On the non-database DMA scanners, such as your 996P2, Group quick keys can be used to sort out the frequencies (conventional channels) or talkgroups (trunked systems) in use. For example, in a large city, there may be quite a few channels or talkgroups in use. The Groups could be used to split out various agencies. One group has Law Enforcement entries, another is dedicated to Fire, yet another to other services. Or, in a county, you might want to put each city in a different group, which would let you to concentrate on a large incident in that location, without also getting routine traffic from the other municipalities. You can, of course, just lump everything into a single group if that's your preference.
For the non-database DMA scanners, to toggle a Group Quick Key on or off, you have to be scanning that specific system, then preface the group key number by first pressing the function key. Alternatively, if you were not (at that moment) scanning the system where you wanted to turn a group key on or off, then you'd have to first put the scanner in Hold mode, scroll to he system where you needed to change a group key status (on to off, or off to on), then press Function plus the key number.
Group quick keys serve the same purpose as the Department keys on the database scanners (x36HP & SDS series). But toggling a key on or of takes the extra steps noted above. For the database scanners, the Department key can be accessed more readily. by pressing xx.yy.zz while the scanner is going though the systems programmed. (xx = the Favorites List's key number, yy = System's key number, and zz= the Department's quick key number.) The Groups, in your 996P2, are what the x36HP & SDS series scanners call "Departments".
