BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Key Sequence Chart??

Everybody I know thinks of me as a techno-weenie geeky type guy who can usually figure out any gadget handed to me, but this 436HP has me bug-eyed and befuddled and going bonkers in a bunker, seriously folks. Just when I think I got it down how to program this thing, I don't. I think I have all the correct keys put into Sentinel for what I want to listen to, but I am missing something...either the sequence to enter them or some hidden trick in the Menu that I have overlooked. Is there a key sequence reference chart somewhere that I can refer to? This one has me confused. I can get to my trunk system, but not the channels I have number tagged....site...department...and channel right. I have doubled back and read the tips and tricks, have all the service types on that I need, the set scan location, the this and that. Nada. I never thought I would have to cry for help, but here I am...

Try enabling all the Service Types - not just those you think you need. Maybe you need something you aren't aware of.

Next, try disabling the Quick Keys until you get it working.

Last, make sure you are using ID SCAN, not ID SEARCH.

Thanks, Voyager...check, check, and check. All I can get is the full MARC system. I can't narrow it down to how I programmed it in Sentinel. If I have the site as 1, system as 1, dept as 1 and main dispatch channel number tagged as 1, wouldn't my key sequence on the scanner be 1.1.1? I am just trying to get the main dispatch channel up and running...I lucked out and got it on hold as it went thru the whole MARC system, but I am lost as to the EXACT key sequence to navigate my FLs....turning them on and turning them off....is there a flow chart somewhere as to the actual navigational sequence?

TailGator911 said:

Thanks, Voyager...check, check, and check. All I can get is the full MARC system. I can't narrow it down to how I programmed it in Sentinel. If I have the site as 1, system as 1, dept as 1 and main dispatch channel number tagged as 1, wouldn't my key sequence on the scanner be 1.1.1? I am just trying to get the main dispatch channel up and running...I lucked out and got it on hold as it went thru the whole MARC system, but I am lost as to the EXACT key sequence to navigate my FLs....turning them on and turning them off....is there a flow chart somewhere as to the actual navigational sequence?

Click to expand...

Quick keys are used to enable/disable FLs, systems and departments.
Number tags are used to go to FLs, systems, and channels.
Selecting Quick Keys
Using Number Tags

Number your sites with numbers higher than your depts numbers. Sites numbered higher than depts are treated the same as a dept..


My fav list is 50
My system is 10
my depts are 1 thru 12
There are 2 sites in this system
Site 20
Site 21

If I wanted to turn off site 20 I type 50.10.20 E That toggles site 20 on/off
If I want to turn off dept 3, I would type 50.10.03 E That toggles the dept 3 on/off
If had multiple sites like 20 21 and 22 and wanted to turn on or off site 22, I would type 50.10.22E


Also you need to input double digits. So if your fav list is 1 and your system is 1, you would type the following to turn the system on or off 01.01 E
If the system is on and you want to turn on or off the dept 2, you would hit 01.01.02 E

dave3825, thanks very much for that info! Double digits aha...that helps a lot. Also just got off the phone with RR member Ted Hayes and he was very helpful as well - thanks, Ted! I realize that I have to knuckle down and do some night school classes here and spend a little more time with this radio and the owners manual than I have with previous others. Also, as they used to say at Radio Shack - rtfm...read the friggin manual Thanks much for the helps guys!

TailGator911 said:

Thanks, Voyager...check, check, and check. All I can get is the full MARC system. I can't narrow it down to how I programmed it in Sentinel. If I have the site as 1, system as 1, dept as 1 and main dispatch channel number tagged as 1, wouldn't my key sequence on the scanner be 1.1.1? I am just trying to get the main dispatch channel up and running...I lucked out and got it on hold as it went thru the whole MARC system, but I am lost as to the EXACT key sequence to navigate my FLs....turning them on and turning them off....is there a flow chart somewhere as to the actual navigational sequence?

Click to expand...

Agree with what Dave said - you are enabling/disabling a site WITH your one Department. I use the 90-99 Quick Keys for Sites. Larger systems I might use 80-99.

But, your 1.1.1 is enabling the Site/Department. You should see it show ON when you enable it.

BUT, you also have to make sure the System is enabled (1.1 ENTER) as well as the FL (1 ENTER).

That's why I suggested disabling the quick keys for the time being. If you have the System disabled, you can enable the Site/Department and no realize any change in what you are scanning.

I have to say, this little radio takes the cake. I have never owned a more complex piece of electronics in my life. It is my goal to learn this system and get it down, but I have had it in my hands for almost a week now and for some reason I cannot just turn FLs off and on. The radio scans what it wants to and I am having to just watch until my local PD comes up and hit HOLD and be happy with that for the time being. I think I have to go back into Sentinel and redo everything. Something I am not doing right, and I'm sure its something simple. For example, I have a simple FL of conventional media freqs assigned to QK 4...when the scanner is in ID Scanning mode with 1 up on the FO list I cannot just hit 4.E or 04.E or 4E or 04E and turn on that FL. I try everything and recheck everything (location range service types List On, etc) and I just get error beeps. Very frustrating. I am going back to the drawing board and redoing everything in Sentinel with dave's system and see if I have some success with that. Spending the whole day with this radio. I will not be defeated haha

Sounds like there is no QK assigned to the FL.

Or the System Quick Key or Department Quick Key is not enabled. The FL won't enable unless all are enabled. Assuming the System/Dept are both 1, try 4.1E and 4.1.1E to make sure those are on. If they are, the FLQK should enable.

Oh yeah, UPMan, when I go into Sentinel it reads just the way I entered programming...I have 5 FLs and they are numbered consecutively 1-5. I have checked and rechecked this several times. Two are trunking systems and I have sites numbered as well as depts. The other 3 FLs are conventional freqs (medcomms and media and ham repeaters) and they are numbered as well. Not sure what I am doing wrong but I will soon find out, just a matter of process of elimination and repetition.

Ok, then, as Voyager mentioned, perhaps you are enabling the FL, but nothing in that FL is then also enabled. You need at least one site and one channel group within the FL enabled for there to be anything to scan.

If you could export the "offending" FL to an HPE file, zip it and attach to a message, we can look it over for issues.

Voyager said:

Or the System Quick Key or Department Quick Key is not enabled. The FL won't enable unless all are enabled....

Click to expand...

Not to hijack the OP's thread, but this raised a question with me. Is this the tab marked "Quick Key Status" (or something along those lines - I don't have Sentinel in front of me, because I'm at work) that has check boxes numbered 01 - 99? I wondered exactly what that was for; they are all checked, & I left them that way, only because I'm not sure what this does.

It determines the state of the QK when uploading to the scanner. Checked box means "QK Enabled" and unchecked means "QK disabled."