Quick-Menu Index

Post Reply
W9YA
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:16 am
Location: DM65pd38
Contact:

Quick-Menu Index

Post by W9YA » Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:33 pm

HI Roger and the gang here;

I'd like to suggest that the "Orange-button's" menu be indexed to "TS Filter: " instead of "Channel --> VFO" . I (and everyone I have asked) toggles the TS Filer on and off many times each day. I (we) don't use the current index (top of the menu) choice even once per day.; so it seems to make sense that TS Filter show up as the "preferred" item.

TIA for both considering this change AND for all the great work you guys do.

VERY 73 de "baab" w9ya

VK3KYY
Posts: 7486
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by VK3KYY » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:02 pm

W9YA wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:33 pm
HI Roger and the gang here;

I'd like to suggest that the "Orange-button's" menu be indexed to "TS Filter: " instead of "Channel --> VFO" . I (and everyone I have asked) toggles the TS Filer on and off many times each day. I (we) don't use the current index (top of the menu) choice even once per day.; so it seems to make sense that TS Filter show up as the "preferred" item.

TIA for both considering this change AND for all the great work you guys do.

VERY 73 de "baab" w9ya
This is personal preference.

The best solution is for the firmware to remember which option was selected while the radio remains turned on.

We only have limited space to store things, because of the "page" size in the EEPROM, so making the radio remember this when its power cycled, would need to be considered very carefully, i.e whether a scarce resource should be used for this, instead of something else which we may need the space for in the future.

VK3KYY
Posts: 7486
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by VK3KYY » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:04 pm


W9YA
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:16 am
Location: DM65pd38
Contact:

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by W9YA » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:45 pm

VK3KYY wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:02 pm
This is personal preference.

The best solution is for the firmware to remember which option was selected while the radio remains turned on.

We only have limited space to store things, because of the "page" size in the EEPROM, so making the radio remember this when its power cycled, would need to be considered very carefully, i.e whether a scarce resource should be used for this, instead of something else which we may need the space for in the future.
Changing the order is ALL I am asking for, NOT more programming space for a new feature....hi hi

SO maybe I should ask, why was it found more desirable to have the order "index" where it is now ? IF the answer is simply "personal preference", then does it make sense to change it to something that most (virtually all) users would find more useful ? MAYBE not...I really don't know one way or another.

W9YA
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:16 am
Location: DM65pd38
Contact:

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by W9YA » Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:47 pm

Thanks for considering doing this !!...Although I was ONLY trying to change the order...hi hi.

VK3KYY
Posts: 7486
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by VK3KYY » Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:04 am

The problem with changing the order, is that everyone uses the radio differently.

You want that menu item to be first, someone else may want some other menu item to be first.

Probably a more important question is why do you want to turn the TS filter on and off on a regular basis.

W9YA
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:16 am
Location: DM65pd38
Contact:

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by W9YA » Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:21 am

VK3KYY wrote:
Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:04 am
The problem with changing the order, is that everyone uses the radio differently.

You want that menu item to be first, someone else may want some other menu item to be first.

Probably a more important question is why do you want to turn the TS filter on and off on a regular basis.
Um, okey dokey, I can answer that because it is a good question:

Dynamic TGs:
- With a Brandmeister repeater any TG can show up on any TS at any time because the end user decides. SO I listen to both time slots at once, more especially when things are "idle". Then when I am transmitting OR when I am listening and things get busy on both time slots, it makes sense to only listen to one TS per channel.

Static TGs:
- We have 6 repeaters in the immediate area on three separate networks and 4 of those repeaters are on the Brandmeister network. Local hams can show up on any of 4 different talk groups (local, statewide, statewide chat, and the "cluster") on ANY of the Brandmeister repeaters; so no matter what is static, they are NOT all on the same TS, and the need to listen to both slots is paramount.

- On the RMHAM network, there are similar issues between the various TGs not being all on the same TS and needing to listen to both TS for upcoming traffic.


I could go on and on, but the above should (I hope) explain why we listen to both time slots and then go to only one time slot several times a day.


Anyways, I am thrilled you are giving this enough attention to discuss this.

es vy 73 om de "baab" w9ya

VK3KYY
Posts: 7486
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:25 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by VK3KYY » Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:36 am

With BM, I'm surprised that the TG can end up on either TS.

Do you mean that on local repeaters they end up on either TS or is it onto your duplex hotspot.

In the BM selfcare dashboard, you assign static routes for TG's to each TS, of a repeater or duplex hotspot.
I think if you assign the same TG to TS1 and TS2 it gets routed to both at the same time, but I could be wrong

W9YA
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:16 am
Location: DM65pd38
Contact:

Re: Quick-Menu Index

Post by W9YA » Fri Mar 12, 2021 4:29 pm

VK3KYY wrote:
Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:36 am
With BM, I'm surprised that the TG can end up on either TS.

Do you mean that on local repeaters they end up on either TS or is it onto your duplex hotspot.

In the BM selfcare dashboard, you assign static routes for TG's to each TS, of a repeater or duplex hotspot.
I think if you assign the same TG to TS1 and TS2 it gets routed to both at the same time, but I could be wrong
It works the same for a repeater or a dual-slot hotspot. At the Brandmeister end it does not matter.

More to the point:
- A repeater owner will NOT want to set up (i.e. static assignments of) two heavily used TGs on the same TS. A classic example is wanting to support a Statewide calling channel and a Statewide tac/chatting channel. The repeaters tend to be setup with one on each TS. Hence my earlier note about how Static TGs tend to be used, AND why the end user would want to monitor both as the operator monitoring would want to be able to hear regardless of where a conversation is taking place. (i.e Which TS.)

- And Brandmeister really doesn't care where it is sending requested data streams v/v TS. Try this some time; set up a static TG and then use the OTHER timeslot dynamically for the same TG !! (Same datastream on both slots.....)

- Even networks without Dynamic routing, like RMHAM and MARC (we have some of both local here too), will assign TGs for maximum usage of the two data-paths each repeater supports.

SO...the end user will generally WANT to be able to listen to both. If not then there isn't any need or desire for dual-slot monitoring. I didn't use to use it for many years, but then the openGD77 came along made so many desirable features so easy to access, and my operating style changed. I guess I am MERELY trying to point out that it has become the MOST used feature on the quick-menu for both myself and others I have spoken to about this.

Anyways, going full circle on this discussion, I *think* indexing the quick-menu features to the TS filtering would make a lot of sense. I hope my explanation was at the very least understandable.

Again, thanks for spending your time discussing this minor item !! es vy 73 om de "baab" w9ya

Post Reply