Frequently Asked Questions

Technical support policy

Signal Intelligence provides free technical support for all it's products via email. Control of radios by computer requires considerable user expertise in computers, serial communications, cable assembly, system configuration and troubleshooting. It is strongly suggested that you verify the proper operation of your computer, cables, interface and radio using the Scan*Star DEMO program before you make a purchase.

Telephone technical support is provided only on certain products. Please consult your product documentation for details on its telephone support policy.

Sorry, but we can not provide support for other manufactures equipment or software.

Before you contact us, please do the following:

1. Look at the on line manual (help system) for related information.

2. Review the FAQ's below to see if your issue is addressed there.

3. Include your serial number, version number and type of radio & interface.

4. Include a detailed description of the problem and the steps you took to produce it.

5. If you are getting an error message, include the text of the message along with all numbers.

6. Don't bother with how much RAM, what kind of CPU, hard drive or PC brand - it rarely makes a difference.

Failure to observe these points may result in a terse reply asking you for more information, or directing you to a different information source.

How do I contact Signal Intelligence?

Here are the details:

TEL: 1-408-926-5630

FAX: 1-408-926-0303

EMAIL: info@scanstar.com

WWW: www.scanstar.com

Can I do trunking with my radio?

PC based trunked radio scanning requires both special hardware and special software. Trunking systems use high speed digital data and specialized hardware is needed to decode these signals. At this time, only Uniden manufactures scanners that have the necessary hardware to allow trunked radio scanning. If you do not have one of these radio devices, you can not do trunked scanning. It is not possible for software to compensate for the lack of the necessary specialized decoding hardware. Signal Intelligence software products support full trunked scanning features when used with one of these radios. 

I'm having trouble with a USB to serial converter.

USB serial ports are not true serial ports, and do not have the same timing characteristics as real serial ports, and are unreliable. Scan*Star does not support USB serial devices because of these issues. We recommend that you use USB ports for devices that can tolerate timing distortion, such as imaging devices, mice, digital cameras, printers, etc., and reserve your computers real serial ports for radio devices.

What do I do, my notebook does not have a serial port?

Some notebooks do not include serial ports to save weight, size and cost. We suggest that when purchasing notebooks, you check to make sure your model has a serial port. You can easily add one or two serial ports to notebooks with PCMCIA serial cards from Socket Communications. They have several models of PCMCIA serial cards, with one, two and for port versions. Please see the serial I/O products section from their web site at http://www.socketcom.com/.

You can also try a USB to serial converter, but be prepared for problems.

Can I decode PL, DPL or DTMF codes and tones?

Yes, provided the right radio and/or decoder equipment is used. Many of our products have a built-in decoder that uses your computers sound card to decode these signals.

I lost my activation key.

Your activation key is printed on the white piece of paper labeled "important - retain for your records". If you call us asking for an activation key, you will need to provide your serial number so we can look you up in our customer database. Otherwise you will have to mail or FAX us proof of purchase.

I lost my CD.

We can replace your CD for a service charge. Please call us to order one.