PSR 800 Priority

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One13Truck

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I have a really dumb question about the Priority scanning with the PSR 800 I hope someone can answer for me. I scrolled through the forums and on The Google but couldn't find an answer so I figured I'd ask before it drives me any crazier.
How exactly does the Priority scanning work on the PSR 800? I get the HOW itself and idea behind it. But unless I have something set wrong in the programming it seems to scan differently than any of the other scanners I have ever used and I hope I just have it set wrong and can change it. It seems like my PSR 800 will scan as normal unless a Priority channel becomes active then it stops dead on that channel for the rest of the transmission no matter what else happens on any other channel. All the Radio Shack and Uniden scanners I have ever owned will continue to check for "earlier" programmed priorities to switch to if they become active but the PSR 800 doesn't seem to do that and I hope there's a way to change it to get it to do this. For example and I'm just throwing names and frequencies out not the actual ones.

Say I only have Scanlist 001 programmed in to be scanning. In Scanlist 001 I have programmed in:

1.) Fire Dispatch - 154.295 - Set as a Priority
2.) EMS Dispatch - 155.340 - Set as a Priority
3.) Fire Ops One - 154.145 - Set as a Priority
4.) Fire Ops Two - 155.940 - NOT set as a Priority
5.) EMS Ops One - 155.280 - Set as a Priority
6.) EMS Ops Two - 155.865 - NOT set as a Priority
7.) Fire Dept local - 155.250 - NOT set as a Priority
8.) Police Dispatch One - 155.700 - Set as a Priority
9.) Police Dispatch Two - 154.980 - NOT set as a Priority
10.) Next County Fire and EMS Dispatch - 154.445 - NOT set as a Priority

With the way all my other scanners work if I have the Priority set on and the channels marked as a Priority if Police Dispatch One has traffic but the other 7 channels entered in before it don't it will stay on Police Channel One but continue to check the others and switch over to them if it detects them as being active if an EMS call goes our for example it will flip from Police Dispatch One over to EMS Dispatch or Fire Dispatch if a fire box goes out.
But the PSR 800 seems to not want to check any other channels for activity. If there is activity on Police Channel One and it stops on that it's stuck there until the channel frees up even if there is activity on one of the other earlier programmed channels. I know it's doing this because I have all the scanners programmed basically the same way and they will switch over to the other channels if they detect activity or my fire pager will be going off yet the PSR 800 is still stuck on the Police Channel.
My system Priority settings are on. My Objects I want as Priority are all set as Priority. It's just a maddening way to have the Priority function work if this is the way it's actually supposed to be working.

Does what I'm asking make sense? Can anybody confirm this is working properly or suggest how to fix it if it's not?
 
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troymail

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I don't use priority for various reasons - mostly because I hate that irritating dropout in voice when the radio is checking the priority channels but also because I don't listen to too much "conventional" activity.

If I understand your comments, I would expect all priority channels to be "equal" - that is, if your radio has jumped to an active priority, it wouldn't look for other priority channels since they are all "equal" in priority.

Or are you saying that once the priority channel goes active, it never leaves that channel (as if you're holding on it)?
 

rwier

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........................................................................

Say I only have Scanlist 001 programmed in to be scanning. In Scanlist 001 I have programmed in:

1.) Fire Dispatch - 154.295 - Set as a Priority
2.) EMS Dispatch - 155.340 - Set as a Priority
3.) Fire Ops One - 154.145 - Set as a Priority
4.) Fire Ops Two - 155.940 - NOT set as a Priority
5.) EMS Ops One - 155.280 - Set as a Priority
6.) EMS Ops Two - 155.865 - NOT set as a Priority
7.) Fire Dept local - 155.250 - NOT set as a Priority
8.) Police Dispatch One - 155.700 - Set as a Priority
9.) Police Dispatch Two - 154.980 - NOT set as a Priority
10.) Next County Fire and EMS Dispatch - 154.445 - NOT set as a Priority

..........................................................

Well, it appears that we all have our own personal definition of "Priority Channel".

To me, a "true" Priority Channel would be one that I, while awake and near the scanner, desired to hear in excess of 98% of ALL transmissions occurring on that Channel. In a large metropolitan area with multiple public safety agencies constantly broadcasting interesting transmissions, the only answer might be to own a large number of functioning scanners, and dedicate one, or maybe two, "Priorities" to each radio.

I would expect that a single Scanlist with 5 Priorities and 5 non-Priorities, operating in a high RF public service environment, would allow no more than about 15% coverage (remember, to me a priority would demand 98%+) of any single frequency desired transmission.

And, like Troy, I never set priority, and I also never set a delay. A two second delay period of dead air could easily knock that 98% desired coverage on a separate (very busy) channel down to 70%-80% coverage.
 

rwier

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Said another way, I want to hear a constant barrage of serious, interesting, public safety info, delivered in a manner that allows me to understand who is saying what. Living in the same area for a lifetime really helps in that mental "separation" of sources. A couple of extra radios don't hurt either, lol.
 

SCPD

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I personally have a suggestion into Whistler re their scanners and priority.

I found out that .. when paused on a talkgroup, that paused talkgroup over rides the priority and you will not get anything from the priority items. It is like a super priority as it was described to me.

I have concerns about this .. as I want to be able to hold (pause) on a talkgroup and have one other talkgroup (the priority one) be heard if there is activity. In my case it is an all call talkgroup which is used city wide and where 'all the important things' are broadcast.

But I am with Troymail .. I generally do not use Priority normally but want to in my vehicle and found out that it is pretty useless in how it works. I guess that is what I get for using a commercial radio for decades and finding the scanners very lacking.

I have found that the PSR-800 is the same way as the newer models. I would love to see a setting where the user can decide if the priority talkgroup over rides the paused talkgroup.

Btw .. currently the priority in a trunked system only works when you are scanning. I never use priority in conventional mode .. ever, so not a concern.
 
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cebowman

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.. when paused on a talkgroup, that paused talkgroup over rides the priority and you will not get anything from the priority items. It is like a super priority as it was described to me.

I have concerns about this .. as I want to be able to hold (pause) on a talkgroup and have one other talkgroup (the priority one) be heard if there is activity. In my case it is an all call talkgroup which is used city wide and where 'all the important things' are broadcast.

Uniden has Priority switch TGs when paused on a TG while inside the same Group & System
 
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