Supported Radios, by Manufacturer
Kenwood
● D700/D700A
● TS-2000
ICOM
● IC-746 / 746-PRO
● IC-706 (all models) (Note: No support for setting PL tone, any model)
Yaesu
● FT-857 (all models)
● FT-100 (all models)
Other Features
When a list of repeaters has been found, ARF will display your current heading (compass direction when moving). It will also show you the position of the currently-highlighted repeater, relative to your position. These two elements allow you to determine whether the repeater is in front of you, to one of your sides, or behind you. This can help you decide whether to use a repeater that you may in fact be driving away from. As you continue moving, these values are updated every few seconds. It's a great way to assist you with determining what repeater you want to use!
Once you've configured ARF for your rig, there are also a couple of ways you can choose for ARF to control it. Its default behavior is to allow you to set the VFO by selecting the repeater you want, displaying its detailed information, and then pressing the encoder button to program the radio. This is handy of you simply want to scroll through the list of located repeaters without changing your rig's VFO. When you decide to use it, you can elect to do so as just described. Note again that no changes to your radio are made until you decide to do so.
The second available method is to configure ARF to set the VFO each time you rotate the encoder to highlight a repeater. This has the effect of working much as a memory channel would on your radio. When you rotate the knob, the rig changes frequencies, tones, etc. to match the current repeater's data. This is a great way to manually scan the list of repeaters without having to select one, and then specifically program the VCO. As fast as you turn the knob, the rig's settings change!
Both of these methods are selectable from ARF's "Setup" pages.
Other convenient features include a "chirp" that occurs each time the encoder is rotated while displaying lists. This helps you to know when a new item has been selected. Note too that the frequency of the chirp is different for the first item in each list. This adds to the utility, informing you audibly when you've come to the first element of a list. This feature exists in the menus, as well as in the repeater display lists.
The display backlight can be configured to turn off after a preset period of inactivity. If no knobs or buttons have been pressed, or no scan activity is currently running, ARF will determine if the time period you have selected has expired. If so, ARF it will gradually dim the display to dark, until you press a button or rotate a knob. At that time, it will gradually fade the backlight up to its former brightness. Speaking of which, the display brightness can be set up or down to suit your taste and this setting is what will be used when ARF restores the display when it detects activity.