HP-1 Sentinel / Radio Reference database question

[daveharpe]

Is there any way to get Sentinel to use the "Alpha Tag" column in the RR database instead of the "Description" column for the channel name? I know I can jump through hoops to do it with a spreadsheet, but it would be a lot easier if Sentinel had the option.

[UPMan]

The HP-1 uses the Description field exclusively, as it includes all the information in the 12-character limited "alpha tag" column (or should, according to RRDB submission and administration rules) but typically in an easier-to-understand format. Since we do not import the Alpha tag field into the main database, it is not automagically available using Sentinel.

[daveharpe]

Understood that the RR submission standards are supposed to prevent it, but that's just not happening. Several systems in my area have important designators in the Alpha Tag field but not the description field. For example, from Boulder County:
Boulder County, Colorado (CO) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

In the first group notice that the Alpha tags have the "color" designators for the channels, yet the description field has a generic tag with no reference to the color designators, which are sometimes referenced in communications.

I picked a few other counties at random and it's not just a Colorado/Boulder problem. Here's one from Utah:
Salt Lake County, Utah (UT) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Note that the EMS channel numbers (5, 6, 7) are in the alpha tag, yet the description references just "Fire/EMS" for multiple channels. Same thing further down in the "Murray" section - Alpha tag has "Murray 1,2,3" while the description only has "Police". Lots of other channels on the page suffer from the same issue. I spot checked a half a dozen other random counties and found examples of this problem in every instance. It's a widespread issue throughout the database. The information is there - but usually the Alpha tag has better designators than the description field.

I can work around it by doing spreadsheet tricks and flipping the alpha channel label into the description field, but it's a pain and makes it a hassle to update lists when systems change.

Any chance that it could be offered as a configurable option somewhere down the road since it's such a widespread issue?

[UPMan]

First suggestion would be to submit a database update request for those channels you have identified. IIRC, tThe rule was formalized quite a while after the fields were made available, so there were some records set up incorrectly (well, at the time they weren't incorrect, since there was no clear rule).

[jkahn]

Originally Posted by daveharpe

The information is there - but usually the Alpha tag has better designators than the description field.

I can work around it by doing spreadsheet tricks and flipping the alpha channel label into the description field, but it's a pain and makes it a hassle to update lists when systems change.

Any chance that it could be offered as a configurable option somewhere down the road since it's such a widespread issue?

I know it can be a pain, but using Sentinel or ARC Patrol, you can create a favorites list of that system and edit the descriptors manually. They won't change if the RRDB is updated, so you will also have to keep an eye on that occaisionally. I do this for some of my local talk groups to better ID them, and to add T/G that are sometimes encrypted but not at others, which were left off the DB because of the "E"ncrypted designator. Open conversations on some of these T/G can be a Hoot!

JK