GPS function in 436 and HP II

Status
Not open for further replies.

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
Is there a dummies guide on how to get the GPS function to work in these units?
I have tried and been unsuccessful in both units.
Does the Favorites List need to be turned off in both units?
HP-2 automatically resets range to 0. I don't know about 436 if it resets to 0 range automatically.
I am using Uniden Puck and it does light up indicating it is on.
The end result is I do not pick up the local agencies in area I am in at the time.
 

marksmith

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
4,331
Location
Anne Arundel County, MD
You need to use either the full database, or a favorites list thst has location control turned on, which you set in Sentinel.

The radios automatically set the range to zero. That means that they will turn the systems or frequency if you go within one of the range circles of those systems. Setting to zero does not mean zero range. It means the range of the systems are used. If you could set it for more than zero, it would just turn on the system before you got in range. No point.

This, by the way is the same even without gps. If you want to just hear stuff that is active within the range circles where you are, you set the range to zero.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652
 

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
You need to use either the full database, or a favorites list thst has location control turned on, which you set in Sentinel.

The radios automatically set the range to zero. That means that they will turn the systems or frequency if you go within one of the range circles of those systems. Setting to zero does not mean zero range. It means the range of the systems are used. If you could set it for more than zero, it would just turn on the system before you got in range. No point.

This, by the way is the same even without gps. If you want to just hear stuff that is active within the range circles where you are, you set the range to zero.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652

Ok so on both scanners I will turn off Favorites List and turn on full data base. The range part I won't miss with. So now the rest is all automatic?
 

marksmith

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
4,331
Location
Anne Arundel County, MD
Ok so on both scanners I will turn off Favorites List and turn on full data base. The range part I won't miss with. So now the rest is all automatic?
Except for baud rate, all rest is automatic. You set it on the gps menu.

On the hp2 you get an indicator light when it connects to gps.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652
 

marksmith

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
4,331
Location
Anne Arundel County, MD
Full database should work as it has gps coordinates entered. Your favorites list needs to have same and location control turned on.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652
 

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
Except for baud rate, all rest is automatic. You set it on the gps menu.

On the hp2 you get an indicator light when it connects to gps.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652

YES on the HP2 the GPS will give you the option to use it or not. A bit easier than the 436 but still I get my favorites list. I will turn off favorites list and turn on full data base but the only problem with that is I remember it saying there is too much to scan so range or something else must be adjusted.
I will try this again.
 

marksmith

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
4,331
Location
Anne Arundel County, MD
Turn off some of the stupid service types that you don't care about. That will cut down the number of channels it picks.

I the long term, a favorites list with gps coordinates in it (appended from the full database) with location control on is the way to go.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652
 

ofd8001

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
7,890
Location
Louisville, KY
Not sure what BAUD rate 4800 is?

Baud Rate is the rate at which data is being passed from one device to another. GPS devices, including the Uniden "puck", sends data at a Baud Rate of 4800.

However the scanner has several different Baud Rate settings for several different applications. Since the application you are using is GPS, the scanner Baud Rate has to match the GPS, so they communicate (or speak the same language more or less).

To change your scanner's settings it is Menu>Set Your Location>Set Up GPS>Set Serial Port. If not already on 4800, scroll to 4800 and enter. Then back out of the menu stuff.

There are a couple of ways of confirming that GPS data is being received by the scanner. Probably the simplest is this:

1. Connect scanner and GPS and wait for the GPS to receive sateilitte data (the LED blniks versus glowing steady).

2. Menu>Set Your Location>Set Manual Location. You'll see Input Latitude. Note the value (last four numbers are enough). Then back out to regular scanning.

3. Go about 1/4 mile away, then do the Menu>Set Your Location>Set Manual Location again. When you see the Input Latitude note that second value. If there is a difference, then your scanner is receiving GPS data as it should.

As others have noted, Favorites Lists should have Location Control set to On if you want them to "toggle" based on your location. If you have Location Control Off, then the Favorites List is always on (unless you turn it off via quick key or avoid, etc.)

If you create a Favorites List from "scratch", versus appending from the full database in Sentinel, pay particular attention to correct location values, particularly with Department locations. The default values when creating from "scratch" are lat/long being 0/0 which is out in the ocean.
 

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
Baud Rate is the rate at which data is being passed from one device to another. GPS devices, including the Uniden "puck", sends data at a Baud Rate of 4800.

However the scanner has several different Baud Rate settings for several different applications. Since the application you are using is GPS, the scanner Baud Rate has to match the GPS, so they communicate (or speak the same language more or less).

To change your scanner's settings it is Menu>Set Your Location>Set Up GPS>Set Serial Port. If not already on 4800, scroll to 4800 and enter. Then back out of the menu stuff.

There are a couple of ways of confirming that GPS data is being received by the scanner. Probably the simplest is this:

1. Connect scanner and GPS and wait for the GPS to receive sateilitte data (the LED blniks versus glowing steady).

2. Menu>Set Your Location>Set Manual Location. You'll see Input Latitude. Note the value (last four numbers are enough). Then back out to regular scanning.

3. Go about 1/4 mile away, then do the Menu>Set Your Location>Set Manual Location again. When you see the Input Latitude note that second value. If there is a difference, then your scanner is receiving GPS data as it should.

As others have noted, Favorites Lists should have Location Control set to On if you want them to "toggle" based on your location. If you have Location Control Off, then the Favorites List is always on (unless you turn it off via quick key or avoid, etc.)

If you create a Favorites List from "scratch", versus appending from the full database in Sentinel, pay particular attention to correct location values, particularly with Department locations. The default values when creating from "scratch" are lat/long being 0/0 which is out in the ocean.

i DID play with the HP-2 and it indicates that the GPS is on and is set to the 4800 automatically. I did have to cut down on types of calls as it said there were too many different types. The range went to 0 automatically. I did the auto locating? Anyway that just named the county I was in as asked if I wanted to scan that which I did. When I am in another location and county I will have to try this again to see if it really works. I did pick up some strange law enforcement channel that I have never seen nor heard of in my county. But I think I need to experiement more in other counties other than where I am.

I will try out the 436 next and see what happens there and get back to you on this. I think the 436 will be a bit more difficult to operate.
 

marksmith

Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
4,331
Location
Anne Arundel County, MD
Auto locate does not use GPS. Forget it when using GPS, that's not what it is for and will only interfere with GPS function.

Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk
 

ofd8001

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
7,890
Location
Louisville, KY
A little more about Auto Locate. It's intended for use when a GPS device isn't "feeding" location data to the scanner.

When using Auto Locate, the scanner attempts to receive a trunked system's control channel. When it does, the scanner does a "look-up" in the internal data, noting the location of the received system. The scanner then translates the location associated with the trunked system as the scanner's location.

So when you use Auto Locate, more or less conflicting information is being applied to the scanner, that from the Auto Locate as well as the GPS. I'm pretty sure the GPS will over-ride the Auto Locate.
 

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
A little more about Auto Locate. It's intended for use when a GPS device isn't "feeding" location data to the scanner.

When using Auto Locate, the scanner attempts to receive a trunked system's control channel. When it does, the scanner does a "look-up" in the internal data, noting the location of the received system. The scanner then translates the location associated with the trunked system as the scanner's location.

So when you use Auto Locate, more or less conflicting information is being applied to the scanner, that from the Auto Locate as well as the GPS. I'm pretty sure the GPS will over-ride the Auto Locate.

i WILL have to try this all out when I am out of my area. I will turn auto locate off.
 

ofd8001

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
7,890
Location
Louisville, KY
A little more from the manual:

Auto Locate – The Auto Locate feature works by trying to monitor any Motorola or P25 system in your area that is also in the Radio Reference Database.
The scanner will then set your location based on the system(s) it receives.
This will set the center of the discovered radio tower as your location (not your exact location) and a default scan range of 30 miles.
You can then set the range, edit the location name, and save the location.
Press E/yes or .no to accept the location. Press Menu to cancel.

So as you can see it works only with certain types of trunked systems and it will change your default range.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Is there a dummies guide on how to get the GPS function to work in these units?
I have tried and been unsuccessful in both units.
Does the Favorites List need to be turned off in both units?
HP-2 automatically resets range to 0. I don't know about 436 if it resets to 0 range automatically.
I am using Uniden Puck and it does light up indicating it is on.
The end result is I do not pick up the local agencies in area I am in at the time.

It's pretty much plug and play, as long as you are listening to the full database as opposed to favorites lists which may or may not have Location Control enabled.

Plug in the GPS puck, and you should see a GPS indicator in the bottom left of the 436 screen. Not sure where it is on the HP2. Then enable the Main Database and go for a drive. Make sure you have the appropriate Service Types enabled.
 

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
A little more from the manual:

Auto Locate – The Auto Locate feature works by trying to monitor any Motorola or P25 system in your area that is also in the Radio Reference Database.
The scanner will then set your location based on the system(s) it receives.
This will set the center of the discovered radio tower as your location (not your exact location) and a default scan range of 30 miles.
You can then set the range, edit the location name, and save the location.
Press E/yes or .no to accept the location. Press Menu to cancel.

So as you can see it works only with certain types of trunked systems and it will change your default range.

So I shouldn't enable this auto locate feature?
 

stingray327

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,798
Location
San Francisco, California bay area
It's pretty much plug and play, as long as you are listening to the full database as opposed to favorites lists which may or may not have Location Control enabled.

Plug in the GPS puck, and you should see a GPS indicator in the bottom left of the 436 screen. Not sure where it is on the HP2. Then enable the Main Database and go for a drive. Make sure you have the appropriate Service Types enabled.

This is what I have done with both units.
I guess the only real way to test is when I am out of my county (which is once in a while) as I am picking up local signals in my county but oddly I also get signals are in other counties 10 miles to 30 miles out and the range is set to 0.
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Range adds to the service radius stored in the database. If the service radius for a system is set to 10 miles, Location Control will turn it on if you're within 10 miles of the tower coordinates if Range is set to 0.

If you have Range set to 10, the system will be enabled if you're within 20 miles (10 miles service radius + 10 miles Range) of the system tower coordinates.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top