an exciting new feature, which takes PC control to another dimension. The one thing that is always lacking when controlling a radio via a PC, is the 'hands on' ability to precisely control the frequency which only a tuning knob can give. The program is now fully compatible with the Griffin PowerMate, USB tuning wheel. If you are not familiar with it, the 'wheel' is self powered, made of brushed aluminium, has 360 degree rotation, about 1.75 inches in diameter, extremely well made, with a smooth operation the exceeds that of the AR-DV1's tuning knob. It is also 'multi functional', so can be used with many different applications, and sits nicely next to your mouse. In espyonard, (only Volume changing in STANDARD program version) 1. Rotating the knob normally, precisely controls frequency or Memory Channel selection; 2. PRESSING down on the knob and rotating the wheel increases or decreases the volume; 3. Pressing down quickly once (no rotation), 'toggles' through the 3 VFO's; 4. Pressing down and holding (no rotation) toggles the squelch on and off. These functions provide the ideal method for all monitoring operations, but particularly for the HF and Broadcast bands. With your mouse and wheel sitting side by side there is no finer way of PC control for your AR-DV1. PowerMate is not enabled during a SEARCH or SCAN. If you have bought the wheel and installed the PowerMate software, you can import the espyonard settings for it. The settings file is in the program's CAT folder. See the instructions that come with the PowerMate for more information. 'PRO' owners who are using espyonard under remote control, can also use PowerMate from their REMOTE device, (only when controlling the radio via another Windows computer / Laptop or Tablet with a free USB port for the wheel). 9

10 QUICK LIST - NEW FEATURE as of v The 'Q' functions are probably the best way of discovering what is really going on in your area, rather than a frequency database, whether sorted on a post code or a general list. Often those lists are out of date very quickly, and programming what they contain into the radio's memories, especially automatically, just leads to lots of space being taken up to little or no avail. The 'Q' functions quickly find the active frequencies that are actually happening where you are, and lets you rapidly decide whether they are of personal interest. This can be much more useful than transferring lists from other sources that are likely to be out of date, and contain frequencies you do not want. You can transfer 'Q' frequencies to Memory Channels on the AR-DV1 The basic Quick List functions are really easy to use. You may well find them one of the most useful 'extras' the program has to offer. With a single click you can temporarily store any frequency into an interactive list. Clicking on an entry in that list immediately transfers that frequency to the AR-DV1, together with its associated 'MODE' and 'STEP'. As you are 'surfing' a Band, whether changing the frequencies manually (in a VFO or during a Search), you will naturally find some signals which are of temporary interest, however as you are in 'surfing' mode and still want to look for more. Before 'Q-List' and 'Q-Search' you had to either try to remember that frequency, or if there are several, even write them down. Not easy for AM or FM signals, but for USB/ LSB or even CW a lot of work is then involved. The QUICK LISTS fill that gap, and takes all the hard work out of it. One of those 'However did I survive without it' tools in fact

11 The LISTS sort themselves by frequencies, low to high. If you accidentally select the same frequency again, the program recognises this, and does not create a duplicate entry. There is no limit to the number of entries, although creating too many defeats the object of these functions. The program saves your current lists, and restores them the next time you run the program. There is a CLEAR button if you want to empty the list at any time. Highlight an entry and click 'CLEAR ITEM' to remove a single line.. QUICK LISTS can prove very useful for any frequency or mode on any Band. If the user is surfing for USB or LSB signals, and finds a few interesting ones for example, then the Q-List is ideal. Right click the VFOA button, store the signal in the List, then go back to it whenever you like during that Session. No fiddly re-tuning to get the Side Band sounding right. If the Q-SEARCH window is opened and 'SEARCH AUTO' is 'ON' then the program automatically adds a frequency to the Q-Search list during Searches. Duplicate frequencies are ignored, however their latest time/date stamp is updated. The 'Q-LIST' and 'Q_SEARCH' windows can be closed by pressing the HIDE button. Rightclicking the 'A-STORE' button opens them again. IF 'SEARCH-AUTO' is set to 'ON', and a new frequency is found and added to the list, the 'Q-SEARCH' window automatically becomes visible. The 'Q-SEARCH' has several extras available mainly designed for Commercial, Government or Military operators.. 11

12 QUICK SEARCH FREQUENCY 'SCAN' If you click the 'SCAN' button, so it is 'ON', the program will SCAN the Q-SEARCH frequencies shown in the list. This is not the same as the Memory Scan function. The frequencies have not been saved to the radio's memory. If a frequency becomes 'active', the radio and program will wait for a short time, then continue scanning. The pause time is determined by the SCAN DELAY (main window DELAY button), and can be set from '0' to '9' seconds. If you want to just listen to that frequency, then click its entry in the 'Q-SEARCH' list, and it will be transferred to VFOZ. The 'Q' functions are designed for the real time monitoring of a small number of frequencies that are of interest during that session, and not as a substitute for Memory frequencies. SAVE ARCHIVE If you click the 'SAVE ARCHIVE' button, the Q-SEARCH details you have obtained are saved to a date/time stamped file. This lets you quickly see if a frequency or frequencies were 'active' previously, and when. VIEW ARCHIVE Click the 'VIEW ARCHIVE' button, and a list of those recorded files is displayed. You may clear the entire list, or an individual item as described above. If you click on (select) a file the details of the 'Q-SEARCH' for that session are shown. 12

13 Clicking the 'EXIT ARCHIVE' button returns you to the 'Q-SEARCH' window. IMPORT ARCHIVE ALWAYS remember to click the 'SAVE ARCHIVE' button if you want to store its details for future use, BEFORE you IMPORT another If you wish you may import a previous Archive, and its frequencies can be scanned. The window above shows you what is contained in the saved file. Click the 'IMPORT ARCHIVE' button and the SEARCHitems.txt file you examined remains highlighted. Click on that entry and its is imported as the current 'Q-SEARCH' list Those of you who have a program that just relies on relaying / entering information obtained from other databases and sources will know that although useful at times, and looking very useful initially, that method soon loses much of its value once you discover the frequencies it contains are either not of interest to you, or are already out of date. The 'Q' concept provide a quick and easy way of always knowing what you want to listen to, of the frequencies currently really active where you are, in addition to many other really useful things that ensure your monitoring and frequency management experience is second to none. The 'Q' frequencies you have discovered, and want to keep can be quickly transferred to a Bank and Memory Channel of your choice by clicking the 'SAVE TO MEM' button. The AR-DV1's A-Store function, although bearing similarities to the 'Q-SEARCH' auto function, is much less flexible. 'Q-SEARCH' is much more comprehensive and useful, with many extra features. 13

14 SAVE TO MEMORY The 'SAVE TO MEM' button lets you transfer a 'Q-LIST' or 'Q-SEARCH' frequency to a memory channel and store it in the AR-DV1. POWERMATE - EXTRA If a 'Q' window is open, then a LONG PRESS will automatically save the displayed frequency (as if you right-clicked VFOA). If the LIST is not visible, then a LONG PRESS reverts to its usual function of toggling the squelch. NOTE - PowerMate requires that the main espyonard window has focus. If it appears to have stopped working, and was OK before, just click into the yellow screen area. 14

15 The QUICK LISTS have been programmed to remember that requirement. If you open one, and click on a frequency, it automatically gives focus back to the main window, but other programs may have demanded focus of course REMEMBER the Quick Lists are just that. They store frequencies of immediate interest, but also saves your last lists and restores them the next time you run espyonard. If you find a frequency you want the AR-DV1 to remember permanently, then store it as a dedicated Memory Channel. espyonard lets you do that naturally. QUICK LISTS are tailored towards use when actually monitoring the radio, in real time, whilst you are present and operating the AR-DV1 and espyonard, although 'Q-SEARCH' can be used for unattended monitoring too, if you require less detailed information, and very fast selection. The PRO-TOOLS options provide very sophisticated information recording, including the audio of monitored frequencies if selected, during VFO, Search, or Scan operations, but most people will mainly use those functions when the AR-DV1 is unattended.. Except in the full PRO version, 'Q' LIST frequencies are limited to five only. With 'Q' functions not only can you manually, or automatically create QUICK LISTS, you can save them (Date and Time stamped), VIEW the contents, and IMPORT that list if you want, as the main 'Q'-Search. The current 'Q-SEARCH' frequencies can be scanned too. It is like having an interactive 'jotter' sitting up on the screen, but one which can be very sophisticated if you need it to be. If you ever 'surf' manually, or set a search (say of a Military Air Band, wondering which frequencies are really active then and there), then the 'Q' Lists become your memory, and strong right arm. Very quickly you have notes of what is happening of interest, where and when. Click on the entry and you are there. Does not matter if it is FM, AM, USB, LSB or even CW, you are instantly re-tuned and listening. Let the 'Q' auto-search collect the 10 Military Air Band frequencies most in use for the last hour say, and instead of having to program them into the radio's memories, or rely on the radio's wide search finding them again, you can SCAN just those frequencies using 'Q- SEARCH' SCAN. In 2 months time, you think to yourself 'I wonder if those Military Air Band frequencies are still the ones in use?' Open 'Q' functions. Look through the saved archives. Find the one you want, click on it, and not only are those 10 frequencies shown, a click will transfer any one of them the VFOZ, or a click will SCAN those 10 frequencies. 15

16 The 'Q' functions take the control of the AR-DV1 to another dimension. Their scope just goes from strength to strength with every new 'use' you find for them. MAIN SCREEN - SMALL MAIN SCREEN - FULL POWERMATE USB SUPPORT 16

17 SETSEARCH MEMORY BANK CONTROL 17

18 INTERACTIVE LOGGIN WITH AUDIO INTERRACTIVE LOG EXAMPLE THE ABOVE FREQUENCIES ARE SHOWN FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES ONLY None of them have been monitored or listened to during the AUDIO recording creation process, with the exception of Amateur Radio frequencies 18

19 SOME EXAMPLES OF AVAILABLE SKINS 19

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