Strong Signals - Feature Review

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Mike continues his examination of BC245XLT software which includes a handy utility program which can not only be used to make backup copies of your radio's memory but allows users to share data files.

BC245 Backup

by Mike Agner, KA3JJZ

While starting to do reviews of the various software packages that work with the BC245, I soon realized that it would behoove me to make a backup of my programming in case something went wrong. I became aware of a program called BC245 Backup on the BC245xlt Yahoo group, and it sounded exactly like for what I was looking.

Installation was a snap. I simply went to the [website] and downloaded the program, then moved it into its own folder. What wasn't a snap, however, was the fact that there were no instructions nor a help file. I had heard that Doug Fisher's popular site had some instructions, but people had complained that the instructions simply didn't work for them, or were confusing.

Fortunately someone on the Yahoo group decided to write their own instructions, and it seems that these are clearer and a bit easier to follow.

To start the process, you need to download data from the 245 to the program. With the scanner turned off:

HOLD down the 'E' key, and while keeping it down turn on the radio (don't release 'E' until you see "1 SCANr" in the window)
Press the up arrow (hold) key until you see "3 CLONE"
Press 'E', and you should see "FirSt" -- NOT flashing

Press the 'E' on the scanner, and 'FirSt' should start flashing. Quickly press the 'Get Data' button on the screen. You may get a warning about getting the radio ready, but when I did these steps, I started seeing hexadecimal data being transferred. If you wait too long between these 2 steps, the program will time out.

If everything worked OK, the radio will say 'donE' when completed. I found that I had to remind my 245 that my first bank was a trunking bank, but that's a minor nit. Be aware, though, that you must add the .sbu extension on the file that results. The program will attempt to put the file in the c:/mydocuments folder; I would recommend putting it in the same folder as the program to keep its source fresh in your mind.

To prepare the 245 to receive data from the program, you must do the following:

HOLD down the 'E' key, and while keeping it down turn on the radio (don't release 'E' until you see "1 SCANr" in the window)
Press the up arrow (hold) key until you see "3 CLONE"
Press 'E', and you should see "FirSt" -- NOT flashing
Press the up arrow (hold) key to get "CLONE" -- NOT flashing

Next, press the 'Load' button on the screen, and load the desired .sbu file. Now hit the 'E' button on the radio and make sure the 'CLONE' message is flashing. If it is, then press the 'Send Data' button. You may get a warning about how the radio must be in Clone mode (I did); press 'OK' and the data should start uploading to the radio. Once again, the radio will say 'donE' when the operation is completed. Additionally, you will also need to remind the 245 about the status of any trunking banks you may have just reloaded.

This program is, as you can see, a bit tricky to use. When you are ready to backup or reload the radio, the last steps must be done in a fairly quick order, or the software will time out. It would have been nice to have a button that would wipe the 245's memory. It also would have been useful to have the program remember to put the .sbu extension on the file in the same directory as the program, but these are fairly minor nits.

The program is convienient; I now have a master backup to which I can restore no matter how much I might mis-program my 245, and that's a very useful thing to have. Too, you can share your file with others who might need your data in a very efficient way, as the file is pretty small. All in all, this is a useful utility to have around.

Mike Agner, KA3JJZ
ka3jjz@erols.com