Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/783510
26 did not control. But it's clear they appreciate that LectroRM makes their transmitters more fl exible and useful. They do contact me when they want to see new functionality built in, and I am more than happy to oblige. And the remote functionality is a selling point for their transmitters, so they do use LectroRM when promoting it. LECTROSONICS JUST RELEASED THEIR PDR DEVICE. DOES IT HAVE LECTRO RM SUPPORT? Yes and no. Instead of adding the PDR controls to LectroRM, I created a standalone app called PDRRe- mote. It is a near clone of LectroRM, except that it only works with the PDR device, and it's free. ABOUT FREQ FINDER WHAT IS FREQ FINDER? FreqFinder is a calculator that is designed to make transmitter channel selection with respect to inter- modulation more user-friendly. When many transmit- ters are used in the same area in the same frequency range, the combination of their transmissions can cause interference in ways that are not easily deter- mined by the radio operator. FreqFinder makes ac- counting for that interference more manageable. HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE INTERMODULATION EFFECT? Shared wisdom at fi rst, experience after that and then studying when I went to write FreqFinder. When it comes to the algorithm itself, there is a com- mon equation and set of practices employed by other software for this purpose. I've used Intermodulation Analysis System (IAS) fairly extensively in my work, but always for installs. I fi gured I could use a mobile version of the algorithm in my location jobs. FREQ FINDER LOOKS AND WORKS VERY DIFFERENT FROM IAS THOUGH... One of the most important parts of app writing is developing the right user interface. IAS is designed to provide a large number of compatible channels upon order. Their default calculation allows for large channel counts. While a scan can be imported, the frequencies provided do not account for the scan. For installs, large channel counts are needed, the radio atmosphere doesn't change, and there is time to fi ne- tune and test the resulting channel lists. FreqFinder is meant to be on-the-go. Fewer channels are needed, and generating channels quickly are sacrifi ced for more deliberate channel selection. YOU SAY THAT USER INTERFACE IS IMPORTANT BUT I CAN'T FIND A MANUAL ANYWHERE… I'm often asked why I don't have a manual and my usual answer is because by design, the user inter- face should be self-explanatory, and if it is not, I should redesign it. Then I offer to explain any part that doesn't seem intuitive, and that helps me know what needs to be redesigned. I also encourage users to explore. Virtually, all functions have immediately understandable and reversible effects so you won't break the app just by pressing buttons. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN DESIGNING A USER INTERFACE? I usually think about user interface on two levels. The fi rst level directs people where to go. Take the iPhone version of FreqFinder for example. A fresh in- stall has an opening screen with three buttons. The left slide menu button and title bar button navigate away from that screen but very quickly navigate back to the home screen. The '+' provides the immediate feedback of adding a new button to the screen with transmitter information and an arrow on the right, indicating progression. Pressing that button moves the confi guration process forward and tells the user that his goal is to confi gure his transmitters. The second level of user interface requires explora- tion. Nonessential functions are kept behind deeper menu trees and less intuitive user controls. The title button allows multiple profi les to be made. Long pressing on a transmitter in the list will bring the user directly to the Compatible Channels list, instead of the intermediary page. These functions are not needed to use FreqFinder, but they provide welcome advanced functionality. The left slide menu provides most of the smaller confi guration items, but the default settings do not need to be changed in most scenarios. OK. I'VE CONFIGURED MY TRANSMITTERS. WHAT DOES FREQ FINDER DO WITH THEM? The meat of FreqFinder is the Compatible Channels list. Selecting channels from this list assures users that their transmitter channels are compatible with each other. To determine this list, FreqFinder works in two stages. First, it takes every combination of two or three transmitters in your profi le and calculates their intermodulation products. Then, it removes from the All Channels list the channels that are close