SCANBASE

Version 2.1


ScanBase is a Windows program that enhances the use
of your scanner radio. The problem with most scanners is
that once you've entered all your active frequencies it
is very difficult to remember what each one is. This is
especially true of the newer scanners that can hold
hundreds of frequencies. Well, ScanBase will remember
everything you need to know for up to 200 channels on your
scanner. Besides keeping a description for each frequency
ScanBase will help you figure out which channels are active
and will also keep track of which channels you've got
locked out.

IMPORTANT - If you have already been using an earlier
version of ScanBase be sure to read the UPGRADE.DOC file
included in SCBASE21.ZIP.



GETTING STARTED -

ScanBase uses two data files to store all of the
scanner information. Copy SCANBASE.DAT and SCANBASE.BNK
to your Windows directory along with the program file
SCANBASE.EXE. ScanBase will not work without both data
files. ScanBase is a Visual Basic program and requires
that VBRUNxxx.DLL be in your Windows path. VBRUNxx.DLL is
a MicroSoft run-time file. VBRUNxx.DLL is freely distributed
and can be obtained from many computer bulletin boards
(including CompuServe).

Once you have Scanbase installed on your computer
you can run it just like any other Windows program. The
first time you run it you will see the sample data from
my own scanner. It is a good idea to play around with the
sample data before spending the necessary time to enter your
scanner information. Feel free to experiment. None of the
changes you make will be final unless you press the SAVE
button or turn on AUTOSAVE (more about that later). Pressing
the RESTORE button will undo any changes since the last save.

All of the frequency and descriptive information can
be directly edited by clicking on any text box and entering
information in the normal manner. The tab key will move you
from one box to the next, or you can just use the mouse to
select any text box at random.

If you feel like starting right in on your own data-
base you can use the CLEAR button to clear all of the sample
information. If you then press SAVE you will write the
blank info to disk and then you can start entering the data
from your scanner. The rest of the documentation includes
specific information on each of the controls.







INDICATOR LIGHTS-

The red and green lights on the left side of the
screen provide a quick indication of which channels you are
actually using. By default both lights are off. If you
have entered the frequency information and then get a hit on
a particular channel pressing the counter button will increment
the hit count by one and turn on the green light. If you
decide to put a channel on lockout (skip) you can turn on
the red light by clicking on it. A subsequent hit on the same
channel will turn the light from red to green. If you want
to turn either light on or off manually you can just click on
the light.



COUNTERS-

The counters along the right edge of the screen are
used to keep track of the hits on each frequency. As you
listen to your scanner you can press the appropriate counter
each time you hear something interesting. A short period of
scoring hits will soon show which of your frequencies are
really active and which ones you might want to think about
replacing. Remember, you aren't going to get any hits on a
frequency that you've got locked out.



BANKS-

The row of numbered buttons below the descriptions
is used to instantly change from one bank to another. ScanBase
stores 20 banks of 10 channels each, for a total of 200 channels.



SEARCH-

Most scanners include a search feature that allows you
to search through a range of frequencies looking for frequencies
you may not already know about. If you are using search mode
and don't know if the frequency you found is already in your
scanner you can use the SEARCH button to hunt through your
database. The SEARCH button is also a quick way to locate a
frequency that you already know is in there somewhere.



CLEAR-

The CLEAR button is used to clear frequency information,
descriptions, and reset the counters to zero. The CLEAR button
will allow you to choose to clear the entire database or just
one bank at a time. If you want to clear just one bank use the
numbered bank button to select the bank first and then press the
CLEAR button. If you make a mistake you can press RESTORE to
get the information back, provided you haven't already saved
the changes (by pressing SAVE or having AUTOSAVE turned on).



RESET-

RESET is similar to CLEAR except that it only changes
the counters to zero. Again, you can reset one bank (select the
bank first) or you can reset all channels.



RESTORE-

RESTORE will bring the database back to the point it
was at the last time you pressed SAVE. If you have AUTOSAVE
turned on RESTORE will take you back to the last save (sometime
within the last few minutes).



SAVE-

The SAVE button writes the database to disk. Once you
press the SAVE button all changes are final. If you have entered
information you don't want to risk losing press SAVE. You
should press SAVE before exiting the program to make sure
your database stays current.



AUTOSAVE-

If AUTOSAVE is selected from the options menu the
SAVE button will automatically be activated every couple of
minutes. The time interval will vary depending on the speed
of your computer. Even with AUTOSAVE turned on you should
press SAVE before exiting the program.



SCAN-

If SCAN is turned on you will see a scan across any
activated green lights. The SCAN option doesn't really do
anything, it just looks cool.



TEXT COLOR-
The TEXT COLOR option allow you to choose the color
used in the data entry fields. This is largely aesthetic,
but may improve the display on some laptops and monochrome
monitors.



PRINT-

PRINT is accessible through the File menu. You can
print out the information for one bank or print the entire
database. As with RESET and CLEAR you should select the
bank number first if you want to print just one bank.