parnass@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) (07/07/86)
x Why Can't My Scanner Scan Faster? Bob Parnass, AJ9S Scanner enthusiasts have tried to modify their radios to scan and search faster. Some modifications are suc- cessful, while others produce undesirable side effects. Factors That Limit Scan Rate There are limits to how fast radios can change fre- quency (scan or search) and still perform well without requiring modification of squelch circuitry. Most AM/FM scanners use the logic level output from a squelch circuit to determine whether a signal is present or absent. This signal is used for the purpose of stopping, or interrupting the scan operation. The ability of the common squelch circuit to detect the presence of a signal is dependent on at least 2 fac- tors: 1. the strength of the signal 2. the duration of the signal The first factor may be obvious to most readers, and is often specified as the "squelch sensitivity". It is the second factor that is important to our discussion. If a signal is present only for an instant, the squelch may not detect it, even if the signal is strong. In general, the faster the scan rate, the less time the squelch circuit has to detect the signal, and the stronger it must be in order to stop the scan. In practical terms, the squelch circuit time constant imposes a limit on how fast a given radio can scan and still be able to stop on signals of weak or moderate strength. Another limit is imposed by phase lock loop synthesizer circuits, which require time to "lock up" on a fre- quency. Circuits That Determine Scan Rate Most crystal controlled scanners contain a simple oscillator (also referred to as a "clock") whose sole function is to force the radio to switch frequencies. Speeding up the scan rate in this type of scanner is easy, usually just a matter of changing a resistor or capacitor in the clock circuit. Modern programmable scanners employ microprocessors to control scanning, as well as other functions, like key- board decoding, frequency limits checking, timing scan delay, priority channel sampling, etc. The scan rate in these sophisticated scanners is determined within the microprocessor firmware. Well intentioned hobbyists have attempted to speed up these programmable radios by altering the speed at which the microprocessor executes its internal instruc- tions. Not only does this increase the scan rate, but it can have several undesirable effects, like causing loss of memory, increasing the power consumption and temperature of the microprocessor chip, etc. -- =============================================================================== Bob Parnass, Bell Telephone Laboratories - ihnp4!ihu1g!parnass - (312)979-5414