The Frequency Manager + Scanner plugin delivers a full-featured frequency management tool permitting you to manage and browse frequencies and to scan ranges of frequencies or groups of frequencies that you define.
Version 1.6.5
This is a maintenance version; there are no new features.
- Changes in SDR# broke the feature "Mute Audio when Scanning". This has been corrected in this version.
- Fixed the error in "Mute Audio when Scanning" that cause the volume to be zero when SDR# started.
- The Minimum Signal Strength line on the spectrum analyzer now tracks the Offset slider setting.
- The "CheckDb()" error on startup is fixed.
**Please note that plugins version 1.6.5 requires SDR# version 1294 or newer**
Version 1.6
Frequency Manager
- The Frequency Description is now displayed in the upper-right corner of the spectrum analyzer, along with the indicator for multiple database entries for that frequency.
- As a result of moving the above information to the spectrum analyzer, the Frequency Manager panel is now 35% smaller.
- The Clipboard Monitor now optionally watches the clipboard for frequencies you might have copied from the internet; and if that can be converted to a MHz value it tunes the radio to that frequency.
- Function Keys F1-F10 can now be used to tune to a preset frequency.
- A new Minimum Signal Strength Line is displayed on the spectrum display. This, along with real-time display of the current signal’s strength when the scanner is running, let you see at a glance how that signal compares to your scanner settings. In addition you can use customize the line with one of 6 line patterns.
- Current Signal Strength in dB is displayed in the upper right corner of the spectrum analyzer, just after the Frequency Description.
- Timeout and Watchdog timers’ indicators are now displayed in the upper right corner of the spectrum analyzer.
**Please note that plugins version 1.6 require SDR# version 1248 or newer**
Version 1.4
Frequency Manager
- Frequency Presets - there are now 10 frequency presets you may use to store and recall favorite frequencies.
- A new Signal Strength Indicator displays a real-time measure of a frequency’s signal strength compared to the Minimum Signal Strength that you set. The indicator shows the signal strength as it bounces below and above your minimum, and also shows when the “Seconds wait for transmission” and “Watchdog” timers have been triggered.
- The Scanner Configuration window now has two tabs which organize scanner behavior into Rules settings and Performance settings.
- Snap to next Step Size: a new checkbox lets you force the scanner to tune a scanned frequency to the SDR# step size, or instead allow it to tune to the actual detected peak signal strength of a frequency.
- Update a frequency’s Date when monitored: a new checkbox that causes the scanner to record the current date for a frequency that is already in your database, when the scanner lands on that frequency.
- Adjacent Frequency Rejection: a new setting that lets you define the width of the area around a tuned frequency that is used to monitor signal strength after tuning to a frequency. This reduces the influence of adjacent strong frequencies that “splatter” into the tuned frequency’s step size or bandwidth size.
- Faster scanning speed: Scanning speed has been improved yet again, and is now faster than the improvements in version 1.31. On my equipment I now average 1.6 GHz scanning speed as measured with the built-in benchmark tool on a range scan.
- Improvements to the busy-frequency detection process.
**Please note that plugins v1.4 require SDR# versions between 1110 and 1222**
System Requirements
Generally speaking if you can run SDR Sharp, you can use the Frequency Manager + Scanner plugin. As with any software, the more capable your hardware the better the software will run.
- OS: Windows XP Pro SP3, Windows 7, or Windows 8. The binaries are compiled for a 32-bit environment for the broadest compatibility but run equally well in an x64 environment.
- Processor: 1-gigahertz processor or faster; 2 or more cores is recommended. Hyper-threading/Multi-threading should be enabled for the best performance. NOTE: SDR# and my plugins are multi-threaded applications, meaning they perform multiple tasks simultaneously. As a result you may have performance problems if your processor cannot execute at least 4 threads simultaneously.
- Memory: 1 gigabyte or more total in the computer.
- Hard Disk: The software requires 1MB; the frequency database size is dependent on the number of records. 2000 records will fit in a 620KB database.
- .NET: Version 3.5 runtime as required by SDR Sharp.
The Scanner Metrics plugin is an accessory to the Frequency Manager + Scanner plugin. It records scanner activity to a database and performs analysis on that information; the goal being to make it easier for you to determine which of the millions of frequencies you can receive actually are worth spending time on.
You may, for example, setup a frequency range scan, turn down the volume, and go to bed. In the morning you can use the plugin to display graphs that show you the most active frequencies during the monitoring period.
System Requirements
Scanner Metrics requires the same hardware and software as the Frequency Manager + Scanner plugin, plus the following:
- Hard Disk: The software requires less than 50KB; the frequency database size is dependent on the number of records, which in turn is based on how active the monitored frequencies are. 8000 records will fit in a 600KB database.
- Microsoft Chart Controls for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, available from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=14422.
- SDR# Frequency Manager + Scanner version 1.31 or newer.
The Frequency Entry plugin restores the ability to enter the desired Center frequency into SDR#. It’s extremely simple to use and requires nothing more than an operational copy of SDR# Revision 1110 or newer.
Frequency Manager + Scanner Tools is a standalone application that lets you import and export frequency data, and convert XML files from K5DEV’s Frequency Manager into a file that can be imported into Frequency Manager + Scanner’s database.
All of my plugins are delivered using a single automated installer. During installation you select the plugins you desire and the program will install those plugins into SDR#, edit the configuration file for you, and copy well-written documentation into a folder for your use. The same program will also upgrade or uninstall the software and documentation.
You can always find a link to the latest version of my software in the Downloads section on the left.
Thank you for using my plugins!