[ARDF] Re: Remote Start, Delayed Start, and PicCons...

[Homingin at aol.com]

Matthew wrote:
<<When I pushed all the buttons (SW1) quickly, starting the 9 hour 15 minute delay, three started and were blinking, but two did not blink.>>

None should have been blinking.  Unless Byon changed the firmware, the LED works as follows:

1) At power-up:  Two or three flashes

2)  Button push:  One flash

3)  As DTMF is received:  Rapid flashing

4)  During command sequence such as A4xxxx:  Slow flashing between characters

5)  During delayed start:  LED off (saves battery)

6)  After start delay:  On when transmitting, flashing between transmissions

<<Bob Frey recommended just quickly pushing the buttons, (1-to-5) to start.>>

The problem with syncing with the button on the PicCon is that each push toggles the sequence on or off.  If you can rapidly push each one carefully exactly once, fine.  But if you miss or if it bounces and you double-push, you could get no action or on-then-off and not realize it.  During delayed start there is no flashing of the LED, so how can you be sure that you actually started the delay or if it bounced off instead?  That's why I prefer a DTMF 1, sent to all foxes simultaneously with an audio cable.  I get perfect sync, I can watch each of the LEDs flashing during the DTMF to be sure the 1 is received by each box, and there's no fear of bounce-off.

<<If you misprogram, the delayed start might not work.>>

I have used delayed start over a dozen times.  I have only goofed once, and it made the boxes come on about 5 minutes later than I expected.  I must have computed the wait time incorrectly.  I'm willing to take the chance of misprogramming to eliminate propagation/interference problems and the chance for cheating, since we don't impound gear during our local hunts.

<<One thing I'd like to see is a reprogramming of the PicCon firmware.  I'd like the IARU (ARDF) mode to automatically set 5 Ts on a 5 minute cycle...>>

I see no reason to fix the firmware, because the PicCon remembers callsign and all commands in EEPROM.  You don't have to reprogram anything that doesn't change from hunt to hunt.  Unless I do something special, my boxes are always pre-programmed for the standard ARDF cycle.  All I do before each hunt is change the A4xxxx command if the start delay will be different from last time.  Everything else stays the same.

73,
Joe K0OV