RadioReference 4.0 is Live!
After months of hard work, the new complete site redesign, titled RadioReference.com 4.0 was recently released to the community. This new version of the site highlights the most important and significant changes to RadioReference.com since inception.
Some of the new features and functionality with the 4.0 release include:
- A complete new theme, graphics set, and common design across all site components.
- Users can now see their submissions and status at the Your Account - My Submissions page.
- New common top menus for easier navigation across different site components.
- FCC license display settings are remembered on county FCC license listing pages for Premium Subscribers.
- Premium Subscribers have a better view of their subscription status across the site.
RadioReference Senior Leaders
Because of our significant growth over the past year, we recently announced three leadership positions on RadioReference.com. These three individuals, all highly experienced folks in our community, take responsibility for key components of RadioReference. They are:
- Eric Carlson (ericcarlson), who takes lead responsibility for the RadioReference Database.
- Wayne Hayes (wayne_h), who takes lead responsibility for the RadioReference Forums.
- Mike Agner (ka3jjz), who takes lead responsibility for the RadioReference Wiki.
Database Team Updates
From Eric Carlson, Lead Database Administrator and Manager
The RR Database continues to expand its coverage of conventional and trunked data around the world. Additionally, we are continuing to supplement existing data with alpha tags, function tags and geographic tags. All three types of "tags" are intended to make it much easier to program scanners via computer software. If you see missing tags in any area of the database, please let us know what we're missing by clicking the "Submit Info" link on the toolbar at the top of any page.
Also, you may have noticed we are now tracking Project 25 trunked system zone IDs separately from site IDs and also showing all trunked site IDs in both decimal and hexadecimal format. These enhancements allow us to properly track site information and help mitigate confusion that arises from different scanners showing site IDs in different formats.
In addition, we've heard from many asking "Where have input frequencies gone?" in the new release of the database. Don't worry, they are still present. You can enable viewing of input frequencies by choosing the "Enable Input Frequencies" option at the top of any frequency list in the database.
The database administration team is also steadily moving toward standardizing the database organization across all regions. We are developing internal standards and documentation to facilitate a consistent structure to the database as you browse from region to region. Please bear with us as we continue to improve the quality of the database. The database administrator "handbook" will be posted shortly for you to review if you wish to see exactly what our policies and procedures are.
Forums Team Updates
From Wayne Hayes, Lead Forums Moderator and Manager
With the growing interest of the RadioReference forums and our dedication to being the source for radio related discussions, we've added many new topic areas. Areas such as Amateur Radio, New Scanner Users, GMRS and subdivided the Tavern (formerly "The Wasteland"), to name a few. It's an overwhelming expansion but with growth comes reorganization. Stop by, maybe there's something new that will pique your interest.
Wiki Team Updates
From Mike Agner, Lead Wiki Administrator and Manager
We have heard a number of comments about how the wiki is very difficult to navigate, and how the current Wiki homepage is cumbersome. While we tend to agree, it does link to and categorize a number of topics. As this is being written we have well over 1200 articles making it the single largest radio related wiki in the world.
With the new implementation of 4.0, a new dropdown menu structure has been implemented for navigation. If you examine the blue toolbar at the top of each page, you will see a "Wiki" menu item in the center of the toolbar. The topics in this dropdown menu are good starting points, and far simpler to navigate than the huge first page. From time to time, we may move topics in and out of the dropdown menu to give a little variety to what is presented. Your suggestions as to what topics you would like to see presented are solicited.
In addition, some months ago, with a release of a popular freeware software package for the Uniden DMA scanners called FreeScan, a user manual was developed to advertise the package as well as to create a user-maintained reference manual. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first scanner software application to have its documentation placed into a wiki. Since the wiki is all user generated content, every RadioReference subscriber has the opportunity to contribute additional content to this online manual.
Finally, don't forget that the Wiki can be edited by anyone with a RadioReference user account. You are encouraged to use the wiki to document local content, scratchpad information about a trunked system or communications network, or start your own reference source for something radio related. See the New Article Guidelines page for information on how to create and edit articles on the wiki.
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