In-car setup for road trip

[bengl3rt]

Originally Posted by loumaag

I don't really mind hearing about what happened behind me (or to either side), but based on the way we currently put the location coordinates in the database (here on the site that are subsequently imported into the HP-1 DB) there is some over-extension of actual coverage area in most instances. So you generally hear a bit before you get to an area and, yes you will hear some behind you. This will probably change sometime this year when the DB starts to incorporate rectangular coverage for GPS tagging. But that doesn't apply to you yet.

Once this is implemented, will it simply require a data update to the HP-1 over Sentry, or will an actual firmware update be required to introduce the new location-based scanning algorithm?

I ask because the trip is not until May/June ish - I am just starting the planning early. I wonder if the improved data will be available by then.

[bgav]

Originally Posted by bengl3rt

Once this is implemented, will it simply require a data update to the HP-1 over Sentry, or will an actual firmware update be required to introduce the new location-based scanning algorithm?

It does it right out of the box with the correct GPS & cable. I recommend the Garmin GPS 18x and Uniden cable.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[hiegtx]

Originally Posted by bengl3rt

Once this is implemented, will it simply require a data update to the HP-1 over Sentry, or will an actual firmware update be required to introduce the new location-based scanning algorithm?

I ask because the trip is not until May/June ish - I am just starting the planning early. I wonder if the improved data will be available by then.

Database updates for the HP-1 come out every week, available on Mondays, unless there was some sort of issue (rare). The update includes any changes, or additions, to the RadioReference database for the previous week. Don't know the specific cut-off time, but the Monday update is generated on the day before (Sunday), so if a change is made on RR Sunday (or definitely on Monday), that modification will not show up until the next week's run.

If & when you purchase an HP-1, install the Sentinel software, and then do a database update. The data in the scanner itself will be out of date when you first open the box. However, the update process is easy, and only takes a few minutes.

[loumaag]

Originally Posted by bengl3rt

Once this is implemented, will it simply require a data update to the HP-1 over Sentry, or will an actual firmware update be required to introduce the new location-based scanning algorithm?

I think what you were asking here is if the HP-1 can handle rectangles as GPS coordinates now. AFAIK it can. I am pretty sure Paul (UPMan, Prod. Mgr. frm Uniden) has alluded to this in past posts; however, to be truthful I have never looked into it myself. You might want to scan (or search) trough the Uniden Forum here to see if you can spot those comments or maybe one of the more knowledgeable guys here can chime in on that.

[UPMan]

The HP-1 can handle rectangles now. What we'll need to change is the process that pulls the data from RadioReference (once it is implemented on this site). In the mean time, you can define rectangular coverage zones fpr systems you've put in Favorites Lists right now. Probably not practical for a extended drive, right now, but certainly desirable if you are moving around a metro area. I did some remapping of the DFW area to rectangles (had to for testing during development), and it works quite well.

Addressing a couple of other things mentioned above:

We start the data pull Sunday evening at 6 pm. So, if data in Alaska, Alabama, etc changes after 6 pm, it won't make it into that update. If Wyoming, Wisconsin, etc are updated, you probably have until the wee hours of the morning to get the update in and still make the load. When someone notifies me that a major system got an important update (rebanding, for example), I'll trigger an off-cycle pull so you won't have to wait a week for the update.

As for traveling solutions: I amplify the above recommendations as to using the HomePatrol-1 coupled to a GPS. It is truly "set and forget." The other scanners are great, but they also have a great big learning curve that will likely destroy all the fun of listening. (Despite what I do for a living, programming scanners is not something I particularly enjoy...rather it is a necessary evil.)

Post #1 you ask:

Do the frequency data files available through this site already contain location information that a GPS-enabled scanner can understand, or would that need to be added in manually?

RadioReference's database already has location tags (in latititude, longitude, range format) for everything. However, "frequency data files" are not particularly available...what is available is a SOAP interface that allows you to send queries to the database which the returns data based on your query. Scanner software (like ARC, Freescan, etc) as well as our process to do a full database pull weekly takes advantage of this interface.

b) In my research I came across a number of in-car setups that use *BOTH* the BCD996XT and the BCT-15. Why would I need both of these at the same time?

Because more (especially Uniden) scanners is always better.

c) Is it reasonable to store an entire 3500mi road trip passing through several major metro areas in the scanner at one time? Would the scanner's performance improve if, for example, we took a laptop and only loaded the next day worth of frequencies at every night stop?

Other than the HomePatrol-1, no GPS capable scanner has the memory capacity to store all the radio systems you would encounter on such a trip. That said, on the BCD396XT/996XT models, of course the fewer location-based systems enabled at any time, the better. The scanners try to reselect in real time, but give priority to actual scanning functions. Too many LBS active at one time will "bog down" reselection latency (you'd notice it being slow to turn on/off systems that should be turned on/off as you change location). HomePatrol-1 provides a seamless experience and has a few more horses under the hood, so this latency is minimal.