396xt startup keys - my feedback on antennas

[daggit]

As I was waiting on hold for support help from Uniden I looked up some old posts on RR and conformed what I already thought. I have roughly 20 systems and assign one startup key to about half of them (ones I listen to mostly) and another key to the other systems. Problem is if I use one startup key the others are lcoked out and can't use quick keys to unlock them. Im just looking for ideas on how to manage 20 or so systems without manually shutting off ones I don't want to listen to each time I turn the radio on. Would be nice to use a startup key for the systems I want but if I get the urge to listen to other systems not assigned to that start up key use a qk to toggle those systems on.
I never got through to Uniden after being put on hold for 45 minutes. Just seems like Uniden made things pretty complicated using the startup keys and decreased their usefulness.
Quick side note I just got a gre super amplifer and dramtically imrpoves the signals I get. I was suprised after some of the bad reviews I have read. I have also used a Diamond srh77ca and a radio shack 800 mhz antenna. In my case I found the radio shack antenna to be the best one for all around reception.

 

[UPMan]

Lockout and QK enable/disable are separate functions intentionally. It allows you to use a similar QK schema even though you might oscillate between two or more locations. For example, SK1 (startup key 1) could be for LA and SK2 could be for Dallas, but you could still assign SQK1 = PD, SQK2 = EMS, SQK3 = FD for both locations and they would both work.

I think you correctly understand the functions...and the scanner is working properly, so product support would not generally be the path to take (take that path if your scanner is broken). Best answer is going to come from someone posting in response to a question on one of the public forums (and the only way you would get an answer from me...).

 

[W8RMH]

I manage over 75 systems and have never used start-up keys. I assign every system a SQK.

When you turn the scanner off it will retain the systems being scanned until the scanner is again powered on. You will not need to turn everything off every time you turn the radio on.

If you are scanning say two systems, and you turn your scanner off, it will still be scanning the same two systems the next time you power it on.

 

[Rastaman147]

Daggit, I got a 396xt a few months ago, and I remember thinking how cool the startup key function sounded. Then, after digging in and learning how it works, I don't think it's a very useful feature at all, because of the things you mention.

So, the way I am using the startup key is to program every system with the same startup key. Like W8RMH mentions, each system that you have turned on / locked out will stay that way when you turn off the scanner. If I have an emergency situation where I *must* have certain systems on *now*, then I can use the startup key to turn them *all* on, then I can individually lock out the ones I don't need. (I have not actually needed to do this yet -- I have about 20 systems, also, and just toggling systems on and off with the quick keys has worked very well for me).

As you start to memorize your system quick keys, it's gets easier and easier to use quick keys exclusively to manage your systems.

 

[daggit]

Thanks I'm not using startup keys now doing like w8rmh said. I didn't know that using a qk to shut a system off would also leave it off next time you turn the radio on. I'm still exploring ways where the startup keys would actually be useful. I may do something like you suggested.