TRX-2: A question of priority

How do the whistlers sample priority channels when enabled? I thought they sampled each ch set as priority but watching the control demo it appears this isn’t the case. It looks like on one break in an active channel it samples one frequency and then every other each in turn. Is this the case?


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I guess you choose how many prio channels you want to scan in one interupt be doing that in the menu in the scanner that says Priority #. You obviously select the highest number you can tolerate that doesn't get an annoyingly long break in the current monitoring.

/Ubbe

Ubbe said:

I guess you choose how many prio channels you want to scan in one interupt be doing that in the menu in the scanner that says Priority #. You obviously select the highest number you can tolerate that doesn't get an annoyingly long break in the current monitoring.

/Ubbe

Click to expand...

Where do I find this setting?


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Melv7956 said:

How do the whistlers sample priority channels when enabled? I thought they sampled each ch set as priority but watching the control demo it appears this isn’t the case. It looks like on one break in an active channel it samples one frequency and then every other each in turn. Is this the case?


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Click to expand...

Can't say if this is 100% true but it kinda makes sense.... I (and probably lots of others) find that constant 'drop out' in an active voice transmission to be extremely irritating even for the (probably) less than 1 second it occurs. In fact, one of the mostly common issues reported by new scanner users is an periodic "drop out" interval in transmissions that usually turns out to be a priority setting that they've somehow enabled.

Imagine trying to listen to some juicy activity on a channel or talkgroup closely only to have it repeatedly drop out for 3-5 seconds to check your priority channels.

I have found that if you want to listen to two different systems/tgs/frequencies at the same time, it's much simpler if you just buy another scanner

TailGator911 said:

I have found that if you want to listen to two different systems/tgs/frequencies at the same time, it's much simpler if you just buy another scanner

Click to expand...

Yup - the only other option (which doesn't exists as far as I know) would be to have a second receiver built-in to a single radio to monitor the priority channels -- but of course, it would take more than just a 2nd receiver to monitor priority trunk system talkgroups.

I guess that's why as I sit here and type I'm looking at 5 radios on my desktop - and typically have at least 2 (sometimes 3-4) running in my truck during drives.

troymail said:

Imagine trying to listen to some juicy activity on a channel or talkgroup closely only to have it repeatedly drop out for 3-5 seconds to check your priority channels.

Click to expand...

Simply hold on the juicy activity channel and the whistler will cease priority checking. That way you miss nothing.




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Melv7956 said:

Simply hold on the juicy activity channel and the whistler will cease priority checking. That way you miss nothing.




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Click to expand...

I'd never get to that point - I find the constant dropout during voice calls - as minimal as it is currently - to be irritating and don't use any priorities that interrupt voice transmissions. Instead, I just limit what is enabled on any given scanner.

The only priority setting I've used in the past was something that I think exists/existed in older Motorola systems - I think it was called "priority interrupt". I think this was something sent in the control channel data and was more or less undetectable during monitoring. I've not seen that in any P25 features or conversations but really wonder if something like that does really exist. I also extensively used the old "status bits" on older trunk systems to monitor for priority activity (like selected multi-select/patches or press of an emergency buttons, etc.) rather than enabling chatty talkgroups/activity like busy police district talkgroups. These options let me listen to what I wanted and only be alerted to priority activity which might then result in me enabling additional talkgroups for brief periods.

Bottom line is that priority settings - like many other options - are just that, an option. It's nice to have options that we can all use to meet our needs (or at least try to).

Did you find the settings Melv?

It's only in the scanners global menu, not in EZscan.

/Ubbe

troymail said:

I'd never get to that point - I find the constant dropout during voice calls - as minimal as it is currently - to be irritating and don't use any priorities that interrupt voice transmissions.

Click to expand...

Ditto with Troy, I find the silent pauses irritating and especially so when you are onto something good and taking note. It can be a buzz kill. I don't even use it during a SkyWarn event, I have an analog scanner dedicated to nothing but WX, and the only time I switch it on is during an alert. I have a scanner for weather and a scanner for SkyWarn hams (both analog) and that works for me. The digitals on public safety and everything else.

JD
kf4anc

I actually like using priority with my WS1095, I only monitor P25 systems. I have about 200 TGs for 1 system that I monitor and have my hometown PD set as priority set at 2 second interval check. IMO it works fantastic, there are no silent pauses when monitoring. I cannot even tell priority is set on until my hometown PD TG becomes active. When the 1 TG becomes active it switches to it without even cutting off any of the transmission. I feel it works great for my setup. I know how priority works when monitoring conventional stuff and never used priority when everything used to be conventional here because of the interruptions.

The Motorola's are able to hear a subaudible sample of the control channel on the voice channel...on a 996 scanner, you can actually hear the control channel a bit after the voice transmission drops while the voice channel is still active, at least on a digital talkgroup. I believe the subaudible data is a standard trunking feature.

troymail said:

I'd never get to that point - I find the constant dropout during voice calls - as minimal as it is currently - to be irritating and don't use any priorities that interrupt voice transmissions. Instead, I just limit what is enabled on any given scanner.

The only priority setting I've used in the past was something that I think exists/existed in older Motorola systems - I think it was called "priority interrupt". I think this was something sent in the control channel data and was more or less undetectable during monitoring. I've not seen that in any P25 features or conversations but really wonder if something like that does really exist. I also extensively used the old "status bits" on older trunk systems to monitor for priority activity (like selected multi-select/patches or press of an emergency buttons, etc.) rather than enabling chatty talkgroups/activity like busy police district talkgroups. These options let me listen to what I wanted and only be alerted to priority activity which might then result in me enabling additional talkgroups for brief periods.

Bottom line is that priority settings - like many other options - are just that, an option. It's nice to have options that we can all use to meet our needs (or at least try to).

Click to expand...

Priority is a lost art that takes some patience to master as you build out your program, although I'm speaking from an old-school dynamic memory Uniden guy. I quite often run with 5 priority channels I listen to, and depending on the order they are programmed in, the highest priority channel can be determined. The blip takes very little audio out of the existing traffic, and I don't miss traffic that I've determined to be priority. These object oriented programming radios are taking a new art to get as efficient as possible, and Whistler priority is definitely hobbled compared to Uniden (dynamic memory, not sure how Uniden's newer Object based radios behave.)

What frustrates me with Whistler priority behavior:
1. There is no hierarchy to priorities like Uniden has, one cannot be more important than another. They're all treated equal.
2. There is no continuing of checking priorities when it is stopped on an existing priority channel. (which wouldn't be good anyway without the hierarchy mentioned in 1).
3. There is no checking of priority while held on a channel.

My BCT-15X sings a very efficient song as I travel throughout California, and I know wherever I go, depending on systems I have activated, CalFire dispatch for the area I'm in will be highest priority during fire season, with Highway Patrol as a 2nd priority (or swapped as lead during winter.) Then about 3-5 addl priorities are sampled. All regardless of being held manually on a channel etc. the priorities are checked, (and if I want a true hold, I can very easily turn off priority check from the keypad). If I get a hit on my "3rd" priority, it will still allow my "1st" and "2nd" priorities to override, but not 4th and 5th. I love it and my live scanner at http://norcalscan.live utilizes this like a champ, and was able to cover the Carr and the Mendocino Fires at the same time, allowing me to steer exactly what fire had highest priority, which had second, etc.

My WS1098 now while mobile is pretty hobbled as I travel through CA. CHP and CalFire are still on priority depending on my location, but it's first-come-first-served only; whoever gets there first holds the radio until they stop transmitting. The 15X has twice the active audio coming out than my WS1098 due simply to the efficiency I can program the 15X instead of having my hands tied by the Whistler.

A lot of people here have Whistlers for base radios stationary and listening to trunked systems. Awesome. But these things quickly become inefficient and frustraing when mobile and traveling through an area where I can toggle on and off between 2500+ conventional channels and equal number of talkgroups depending on location.