PSC-500 pre-purchase V-Folder question

[wm8s]

Looking at the manual and this forum didn't clear up a question (in fact, the manual created it)...

From the description I read in marketing material, I inferred that V-Folders hold EVERYTHING (CONV, TSYS/TGRPs, scan lists, etc.), but reading the manual makes me second-guess this and that possibly they only hold scan lists, etc. In other words, can I program main memory with 1,000 channels, then store that in V-Folder 01, then program main memory with a completely different 1,000 channels, then store that in V-Folder 02, etc. Then when I load VF01, I get the first 1,000 freqs, or when I load VF02, I get the second? Correct? Or are the memories static and only the scan lists saved?

In my case, I'd want to put, say, the southwestern part of my state in VF01, the southeastern part in VF02, the central part in VF03, etc.. Then when I travelled, I'd load the appropriate V-Folder and get channels/systems/scan lists appropriate for that area. Is that the way they work? Thanks!

...R

 

[DonS]

The radio's main memory holds ~1800 "objects". These are a combination of conventional channels, talkgroups, trunking systems, and search ranges (the latter two, if you have a lot of them, will decrease the total allowed "object count", since they take more than one "base object's worth" of space). The "scannable objects" (i.e. conventional channels, talkgroups, search ranges) have, as part of their own memory space, "scan list membership". That means that each object's own memory space includes information about which scan lists the object belongs to.

A V-Folder holds an image of the entire main memory of the scanner. When you store the contents of main memory to a V-Folder, then later load that V-Folder back to main memory, the scanner will then contain exactly what it had before the "store" operation.

 

[raisindot]

Looking at the manual and this forum didn't clear up a question (in fact, the manual created it)...

From the description I read in marketing material, I inferred that V-Folders hold EVERYTHING (CONV, TSYS/TGRPs, scan lists, etc.), but reading the manual makes me second-guess this and that possibly they only hold scan lists, etc. In other words, can I program main memory with 1,000 channels, then store that in V-Folder 01, then program main memory with a completely different 1,000 channels, then store that in V-Folder 02, etc. Then when I load VF01, I get the first 1,000 freqs, or when I load VF02, I get the second? Correct? Or are the memories static and only the scan lists saved?

In my case, I'd want to put, say, the southwestern part of my state in VF01, the southeastern part in VF02, the central part in VF03, etc.. Then when I travelled, I'd load the appropriate V-Folder and get channels/systems/scan lists appropriate for that area. Is that the way they work? Thanks!

...R

Yes, this is exactly what you can do. In fact, by default the PRS500 comes with each of its 20 V-folders filled with frequencies for various regions around the country, with one left older for you to fill with your own. You can "write over" any one of the other V folders with one set of objects, create a new list of frequencies and write over another one. So, in reality, you have the potential to create up to 38000 "objects," divided among the V-folders. Which makes it a fabulous scanner for traveling around the country.

Suzie

 

[wm8s]

Yes, this is exactly what you can do. In fact, by default the PRS500 comes with each of its 20 V-folders filled with frequencies for various regions around the country, with one left older for you to fill with your own. You can "write over" any one of the other V folders with one set of objects, create a new list of frequencies and write over another one. So, in reality, you have the potential to create up to 38000 "objects," divided among the V-folders. Which makes it a fabulous scanner for traveling around the country.

Suzie

Great. Thanks to both of you. I've always rejected the GRE scanners for only having 1,000 channels, because I like to keep as much of the entire state loaded up as I can. But I don't often need them 1,000 at a time (although I remain surprised at these and similar limitations [Uniden's top-of-the line radios only have 250 T/Gs per system]; Houston's StarNet has almost 1,000 talkgroups alone; I wonder why we can't get a scanner with a coupla dozen "folders" of several thousand objects...). Sounds like this might do the job.

...R