Layout question for BCD396T

[n7fan]

Good morning,

I have a handheld scanner that I purchased from a local ham. It came pre-programmed with EVERY system in Maricopa County. More than I'll ever listen to.

My question is...how best to program RWC systems.

Should each tower be programmed as a separate group, with the specific control channels for that tower, and all the talk groups?

For Instance:

Phoenix Fire
B Deck Group
C Deck Group
W Deck Group

Or can all of the control towers be entered under one group, with one set of talkgroups?

I ask, because every time I need to update a talkgroup, I have to do it in multiple systems.

I don't know enough about digital scanning to know what is correct and what would be a disaster to try and listen to.

David

 

[cellphone]

One of the major differences between the T and XT is that the XT added multi-site support that resolves some of the issues that you are facing with the T.

The best way to handle it in my opinion is create a different system for every site you want to scan. Within that system, add the groups and talkgroups that you want to scan. This will result in a lot of duplication, but will give you the most flexibility. You can add quick keys to the systems and groups. Turn them on and off based on what you want to monitor.

If you program multiple site control channels into a single system, it will not work well. The scanner will grab the first control channel it hits, and will say on that control channel until it can’t receive it. You will essentially only be monitoring one site programming it this way, and you can’t control which site the scanner will catch. I don’t recall if it is based on the order the frequencies are entered, or if the scanner sorts them during scan. You will have limited control of selecting a site, and you will only be monitoring one site.

 

[n7fan]

Okay, thank you. That is the way it is set up now, so I will leave it that way.