To search, or to scan: that is the question:

[Liverdog]

I'm curious what scan mode you all use while listening to the CO DTRS or the El Paso County/Colorado Springs system in terms of search/scan or bank open/closed (depending on if you're a Uniden or RS user). ...Not sure what the new GRE units call it.

I just leave my scanner(s) in "scan" (Uniden) or "bank closed" mode (RS) since I pretty much know what I want to listen to, but I'm curious how many users leave their scanners in "search" or "open" mode hoping to catch new TG's.

 

[dougjgray]

I do Search my 996 can only hold 250 talk groups so you cant fit all TGs in (in the Denver area) and I dont realize any performance benefit compared to scan mode so I just leave on search

 

[cycle687]

When I listen in Northern Co. I keep my pro-96 in closed, or even TG hold mode. I find that there's too much other stuff out of the local area that comes across the sites and causes gaps in what I want to hear locally.

 

[jimmnn]

Personally once you've heard one school bus driver, you've heard them all, they seem to like to chat, my radios are in closed mode except the two dedicated radios that search for new unidentified TG's in open mode 24/7 and log with pro96com for new radio id's.

Jim<

 

[firescannerbob]

Closed mode with my Pro-96. I have all the TG's I want to listen to programmed in, and as Jim alluded, I can only listen to so much road department and utilities traffic.

 

[RodStrong]

What do you guys mean by open mode versus closed? I only have a PSR500, so maybe I don't understand what y'all are talking about.

A couple of you had mentioned not wanting to listen to Road & Bridge/buses, etc. Can't you just lock out those TGs but still pick up other unknown TGs? Sorry, but I am just curious.

 

[firescannerbob]

Open mode: your scanner picks up ANYTHING that comes across the system.
Closed mode: your scanner only picks up the TG's you have programmed.

 

[GrayJeep]

Open mode - detail?

Open mode: your scanner picks up ANYTHING that comes across the system.
Closed mode: your scanner only picks up the TG's you have programmed.

Don't you mean that Open mode picks up any TG that isn't specifically locked out?

Meaning that if you don't want to hear the bus drivers you enter the bus driver TG and lock it out then run the bank in Open mode? So it skips the drivers and accepts everything else?

NW0U

 

[MikeyB]

What do you guys mean by open mode versus closed? I only have a PSR500, so maybe I don't understand what y'all are talking about.

A couple of you had mentioned not wanting to listen to Road & Bridge/buses, etc. Can't you just lock out those TGs but still pick up other unknown TGs? Sorry, but I am just curious.

Rod,

It is the equivilant of a wildcard for the system in the PSR500.

And yes, even though I don't use open mode hardly ever, you can still lock out specific talkgroups and be open ot everything else.

Michael

 

[firescannerbob]

Don't you mean that Open mode picks up any TG that isn't specifically locked out?

Meaning that if you don't want to hear the bus drivers you enter the bus driver TG and lock it out then run the bank in Open mode? So it skips the drivers and accepts everything else?

NW0U

Well, yes, but if you're going to do that, just use the closed mode. By the time you're done locking out all the stuff you don't want to hear, you'd have done the same thing by being in closed mode anyways.

 

[scanlist]

Don't you mean that Open mode picks up any TG that isn't specifically locked out?

In the case of the PRO-96 you are correct.

Phil.

 

[MikeyB]

Well, yes, but if you're going to do that, just use the closed mode. By the time you're done locking out all the stuff you don't want to hear, you'd have done the same thing by being in closed mode anyways.

Very true Bob, it is a pain to lock those out. The only time I use closed/open mode is in my Pro95 when I want to listen to the Lakewood, Aurora or Westy/Arvada systems and I usually want to listen to only fire, so I have the talkgroups programmed into a subbank. When I want to listen to police, instead of going all of the way through to turn on the police subbank I just go into open mode. But there are some annoying talkgroups, especially on Lakewood, so I would just lock them out and skip them. I also sometimes like to lock on a DTRS tower and just listen for what's on that one only.