Just got the 396...TG Priority???

[911scanner]

Ok, so I waited awhile...early Christmas present to myself.

Anyway, unless I'm missing it, I can't set up any priority TG's on my APCO 25 systems. I could on my 296.... Why was this feature taken away???

Maybe you can't with Dynamic Memory?? (I don't see why not)

If I'm wrong, please tell me. If I'm right, then gosh darn it UPMan, add it back in through firmware and don't forget to add it back into the 996 too please.

Mark

[jpm]

Thats the down side of the scanner. Glad I kept a bc250d for the conventional stuff.

[rdale]

Talkgroup priority isn't a big thing anyways - all it does is recheck before moving on. It's not like a conventional frequency priority where it checks during all transmissions.

[MysticalOS]

yes this is a feature i would have liked. It'd take effort on unidens part but much like the motorola radio's can do when they are in scan mode is, scan other channels, BUT cut them off when the channel you are actually on speaks. I'm sure it could be done with a scanner too since you're monitoring control channel and can see what TGID's are transmitting, if any of them are priority take over. Maybe one day. At very least uniden is working on multi site monitoring in future models.

[ButchGone]

I find talkgroup priority is a wonderful tool on the 245's and the 296d's....I could not be happy without it. I can sit on one talkgroup of interest while not missing important dispatches on stuff I like.
Hope the 996 has it!!

[W4KRR]

I hate the priority feature on most (all?) scanners. The breaking audio every 2 seconds while it checks for activity on the priority channel makes the transmission sound like a case of the hiccups. Good idea, but too annoying for me. Just my 2 cents.

[Al42]

Originally Posted by MysticalOS

yes this is a feature i would have liked. It'd take effort on unidens part but much like the motorola radio's can do when they are in scan mode is, scan other channels, BUT cut them off when the channel you are actually on speaks. I'm sure it could be done with a scanner too since you're monitoring control channel and can see what TGID's are transmitting, if any of them are priority take over.

1) You aren't always listening to the control channel - the way some people have their scanners programmed, most of the time the scanner is listening to some other system.

2) Motorola trunked portables don't do priority - the system does. Your radio tells the system what TG you want as a priority TG, and the system notifies your radio if that TG becomes active. It only works if the radio is associated withy the system. Scanners aren't.

3) In order to have actual TG priority (or weather alert priority, or priority on any other type of data stream) you'd need a second receiver, constantly listening to that system. Carrier priority works any time you switch to the priority channel - if it's in use, stop there. For data stream priority you have to hear the entire data stream - that might mean stopping on a channel for a couple of seconds to determine whether the group you want is active. A couple of seconds every 2 seconds? That doesn't work.

[911scanner]

QUOTE:
3) In order to have actual TG priority (or weather alert priority, or priority on any other type of data stream) you'd need a second receiver, constantly listening to that system. Carrier priority works any time you switch to the priority channel - if it's in use, stop there. For data stream priority you have to hear the entire data stream - that might mean stopping on a channel for a couple of seconds to determine whether the group you want is active. A couple of seconds every 2 seconds? That doesn't work
END QUOTE


Alrightnow Al42... That's the 3rd time you've given that answer and it simply isn't fully truthful.

My 296 HAS RIGHT NOW the capability to do 10 priority TG's per bank on the same APCO 25 system that I've programmed into my 396, and to my knowledge the 296 does NOT have a SECOND reciever.

Maybe what you're trying to communicate is that to have Dynamic Memory Allocation, one cannot have priority TG's w/o using a second reciever.

Either way, this can be remedied through a firmware fix. All I want is to have 1 TG per group be priority, and doesn't even need to check them unless I manually stop on a TG.

If it was there before, should be able to figure out a way to be there again.

Mark

[Al42]

Originally Posted by 911scanner

QUOTE:
3) In order to have actual TG priority (or weather alert priority, or priority on any other type of data stream) you'd need a second receiver, constantly listening to that system. Carrier priority works any time you switch to the priority channel - if it's in use, stop there. For data stream priority you have to hear the entire data stream - that might mean stopping on a channel for a couple of seconds to determine whether the group you want is active. A couple of seconds every 2 seconds? That doesn't work
END QUOTE


Alrightnow Al42... That's the 3rd time you've given that answer and it simply isn't fully truthful.

My 296 HAS RIGHT NOW the capability to do 10 priority TG's per bank on the same APCO 25 system that I've programmed into my 396, and to my knowledge the 296 does NOT have a SECOND reciever.

You're saying that if you're monitoring a weather channel, and one of those talk groups comes up on the trunked system, the 296 will switch over to the trunked system and monitor that talk group? (That's what priority means.)

Maybe what you're trying to communicate is that to have Dynamic Memory Allocation, one cannot have priority TG's w/o using a second reciever.

No, what I'm trying to communicate is that I'm pretty sure that what you're talking about isn't priority.

Either way, this can be remedied through a firmware fix. All I want is to have 1 TG per group be priority, and doesn't even need to check them unless I manually stop on a TG.

But you'd have to have the scanner stopped on the trunked system - no scanning.

If it was there before, should be able to figure out a way to be there again.

If ... but since it never was ... There's no single receiver that can listen to one system, conventional or trunked, and priority monitor a talk group on another trunked system (or monitor any data stream on another frequency), because the concept is just words - it can't be implemented in actual hardware/software any more than a round top on a square bottom can.

[rdale]

"My 296 HAS RIGHT NOW the capability to do 10 priority TG's per bank on the same APCO 25 system that I've programmed into my 396, and to my knowledge the 296 does NOT have a SECOND reciever."

Talkgroup priority is not what you are thinking of... Talkgroup priority means that after a transmission is done, it will recheck the datastream for those talkgroups again before moving on. It will NOT interrupt any transmission like "real" priority (and like the priority on my Motorola will do.)

[Al42]

Originally Posted by rdale

"My 296 HAS RIGHT NOW the capability to do 10 priority TG's per bank on the same APCO 25 system that I've programmed into my 396, and to my knowledge the 296 does NOT have a SECOND reciever."

Talkgroup priority is not what you are thinking of... Talkgroup priority means that after a transmission is done, it will recheck the datastream for those talkgroups again before moving on. It will NOT interrupt any transmission like "real" priority (and like the priority on my Motorola will do.)

Sounds like a "resume delay".

[911scanner]

Ok Gang....

If you want to get "tripped up" on the technicality of a definition to be correct in your explanation/assessment, then fine, you are correct. Priority has never worked that way on a digital system.

YOU ARE RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT.....................................

As I said in my last post, I could "hold" on a (non-priority)TG or if the radio was scanning and stopped on a (non-priority)TG, the 10 Priority TG's (1 per bank) would still interupt the transmission if one of the priority TG's became active. Obviously not the same as "conventional priority", but what I became accustomed to w/ the 296. At least it was some type of priority set-up.

AND NOW IT'S GONE!

Tell me I'm wrong now. Please, so I can have my priority TG's back, tell me I'm wrong.

If you can't, don't get hung up in the semantics of the word "priority", just agree with me that a previous nice feature has now disappeared.

Thanks.

Mark

[Al42]

Originally Posted by 911scanner

Ok Gang....

If you want to get "tripped up" on the technicality of a definition to be correct in your explanation/assessment, then fine, you are correct. Priority has never worked that way on a digital system.

It works that way all the time on trunked systems - with radios that are associated. It doesn't - and can't - with single-receiver scanners.

If you can't, don't get hung up in the semantics of the word "priority"

So you're talking about "elephant"?

Words have meanings. Priority scanning means periodically checking the priority channel or talkgroup (from wherever the receiver is) and, if there's activity on it, going to it. If you're talking about something else (and you were), use the word that describes that function, not a word that describes another function. If you apeak a language different than the rest of us are speaking we won't understand each other.

[rdale]

"As I said in my last post, I could "hold" on a (non-priority)TG or if the radio was scanning and stopped on a (non-priority)TG, the 10 Priority TG's (1 per bank) would still interupt the transmission if one of the priority TG's became active."

You are incorrect. There would be no interruption of the transmission.

From the 296D manual http://www.uniden.com/pdf/BC296Dom.pdf :

Setting Priority Talkgroups (Motorola and EDACS only)

Talkgroup priority works slightly different than conventional
priority. With talkgroup priority, the priority talkgroups are only
checked when the scanner is on the control channel. So, if
you have delay turned on for the system or are holding on an
ID, the scanner will immediately switch to the priority talkgroup
if it becomes active during the 2-second delay or *** while there
is no transmission on the held talkgroup.***

To assign a talkgroup as the priority talkgroup, select it in
Scan Hold mode (see “Holding on a Single Talkgroup”). Then,
press and hold PRI for 2 seconds.

[911scanner]

BTW... my original post was asking if the 396 had the feature..not if the 296 did or didn't do it. I already knew that answer.

I will agree with rdale & Al42 that it doesn't change if the held TG is active, hence not being like conventional priority, which is what I've now become used to. But if the held TG is silent, it sure enough will change to a priority TG with traffic. Call it resume delay, call it elephant Does the 396 do it? That's the question at hand

Happy Holidays.

Mark

PS Why do they call it a "priorityTG" if it's not?

[rdale]

"Does the 396 do it?"

As you noted in the original post, it does not.