[Scanner] Re: Any Optoelectronics Digital Scout users?

[Ubbe]

I have both the analog Scout40 and the Digital Scout.

The digital is far from as reliable as the analog Scout.
When testing with digital cellphones and digital 2-way radios
it captures successfully about 50% of the transmission even
within a distance of 1 meter (3feet). The analog have a successrate
of 99% within 10 meters using analog signals.

And forget about the analog capabilities of the Digital Scout.
The range is about 30-50 meters with analog signals, compared
to up to 500 meters that I once captured a pager transmitter
with the Scout40, or an aeroplane at about the same distance.

And this is when constantly fiddling with the Digitals squelch
level that you'll need to adjust to match the background signal
level to be able to capture anything at all.

And the user interface of the Digital is terrible, not at all
like the field operational friendly Scout40. The Scout40 is
clearly designed by a person who uses these things himself.
The Digi Scout is designed by someone sitting behind a desk
that have never used radio equippments outside his office.

This is one the first Digital Scout that Opto did. Maybe they
have improved its performance over time, but I doubt it.

I have tested the Digi with digital and analog analyzers and
it is within its specification, so I belive it to be in fully
working condition. The Digi have some strange behaviour related
to its charger connector. When removing the plug, or checking
that it's properly seated by wiggling it, the brake and make
switch in the Digis connector didn't do what the designer had
thought and blow the SMD fuse and two 5 volt stabilizer IC's.
Extreamly stupid design.

Ubbe.


Attu Bosch wrote:
> 
> Are there any users of this digital model on the discussion group?