Scan list troubles -- a UI issue

[N5FDL]

Maybe I am alone in worrying about this -- and I am led to believe this is a non-fixable artifact of the wondrous object-oriented database inside the radio -- but it sure is a pain not to be able to know what scan list needs to be locked out simply by looking at the display when the radio stops on a particular frequency.

Example: My Uniden always shows what scan lists are turned on (as does the 500), BUT when the 996 stops on a channel that scan list number flashes. That makes it easy to turn off the scan list when the radio stops on something I don't want to hear. The 500 does not work this way.

As far as I can tell, with the 500, the user is required to have an excellent memory because while scanning (and even in manual mode) the scan lists are hard to manage. That means you can't easily find out what scan list to turn off -- so you better memorize, make a label, do something.

For me, this issue makes the 500's object-oriented programming a lot less sexy. While I like being able to easily assign a frequency to multple scan lists, or mix talk groups and conventional channels in a single scan list (which is sorta slick), if I lose control of the scanner in the deal, well, I did rather be able to easily identify and control scan lists.

Hopefully, the next salvo in the War of the Scanners, will be a Uniden radio that picks up the major features of the 500 -- especially the cellphone-esque user interface -- but not the object-oriented programming. At least not unless Uniden could still allow scan lists to be displayed and managed the same way as today on the 996.

Don't get me wrong, the 500 is the best scanner I've ever owned. (I am not having trunking problems). The UI is truly superior. Object-orientation is a great idea and works nicely, I just can't live with what seems to be a necessary trade-off.

 

[jimw5401]

Maybe I am alone in worrying about this -- and I am led to believe this is a non-fixable artifact of the wondrous object-oriented database inside the radio -- but it sure is a pain not to be able to know what scan list needs to be locked out simply by looking at the display when the radio stops on a particular frequency.

Example: My Uniden always shows what scan lists are turned on (as does the 500), BUT when the 996 stops on a channel that scan list number flashes. That makes it easy to turn off the scan list when the radio stops on something I don't want to hear. The 500 does not work this way.

As far as I can tell, with the 500, the user is required to have an excellent memory because while scanning (and even in manual mode) the scan lists are hard to manage. That means you can't easily find out what scan list to turn off -- so you better memorize, make a label, do something.

For me, this issue makes the 500's object-oriented programming a lot less sexy. While I like being able to easily assign a frequency to multple scan lists, or mix talk groups and conventional channels in a single scan list (which is sorta slick), if I lose control of the scanner in the deal, well, I did rather be able to easily identify and control scan lists.

Hopefully, the next salvo in the War of the Scanners, will be a Uniden radio that picks up the major features of the 500 -- especially the cellphone-esque user interface -- but not the object-oriented programming. At least not unless Uniden could still allow scan lists to be displayed and managed the same way as today on the 996.

Don't get me wrong, the 500 is the best scanner I've ever owned. (I am not having trunking problems). The UI is truly superior. Object-orientation is a great idea and works nicely, I just can't live with what seems to be a necessary trade-off.

I just used Win500 to do a major reprogramming of my setup. For each individual object, I prefixed the object name with the Scan List number. Bingo! Now, I can see at a glance what scan list a talkgroup or conventional channel belongs to. I'm not using multiple scan lists for objects, so this works great for me.

 

[n4jri]

I just used Win500 to do a major reprogramming of my setup. For each individual object, I prefixed the object name with the Scan List number. Bingo! Now, I can see at a glance what scan list a talkgroup or conventional channel belongs to. I'm not using multiple scan lists for objects, so this works great for me.

That's a very good idea--particularly if importing from old Win96 files where there were only 12 characters in each alpha tag.

Although I embrace OOUI, I've noted that I'm slicing out a lot of dupes from the old PRO-96 files. Keeping those dupes, along with adding the SL# to the alpha tag would do a good job not only of ID'ing the scanlist, but in keeping separate identical objects in the different scanlists so that you can lock 123.45 out of SL#1, but have it still active in SL#2.

73/Allen (N4JRI)

 

[N5FDL]

If you have to do this, the value of OOUI disappears, IMHO. And every time you change scan list programming you have to change all the numbers in the scan list. If you have the same channel in multiple lists, you really need to enter it multiple times. Again, what does OOUI really get me? The actual scanner UI could be the same regardless, as far as I can tell.

 

[rdale]

My wish would be that the scanlist name pops up when I activate or deactivate it... I think that would be enough.

 

[N5FDL]

That could work, though you would need a "long push" to deactivate/activate. Short push brings up the name, long push activates/deactivates. That might be a good suggestion. Wonder if it is possible?

 

[kikito]

Example: My Uniden always shows what scan lists are turned on (as does the 500), BUT when the 996 stops on a channel that scan list number flashes. That makes it easy to turn off the scan list when the radio stops on something I don't want to hear. The 500 does not work this way.

Since you're going to have to grab the scanner and push buttons to turn off the scanlists anyway, what's so bad about just pressing MAN when the object you don't want is active? It'll show you the scanlist right away i.e. 04-0046. That tells you it's scanlist 4.

Even more, the PSR-500 will take you back to the last active object when you press MAN, even if the scanner has already resumed scanning. I would say that's a nice feature over the Uniden way, because if you miss it on the Uniden, that's it, you have to wait for the next time it becomes active to know what it was.

 

[DaveIN]

I press manual and then scroll using the left or right arrow and see the scanlist tags and number.

 

[N5FDL]

Isn't that an optional setting? Mine does not show scan list tags when I do that, just channel tags, though there may be a setting for scan list names. Of course, this doesn't help while scanning and to lockout a group you'd need to remember the number, restart scanning, and then lockout the scan list. That's not a driver-friendly way to handle this.

 

[rdale]

Mine doesn't show SL tags either - can you describe exactly how you do it?

 

[DaveIN]

I tag the scan lists using PSREdit or Win500. Then in the scan mode, I press manual, then press the left or right arrow button and I see the scan list tag alternate with the object that is currently displayed.

 

[rdale]

Mine alternates the TSYS ID of the object I have selected if it's a talkgroup and nothing for conventional... Press 3 at startup and let me know what versions you are running.

 

[DaveIN]

1.1, you sure you have the scan list tagged?

 

[DonS]

The scan list is always "tagged". The default values are "Scan List nn".

The PSR-500 never displays the scan list tags anywhere except in the GLOB "Scan Lists" menu.

 

[rdale]

Don - I agree with you. Dave - you sure you aren't seeing the TSYS alpha tag? Clearly on my 1.1 scanner it does not show the scanlist tag.

 

[DaveIN]

OK, yes Don is correct. I am seeing the "TSYS" alpha tag because TSYS is associated with the F2 function key at the bottom. None of the scan lists with conventional are visible unless they happen to be associated with the scan list that the TSYS uses with a tag.

 

[rdale]

Sounds familiar :>

Mine alternates the TSYS ID of the object I have selected if it's a talkgroup and nothing for conventional...

 

[kikito]

this doesn't help while scanning and to lockout a group you'd need to remember the number, restart scanning, and then lockout the scan list. That's not a driver-friendly way to handle this.

Maybe my earlier post didn't explain it well enough....

With the Uniden you'll see an active TG and you'll look for a couple of seconds to see what scanlist is active. Then you proceed to press . 1 2 or . 3 4 or whatever the scanlist number to deactivate it.

With the PSR-500, you see an active TG, press MAN, look at the *scanlist* number NOT the object number i.e. 02-0140, the first 2 digits is the scanlist number. The "Scn" you see while scanning is replaced by the scanlist number in the format of "02-". Now press Scan and the number 2.

I don't see how that is that much more complicated. They both take about 3 keystrokes to do the same. In fact, I find the smaller blinking numbers on the Uniden are harder to see than the steady, larger 2 digits shown on the GRE.

And like I also mentioned earlier, the GRE has the advantage that if it resumes scanning, you can still press MAN at any time to go back to the *last* active frequency or talkgroup.