Cloning
What
is cloning?
You can exchange channel data,
frequency ranges etc. between two IC-R10 receivers, or between a receiver
and a PC. This process is referred to as cloning. During cloning
a complete memory image is transferred from one device to the other.
If you own more than one receiver, you might consider one the master, and make sure programming and editing is done on this receiver. After making changes, you simply 'fill' the other IC-R10's with the same data by using the cloning technique. Or, when attending an organized scanning event, such as a visit to an airport with your friends, you can 'borrow' the scanning data from a companion's unit.
If you do not own more than
one IC-R10 or have no friends to exchange IC-R10 data with, cloning can
be used to interchange data between a scanner and a PC. In this case, you
need a program that allows editing of frequency and scanning data. This
data can be read from or written to a file, where one file corresponds
to the contents of an IC-R10's memory. You use the PC keyboard to conveniently
enter frequencies, receiver modes, etc. and finally upload the whole bunch
of data using a cable to your scanner.
Scanner-to-scanner
cloning
As described before, you might
consider one IC-R10 as the master, overwriting the memory contents of one
or more (slave) units with the data from this master. Icom supplies a dedicated
cable for this, with part number OPC-474. This cable connects to the earphone
sockets of two receivers. Both scanners are then placed in clone mode,
which means they are prepared to exchange data, as opposed to their normal
operation.
After placing both scanners
in clone mode, you can initiate the transfer from one unit to the other.
Please note that the OPC-474 cable has only two ends, so the number of
units that can be interconnected is limited to two at a time.
PC-to-scanner
cloning
Instead of using two IC-R10's
you can use a PC to transfer data. When cloning from a PC to a scanner,
you're placing a predefined memory image in the unit. You need the OPC-478
cloning cable, that has a stereo earphone jack on one end and a 9-pin D-sub
serial port connector on the other.
The main advantage of this technique is that you can use the PC keyboard to enter scanning data, which is often more convenient than the unit's own keyboard. If you find that 1000 memory channels is not enough to store all frequencies you listen to, you can create multiple 'profiles'. Each profile is contained in a PC file and can be opened, edited and saved using software.
You might create multiple
profiles depending on what you are planning to listen to. A profile for
aviation, containing all aviation frequencies and scanning ranges that
you know of might be useful when you're planning to visit an airport. You
can create additional profiles for listening in your car, out in the field,
etc.
Auto
mode and auto tuning step
When you use PC-to-scanner cloning,
you automatically get two new options that are not available when using
the IC-R10 by itself: auto mode and auto tuning step. This
means that, when using VFO mode, your scanner will automatically select
the appropriate reception mode (AM, WFM, etc.) and tuning step for the frequency
you enter. This selection is based on a table you supply yourself. Such
a table looks like the following:
Start End Mode Tuning stepEntry number 1 in this table means that the receiver will automatically assume USB mode and a tuning step of 10,0 (kHz) when a frequency between 0,5 and 30 MHz has been entered (provided that the auto mode is selected first). Note that the auto mode functions only in VFO mode. You can define 15 frequency ranges and the desired reception modes and tuning steps within those ranges.
-------------------------------------------
0.50000 30.00000 USB 10,0
30.00000 87.50000 FM 5,0
87,50000 108,00000 WFM 100,0
Please note that, in order
to edit and upload the auto mode and tuning step table, you must
use PC-to-scanner
cloning. It is possible
to receive this table using scanner-to-scanner cloning, provided that the
master unit already has such a table in its memory. There is no way to
manually edit the auto mode table using the IC-R10's keyboard.
Last updated January 16,
1999