Computer Aided Technologies
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REVIEW - Scancat-Gold for Windows Ver 8.0
Reprinted with express permission of
Scanning USA Magazine
- Jan 2002
REVIEW - Scancat-Gold for Windows Ver 8.0
Reprinted with express permission of
Scanning USA Magazine
- Jan 2002
This month, I'll introduce you to the latest version of Scancat-Gold for
Windows Surveillance Enhanced (SCGW-SE).
Jim Springer from Computer Aided Technologies (CAT) was kind enough to send
us a copy of version 8.0.2.2 for this review. Version 7.57 was last
reviewed by Scanning USA in April 2000.
If you've never used software to control your computer enabled scanner,
you're missing some great enhancements that can only be achieved through
the use of a 3rd party utility like SCGW-SE.
Benefits gained from using SCGW-SE
· Alpha-tags
· Automatic logging of active frequencies
· Easy programming for off-line use
· Audio recording/logging
· Unattended monitoring and logging
· Spectrum scope
Installation:
For this review I installed SCGW-SE on a 450 MHz Windows 98 PC and used an Icom PCR-1000 computer controlled receiver. Look for a review of the Icom PCR-1000 receiver in a future issue of Scanning USA. I also hooked up a Drake R8 and a Uniden BC895XLT to test the ease of setup. The recommended computer requirements for SCGW-SE are
* Windows 95\98\ME (Windows NT4/2000 are currently not supported)
* 32 Megs Ram
* VGA Monitor
* 8 meg installation space on Hard drive
* 2-3 Gigs of available hard drive space for recording "wav" files.
After you install SCGW-SE, and use the necessary cables to connect your
radio to the computer, you're ready to get started. If you want to take
advantage of the audio logging, don't forget to run a cable from your
receiver line-out (or speaker/headphone out) to the microphone input on
your computer!
Setup
When you start SCGW-SE for the first time, you'll need to setup the
application to work with your equipment. The folks at CAT have made this
about as easy as it can be. Simply pick your radio from the list and
select the Com Port you used (1-6 are supported). Everything else is set
for you.
The user can tweak just about every setting in this software package (from
scan speed to Com Port resources). Using the default settings should get
you up and running though. Once you're comfortable with the operation of
the application, you can do some tweaking to get better results (higher
scan speeds and better performance).
As far as I know SCGW-SE supports the largest number of radios of any
software currently available. I was very impressed to see all of my
computer-enabled equipment on the list (Drake R8, Radio Shack Pro-2035 with
Opto Board, Uniden BC895XLT, BC245XLT, and the Icom PCR-1000)
If you have the right equipment, you can even "slave" multiple radios.
Slaving allows one radio to do the scanning, and when it encounters an
active signal it tunes in a "slaved" radio to do the monitoring while the
primary radio continues scanning. See the ScanCat website for more
details.
Features
The true value of any applications is based on what it can actually do.
After several weeks of playing with SCGW-SE, I'm still finding neat little
features that help set it apart from the others.
Some highlights of this application are
* Conventional scanning/searching
* Trunking (when used with a trunk capable radio)
* Spectrum analysis (real-time and log analysis)
* Frequency logging
* Audio recording
* Activity frequency alarm
* Memory upload/download (most models)
* Frequency database functions
* Linked bank scan
* Detailed report printing
Almost everything can be accomplished with a click of a mouse or the press
of just a few keys. The optional "bubble help" will explain every piece of
the screen. Perfect for those users just starting to use the application.
The upload/download function (when used with my Drake R8 Uniden BC895XLT,
and 245XLT) saved a lot of time and frustration. I was able to completely
download the memories of the radios, make a few changes and upload data
back into them without a problem.
You have several options when it comes to generating frequency lists. They
can be manually input, or imported from the various CD-ROM based frequency
programs. I was even able to import the data extracted from my homemade
logbook application.
Being able to record action as it happens is a feature that really
impressed me. Step away from the computer for a wile & you can instantly
review what happened while you were gone. Not only was the data easily
accessible, the recordings are indexed by frequency, making it much easier
to find just the information you're looking for.
Tech Support
I had a small glitch in the way SCGW-SE acted with my Uniden BC895XLT. A
quick e-mail to Jim at CAT was all it took. He had me up and running
within a couple of hours.
Summary
Overall, I think SCGW-SE is a very impressive piece of software. The
number of available options can be, at times, a little overwhelming. Also,
the naming convention of the various data files is a little confusing at
first, but consulting the manual quickly sets things straight.
This is what I would call a semi-professional application. If you're just
wanting to upload/download frequencies to your radio, it's overkill. If
you really want to study the radio spectrum in your area and take advantage
of advanced data collection/analysis, this tool will fit the bill nicely.
I found the SCGW-SE package to be a very robust and extremely stable
application that can continually run and gather frequency information.
There's a learning curve to use the software to it's full potential, but if
you're serious about scanning, it shouldn't be an issue. Visit the CAT
website and take the demo for a test drive. I think you'll be pleasantly
surprised at the quality of the latest version of Scancat-Gold for Windows!
Resources
Computer Aided Technologies has a 1.6 MB demo program available on the
company website http//www.scancat.com/ The full registered version of
SCGW-SE can be purchased from Computer Aided Technologies for $159.95.
About the Author
Andrew Everhart (N9WCN) has been scanning the airwaves since 1990. Areas
of interest include monitoring DC to Daylight with special interest towards
Police/Fire communications and Short-wave Utility's. Andrew is the
Webmaster and creator of IndyScan.com, the largest collection of Indiana
scanner information available on the Internet. IndyScan.com covers all
aspects of scanning (above 30 MHz).
Questions/comments about this review
are welcomed and encouraged. Andrew can be reached at
webmaster@indyscan.com or AOL-IM IndyScan.
Basically, if you can think of it, it's probably in there.
Usability
You're probably going to need to refer to the spiral-bound 158-page
instruction manual when accessing some of the more advanced features. The
written documentation is very complete and easy to understand.
In addition to the normal ScanCat documentation, the "SE" version of SCGW
has an additional 20-page instruction manual. This secondary manual covers
the added enhancements. I found the screen layouts to be quite logical and thorough.