--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00000 Date: 06/16/97 From: BILL CHEEK Time: 10:54pm \/To: URBAN LARSSON (Read 2 times) Subj: Cheap Spectrum Analyzer Yo! Urban: Tuesday June 10 1997 01:00, Urban Larsson wrote to Bill Cheek: BC>> Little did anyone know, but a cheap, but great spectrum analyzer has BC>> been on the market for quite a while now in the form of WINRADIO! UL> Almost identical specs, if not better, has been on the market UL> for quite a while now :-) Oh no it hasn't! UL> Scanwear and other similar scanning aid software has the same UL> spectrum analyzer capability. No, it is not the same. Not even close. UL> With an OptoScan OS535 board installed in my Pro-2042 I can search 80 UL> ch/sec. and if I use 50KHz steps then it will give the 88-108MHz UL> spectrum in 5 sec. with the same point-and-click-on-peak-to-listen UL> function. It's not the same. UL> Winradio have a shortwave band, but Pro-2042 have other qualities. UL> The point is, Winradio are not alone with a cheap spectrum analyzer. Well....."cheap", okay. But the two aren't close otherwise. That Scanware thing is only a derived representation; a sample of the 3rd IF at the scanner's rate. It's not really showing anything of substance other than "hits", many of which are pseudo. The WinRadio RF Spectrum Scope is as close to the real thing as it gets, shy of the real thing. There really is a "sweep" and the spectrum swept isn't the 3rd IF. Oh, and the Scanware thing, whatever you wish to call it, isn't "cheap". Let's see, the scanner is $450. The Opto board is what, $300? And how much is the Scanware? You're looking at the better part of $1000 before the first sweep. And we're not counting the PC, of course. Winradio's is under $600.......well under, in certain cases......and there are no hidden add-ons. Methinks you've compared apples to oranges. Bill Cheek ~ bcheek@san.rr.com Windows 95 Juggernaut Team ~ Microsoft MVP --- Hertzian Mail+ * Origin: Do you reckon a frog's ass is water-tight? (1:202/731) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00001 Date: 06/17/97 From: BOBBIE BEERS Time: 07:11pm \/To: BILL CLARK (Read 2 times) Subj: UK Input -=> Quoting Bill Clark to All <=- BC> Is there any information available in this echo for UK users. It BC> would be a great help if someone could input a little effort into the BC> UK side of things. BC> Especially the legal position with scanners and some frequencies and BC> CTCSS tones etc. Hi Bill, Why not be the first to post the information from the UK? We welcome any, and all scanner input here. Bobbie ... <<<< ScanRadio Co-Moderator BobbieB1@aol.com >>>> --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: Midnight Angel Express: Addison, Tx. USA (1:124/9023) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00002 Date: 06/15/97 From: RICHARD MEKKA Time: 01:22pm \/To: BILL CLARK (Read 2 times) Subj: UK Input Hello Bill, 13-Jun-97 03:01:58, Bill Clark wrote to All Subject: UK Input BC> Is there any information available in this echo for UK users. BC> Especially the legal position with scanners and some frequencies and BC> CTCSS tones etc. Bill, I sent you some mail answering lots of your queries. Did you ever get it? What specific questions do you have? Richard Mekka G4AWY --- Terminate 3.00/Pro * Origin: Our man in Caversham (2:252/820.41) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00003 Date: 06/16/97 From: JASON LOW Time: 11:49am \/To: NATHAN BOLLINGER (Read 2 times) Subj: Police codes NATHAN BOLLINGER, when pressured, spilled this about Police codes: NB> 10-100 universal code for "I gotta go wee-wee." Not THAT universal.. some of the police around here use that for cardiac arrest (and EMS in the area use 10-99 for that); us FD guys don't even use 10-codes. If we have to 'go', we either hold it till we get somewhere, or we just say we'll be on portable radio for about 5 minutes. :) Jay derran@revenge.cuug.ab.ca * Origin: deltaBoard [403 949 3015] www.fumbling.com/dr/ (1:134/242) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00004 Date: 06/16/97 From: SCOTT CHRISTENSEN Time: 09:37pm \/To: RICH WILLBANKS (Read 2 times) Subj: RE: cleaning buttons Rich Willbanks writes in a message to all RW> Ok, how can I clean the buttons/contact on my scanner, and RW> TV/VCR remote ? I have a AR1000 and the SEARCH and SCAN RW> buttons are to the point I have to push them a dozen times RW> to get them to work. If they are the rubber "poppet" type buttons, you will have to get a replacement rubber piece. They wear out. Sounds like that's what has happened to yours. --- COUNTERPoint 2.3 * Origin: MacRefuge * 612-426-6687 * (1:282/24) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00005 Date: 06/16/97 From: RICK JURGENS Time: 02:59pm \/To: NATHAN BOLLINGER (Read 2 times) Subj: Re: Space Channels.. -> 145.55 is the 2-meter downlink frequency for both the Shuttle and Mir. Mir -> also uses 145.55 for the uplink, but the shuttle uses 144.950. (600khz down) Nathan, Thanks for them... Thanks again, Rick --- PCBoard (R) v15.3/2 * Origin: FidoNet * Mr. Luckys BBS * Westfield, NJ * 908-233-7198 (1:2630/118) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00006 Date: 06/16/97 From: TONY SZABLOWSKI Time: 09:25pm \/To: JOE NICHOLSON (Read 2 times) Subj: REFERENDUM -> SCANRADIO was about to be dropped from the backbone and ELIST -> because it was abandoned by the moderator - he failed to make -> the required ELIST update. Bill stepped in and had its ELIST -> entry updated and became the moderator. -> -> TS> Apparently Ken felt you had enough brains to run this echo -> -> Ken simply disappeared - he failed to maintain the ELIST entry. -> He had nothing to do with Bill becoming the moderator. If what you speak is true, then it should go to Blake. Bill wanted a successor, right? By voting process, Blake, I believe, won so where's the problem here? T --- Platinum Xpress/Wildcat! v1.3 * Origin: -=The Merchants of Venus BBS=- Colonia, NJ 908-388-47 (1:2630/122) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00007 Date: 06/17/97 From: CHARLIE YOUNG Time: 02:38pm \/To: MODERATOR (Read 2 times) Subj: Moderator Vote I vote for Bud Jamison --- PCBoard (R) v15.3/M 2 * Origin: The Ether Net Amateur Radio BBS (1:3821/7) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00008 Date: 06/17/97 From: JEAN-LOUIS BONTRONT Time: 04:06pm \/To: BILL CHEEK (Read 2 times) Subj: Mods for Pro-60 From the fingertips of Bill Cheek to Jean-Louis Bontront: BC> No one has written up any mods expressly for the PRO-60 that I know BC> of, and so there won't be any files or Web sites that trumpet its BC> grand entrance. That pretty well answers my question, then. I thought perhaps there were some undocumented keyboard 'mods' for this scanner, that might 'wake up' some undocumented features. Oh well, it was worth a try. And thanks for your informative answer... JLB --- GEcho 1.11+ * Origin: JLB's point of The Giant's Castle (1:246/37.12) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 154 SCANNERS Ref: EAM00009 Date: 06/17/97 From: JOHN HOYT Time: 05:43pm \/To: RICH WILLBANKS (Read 2 times) Subj: Re: cleaning buttons On Wed 28-May-1997 1:28a, Rich Willbanks@1:379/301.1 wrote: RW> Ok, how can I clean the buttons/contact on my scanner, RW> and TV/VCR remote ? I have a AR1000 and the SEARCH RW> and SCAN buttons are to the point I have to push them a RW> dozen times to get them to work. This is a message that was caught in a time warp... Shesh, just today showed up on my system. Anyway, after you posted this,a few days later (the 5th of June) Richard Mekka posted a message and the subject was "AR1000"... In that message, he talks about his AR1000's keyboard problem, which may actually require parts to fix. But, since you asked, I will tell you how to do it on MOST scanner's keypads... You disassemble the unit in whatever manner required. There may be screws holding the case together, or it may be press fit, or hidden latches may hold it, or in some cases, it may be glued (in the case of cheap remotes) and will require you to saw it with a dremel or similar tool at the seam, all the way around, and is usually not worth the effort unless you can't get a universal remote for it. Once you get it apart you will find that the keypad is usually one of the following: The keys are combined with the conductive pad (1 piece) The keys are seperate and press against a multi-contact conductive pad. The keys are seperate and there is a conductive material on the bottom of each key. Which ever of those it is, more than likely you can clean it by taking the part with the conductive material and washing it with plain tap water. DO NOT SCRUB, and only use a small amount of a mild detergent if you do have to remove something sticky (like coke). Again, DO NOT SCRUB. When you are sure it is clean, you can then dry it well. If it is the conductive pad type, you can lay it on a clean, soft lint-free towel and fold the towel over to cover it and dab at it... Do not rub it. When it is completely dry, take rubbing alcohol and clean the conductive material itself, and don't rub this stuff. Just wipe some across it and don't try to dry it, it will dry quickly enough on it's own. The idea here is to remove any oil left behind by your hands. Now you need to clean the contact points, which will probably look like little mazes... The traces are usually coated with a conductive material, so they will probably be black. You don't want to spend very much time on them at all, hopefully you can use a lint free, soft cloth (or those chamois tipped sticks for use on video heads), coated with alcohol, and wipe across each contact point, each time inspecting your cloth for residue. If you see nothing at all, you probably can (and should) move to the next contact. If you see something, wipe at it again, but do so lightly. If you see MORE of whatever it was on the cloth, you are removing the conductive coating and no more is needed on that pad (you have probably done enough damage to that one). Anyway, if you do remove too much of the conductive material from either the pcb traces or the mating parts, don't worry, more than likely you can fix it! Chemtronics makes several different conductive coatings, and several different applicators. I have successfully used their Micro Tip Silver Conductive pen to repair recoat the contact points many times. You should not have anything at all to worry about as long as you don't use anything abrasive to clean it with, and don't apply any pressure or friction. There was a time when repairing remote controls would make a person some money. When I worked for a repair service at one time, we had other repair shops bring those remotes to us to fix. They thought we had some secret technique because every one they brought, we fixed. They were 50-100 each back then. Now you can buy a BETTER remote to replace most popular ones for 10-25 dollars, and have it control several components at one time. Oh yes, one other thing... If you have Pepsi Syndrome (spilled coke or epsi) and the buttons will press, but don't releases, or they double up, you will have to clean the sides of all the buttons where they poke through the case. Usually you are not going to hurt them by scrubbing them, but you have to be aware of what you are touching on the other side... Make sure you are not rubbing those darned contact pads! You will need to clean the holes in the case too, and for that you might be best off using a damp household sponge, and maybe a little windex if water alone does not cut it, but I would do it from inside the case, especially if the face plate is painted, or there are numbers/letters stenciled on the case. DR. John M. Hoyt / AKA Warren Peace - C-Link! International Coordinator - Fido Net 391 NC/EC --- CNet/4 * Origin: AmiCon 501-5825292 C-Link! (911:5000/0) >< FidoNet (1:391/1510)