AR-DV1 SD Card: Recording, Backup & Restore

Summary: Using the AR-DV1’s SD card slot to record audio, back up and restore memories and browse files.

The Card

Insert an SD/SDHC card with the label up until it clicks; an SD icon appears in the middle right of the LCD. Press [F] then the SD key for the SD card menu (free space shows). The card is also used for firmware updates.

Recording Audio

Press the SD key to start (an “R” icon appears) and again to stop. Files are WAV, numbered 00000001.wav, 00000002.wav and so on (an existing name is overwritten); about 7 hours per GB. With SQL.SKIP ON (default) recording pauses when the squelch is closed.

Playback

[F] then SD key, press [ENT] on VIEW, select a WAV file with [UP]/[DOWN], press [ENT] (“P” appears) and [CLR] to stop.

Backup

[F] then SD key, move down to BACKUP, [ENT] on SET, then choose what to save:

• SRCH BANK – SRCHBK.CSV
• SRCH GRP – SRCHGRP.CSV
• MEM CH – MEMCH.CSV
• SCAN GRP – SCANGRP.CSV
• SYSTEM – SYSTEM.CSV

Restore

[F] then SD key, move to LIST and press [ENT]. Choose the file and press [ENT]. The prefix of the file name can be anything but the extension must be .csv. If the file contents are wrong, an error appears and the restore stops. The manual suggests planning ahead and using a PC for restoring a lot of data.

Using CSV Files From a PC

Because backups are ordinary CSV files you can open them in a spreadsheet, edit and copy them back to the card. The manual doesn’t document the column layout, so make a backup first and use it as your template. See AR-DV1 Loading Frequencies From Squawker PC & Squawker Online.