Confused newbie - BCD396XT and FreeScan

[WX1N]

Good morning all,

I've been searching for the past hour, and can not find answers for these questions. Hopefully someone will take pity on me and help me out. I am a newbie to this forum (just joined), FreeScan, and the BCD396XT (just received it yesterday afternoon). I'm not new at all to radios, public safety, and the like, but this scanner is unlike any I have used before.

1) How do you view which systems are enabled and disabled, while programming in FreeScan? I can see them on the scanner display (asterisk vs. number), on the scanner control menu from FreeScan (same display), but can not for the life of me figure out how to enable a system's quick key when programming the system quick key number in FreeScan. (The group quick keys are easy, there are a bunch of checkboxes on the main screen for each system).

2) What is the difference between locking a system out, and disabling it via the system quick key?

3) This may be an area specific question, but I'll give it a shot. I have programmed my local NH State Police troop as a P25 single-frequency trunk. The reason for this is that NHSP uses the same frequency for their MDT's as they do for voice. If you program the channel as a conventional channel, it will hang up whenever the MDT's are in use. I had it working earlier, but now, the scanner is not stopping for voice transmissions. (I'm using my old scanner, the PRO-96, to know when there is a transmission in progress).

Any help would be appreciated greatly.

Thanks and 73,

Rob, AA1IR
Claremont, NH

 

[ka3jjz]

I can at least answer the first 2 questions, I think - I'll leave the NH question to the locals;

a. To insure that a system is enabled, I'm pretty sure you only need to make sure that the quick key assigned in the site screen has been assigned, then the quick key next to the 'TGID Group Quick Key Enable Disable' boxes is set to 'By Site' (or you can select the same quick key as you set up in the site screen). That's for trunked systems; in a conventional system, look at the Quick Key display next to the 'Find Free' button. I'm pretty sure that FS enables these keys by default, as I haven't found anything there to say 'don't enable'...

b. To be honest, I rarely lock out any systems, since that disables all the components under it. Disabling the system quick key would accomplish much the same function, and it can be reversed with a simple keystroke. However, there is a BIG difference between that and System Protect (which is why it's in red). Be VERY CAREFUL if you use System Protect. The user guide has a section on this function...

Freescan Create Systems - The RadioReference Wiki

Here's what Uniden's TWiki says about both subjects...

EditSysOption < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

QuickKeys < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

73 Mike

 

[WX1N]

I can at least answer the first 2 questions, I think - I'll leave the NH question to the locals;

a. To insure that a system is enabled, I'm pretty sure you only need to make sure that the quick key assigned in the site screen has been assigned, then the quick key next to the 'TGID Group Quick Key Enable Disable' boxes is set to 'By Site' (or you can select the same quick key as you set up in the site screen). That's for trunked systems; in a conventional system, look at the Quick Key display next to the 'Find Free' button. I'm pretty sure that FS enables these keys by default, as I haven't found anything there to say 'don't enable'...

b. To be honest, I rarely lock out any systems, since that disables all the components under it. Disabling the system quick key would accomplish much the same function, and it can be reversed with a simple keystroke. However, there is a BIG difference between that and System Protect (which is why it's in red). Be VERY CAREFUL if you use System Protect. The user guide has a section on this function...

Freescan Create Systems - The RadioReference Wiki

Here's what Uniden's TWiki says about both subjects...

EditSysOption < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

QuickKeys < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

73 Mike

Hi Mike,

Thank you so much for your help! I think I'm all set with issues 1 and 2 now. I think I'll get the hang of this channel structure eventually, I've been messing with it all day and I'm starting to get a little more comfortable with it.
Issue 3 is solved... I created a new system... I set it up exactly the same as the other one, and it's working fine. I have no idea what went wrong with the first one; I went through every option I could find, but at least it's all set now.
Thanks again for your help!
73,
Rob

 

[cpuerror]

For 1, select Tools * System Quick Key Editor, you can enable/disable them from there. For 2, they both accomplish the same task. But it is easier to just use a QK to turn something on and off, and if you run out of QKs, you can lock stuff out instead. Not too sure about #3 though.

 

[WX1N]

For 1, select Tools * System Quick Key Editor, you can enable/disable them from there. For 2, they both accomplish the same task. But it is easier to just use a QK to turn something on and off, and if you run out of QKs, you can lock stuff out instead. Not too sure about #3 though.

Excellent, thank you!

How do you personally keep track of your quickkeys? I'm rapidly losing track of what I assigned to what - I think I might need to tape a cheatsheet on the back of the scanner!

 

[ka3jjz]

I'd forgotten all about that screen. I've added some notes and comments to the wiki thanks

73 Mike

 

[hiegtx]

Good morning all,

I've been searching for the past hour, and can not find answers for these questions. Hopefully someone will take pity on me and help me out. I am a newbie to this forum (just joined), FreeScan, and the BCD396XT (just received it yesterday afternoon). I'm not new at all to radios, public safety, and the like, but this scanner is unlike any I have used before.

1) How do you view which systems are enabled and disabled, while programming in FreeScan? I can see them on the scanner display (asterisk vs. number), on the scanner control menu from FreeScan (same display), but can not for the life of me figure out how to enable a system's quick key when programming the system quick key number in FreeScan. (The group quick keys are easy, there are a bunch of checkboxes on the main screen for each system).

Welcome, Rob. While I may not be able to completely answer your questions, especially in regards to the NHSP, I'll see if I can point you in the right direction on some of them.
(Edit to add- cpuerror & ka3jjz have pretty well answered 1 & 2, while I was typing.)

For the first question, any system that is "locked out" in your FreeScan file will have it's name in red. That's only going to show that way if locked out at the system level itself, or if "system protect" was enabled for that specific item. It would not show up in red if it was a multi-site system, and the lockout was done at the site level instead of the system level.

To check which quick keys are enabled, by default, use the "Quick Key Manager". Access that from the main menu screen by clicking on the "Tools" menu, then selecting "Quick Key Manager" from the drop-down menu. Or, you can use the shortcut keystrokes <CTRL>+<K> (press the control key & the letter K at the same time). The QK manager will show you which ones are enabled by default when the scanner boots up. You can also click on a quick key # and see what system, or systems (or sites, if a trunked system) are assigned to that QK).

2) What is the difference between locking a system out, and disabling it via the system quick key?

Either has the same effect. Disabling the system by turning off it's quick key, or locking it out, both cause the radio to skip that system while scanning. However, if you use the quick key, instead of lockout, you can easily toggle the system on or off while scanning. It's much more cumbersome to lock/unlock a system while trying to scan, (I'm not referring to a single channel or talkgroup, but an entire system.) Also see this.

3) This may be an area specific question, but I'll give it a shot. I have programmed my local NH State Police troop as a P25 single-frequency trunk. The reason for this is that NHSP uses the same frequency for their MDT's as they do for voice. If you program the channel as a conventional channel, it will hang up whenever the MDT's are in use. I had it working earlier, but now, the scanner is not stopping for voice transmissions. (I'm using my old scanner, the PRO-96, to know when there is a transmission in progress).

Any help would be appreciated greatly.

Thanks and 73,

Rob, AA1IR
Claremont, NH

I have not tried this feature, and have only read the posts in the forums about it, plus the notes on Uniden's page, which can be found here.

Have you set the system up like this suggests? With the NAC? In FreeScan, the field for the NAC is on the "system" screen. And the actual frequency goes in on the Site level.

If you 'had it working', but now it's not, that may be because, when it was working, you were in "ID Search" mode. In that mode, the scanner would receive any "talkgroups" it hears. If you hit the "Scan" button while it was stopped on a transmission, or scanning through the "system", you may have "toggled" that particular system, accidentally, into "ID Scan" mode. In that mode, it will only stop on transmissions from talkgroups that you have entered into the group. If you had none entered, yet, it has nothing to stop on. Make sure, for now, you are in ID Search on the single channel system. I would also suggest that, if you have not already, you enter any talkgroups that pop-up when there is traffic. I did see at least one post where someone was using this feature, & stated that all the transmissions from the agency being monitored were showing the same talkgroup ID.

You might also want to use the Unit ID feature, to program the specific radio ID's into your "single channel" system. I did find this by searching the Wiki.

 

[WX1N]

Have you set the system up like this suggests? With the NAC? In FreeScan, the field for the NAC is on the "system" screen. And the actual frequency goes in on the Site level.

If you 'had it working', but now it's not, that may be because, when it was working, you were in "ID Search" mode. In that mode, the scanner would receive any "talkgroups" it hears. If you hit the "Scan" button while it was stopped on a transmission, or scanning through the "system", you may have "toggled" that particular system, accidentally, into "ID Scan" mode. In that mode, it will only stop on transmissions from talkgroups that you have entered into the group. If you had none entered, yet, it has nothing to stop on. Make sure, for now, you are in ID Search on the single channel system. I would also suggest that, if you have not already, you enter any talkgroups that pop-up when there is traffic. I did see at least one post where someone was using this feature, & stated that all the transmissions from the agency being monitored were showing the same talkgroup ID.

You might also want to use the Unit ID feature, to program the specific radio ID's into your "single channel" system. I did find this by searching the Wiki.

Wow, everyone here is so helpful! Thanks again to everyone! I think you may have figured out what I did wrong. I had it set to ID Search, BUT I did not realize that hitting scan would switch it to ID Scan mode. That is most likely what happened. Is there a key that will "save" or "enter" a talkgroup when it is picked up during ID Search?

I'm slowly getting the hang of this scanner. I do like it quite a lot. Of course, I have no experience whatsoever with trunked systems, so using the P25 single-channel trunk system type just adds to my confusion. But, with NHSP using MDT's on the dispatch channel, that's the only way I can listen to them without the scanner hanging up whenever they use the MDT. Also, SP has their radio numbers programmed as their unit ID's, so that is pretty neat. Our local PD has 8 digit numbers assigned to their radios, which don't seem to correspond to their call numbers. I'll have to look into what you mentioned about saving Unit ID's, maybe there is a way to assign alpha tags to them like to Talk Group ID's.

On another note, have any of you noticed that this scanner seems to scan very slowly at times? I was a little concerned when I first noticed it, but after playing around, it seems to happen only for a short time after programming it from the computer. The only time it seems to last is when enabling one of the pre-programmed service groups.

Thanks again to all of you for being so helpful!