[aprssig] D710 new firmware download

[Guido Trentalancia]

On Mon, 2011-05-23 at 16:25 -0400, Bob Bruninga wrote:
> Just found the list of all new D710 upgrade features.  (sorry for all my
> messages today, but this is the last item on my list of neat things I
> learned at Dayton:)
> 
> 0) ENTIRE ALWAYS: As described below, flashes every packet info on screen,
> not just new ones.
> 
[cut]
> 
> 12) D710 now recognizes the D72 type of radio 

And it now syncs the time with the GPS source (if available) !

> When I checked last night, this new firmware download was not yet posted on
> the Kenwood Site.  Don't ask me when it will be posted, but I assume as soon
> as the Kenwood crew returns from Dayton...
> 
> Bob, Wb4APR
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:26 AM
> Subject: [aprssig] Kenwood APRS Display Paradigm Shift
> 
> The new D710 Firmware was available at Dayton!
> 
> This release represents a PARADIGM SHIFT in the display of APRS data on
> mobile radios.  What they added were two instant-awareness features:  1) an
> INTERRUPT ALWAYS mode. And 2) a display of your OWN path each time you are
> digipeated so you can not only see that you got out, but by what digipeater.
> These are invaluable to the real time situational awareness of the mobile
> operator.
> 
> 
> When INTERRUPT ALWAYS is set, every packet heard now flashes its data on the
> screen for a few seconds so that the APRS junkie is continuously aware of
> what is going on around him.  He does not have to use any hands to see the
> APRS situation...  It was a joy riding back from Dayton and seeing
> everything going on in the areas I passed through.
> 
> The reason this is a paradigm shift, is because all Kenwood radios going
> back to 1998 would only flash the data on the screen the FIRST time that
> station was heard, and from then on, it would only flash the callsign and
> "DP" meaning duplicate packet.  Basically, unless you were watching the
> screen all the time and were memorizing in your head everything going on,
> you basically did not have the tactical picture unless you used your hands
> and SCROLLED down the entire station list periodically.
> 
> I never realized how debilitating this was because I live in the middle of
> the highest density APRS activity in the world (Wash/Baltimore area).  In
> any such high density area and with all the older radios only having a list
> depth of 40 stations, the 300+ stations on the air would quickly cycle down
> the full list, and a few minutes later, if a station beaconed again, he
> would be off the list and so now he was a NEW station again, and his data
> was FLASHED on the screen again.  In otherwords, I got to see plenty of
> fresh info and did not realize what I was not seeing.
> 
> BUT!!!  If you lived in a small town area where there were fewer than 40
> APRS stations EVER, then you would only see your local APRS stations flash
> on the screen ONCE and never again!!!  This is because only NEW data
> flashes, not any copy of old data, even if it was yesterday.
> 
> This problem was therefore not noticed by most heavy APRS users until the
> D710 came out with a depth of 100 stations in the station list.  Then I
> began to see even this effect in the Baltimore area.  All I would see would
> be "DP W3AXY" meaning it was a duplicate packet that I had heard sometime
> before maybe even days ago, and so it would not flash the info!  ARGH!
> 
> For the APRS junkie that wants to be immediately informed on everything
> going on in ham radio around him, that is on the air (what is in those
> packets???) then this had to be fixed.  SO now it is.  Now you can see
> EVRTYHING the instant it comes in.  This is how the add-on text displays on
> the Tinytracker and other trackers have been working for a while.
> 
> The only down side is when you want to use the radio for actual radio and
> the screen is being interrupted so much, it is hard to see what you are
> doing.  This is easily solved by momentarily just hitting the CALL button on
> the A side of the radio to QSY off the national channel for a few moments of
> peace while you play radio.
> 
> I love it!
> 
> Bob, WB4APR

73,

Guido IZ6RDB