BCD436HP Multi-Site Selection

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amcferrin90

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I've spent a couple hours searching for ways to turn off sites in multi-site trunked systems. It seems like there was a way to set sites to avoid from the menus while on the go. That works until I may want to listen to traffic on a site that I've set to avoid previously, now I have to go back and change the settings.

Scenario: Ohio MARCS-ip. It's a pretty new system and it's very dynamic. In the Columbus metro area alone there are several independent sites: Grove City, OSU, Franklin County, Bixby Rd, Columbus MARCS, City of Columbus. Two of those are simulcast sites with multiple towers covering the county.
If I set my location by zip code and a radius of 5 miles that puts me in range of five of those sites. If I set my radius to 3 miles, that puts me in range of four sites. By whittling this radius down I cut down the scanable frequencies considerably for non-MARCSip sites yet when scanning the MARCS-ip system, still could lose conversations because not all talkgroups are transmitting on all those sites.

Can you consider adding a function command to bring up the list of multi-sites within the geography of the location I've entered (or using GPS) and giving the user the ability to just click on the site to hold to? Maybe there's a simpler way that the search hasn't yielded.

Thank you.
 

UPMan

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Best way is to add a quick key to each site. Then, instead of avoiding them, enable/disable the QK associated with the site to turn it on/off.
 

amcferrin90

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Best way is to add a quick key to each site. Then, instead of avoiding them, enable/disable the QK associated with the site to turn it on/off.

Ok I tried that last night. I set the main simulcast site as QK1, the other simulcast site as QK2, Then other sites as QK3 and QK4, assigning a lot of outlying sites to QK4. I totally understand that part. It's the execution of the QK function that has me baffled. I was reading about QK function on that Mark's scanner site and it looks like it was written for someone who has always had a trunking scanner through each iteration and enough info for them to follow along. However the last trunking scanner I had was the BC235.

For now I'm just setting sites that the scanner looks for to avoid or temp avoid depending on where they are. It works great, it's just cumbersome.You know along that note, I have a radius set for 10 miles and my location set, yet it was also scanning sites 40+ miles outside of that zip code.
 

ofd8001

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You might look at the link below which describes how the location function works.

How it Works: Location, Location, Location

Setting a Range for 10 miles does NOT mean your scanner will receive only those sites that are within 10 miles. (This also applies to departments).

Each site has a Range value, which you can imagine as a ring. If you are located within that ring, the scanner will attempt to receive that site. Setting a Range greater than 0 means you are "reaching out" farther to receive that "ring". For example you set a Range for 5 miles. The scanner will attempt to receive sites whose "rings" are 5 miles away.

Using Sentinel to edit your Favorites List(s), you can change the Range value for a site. It can be increased or decreased as you desire. (However using quick keys is a better option).

Lastly when you press the key sequence noted above, press the Eyes button. Also your scanning has to be scanning when toggling quick keys (can't be holding on anything).
 

amcferrin90

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Need a YouTube video. Honestly what would work is if the site avoid menu had a way to set all to avoid. There's already a function to clear all avoids. I'd be happy with that.Thank you.
 
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darunimal

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If Favorite List 10 has the System and Departments you want, then either that Favorite List needs to be enabled via a FLQK, or in the Set Scan Selection in the Menu.
10 E/yes.

Then If there is a System you want to listen to, that also has to be enabled, (or in the Set Scan Selection in the Menu,) in that Favorite List, say its System 18, so to enable it, you have to press
10.18 E/yes

Then under that same System you have Departments, Departments contain both Sites and Depts, you will need at least one Site for the System to scan, you will also need a Dept w TGIDs enable also Say you want to listen to Site 1 you press
10.18.01 E/yes,
then you want TGIDs in a Dept (Group) 22, you press
10.18.22 E/yes

you will need both the Site and TGID's enabled in a their respective Department, to be able to listen to something, so you have to put
10.18.01 E/yes
and
10.18.22 E/yes


Advance Users:
if you just have a singular FL and System enabled, the quickest way to turn Sites and Dept on and off is
".", ".", &"1" then "E/yes" for Site 1
..22 E/yes for Dept 22
 
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darunimal

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"Avoid" would be akin to using a double keyed dead bolt on your bathroom door, you wouldn't use it because there is nothing quick or easy about it when you need access to it.
 
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darunimal

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You want additional sites to listen to enter those via the FL.SQ.DQ
10.18.02 E/yes
10.18.03 E/yes
additional Departments
10.18.23 E/yes
if you don't want to listen to that Favorite List
10 E/yes

then when you push 10 E/yes (to toggle it back on)
every that was enabled in that List, will still be enabled 'System 18" and 'Departments 01 02 03 22 and 23'
 

amcferrin90

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Advance Users:
if you just have a singular FL and System enabled, the quickest way to turn Sites and Dept on and off is
".", ".", &"1" then "E/yes" for Site 1
..22 E/yes for Dept 22

This makes the most sense. The difference between sites and departments is just what you program into the site vs a department? Not that I care about department, that's what that lovely little white button on the front is for.

I see where this is meant to be easy but for crying out loud, you have to memorize your FL numbers, site numbers for each and department numbers to effectively use that. So what's this huge display for? ;)

Trying hard to not be that guy. Thanks!
 
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darunimal

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It gives the userS a couple of different a ways to do things (basically to directly compete with RS/GRE/Whistler scanners but you'll understand when you own one of those too.

You could make 1 Favorite List the add multiple Systems or multiple Favorite List with a one to a few systems.

You could assign Departments logically 0-9 are FIRE, 10-19 are local LAW, 20-29 EMS..... and all sites could be located in the 90s 90-99, 90 North 91NE 92 East 93 NW 94 W 95 SW 96 S 97SE

But it gives the most people something closest to how they want to do it. Some of it becomes second nature.

Also with Favorites and Systems the first item in the Menu gives you a list that you can use to turn quick keys off and on without having to remember them Set Scan Selection, Departments could be where you might lose stuff, but once again, it comes to how "you, logically" set it up.
 

drdispatch

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I have mine configured similar to what darunimal described. The key is to try and keep it standardized across all your FL's as much as possible. For my FL's that I use for frequent destinations, I assign each county I travel through to a System QK (using that county's alphabetically-assigned number - it's easier than it sounds). Within that county/system, I assign countywide channels (sheriff, fire, EMS) to Department QK 0. The largest city in the county will be DQK 1. Any other cities/townships are assigned to numbers based on clock position (12 being north, 6 being south, etc.). Trunked system sites are assigned to Site/Department QK's 80 & up.

The FL that I use at home is slightly different, since that's where I do 90% of my monitoring, but I stick to the concept of sites being #'s 80 & up and the countywide/big city/clock directions.

Bottom line: Develop a system that works for you that you are comfortable with. It may take some experimenting, and you may even have to resort to a pen & paper "cheat sheet" at least until you've committed it to memory, or for those lists you don't use regularly. (I do, mostly because of CRS Syndrome.)
 
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