Robotron WRX Computer Controlled Scanning Reciever User Manual Appendix E

Robotron Pty Ltd Computer Controlled Scanning Reciever Appendix E

Appendix E

WR-3700 seriesUser’s Guide
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide2IntroductionDesigned for government, military, security, surveillance and industrial applications,WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor puts advanced radio receiver technology directly on apersonal computer platform to create a high-performance PC-based spectrum surveillanceand monitoring system.This synergy of advanced radio and computing technology provides the WiNRADiOSpectrum Monitor with many unique features which are hard to find on the usual stand-alonecommunications radio receiver. These features include a rich variety of flexible tuning andscanning options, versatile memory and database facilities, the ability to digitally process thereceived signal, as well as the ability to interact with other programs running on the samePC. All this is controlled through an innovative user interface, unparalleled in sophisticationand ease of use.The internal version (WR-3700i-DSP) conserves valuable desk-top space, and avoid theneed for external cables and power supplies. It also have the advantage of not requiring anyadditional interface ports, as all communication with the PC is via the internal PC bus. Adedicated DSP (Digital Signal Processor) is used for real-time audio compression andplayback, and can be expanded to include other real-time signal processing functions tailoredto the user's particular requirements. Multi-channel operation is simple to achieve, as up toeight WiNRADiO internal receivers can be used simultaneously in the one PC.The external version (WR-3700e) can be controlled through an RS-232 serial interface, orthe optional plug-and-play PCMCIA interface. The PCMCIA interface allows quick andsimple connection to any laptop PC, providing complete portability for vehicle or field use.The external versions can be powered by the plug-pack (supplied), or from the optional WR-PPS battery pack with inbuilt charger. The external model also include a direct discriminatoroutput, for optimum reception of packet and other digitally modulated signals.The informative control panel displayed by the WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor includes anumber of ground-breaking features, designed to empower the user with a multitude oftuning and scanning capabilities especially tailored for surveillance applications. One of themost significant features is VisiTune™, a patented feature allowing the operator tographically tune within a dynamically-changing spectrum screen representing the actualsituation on the monitored band.Add to this the fact that WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor features an automatic task schedulerwhich can be programmed for unsupervised operation, search for specific types of signalsand even make decisions based on the specified circumstances, and you will find thatWiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor represents an invaluable tool, making radio surveillanceeasier and much more efficient and reliable.Registration InformationTo be informed about any new products or software upgrades, please register using the Website closest to your location:North America www.winradio.com/home/register.htmEuropewww.winradio.co.uk/home/register.htmAustralia/Asia www.winradio.net.au/home/register.htmComments and suggestions are welcome, and can also be made from these sites.Be sure to visit out Web site from time to time, and watch for new software upgrades andoptions as they become available.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide3InstallationThe WiNRADiO internal version package contains the following items:•WiNRADiO receiver cardThe WiNRADiO external version package contains the following items:•WiNRADiO receiver unit•RS-232 cable•Power adaptor•PC Card Adaptor option (if ordered)•Portable Power Source option (if ordered)Both packages include the following items:•WiNRADiO software installation disk•Indoor test antenna•This User’s Guide•The manufacturer’s warranty information•Any software option (such as the WiNRADiO Digital Suite or Database Manager), iforderedNote that you must supply your own antenna for optimum reception.In order for your WiNRADiO receiver to function, your IBM PC compatible computer mustmeet the minimum system requirements specified below.System RequirementsMinimum RecommendedProcessor: 386 Pentium or higherRAM: 4 MB 16 MB or moreDisplay VGA SVGA: at least 800x600, 256 coloursOS: Windows 3.1 Windows 95, 98 or NT 4Spare serial port or PCMCIA socket for the external model, or a spare ISA slot for theinternal model.3700i Hardware Installation1. If your computer is on, shut down the computer first, turn it off and disconnect thepower cord.2. Remove the computer cover.3. If other expansion cards are fitted, check their address assignments. If necessary, changeany of the jumpers on the WiNRADiO receiver card to avoid conflicts. (The default I/Oport 180, IRQ 10 and DMA 0 should normally work, however if you need to change anyjumpers, see the following section about ‘Jumper Settings’.)4. Choose an empty 16-bit expansion slot, preferably with an empty slot immediately tothe right (assuming you are facing the computer front).5. Important: Before inserting the WiNRADiO card, touch the computer metalwork withyour hand (to drain any static charge from your body), and also touch the metal bracketon the WiNRADiO card.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide46. Carefully insert the card into the vacant slot, and push until it is firmly seated. Screw themetal bracket at the end of the card to the computer case (this must be done to minimiseground-conducted interference).7. Replace the computer case and reconnect the power cord.8. Plug a speaker or headphones into the audio jack at the rear of the card. Alternatively, ifyou have a sound card and wish to route WiNRADiO through it, you can plug an audio‘patch’ cable from the audio jack to the ‘Line In’ jack on your sound card. Note that a3.5mm stereo plug must be used, otherwise you will hear no audio from the receiver. Asuitable patch cable is included with the WiNRADiO Digital Suite option.9. Connect the antenna to the BNC jack at the rear of the card and extend the antenna upand as far away from the computer as possible.10. If you have a plug-and-play computer, you may have to configure the BIOS under'PNP/PCI CONFIGURATION' to set the appropriate IRQ and DMA to 'Legacy ISA'instead of 'PCI/ISA PnP' to avoid conflicts with any plug-and-play devices in yourcomputer. You should also make sure that any PCI IRQs are not the same asWiNRADiO's.Jumper SettingsThe WiNRADiO receiver card is provided with jumpers which select the desired I/O portaddress. The jumper may need to be changed from the factory default settings to avoidconflicts with other cards already installed in the computer.There are eight possible I/O addresses which the WiNRADiO card can use: 180, 188, 190,198, 1A0, 1A8, 1B0 and 1B8 (all specified in hexadecimal). There are also 8 different IRQs:3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15, and 2 DMA channels: 0 and 3. The factory default is I/O port180, IRQ 12 and DMA 0.If more than one WiNRADiO card is to be installed in the computer (up to 8 depending onavailable address lines), each card must be assigned a unique I/O address and IRQ. TheDMA channels can be shared, all eight are able to run on one DMA channel, but it isrecommended to evenly distribute the card’s DMA settings across the two channels ifpossible.Some of the WiNRADiO IRQs can be used by other devices, for example: IRQ 3 is normallyused for COM2, 5 for a sound card, 7 for an EPP or ECP printer port, 9 for a video card, 10for a network card, 11 for a SCSI card, 12 for a PS/2 mouse port and 15 for the secondaryIDE port. If you wish to use any of these interrupts, make sure that either these devices don’texist, or disable them.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide53700e Hardware Installation1. First install the software (see below).2. Connect the supplied power adaptor to the +12V DC power socket on the rear of theunit, and switch the unit on.3. Connect the supplied RS-232 (or optional PC Card Adaptor) cable between thecomputer and the WiNRADiO unit.4. Connect the antenna to the BNC connector at the rear of the unit, and extend the antennaup and as far away as possible.Software Installation1. Insert the WiNRADiO installation disk into your floppy drive.2. If you are using Windows 95, 98 or NT 4, click on the ‘Run’ command in the ‘Start’menu. If you are using Windows 3.1x or NT 3.5x, Click on the ‘Run’ command in the‘File’ menu in Program Manager or File Manager.3. Type A:\INSTALL (or B:\INSTALL if your floppy drive is B).4. After the Welcome dialog box and Licence agreement, you will be prompted to enter adirectory to install the WiNRADiO software. You can either choose to accept thedefault, or you may enter your own.5. The installation will then proceed to install the necessary files onto your hard disk. Youwill then be asked whether you want to add an icon to Windows. If you accept, you willthen be asked which program group to add the icon to.6. If this is the first installation in Windows 3.1x, 95 or 98, you will then be asked torestart Windows. The WiNRADiO receiver will not work until Windows has beenrestarted. In Windows NT, a hardware configuration utility will pop up allowing you tospecify the hardware settings for the software (see the next section ‘I/O Configuration’for more details).WiNRADiO software is periodically upgraded. Check out the newest software version on ourWeb site at www.winradio.com. If you wish to be automatically notified of upgrades andother WiNRADiO related information, please register with our user database by sending ane-mail message with subject heading REGISTER to support@winradio.com.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide6I/O ConfigurationTo inform the software of the hardware configuration, a ControlPanel applet is used. Open Control Panel and double-click on theWiNRADiO icon. A dialog box will appear, which allows you tospecify the hardware configuration for the software.Windows 3.1, 95 and 98As can be seen, up to 8 internal cards can be configured, and foreach card installed, a suitable I/O address must be nominated.In most situations, you can use the ‘Auto Detect’ feature, which will allow the software tofind all the internal cards and the IRQ and DMA settings for each. Only rare circumstancesstop the auto-detection from working.If there are any problems with the settings (such as an address conflict), you will be notifiedof the problem.After you click on OK and any setting has been changed, you will be prompted to restartWindows for the new settings to take effect.Windows NTUp to 9 receivers (internal and external) can be configured,and for each receiver installed, its location must benominated.In most situations you can use the ‘Auto Detect’ feature,which will allow the software to find all internal I/O ports,serial ports (must be switched on) and PC Card slots areceiver is connected to. Note it will not detect the IRQ orDMA settings for the internal receivers but will detect thepresence of the DSP.An optional fifth field is provided that allows you to specify a name to be associated with thereceiver. The name will appear in the title of the main window instead of the traditional‘WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor #’ title.After you click on OK, the new settings take immediate effect.Uninstalling WiNRADiOIn Windows 95, 98 and NT 4, start up Control Panel and double-click on the ‘Add/RemovePrograms’ icon. Select ‘WiNRADiO’ from the list and click on the ‘Add/Remove’ button.In Windows 3.1x and NT 3.5x, double-click on the ‘Uninstall WiNRADiO’ icon in theprogram group that contains the WiNRADiO icon.All software and changes to any configuration files will be removed from your hard disk.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide7TroubleshootingInstallation ProblemsIf you try to start-up your WiNRADiO receiver for the first time and you are presented witha dialog box stating that the WiNRADiO receiver card could not be found, you most likelyhave a configuration problem.If you are using an internal WiNRADiO model, open the WiNRADiO configuration utilityfrom Control Panel by double-clicking on it. Click on ‘Auto Detect’. If no WiNRADiO cardcan be found, then you probably have a hardware address conflict. Shut down the computer,and try other jumper settings as described earlier in this chapter. Start up the computer andtry auto-detecting again.If you are using an external WiNRADiO model, make sure it is plugged in and the power isturned on (the red LED on the front panel should be illuminated).If you are using the WiNRADiO software and find that the Spectrum Scope is obscuring thepanel, try to reposition the main WiNRADiO control panel window by changing it from full-screen to a window, and positioning it in the top area of the screen. Shrink the size verticallyso there is a thin border around the panel. This should make your WiNRADiO receivereasier to use.If you are finding that shortcut keys are not responding (including the tab and cursor keys),try clicking on the appropriate window with the mouse to activate the window. If you havemore than one dialog box open at the same time, try closing them until only one is left open.Sensitivity ProblemsThe WiNRADiO receiver is very sensitive, so low sensitivity problems are usually due tonoise induced into the antenna by the PC monitor, less commonly the PC, or some otherexternal source. If the noise is strong enough, it can overload the receiver which responds byautomatically reducing sensitivity using its AGC (Automatic Gain Control) mechanism. Thisproblem is more common on low frequencies (under 30MHz). As a result, the reception canbecome noisy and the receiver appears to be ‘deaf’.This can happen if the antenna is poorly located, for instance if it is too close to the PCmonitor, or used inside a building with steel-reinforced concrete walls. Try repositioning theantenna, or placing ferrite cores over its shielded lead close to the receiver, to break thetransmission of interference back to the antenna.Another remedy which is often effective is to place an RF (radio frequency) filter betweenthe PC mains lead and the wall power outlet, to reduce interference caused by earth loops.If these measures fail to produce the desired noise reduction , and if you are using an internalreceiver model, try moving the receiver card to a different slot inside the PC, as far aspossible from other potentially noisy cards, especially the video card, and the power supply.Video monitors are also major sources of interference, and there are significant differencesbetween brands in this respect. You can establish the noise contribution of your monitor byswitching it off. If the noise diminishes substantially, check that the monitor lead is fittedwith a ferrite suppressor bead (the rectangular or cylindrical moulding on the lead). If not, fita suppressor, or acquire a quieter monitor.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide8Intermodulation ProblemsYour WiNRADiO receiver has been designed to be very sensitive in order for it to workwith the moderately small antennas which are preferable for VHF/UHF. In areas with stronglocal broadcast stations, the WiNRADiO receiver front-end may overload and, as a result,intermodulation products may appear in the received band. By pressing the Local button onthe control panel, the interference products will disappear.It is advisable to use the Local setting if you are operating the receiver with larger outdoorantennas, especially on broadcast bands. For long-distance shortwave reception, aconsiderable improvement can be obtained by using a tuned antenna and preselector.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide9Using WiNRADiOWhen you first start WiNRADiO, you are presented with a radio receiver interface. Theimage below shows the main parts of the control panel.The following few sections document each of the parts in detail.Basic ControlsFrequency ReadoutThe frequency readout shows the current receiver frequency.Below this is another display which shows one of the following:the callsign and/or a comment relating to the current tunedfrequency, taken from the frequency memory (entered by the user), or the description of thecurrent band. The band description is user-definable under ‘Auto-stepping’ in the Configuremenu.To enter a frequency, simply type the desired frequency using the keyboard. As soon as youpress a number or the decimal point, the frequency readout will enter the edit mode, allowingyou to enter the frequency. The old frequency is automatically overwritten. If you want toedit the existing frequency, click on the readout with the left mouse button to highlight thecurrent frequency, position the cursor as desired, reclick the left mouse button, make thedesired changes, then press the Enter key. To change the frequency unit (kHz, MHz or GHz),press K, M or G respectively while the display is highlighted or in edit mode.To tune the receiver to the new frequency, press the Enter key. To cancel and return theprevious display, press the Escape key.In each mode, the frequency readout only displays the most significant digits which affecttuning and reception. The display resolution is as follows: 1 Hz in CW, LSB and USB, 10Hz in FMN, 100 Hz in AM and 1 kHz in FMW.In FMW, the lowest tunable frequency is 30 MHz. If you attempt to tune to a frequencybelow 30 MHz, the receiver will automatically change the mode to AM, and disable theFMW button.Tuning KnobThe tuning knob adjusts the frequency by the smallest suitable increment forthe current mode. In LSB, USB and CW it is 10 Hz; AM is 100 Hz; FMN is500 Hz, and FMW is 50 kHz.To use the knob, position the mouse cursor over the top half of the knob, andthe cursor will look like this: . To decrease the frequency, click the left
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide10mouse button. To increase the frequency, click the right mouse button. On the bottom half,the cursor will flip vertically . The mouse buttons will now operate in reverse, with theleft increasing and the right decreasing the frequency.To tune the receiver from the keyboard, press the up/down cursor keys to increase anddecrease the frequency respectively.For faster tuning, use the Shift or Ctrl keys simultaneously with the mouse or keyboardtuning commands to multiply the frequency step by 10 or 100 times respectively.To reduce the step size to 1 Hz for more accurate tuning of LSB, USB or CW, use the Altkey simultaneously with the mouse or keyboard tuning commands.ModesWiNRADiO WR-3700 series supports eight different reception modes (CW, LSB, USB,AM, FMN, FMN2, FMN3 and FMW).These modes are abbreviations of Continuous Wave (CW), Lower SideBand (LSB), Upper Side Band (USB), Amplitude Modulation (AM),Frequency Modulation Narrow-band (FN) and FM Wide-band (FW). FN1bandwidth is 6.5kHz,FN2 15kHz and FN3 is 50 kHz.To select the desired mode, click on the appropriate mode button or use thekeyboard shortcuts: A for AM, W for FMW, N for FMN, C for CW, L for LSB, and U forUSB.VolumeThe volume control is located on the right hand side of the panel. The volumecan range from 0 (no sound) to 31 (full volume).There are several ways to adjust the volume. Using the mouse, you can increaseor decrease it by clicking on the up/down volume control arrows respectively, or you canclick on the scroll button between the two arrows and drag the volume up or down.Using the keyboard, you can press V and enter the volume, or you can use the left and rightcursor keys to decrease and increase the volume respectively.Signal Level MeterThe signal level meter, located under the volume control, shows the receivedsignal strength. It represents the strength by a bar graph, and shows theequivalent numerical strength on the right side of the display.The value represents the approximate signal level in dB above the receiver noise floor.The signal level is also used to control squelch and scanning.SquelchThe squelch controls the audio output and scanner threshold.In normal operation, if the signal level drops below the squelch threshold, the audio output ismuted after a time delay specified under ‘Configure - General Options’. If the signal risesabove the squelch threshold, the audio is restored immediately.The squelch indicator, at the bottom of the panel, shows whether the current signal level isabove or below the squelch threshold. If it is above the threshold, the display is green,otherwise it is red.The squelch threshold also controls scanning. When scanning, the receiver will pause or stopif it receives a signal above the squelch threshold, otherwise it will continue scanning untilsuch a signal is found.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide11If you wish, you can have different squelch thresholds for normal reception and scanning. Toactivate this feature, go to Configure - General Options and select Separate squelch forscanning. The receiver will then accept different squelch thresholds on the front panel, andin the ‘Scanner - Setup’ dialog box (described later).AttenuatorThe attenuator controls the level of the RF signal entering the receiver front-end. Ifa signal is too strong, it may overload the receiver and cause distortion. To combatthis problem, the RF signal can be attenuated by 18 dB by clicking on the Localbutton or by pressing the O key.If the attenuator is active and the signals are too weak, click the DX button or pressthe D key to turn the attenuator off.SteppingFour stepping modes are available: fixed, auto, memory, and duplex. To selectbetween fixed, auto and memory stepping, click on the Select button or press the Tkey until the desired stepping mode appears. Duplex stepping is activatedseparately, as described below.To step through frequencies, click on the up/down buttons located next to thefrequency readout, or press the Page Up/Page Down keys to step up/downrespectively.The stepping modes are described below in more detail.Fixed SteppingWhere stations operate on fixed channels (e.g. AM or FM broadcast band, mobile radio,CB), it is usually more convenient to change the frequency in steps corresponding to thechannel separation.You can specify the desired step size for each mode from a minimum equal to the frequencyresolution of the display, up to a maximum of 10 MHz. To enter the step size, either click onthe step display with the mouse, or press the F key; then enter the desired step size and pressEnter (or Escape to cancel the entry). Note that LSB/USB share the same step size.If you change the mode, the step size will be changed to the size previously entered for thatmode.Note that all modes retain the frequency to the nearest 1 Hz even though the extra digitsmight not be visible. For example if you change from LSB to FMW and back, the actualfrequency is not rounded off, but remains the same. This ensures that accidental modechanges do not cause the exact current frequency to be lost.Auto-SteppingAuto-stepping is an enhanced form of fixed stepping, in which the step size depends on thereceiver frequency. This facility can also automatically set the mode and squelch thresholdaccording to frequency.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide12Before this feature can be used, it is necessary to set up one or more stepping ranges. To dothis, first select Auto-stepping from the Configure menu. A dialog box will appear,allowing you to establish the auto-stepping ranges.To add a range, click on the Add button. Another dialog box will appear, allowing you tospecify the lower and upper frequency limits, the desired step size for that range, the mode,squelch level, and a text description. The mode, squelch level and description are optional.You can also edit, delete and move the ranges in the list. If ranges overlap, those at the top ofthe list will have higher priority over those lower in the list. You can move ranges higher orlower in the list by clicking on them and dragging them to the desired location.If the receiver is not in a specified range, it will default to the fixed step size. If you enter adifferent value in the step display, it will change to that step. If the receiver is subsequentlytuned to a defined auto-step range, the step size for that range will be automatically recalledand will replace the fixed step.Whenever the receiver is tuned to a defined auto-step range, the display below the mainfrequency readout will show the text description for that range regardless of whether auto-stepping is active or not. If the current frequency coincides with a frequency previouslystored in memory (see below), the memory comment will take precedence over the textdescription.Memory SteppingMemory stepping allows the user to step directly between frequencies previously stored in amemory file. In this mode, the callsign of the current memory entry is shown in the stepdisplay.If the user types in a frequency which does not correspond to a memory frequency, thereceiver will tune to this frequency without problem. If the user then steps the frequency upor down, the receiver will find the memory frequency closest to the current frequency in thesame direction, and tune to it.At least one frequency must be stored in memory for memory stepping to work. If thememory is empty, memory stepping will not function.Duplex SteppingDuplex stepping simplifies listening to full duplextransmissions, which usually have widely different transmitand receive frequencies. It can also be used to step betweenother widely spaced transmissions, which have the same mode.To set the frequency separation, select Duplex Separationfrom the Configure menu. Any separation can be entered, upto the maximum tuning range of the receiver.To step up or down by an amount equal to this separation, press the Home or End keysrespectively. If the user attempts to step outside the frequency limits of the receiver, thecommand will be ignored.MemoryWiNRADiO has the ability to store up to 1000 frequencies in a memory file, and thetotal number of memory files is limited only by hard disk capacity.Each entry is assigned the following: a number from 0 to 999, the frequency, mode,group number(s), callsign and comment.If the receiver is tuned to a frequency stored in the memory, the associated callsignand comment is displayed in the area below the main frequency readout.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide13Storing a Frequency into MemoryTo store the current frequency you are tuned to into one of the1000 memory locations in WiNRADiO, you can either click onthe S button in the Memory panel, or press S on the keyboard.A dialog box will pop up, and present you with a range ofoptions you can fill in. At the top of the dialog box is thefrequency you are storing (this cannot be edited). The next line isthe next available memory number that is empty (starting withzero). You can change this to a memory number that you want(including ones that already are in use).The next option is the group assignment. You can assign afrequency to one or more of 16 different groups. You can set upfrequency groups to suit your particular areas of interest, todistinguish certain types of stations from others.Another attribute you can store with a frequency is a callsign. You can store up to 9characters in the callsign.A hotkey (function keys F2 to F12) can be associated with a frequency, so that when youpress the key, that frequency is instantly recalled. If a hotkey is being used by anotherfrequency, it will be shown as ‘(used)’, but you can override the previous assignment with anew one if you wish.A comment can also be included with a frequency. The size of the comment is limited by thewidth of the text entry line. When the receiver is tuned to this frequency, the text displaybelow the frequency readout will show the frequency’s callsign and comment entered here.The mode can also be stored, which will be set automatically when the frequency is recalled.Finally, one other attribute that can be set is whether the memory number is to be excludedfrom a memory scan or not. By default the number is not locked out, but can be locked outby checking Scan lockout.Recalling a Frequency from MemoryThere are several ways to recall a frequency from memory:•Use a hotkey;•Type a number into the memory number display;•Type a number while holding down the Control key;•Use the memory recall/view dialog box;•Use memory stepping.HotkeyThe quickest way to recall a frequency is to assign a function hotkey to it when you initiallystore the frequency. Any function key from F2 to F12 can be used. Note that F1 cannot beused, as it is reserved for help.If desired, existing memories can be edited to add a function hotkey (see below).To recall a frequency using a hotkey, simply press the appropriate function key (F2 to F12),and it will be recalled instantly. This assumes that a frequency has previously been assignedto that key, of course.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide14Control-NumberTo recall any memory, hold down the Control key down while typing the number of thememory. Alternatively you can click on the memory display, enter the number, and thenpress Enter to recall it.Memory Recall/ViewThe final alternative is to click on the R button or pressthe R key, upon which a memory recall dialog box willpop up allowing you to view and recall any frequencyfrom a list. You can limit the list to a subset offrequencies by specifying a search string, group numberor selected modes. Then click on Find, upon which onlythose frequencies which match the search criteria will beshown.To tune the receiver to a list entry and keep the memoryviewer open, single-click on it with the left mouse button.To tune the receiver and close the viewer, double click on it. To tune the receiver to thefrequency it was tuned to before opening the memory viewer, click on Previous.Editing MemoryTo edit an existing memory entry, first click on the R button or press the R key.Select the memory to edit from the list, then click on Edit.You are able to modify every setting, including the frequency, except for theactual memory number.To edit the next memory entry, click on the Next button.Saving and Loading Memory FilesWiNRADiO stores 1000 frequencies in each memory file. You can choose which file iscurrently active, and you can also save the file under a different name.When you start your WiNRADiO receiver for the first time, it creates a memory file calledwinradio.wrm. Every time you close your WiNRADiO session, the memory is automaticallysaved to the active file. To perform an immediate save, select File - Memory file - Save.To open another memory file, select File - Memory file - Open. Before the new file isopened, and if the current memory file has been modified during the current session, youwill be asked if you want to save the changes or not. Next, a dialog box will appear whichallows you to open a different memory file (or reopen the same one discarding any changessince it was last opened). The selected file will now become the active memory file.To rename the current active file and save it under a different name, select Save as from thesame submenu. A similar dialog box will appear, where you can specify the new filenameand/or path.New Memory FileTo clear all frequencies and start a new file, select File – Memory file – New. Before thenew file is opened, and if the current memory file has been modified during the currentsession, you will be asked if you want to save the changes or not. A dialog box will thenappear, prompting you to enter the name of the new file.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide15ScanningWiNRADiO provides a variety of scanning functions and options, toallow you to optimise the way you search for stations.The scanner steps through frequencies until it finds a transmission thathas a signal strength greater than the squelch value.The following sections describe the available scanning methods andassociated options.Immediate ScanningImmediate scanning is the quickest and simplest way to search for stations. Toactivate this, first set the desired stepping mode and step size if necessary, then clickon the immediate scan up or scan down button. The receiver will then start scanningup or down from the current frequency, according to the selected step size.If the receivers encounters a signal which has the same or higher strength than thecurrent squelch threshold, it will either pause or stop, depending on the selectedscanning options.To access immediate scanning from the keyboard, use the Insert or Delete keys to scan upor down respectively. To cancel immediate scanning, press the Escape key.Frequency Range ScanningFrequency Range scanning provides an extension toimmediate scanning in 'Fixed Step' mode. It allowsyou to specify a number of ranges of frequencies toscan. You can enter the start and end frequencies,the step size, mode and squelch setting for the rangeto scan. You can add this range to a list from whichyou can pick the ranges you want to scan. Eachrange can also have an associated description.Click on the Start Scan button to start scanningfrom the first selected range, or click on Close button to exit the dialog box (it willremember your settings and ranges). If you have already performed a range scan and havenot changed the range selection, you can resume the range scan from where it was stoppedby clicking on Resume previous scan.When scanning in this mode and the scanner reaches the end of the current range, it eithergoes to the next range selected, or loops back to the start of the first range selected.The range list allows you to add, edit and remove ranges, and you can click on one or moreranges to select them for scanning.Any ranges with descriptions can be selected in the 'Spectrum Scope' for a sweep to beperformed on the associated range.Memory ScanMemory scanning provides an extension to immediatescanning in ‘Memory Step’ mode. In addition to thebasic stepping through the memory frequencies, itallows you to specify a subset of memory frequencies toscan by selecting a range of memory numbers, modesand one or more groups.To start the memory scanner, click on the Memorybutton or press the M key. The memory scan dialog boxwill appear.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide16Select the range of memory numbers to scan, mode and group restrictions. Click on the Scanbutton to start scanning, or click on the Close button to exit the dialog box (your settings willbe remembered).When the scanner reaches the end of the memory range, it loops back to the start of the rangeand starts again.A feature provided with memory scanning allows you to assign ‘priority’ memory number.When this is used, the priority memory number is scanned after a certain number ofmemories is scanned. How many frequencies are scanned before the priority frequency isspecified by the Scanning interval.Scanner OptionsThere are several options that can be set for the scanner to suit your needs. You can specifyhow the scanner operates when it pauses at a signal and how fast it scans.When the scanner finds a signal, it has two basic options: pause or stop. If ‘pause’ isspecified, you can force the scanner to continue, stop, exclude or wait.If you leave it waiting, there are four different options to allow it to continue automatically:•When the signal disappears (drops below the squelch level)•After a fixed period of time (regardless of the signal level)•When the signal disappears during a fixed period of time or after the fixed period oftime (whichever comes first)•After a signal disappears for at least a fixed period of time.The fixed period of time is specified by the ‘Delay time’.The scan rate specifies the maximum number of frequencies per second the scanner willcheck, but could be slower than specified if you have other programs running.When the scanner stops or pauses at a signal, you can set it up to perform certain tasks:•Write the frequency to memory•Store the settings into the log•Start recording the audio to a sound file•Alert the operatorTo write the frequency to memory, select Write tomemory and specify the range of memory numbersthat the scanner can write to. You can also assign agroup number that the frequency will be associatedwith. Check the Confirm box to confirm eachfrequency before it is written.To store the current settings (frequency, mode, date,time and signal strength) to the log, select Store tolog.The audio signal can be recorded when atransmission is found by selecting Record audio, specifying a file name to record to andspecifying the sampling rate and bits per sample.The file name can also include a #d, #t, and/or #f to specify the date, time and frequencyrespectively. If you need a # in the file name, enter ## (double-hash). The date and time willbe represented as a six digit number. The date order depends on your country settings inWindows (will be typically DDMMYY or MMDDYY), and the time is HHMMSS (24hour). The frequency will be represented by a number in kHz with no leading zeros, spacesor decimal places.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide17The WiNRADiO scanner can also alert the operator by means other than the scanner dialogbox. The operator can be alerted by an audible beep and/or by sending data on a parallelport, typically for remote notification.WiNRADiO can have two separate squelch settings: one for audio and one for scanning.This option is specified under ‘General Options’ in the ‘Configure’ menu. If this feature isenabled, another control is visible at the bottom of the dialog box. It allows you to specifythe scanner squelch while the audio squelch remains controlled from the main panel.ExclusionsTo avoid the scanner stopping at unwantedfrequencies, your WiNRADiO software canmaintain a frequency exclusion list. Theexclusion list contains a list of frequencyranges which are skipped by the scanner.During a scan, you have the option of addingfrequencies to the exclusion list by clickingon the Exclude button (this option is enabledby checking Enable excluding whilescanning at the bottom of the ‘ScanningExclusions’ dialog box). The range that isexcluded depends on the mode. In CW, LSBand USB modes, the default range excluded is ±999 Hz, AM is±1.999 kHz, FMN is ±6.249 kHz and FMW is ±49.999 kHz of the current receiverfrequency. If you want to change any of these default values after they have been added,select the exclusion from the list and click on the Edit button.You can also manually add exclusions by clicking on the Add button, edit or delete existingranges. There is no priority system, if the frequency is within any range in the list, it will beignored by the scanner.MiscellaneousMuteThe Mute button controls the audio output of your WiNRADiO receiver. If it is on, theoutput is muted (switched off). To activate (or deactivate) the mute control, click on it orpress Ctrl+U.Passband Tuning (IF Shift)In CW, LSB and USB modes, a control is enabled at the top-left corner of thepanel to allow you to adjust the passband tuning of the receiver. This controlsthe quality of the audio reception of an SSB transmission. The IF can be shiftedup to 3000 Hz above or below the normal location.To use the control, click on the display and enter the frequency in Hz. To setthe frequency from the keyboard, press I or Ctrl+B and enter the frequency. To quickly resetthe display to 0, press the Reset button or the ‘star’ key on the numeric keypad.IndicatorsThe three LED-like indicators indicate various states of your WiNRADiOreceiever.The squelch indicator, ‘Sqlch’, is green when the squelch is inactive (theaudio output is open), and red when it is active or about to activate(depending on the ‘Squelch delay’ time specified under ‘Configure - General Options’).
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide18The ‘PLL’ indicator shows the lock status of the receiver’s Phase Lock Loop. Whenoperating normally, the indicator is green. If something goes wrong, it will turn redindicating that the receiver cannot tune into a specific frequency.The ‘Power’ indicator indicates that the receiver is powered up.Power SwitchThe power switch controls the radio receiver’s power. When it is off, the actual receivercircuitry is powered down.Date and Time DisplaysThe date and time displays show the current local time and UTCstandard time. The actual format of the displays is controlled by‘Regional Settings’ in the Control Panel (or ‘International’ inWindows 3.1 and NT 3.5) and to a lesser degree in the ‘Date andTime’ dialog activated from the ‘Configure’ menu.The time difference between the local time and UTC is setunder ‘Date/Time’ in the Control Panel in Windows 95 andNT, while in Windows 3.1 you have to manually specify itin the ‘Date and Time’ configuration dialog box. If thedefault provided is incorrect and you wish to override thedefault, select Override default time zone and enter thedifference.If you are in a country with 12-hour time, you can specifywhether to show the local time in 12 or 24-hour format andwhether to show UTC in 24-hour format.If you are in a country with 24-hour time, you have nooption to show the time in the 12-hour format.Window PropertiesThere are several features that allow the customisation ofyour WiNRADiO interface. These include:•size of the window•position of the panel in the window if the window issmaller than the panel•background colour•whether it is always on top of all other windows•whether the title and menu bars are hidden for a smaller windowThe first two are basic Windows features. The window that contains the receiver panel canbe positioned anywhere in the Windows desktop and can be sized to be as big or as small asyou want. When the window is smaller than the actual panel, scroll bars will appear to allowyou to access hidden parts of the panel as shown here.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide19Background ColourTo adjust the background colour, select Background Colour from the View menu. A dialogbox will appear that allows you to specify the colour you want for your background.You can select one of several predefined colours, visually select a colour using the colourbox (hue v saturation) and the ‘luminance’, or enter the colour specifying actual RGB orHSL values.Click on Apply to see the colour before closing the dialog box.Always On TopThis facility allows the WiNRADiO window to remain always visible, even when usingother programs (such as a word processor). To enable the WiNRADiO window to do this,select Always on top from the View menu. A check mark will appear next to this menucommand. To undo this option, select the menu command again, and the check mark will beremoved and WiNRADiO will act like other normal windows.Hide Title BarThe ability to hide the title bar and menu allows you to reduce the overallsize of the window. To activate this feature, select Hide title bar in theView menu.This feature is especially useful in conjunction with the ‘Always On Top’feature to allow a small window to sit on top of all windows. For example,you could just show the current frequency as shown here.To access the menu commands, click on the little button that is visible inthe top-left corner of the window. To move the window around the screen, click-and-drag onany inactive part of the WiNRADiO panel or background. To show the title bar and menu,select the Hide title bar command in the View menu.General OptionsOther configurable options for WiNRADiO have been groupedinto a common dialog box called ‘General Options’ which isaccessed from the ‘Configure’ menu.The Frequency readout offset specifies a value that is added to thedisplayed frequency. It is useful if you are receiving a transmissionthrough a down-converter (to receive frequencies higher thanupper limit of the receiver).The other options are self-explanatory, if you need more explanation about a particularfeature, refer to the on-line help.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide20Spectrum ScopeThe ‘Spectrum Scope’ is a utility to display and store the signal level across a frequencyrange. After a frequency sweep has been performed, you can tune to any frequency on thedisplay. To tune to a frequency or peak on the display, click on it. You can hold down themouse button and drag the cursor across the display quickly tuning to any frequency on thedisplay (this facility will be described in greater detail under chapter heading ‘VisiTune’).You can even configure it to tune another receiver card into the selected frequency. Double-clicking finds and tunes to the closest peak.Mathematical functions can be applied to the sweeps to help find transmissions you are after.Every sweep is recorded and can be saved to a file to be viewed at a later time and differentanalytical functions applied to the data. Markers can also be added to the sweep, and thesweeps can be printed.Spectrum SweepingTo perform a spectrum sweep, you have two methods of specifying the frequency range.You can either specify it by the start and stop frequencies, or by the centre frequency and thewidth of the sweep. To specify a sweep method, see the following section on ‘Options’.Next, you specify the step size depending on the resolution and speed you want. Theresolution bandwidth (RBW) also has an effect on the step size. For a slower, higher detailsweep, select a small step size, and in contrast, for a quick, coarse sweep, select a large stepsize. For example, if you are using the 17 kHz RBW, step sizes below 10 kHz are not useful;all signals would be captured at 10 kHz. A 5 kHz step is suitable for a fairly detailed sweepusing an RBW of 6 kHz. If you select a step size larger than the RBW, it is possible thatsignals will be missed that are located between two stepped frequencies.Once you have specified the parameters, click on the Sweep button to perform a sweep.Every time you change any parameter (except the resolution bandwidth), any previoussweeps will be cleared when you start a new sweep. The bandwidth can be changed at anytime, even in the middle of a sweep. Up to 200 sweeps will be stored. If more than 200sweeps are performed with the same parameters, then every successive sweep will delete theearliest sweep recorded.To stop a sweep prematurely, click on the Stop button (which is the ‘Sweep’ button with adifferent caption). If you stop, clicking on the sweep button again will start a new sweepfrom the start (but the previous sweep will be preserved until a parameter is changed).Alternatively, you can click on the Pause button to pause the sweeping and click on it againto let the scope resume from the frequency it was paused at.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide21VisiTune™A unique feature of the WiNRADiO Spectrum Scope makes it possible to smoothly tune thereceiver by dragging the mouse against a spectrum background. This feature is called‘VisiTune’.When you click on a spectrum sweep with the left mouse button, the receiver will tune to thefrequency where the mouse is located (the frequency is displayed in the top-left corner of thescope window). If you hold the mouse button down and drag it left or right, the receiver willimmediately respond to your movements, allowing you to directly inspect transmissionsvisible on the spectrum sweep.If you double-click at a point on the display, WiNRADiO will search for the highest peaknearest the cursor depending on the slope of the sweep at the cursor. It will check the level ateither side of the frequency where you double-clicked. It will then follow the slope that risestowards a peak until it reaches a peak. It you click at a valley, it will search both sides for thehighest peak. Clicking on a flat part will not start a search for a peak.To make VisiTune more useful, you can configure the spectrum scope to use anotherreceiver for sweeping. If you have another WiNRADiO card installed, this allows you to letthe spectrum scope to continually sweep the band you are interested in and at the same timetune and listen to any frequency in the sweep. See the ‘Options’ section for moreinformation on configuring this feature.Other tuning methods can be accessed from the context menu, invoked by clicking with theright mouse button on the display. You can choose Tune to current frequency and Tune tocurrent peak to tune the same as above. Alternatively, you can select Tune to maximumpeak and Tune to average peak to tune to a peak on those calculated sweeps respectively.You can also explicitly select a receiver to tune the frequency to, other than the default. Ifyou have two or more WiNRADiOs you can tune one of these other receivers to thefrequency or frequency peak. Click on the appropriate receiver under ‘Tune other receiver tofreq’.Finally, if you have only one receiver, you might wish to enable the Manual refresh featureunder ‘Options’. When enabled, the background spectrum graph will be updated while youare navigating around it with the left-hand mouse button held down (note that, with the fasthand movements over a large frequency range, the receiver’s settling time might not allowaccurate updating of the displayed spectrum).MarkersYou can add frequency markers to a spectrum sweep to assist you in finding and monitoringa frequency (or several frequencies) during a sweep. Markers are also saved when you savethe sweep(s) to a file.To add a new marker, pop up the context menu (click on the display with the right mousebutton) and select Add marker. A marker’s properties can also be modified. Right mouse-click near the marker and select Marker properties. You can change the marker’sfrequency and colour. To delete a marker, select Clear marker from the context menu. Totune to a marker, select Tune to marker from the menu.Saving and Loading FilesEvery sweep is recorded until a new sweep is performed with different parameters. To savesweep data, click on the File button and select Save from the pop up menu. Enter a file namein the dialog that appears and click on OK to save the file. All sweeps and markers will besaved in the file.To load a previously saved file, click on Open from the File menu. Select the file and clickon OK. Any previous sweep data will be immediately cleared.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide22PrintingEvery sweep can be printed for archiving andpresentations. Click on Print in the file menu. Adialog box will pop up allowing you to specify severalsettings for printing. You can specify which sweeps toprint (including calculated ones), the printer to print to(and its configuration), the margins on the paper (soyou can print on a certain part of the paper), paperorientation, how many pages for the spectrum (so youcan print it out like a banner) and whether to printeach selected sweep separately or combined into oneprint-out.Each individual sweep is shown by when it was actually performed (date, starting time andfinishing time).OptionsSeveral aspects of the spectrum scope can be customised.The first is the sweep range specification, you can choose either start and stop frequencies,or the centre frequency and the width of the sweep. Select the appropriate method in thedialog box.You can set up WiNRADiO to mute the audio or not when it starts a sweep. It will mute theaudio if Mute while sweeping is checked.If Continuous sweeping is checked, when the sweeper gets to the end of a sweep, it willstart a new sweep immediately until this option is unchecked or you click on the Stopbutton.The ‘Sweep on’ list allows you to specify which receiver card should be used for sweeping.The list shows all currently available receiver cards.‘VisiTune manual refresh’, when enabled, forces updating of the spectrum display under thefrequency cursor (thus allowing a ‘manual sweep’ with the mouse if the left mouse button isheld down).The ‘Previous sweeps’ section allows you to show a certain number of sweeps that weredone prior to the most recent. You can specify how many to show and the colour for each ofthem.You can also control the colour of the current sweep, calculated sweeps and all the actualsweeps. By default, only the current, maximum and exponential average sweeps are visible.To see a sweep, select it (or several) from the list and choose a colour to show the sweep(s)in. To hide a sweep, select invisible at the top of the colour list.Finally, you can specify how many sweeps to use for the ‘Rectangular average’ calculatedsweep and the weighting factor for the ‘Exponential average’ sweep.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide23Task SchedulerWiNRADiO includes an advanced task scheduler that can be configured to schedule almostany task that WiNRADiO can perform. Each task can be triggered by a selected combinationof date and time, signal level rise or fall and DSP event. Each task can activate any numberof times and time-triggered tasks can occur at discrete intervals.You can also save and load schedules to different files.Using the SchedulerTo utilise the scheduling facilities of WiNRADiO,select Schedule from the Scheduler menu. Awindow will pop up showing a list of scheduledtasks and buttons to manipulate the schedule.Initially the list will be empty.To use the scheduler, you have to add tasks to the schedule. Click on the Add button to add anew task. See the following section ‘Adding a Task to the Schedule’.Once you have entered the desired tasks, WiNRADiO will continually monitor these activeevents and will perform the associated task when the conditions are met.When a time activated task is about to trigger, a window will appear informing you that atask is about to occur allowing you to skip or postpone the task. If you wish to have the taskproceed normally, you can either click on OK or ignore the window (it will disappear whenthe task occurs). You have the option of specifying whether the notification appears, theperiod of time before it appears and whether to beep or not when it appears.Signal level transitions and DSP-triggered tasks will occur without any warning.One or more tasks can be disabled (and re-enabled at a later time) by selecting the tasks todisable and checking the Disabled check box.You can also schedule more than one task to activate at the same time, they will be executedin the sequence shown in the list.Adding a Task to the ScheduleEvent TriggersA scheduled task can be triggered by differentmethods. The trigger can be a selectedcombination of time, signal level change and DSPevent. Depending on which triggers are used, thetask will activate when either the signal transitionor DSP event conditions are met, and at or afterthe specified date and time.Date and TimeIf you would like a task to be performed at (or after, if using the signal transition or DSPevents) a certain time and day, check the Date check box and enter the date and time. Youcan also specify how often to repeat the task and the period of time to wait between eachtask in the ‘Repetitions’ section.A time triggered task can also be performed everyday at a certain time or on certain selecteddays of the week.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide24Signal Strength TransitionA task can be set to be performed when the signal level rises and stays above (or falls andstays below) a certain threshold for a certain period of time. Check the Signal transitioncheck box, and set the parameters accordingly, if you want to take advantage of this feature.Used on its own (or with the DSP event), this task can trigger at any time while WiNRADiOis operating. If you would like it to trigger after a certain time, specify a date and time triggerevent.DSP EventThis specialised trigger method relies on DSP applets. DSP applets are programs that run onthe DSP resident on the Spectrum Monitor card. Certain external DSP applets can be set togenerate an event to make WiNRADiO perform a certain task. For example, when the DSPis decoding and monitoring digital data, it could be made to search for a certain sequenceand trigger WiNRADiO to record the transmission.Each DSP applet can be unique in its features. Click on the Configure button to set up theapplet’s event trigger.Similarly to the signal strength trigger, you can configure the task to trigger after a certaindate and time by activating the date and time trigger and specifying the date and time.The DSP and signal strength transition triggers are independent of each other and, if both areactive, the task will activate if either of the two meet its set conditions.Tasks That Can Be PerformedThe three events can be configured to trigger any one of eleven tasks. Select the appropriatetask that you would like WiNRADiO to perform and configure the options associated withthe task.Change SettingsWiNRADiO can be set to a particular frequency, mode, volume, squelch, attenuator, muteand power state. By default, none of these settings are changed (frequency, volume andsquelch are blank, mode is set to ‘(N/A)’ and the Atten, Mute and Power check boxes aregreyed). To change any particular setting, specify a value in the appropriate control.Recall MemoryTo recall a memory at a specific event, select Recall Memoryfrom the task list and specify a memory number to recall when theevent occurs.Store Details to LogThe current settings and signal level can be recorded to the log fileusing the Store details to log task. Specify a comment for the logentry to be added.Start DSP AppletA DSP applet can be activated to perform certain functions,typically decoding. Select the applet from the list of installedapplets.Start/Stop RecordingTo record the audio to a file automatically, select Start recording.Select the audio properties, file name and an optional maximumfile size. When the recording starts, it will only be stopped bymanually clicking on the stop button, reaching the maximum filesize or by a ‘Stop recording’ event (and also if the destination runslow on space, about 5 MB).
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide25The file name can also include a #d, #t, #f and/or #n to specify the date, time, frequency anda unique number respectively. If you need a # in the file name, enter ## (double-hash). Thedate and time will be represented as a 6 digit number and the frequency is in kHz. The dateorder depends on your country settings in Windows (will be typically DDMMYY orMMDDYY), and the time is HHMMSS (24 hour). The number is represented as a four digitnumber with leading zeros. See the section on ‘Repetition Options’ for details on settinghow many times a task is performed.Start/Stop ScanningThe scheduler can automatically start a range or memory scan. Selectthe scanning method and set up the parameters for the scan. You canalso configure the scanner options. These configurations are local anddo not affect the normal scanning options activated on the panel.Perform Spectrum SweepTo perform a spectrum sweep of a specific band, select Performspectrum sweep from the task list. Specify the start and stopfrequencies (you cannot specify a centre frequency and sweep widthlike in the spectrum scope), step size, resolution bandwidth and a filename to store the spectrum file (this also allows the use of the #d, #t and#n specifiers).When the event triggers, the spectrum scope will activate (pausing anyscanning or sweeping that may be occurring at the time), sweep therange to the file and close (and resuming anything that paused).Record Signal StrengthA signal strength recording of a particular frequency can beautomatically performed. You can specify the interval and durationof the recording. If you specify an existing file, the data will beappended to the file. If the settings are the same as an existing trace,the new signal strength data will be appended to the same trace,otherwise a new trace is created.If a signal strength recording is already in operation, a new trace will be automatically addedand the new interval will be set (unless it is left blank). The file name will be left unchanged.Alert OperatorThe operator can be alerted simply by making the computer pop up amessage, beep and/or by sending a command to an external devicethrough a parallel port. If you select Show message you can enter acustom message to show. If you select Send data, you can specifythe port and the data to send to the port (in decimal or hexadecimal).Repetition OptionsEach event can be repeated multiple times, from once to almost ten thousand times and alsoinfinitely. If the task is triggered by the date and time, the period of time between eachrepetition can be specified to the nearest 6 seconds (1/10 of a minute) up to 99 hours and 59.9minutes. Alternatively, you can set it to repeat daily or on certain days during a week.Saving and Loading SchedulesAll schedules are saved to a file. You can save a schedule in a different file by selectingSave as from the Scheduler menu (schedules are always saved automatically). This new filebecomes the active schedule.To load a different schedule, select Open from the Schedule menu, and to create a newschedule, select New. In both cases the new schedule is the active schedule.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide26Sound RecorderThe inbuilt DSP allows WiNRADiO to record and playback audio files without the need fora separate sound card.The file generated is a standard Windows .WAVfile which can be played by any third partysoftware application. WiNRADiO can even playmost wave files generated by other applications(mono only).There are several audio formats you can record in, depending on your choice of qualityversus file size. There are three sampling rates and two different bits per sample to choosefrom: 8, 11 and 16 kHz sampling, 8 and 16 bits per sample. 8 kHz, 8 bit sampling results inthe least number of bytes per second, while the 16 kHz, 16 bit sampling results in the highestquality audio reproduction. The audio format is specified from the 'Audio format' sub-menuunder the 'Accessories' menu.Sound files can be recorded manually or automatically by the scheduler.RecordingTo record a file, first select Sound recorder from the Accessories menu. Click on the recordbutton (the solid red circle) to start recording. To stop recording, click on the stop button(solid blue square). You will be prompted for a file name to save the recording to. Therecorded file can now be played, or you can record another file (or close the sound recorder).You can pause recording temporarily by clicking on the pause button, and resume byclicking on the pause button again.PlaybackYou can either play a file you just recorded or load another file and play it back. To play anexisting file, click on the Open button and select the file. Click on the play button.You can move anywhere in the file by either adjusting the position on the scroll bar orclicking on one of the three navigation buttons. The left-most moves the position to the startof the file while the fast forward and rewind buttons move forward and backwards throughthe file respectively.While a file is being played, you will not be able to hear the radio until it is stopped again.While playback is paused, the audio output is silent.Signal Strength RecorderThe signal strength recorder is a useful feature for channel monitoring. It records the signalstrength of several frequencies over a period of time showing the results on a display similarto the spectrum scope.Up to 100 separate traces can be recorded and you can specify how often a signal sample isto be taken for each enabled trace. Traces can be added at any time and existing traces can bedisabled (no samples are taken) or re-enabled. The sampling rate can be changed within asession by stopping the sampling, editing the interval and restarting.The signal strength recorder is a file-based recorder (like the Sound Recorder) and iscontinually saving the information to a file.Using the Signal Strength RecorderTo use the signal strength recorder, select Signal Strength Recorder from the Accessoriesmenu.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide27Initially, you have to add a trace (or more) to be recorded by clicking on the Add button.Enter the appropriate data. You can also specify a colour to show the trace on the display.A list of traces is shown in the drop-down list to the left of the ‘Add’ button. If you wish toedit, disable/enable or delete any traces, select a trace and click on Edit, Disable/Enable orDelete buttons respectively. When a trace is deleted, it cannot be recovered (except by re-opening the same file if it was previously saved). If you wish to stop a trace, but not delete it,click on the Disable button. You can re-enable it by clicking on the Enable button. The onlyproperty of a trace that can be edited is the colour (select ‘invisible’ to hide the trace).Enter an interval in the ‘Interval’ edit box (up to 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds). Aninterval of 00:00:00 will sample the signal strength as quickly as possible (this depends uponthe number of enabled traces and the mode for each trace).Click on Start to start recording.When you have finished recording the signal strength, click on Stop and you can now save itto a file.If you close the recorder and the recording hasn’t been saved since it was last modified, youwill be asked if you want to save the changes before the recorder closes. If it is a new(unnamed) file, you will be asked to enter a file name.Saving and Loading FilesTo save a file, select Save or Save as from the File menu. Enter a file name in the dialog boxthat appears, and click on OK. If you select Save for a previously saved file, you will not beprompted for a file name.To load a previously recorded file, select Open from the File menu. Choose a file from thedialog box and click on OK. You may continue recording to the end of the file, includingadding, editing and removing channels (the new data is appended to the existing file).To create a new recording, select New from the File menu. If the current recording hasn’tbeen saved since it was last modified, you will be asked if you want to save the changes.OptionsTo set up the various features of the signal strengthrecorder, click on the Setup button. A dialog box willappear to allow you to configure the recorder.The vertical scale of the display can be configured toshow only part of the range instead of the full 0-120 rangeof the signal strength.The recorder can also be set to mute the audio when itdoes a sample run. LoggerThe WiNRADiO Logging facility can store the date, time, frequency, mode, level and acomment. When a log entry is added from WiNRADiO, the current date, time, frequency,mode and signal level is appended to the log.Adding a Log EntryTo add the current settings to the log, eitherselect Add to log from the Logger menu, orpress Ctrl+L.If you have Prompt for log comment checkedin the General Options dialog box, a small
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide28dialog box will pop up asking you for a comment. Otherwise, the settings are stored to thelog without a comment.The Log EditorWiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor uses a separate program to view and edit the log files itgenerates. To view and/or edit the log, select Edit log from the Logger menu. The'WiNRADiO Log Editor' will start up loading the currently active log file.The editor allows you to open multiple files at the same time, cut, copy and paste betweenthem. You can modify and print the contents, search and sort and tune WiNRADiO to anyentry. You can even copy a range of entries to the clipboard and paste them into anotherprogram such as Microsoft's Excel or Corel's Quattro Pro.Editing Log EntriesTo edit a log entry, select the cell to modify and enter the new data.To add a new entry, select Insert row from the Edit menu, click on the insert row button orpress the Insert key.To delete an entire entry or delete a range of entries, select the row by click-and-dragging on the column to the right of the date column. Select Delete row(s) fromthe Edit menu, click on the delete row button or press the Ctrl+Delete keys.The log editor supports multiple undo/redo. If you want to undo any changes you havemade, click on the undo button, select Undo from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+Z. You cancontinue undoing previous changes until the undo button goes grey (indicating there isnothing left to undo). To redo any undone changes, click on the redo button, select Redofrom the Edit menu or press Ctrl+Y. You can redo all recently undone changes. Themoment you modify anything you cannot redo the changes that were undone.The only other way to modify a file is using the cut, copy and paste functions. If you want tomove rows around, select the row(s) you want to move, and click on the cut button (or selectCut from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+X). Select the cell on the row above which you wantto insert the cut row. Now click on the paste button (or select Paste or press Ctrl+V). Thecut row will be inserted above the row where the active cell is. You can also copy rowsusing copy instead of cut, and you can also cut, copy and paste between different files.Opening and Saving Log FilesTo open an existing log file, click on the open button, select Open from the File menu or bypressing Ctrl+O. A dialog box will appear where you select the file that you want to open.A new window will appear in the editor with the contents of the log file.You can create a new log file by clicking on the new button, selecting New from the Filemenu or by pressing Ctrl+N. A new window will appear in the editor with one entry withthe current date and time (and everything else is empty).
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide29You can also save the active file that has been modified by clicking on the save button,selecting Save from the menu or by pressing Ctrl+S. If it is a new file, you will be promptedfor a name to save the file under. If you exit the log editor without saving modified files, youwill be asked whether you want to save each file or not.If you want to save the current file under a different name and/or location, select Save asfrom the menu and enter a new file name.PrintingTo print a log, click on the print button, select Print from the File menu or press Ctrl+P. Adialog box will pop up showing the current printer selected, the entries to print and numberof copies to print.If you want to change the printer you are printing to or change the settings of the printer,click on the Setup button.The footer (if you choose to print it) contains the name of the file you are printing and thepage number.SearchingTo search for a log entry, click on the find button, select Find from the Tools menu or pressCtrl+F.A dialog box will pop up where you can specify the parameters to search for. As shown, youcan search for entries that were stored during a particular time, a frequency range, modes,signal strength range and/or comment substring.Click on OK to search for the first matching log entry.To find the next matching entry, click on the find next button, select Find next from theTools menu or press the F3 key.SortingThe entire log file, or a selected range, can be sortedaccording to the date and time, frequency or signallevel in ascending or descending order. Initially, it issorted according to the date and time, earliest first (thisis how they are added from WiNRADiO).To sort the entries, click on the sort button or selectSort from the Tools menu. A dialog box will appearwhere you can specify the sort order. Click on OK tosort the entries.Tuning WiNRADiO to a Log EntryThe log editor can tune WiNRADiO into any frequency stored in a log (the frequency rangeand modes may be limited by the WiNRADiO receiver). Select the row containing thefrequency and mode you want to tune to and click on the tune to frequency button, selectTune to frequency from the Tools menu or press Ctrl+T.If WiNRADiO is not running, the log editor will attempt to start WiNRADiO. If it cannotstart WiNRADiO, a message will appear saying that it could not open communications withWiNRADiO. If this happens, you have to start WiNRADiO manually for this feature towork.Selecting a Log FileWiNRADiO can add log entries to any log file. To choose the log file to add entries to,select Log file from the Logger menu. Either choose an existing log file or enter a name forthe new log file to create in the dialog box that appears.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide30External Antenna ControlMany installations use at least one antenna, each antenna being suited for a particularfrequency band. For adequate full spectrum reception, at least two antennas are required: anHF and a VHF/UHF antenna, typically a wire and a discone respectively.Using a suitable external logic control box connected to a parallel port on the PC,WiNRADiO can automatically switch between antennas according to the frequencyWiNRADiO is tuned to.If this feature is used, the entire frequency range of WiNRADiO (150 kHz to 1.5 GHz)should be covered. Otherwise, if you tune to an unspecified range, the reception can be verypoor due to the wrong antenna being selected.To set the antenna control up, selectExternal antenna control from theConfigure menu. A dialog box willappear showing any frequency rangesthat control the antenna, the parallel portand the data sent to the port. You shouldnot connect any printers to the parallelport you are using for antenna controland similarly, you should not specify aparallel port that a printer is connected to.If you require an additional parallel port,an additional I/O card needs to be installed. You need to make sure it can be set up for LPT2or 3 and the serial ports (if the card contains any) can be configured or disabled, otherwisethey may conflict with your existing ports.To add a frequency range, click on theAdd button. Another dialog box willappear where you can enter the frequencyrange, select the parallel port and the datasent to the port. You have three methodsof specifying the data to send: decimalvalue, hexadecimal value and selectingthe pins that go high (5 volts). If youchange one setting, all the other settingschange appropriately. A diagram of theparallel port (showing the socket on thePC) is shown to assist with wiring up acustom control unit.You can also edit and delete existing ranges.When the receiver enters a range, the associated data is sent to the parallel port and thestrobe line (pin 1, normally low) is pulsed to allow external logic to latch any data it requires(the data remains until another frequency range is entered).
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide31DSPThe WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor internal receiver (WR-3700i-DSP) has a DSP fitted toallow digital processing of the audio from the receiver. This gives the receiver the ability tofilter the audio, decode digital data and perform other processing on the audio signal.In-built DSP applets allow recording and playback from the Sound Recorder feature. Forcustomer specific applications, developers' information is available to allow new DSPsoftware to be added to the basic WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor software.Using a DSP AppletAll installed DSP applets appear in the 'DSP' menu in WiNRADiO. To start up an applet,select the appropriate applet from the menu. A window will appear allowing you to setupvarious parameters associated with the applet. All WiNRADiO functions can still be usedwhile the applet is still running.Adding a DSP AppletTo add a new applet, copy the file into the directory where WiNRADiO is installed. Appletfiles have a .DSP extension. If WiNRADiO is already running, close it down first.When WiNRADiO starts up, it will load all the DSP applets found in its directory and addthe applet's functions to the DSP menu.Signal Conditioner AppletThe WiNRADiO Spectrum Monitor software comes supplied with a DSP applet thatprovides high performance post-demodulation audio filtering, which is particularly usefulwhen receiving CW and SSB signals, and in some cases (for example HF broadcast) AM.To run this DSP applet, select corresponding item in the DSP menu (ie. DSP - Start applet -Signal Conditioner). The following window appears on the screen:This is the description of the controls:1. Bandpass Filter enables the audio ‘brick wall’ band pass filter. See ‘6’ and ‘7’ to tunethe filter response in real time.2. Noise Reduction enables adaptive random noise filtering. This option works better forhigher signal-to-noise ratios.3. Auto Notch enables adaptive automatic heterodyne cancellation. The Auto Notcheliminates multiple tones form the audio spectrum. This is very useful to cancel ‘carriersignals’, while receiving SSB-modulated signals.4. Marker Tone activates generation of audible tone with its frequency equal to the centrefrequency of the pass band of the filter. This is useful guide for tunning-in on CWsignals. A complementary visual guide is the real time FFT display (8).
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide325. Gain sets the pre-processing numerical gain of the signal inside the DSP. This parameterhelps to resolve the ‘signal-to-noise vs. audio distortion’ trade-off. If the filtered signalsounds too distorted, choose a lower gain. The ‘AGC’ option activates automatic gaincontrol algorithm. This function does not supplement the main AGC for the receiver, asit is applied only 'inside' the DSP as an automatic numerical amplification adjustment.6. Low/High/Centre/Width parameters control the corresponding pass band frequencies ofthe filter. The two pairs (Low/High and Centre/Width) are synchronized, so that changein one parameter is subsequently transformed into change of the others. The enterednumbers are rounded to 10Hz steps.7. Interactive filter tunning control. You can independently drag the lower and uppertransition bands with the mouse. It is also possible to move the whole pass band ('tune'),simply by dragging the upper horizontal part of the displayed response.8. Real time FFT display. Shows the spectrum of the audio signal. The vertical range ofthe display is 80dB. Frequency axis marks are displayed above the FFT display.9. FFT Source - selects whether the FFT is computed before or after filtering of the signal.10. Bar toggles between displaying spectral envelope and spectral lines, while Grid enablesthe green rectangular grid on the FFT display.11. Exit stops the Signal Conditioner applet and unloads the DSP, so that other task(different applet or the Sound Recorder) can be performed. It is possible to stop theapplet by selecting ‘DSP - Stop applet’ in the WR-3700i-DSP menu.12. About displays the version info.13. Settings is used to store and quickly retrieve different combinations of controlparameters. To Store current setting, type any desired name into the 'listbox' line and theclick the 'Save' button. To recall pre-stored settings, simply select the proper name in the'listbox'. To remove selected item form the list box, click the 'Delete' button.Note: The Band pass filter uses finite impulse response (FIR ) design, so the phase delayresponse is inherently linear. This filter is ideal for 'cleaning up' any data mode beforeoutputting the signal to a third party decoder. To adjust the filter to any FSK modulatedsignal, set the lower cutoff frequency ('LOW') slightly below the lower tone and the highercutoff frequency above the higher tone of the signal.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide33Developer InformationIf you would like to develop your own software for the WiNRADiO receiver, fullprogramming information is available from the WiNRADiO WWW site on the Internet athttp://www.winradio.com. Full API and DDE specifications are outlined including sourceand examples that can be downloaded for C++, Delphi and Visual Basic programmers.If you would like to develop your own DSP applets, development information can beobtained by e-mailing WiNRADiO at support@winradio.com.
WR-3700 Series User’s Guide34Declaration Of ConformityThis device, trade name WiNRADiO Communications Receiver, model number WR-3700i-DSP or WR-3700e complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to thefollowing two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) thisdevice must accept any interference received, including interference that may causeundesired operation.I have determined and warrant that the above described devices has been shown to complywith the requirements of the FCC Part 15, by having a device tested at an accredited testinglaboratory. Each unit marked is identical to the device as tested. Compliance assumes nounauthorized changes will be made to the equipment and it will be maintained and operatedproperly. A test report has been generated. A technical file containing the test report will bemaintained for a period of at least 2 years after manufacturing ceases. It is also understoodthat characteristics of this equipment will require retesting.Milan HudecekManaging DirectorforRobotron Pty. Ltd.222 St. Kilda RoadSt. Kilda 3182Australia+61 3 9525 5300

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