MRMap - www.mrmap.org.uk

Apologies that this one is a bit thin but I'm currently up on Fair Isle without any radios to test this. However, if, like myself, anyone has tried to test the new channel zones function in the latest version of the FPP and hit a brick wall with a warning message that something is missing, then you need to visit the TMC website, http://www.tmcradio.com and download a program called 'FIT/Font Loader'. Unfortunately again, I can't actually test what effect running this program has on the problem but Glenn Sneddon at TMC is confident it will resolve it. If anyone wants to try it and add their findings to this blog for the benefit of others then I'd appreciate it. (depending on the permissions you have on this forum - you will probably need to post your reply in the support forum and not this one!)

As far as I can tell from here, SRP9100 portables fitted with a specific type of graphics card (MMI) need a new font for alpha-numeric display to function correctly. It seems that the new programming software in fact assumes this to be the case and requires the new font to be present anyway. Not completely sure on this one and if anyone finds differently, again, could they please let others know. There may or may not be an additional problem with series 1 SRPs inherently not being capable of using this function but I can't confirm this at this stage.

EDITORS NOTE: FPP Software now from: http://www.teamsimoco.com/WebSiteSoftwa ... nstall.zip

Rob,

* I had Version 5.44 of the FPP
* Downloaded and installed Version 5.47 (installed over the top i.e. did not uninstall V5.44)
* http://www.tmcradio.com/TMC_Mob_Software.htm
* Set up a new channel zone in the FPP software and wrote the new file to the radio

* The error message you suggest did appear!



* Downloaded and ran the 'FIT/Font Loader'
* http://www.tmcradio.com/TMC_Mob_Software.htm



The "Status - Serial Port Closed" was a bit misleading - but it all worked and the FIT/Font Loader did its stuff



* Ran the FPP again, created a new zone, wrote the modified file to the radio
* Bingo - it worked
* Now to learn how zones work!

BTW you are supposed to be on holiday!

Cheers, Nick

Very many thanks Nick, that looks to answer the question. If you run into any problems with the channel zoning now it at least works, I'll leave it to you to post them.

Yes, I am on holiday. On Fair Isle with a force 8-9 gale forcast for tomorrow and no chance of getting off the island.

Hopefully see you soon.

Back from holiday and with time to look at the new channel zone option (channel banks or groups). Sadly I've discovered that it's designed to work only with the new SRP9180 model and not the SRP9130 most of us use. The SRP9180 will be available at the beginning of next year and will have a GPS microphone available immediately as it's not very different to the one we have now but will use a different connector to suit the new radio. Apologies to all those folk tried to work out how the zoning operated on SRP9130s, it doesn't. Next time I'll take a radio with me on holiday and sort it out there!