I still don't quite grasp the difference between ID SCAN and ID SEARCH.
I was under the impression that ID SCAN is the ideal setting for scanning your programmed systems.
Also, one of my systems only has groups in it. No sites. When I set the system quick key, every group received the quick key. I get that this is how it works.. but what I don't get is why it is not showing on the scanner. I can quick key 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6.. but 2 does not show. What did I do wrong there?
I get that groups are talk group IDs and sites are frequencies..
The info I am reading makes me think I need at least one site and one group in a system.. but I am not sure if that is true. I thought I read this somewhere, but I cannot find it.
Thank you in advance!!
EdwardnNC
If, when you set the 'system' quick key, it also sets the 'groups', that sounds like those are actually sites, not groups, in a trunked system.
If quick key
2 is not 'showing', it's possible you do not have it enabled. Check that under the System Quick Key Manager. That's under the Tools menu at the top of the FreeSCAN screen, or accessible via keyboard shortcut <CTRL>+<K>. Each key number that you want active and available should have a checkmark by it. If the box by
2 is not checked, it won't be active and available. You can selectively enable or disable individual QK numbers, or use the All On or All Off buttons to rest all at the same time.
If you'd like to post your file, where someone can look at it, you'll need to either zip it (compress it), or do a slight renaming in order to attach it to a message. The file extension used by FreeSCAN, *.996, is not an allowed extension for attachments to the forum here. So, you can zip (compress) the file, using a file utility such as WinZip, or the free
7-Zip. Or, simply give it a new, temporary, acceptable name. Lets say, for simplicity, that you save your file and call it "Edward". The actual file name would be Edward.996, which you can't upload here. But if you'll just rename the file to Edward.996.txt you can upload that. Text (files with a 8.txt extention) are allowed. Then whoever is looking at the file simply renames it back to just Edward.996 & it will open in FreeSCAN.
Using
ID Scan mode, in a trunked system, the scanner only receives traffic on those talkgroups that you have programmed into your trunked system file
and that are
not locked out,
nor are they in a group that is locked out.
In
ID Search mode, the scanner will receive any active talkgroup on the system that is not locked, and is not in a group that is locked out. For those talkgroups that you have programmed, when received in ID Search mode, you would see any text tags entered for that TGID. For those ID's that are not programmed, but are active (but not locked out), you would see the talkgroup ID. No text tag, because you don't have one entered.
ID Scan is ideal if you want to limit your scanning of that system to specific talkgroups. such as public safety only (fire & police) on a large system, while not having to listen to public works, utility workers, and other users that may be on the same system.
ID Search may be useful if you have reason to believe that there are additional talkgroups of interest to you being used, that have not been identified as yet, This could be a relatively new system, where new users are still being added, or an older system, where usage is being expanded or refined. You can still limit the non-essential chatter (such as public works,for example) by having those talkgroups programmed in your system, but either locked out individually, or in a locked out group.