396 More Firmware Suggestions... Trunking Stuff

[b52hbuff]

I think it's great to have a control channel only feature when doing custom searches. But in the US, since much of the trunking is within predefined bands, why not add these predefined ranges (e.g. 380-400MHz, 406.1-419.9875, 851-869.9875, 930-939.9875) into the list of predefined Service Searches?

One more question, could we have a feature to upload a set of 'custom' control Channel SysIds? Just a simple mapping that would allow for entry of band (e.g. UHF, 900, 800, etc) and SysID number? When the radio stops in a particular band and finds a Sysid, it looks it up in the custom table, if found display it. IF not found, look in the built in table. and if not there, then simply display the number.

It'd give us a way to keep the radio 'current' with changes in our local monitoring...

I'd also like to see display indicators for the Control Channel only mode in custom search. I know I can burn an alpha letter or two (e.g. end search in CC), but it would be more handy if the radio indicated CC in one of the status indicators. (And then I wouldn't have to remove the 'CC' from the Alpha tag, when I disabled the Cc-Only mode. )

 

[DaveIN]

I think it's great to have a control channel only feature when doing custom searches. But in the US, since much of the trunking is within predefined bands, why not add these predefined ranges (e.g. 380-400MHz, 406.1-419.9875, 851-869.9875, 930-939.9875) into the list of predefined Service Searches?

There are 10 user programmable ranges that you can do that with and use with search and scan. The user search is easily adapted with the Butel ARC396 software.

One more question, could we have a feature to upload a set of 'custom' control Channel SysIds? Just a simple mapping that would allow for entry of band (e.g. UHF, 900, 800, etc) and SysID number? When the radio stops in a particular band and finds a Sysid, it looks it up in the custom table, if found display it. IF not found, look in the built in table. and if not there, then simply display the number.

It'd give us a way to keep the radio 'current' with changes in our local monitoring...

I agree this would be a welcome feature. Currently the CC only feature does this in the search mode using data that was current for the SysID's in the Radioreference database when the 396 was released (for motorola systems). Maybe it will be updated once a firmware patch is released for rebanding?

I'd also like to see display indicators for the Control Channel only mode in custom search. I know I can burn an alpha letter or two (e.g. end search in CC), but it would be more handy if the radio indicated CC in one of the status indicators. (And then I wouldn't have to remove the 'CC' from the Alpha tag, when I disabled the Cc-Only mode. )

That would be great to add also. It's a feature in regular trunk scan, so I can't see why it couldn't be added as a CC only search option. Too bad the current status indicators are only available for 5 seconds at a time when the scroll control is pressed.

 

[b52hbuff]

There are 10 user programmable ranges that you can do that with and use with search and scan. The user search is easily adapted with the Butel ARC396 software.

...and it can be adapted via UASD or the keypad...

My issue is that ten search ranges isn't really enough. I don't use many of the Service Search ranges. It would be nice to free up some of my search ranges and add to the list of Service Search ranges. I think this is doable, since much of trunking is within known bands.

That would be great to add also. It's a feature in regular trunk scan, so I can't see why it couldn't be added as a CC only search option. Too bad the current status indicators are only available for 5 seconds at a time when the scroll control is pressed.

I don't know what you mean here... Do you mean the voltage indicator?

My feature request is simply to indicate a 'CC' in the status line when the radio is search a range that has Control Channel Only mode enabled.

I mean the status line below or above the large alpha characters. It's where you see LNK/ENC on the bottom or where you see DSKP on the top. Personally, I think DSKP is pretty useless...

 

[mfn002]

How about adding NAC? All the DPS repeaters around here are going P25 and the only thing to separate them from one another are the NAC codes!

 

[DaveIN]

I don't know what you mean here... Do you mean the voltage indicator?

My feature request is simply to indicate a 'CC' in the status line when the radio is search a range that has Control Channel Only mode enabled.

I mean the status line below or above the large alpha characters. It's where you see LNK/ENC on the bottom or where you see DSKP on the top. Personally, I think DSKP is pretty useless...

No, not the voltage indicator, I was talking about the trunking indicators above the volume level or the squelch level, but it sounds like you want something different. You can have it on all the time on the 996 or BCT15. it's just a graphical indicator of channels in use on a trunked system.

Data Skip only works with frequencies like birdies or signals that don't have modulation, not a digital signal.

So you actually use all 10 user search ranges, sounds like a good case for dynamically alocated search ranges, or as many as you want, memory space permitting.

 

[DaveIN]

How about adding NAC? All the DPS repeaters around here are going P25 and the only thing to separate them from one another are the NAC codes!

Good point. I could see this as a usfull feature, but just like the other requests, I'll bet it would have to be in a future model.

 

[b52hbuff]

Data Skip only works with frequencies like birdies or signals that don't have modulation, not a digital signal.

So you actually use all 10 user search ranges, sounds like a good case for dynamically alocated search ranges, or as many as you want, memory space permitting.

I wasn't meaning

When I turn on Custom Searching, there is a blank line at the very top of the screen. The only indicator is showing the signal strength bars. Then there is Custom Search Label line, and the next line shows the frequency. Below the frequency line is the 'mode indicator' line that shows 'NFM' (or whatever demodulation mode is valid/set for the frequency). The NFM is replaced with the voice frequency when a CC is found. Finally, there is another line of status that shows 'SCR' and 'REP' for broadcast screen and repeater find.

Final screen on my 396 looks like...

Top Status line =>              ||||
Custom Search Label => 800MHz Trunk CC 
Frequency =>            8xx.0000MHz
Mode Line1 =>                 NFM
Mode Line2 =>                     SCR REP

Note that NFM in Mode Line1 is replaced w/voice channel freq when tracking TRS. So what I'm asking is to use some space in the Top Status line or in the lower Mode Lines (preferrably Mode Line2, since it is more 'static) that shows whether Control Channel Only mode has been enabled. As it stands now, I add a 'CC' to the Custom search range name.

So my suggestion could be like this

Top Status line =>              ||||
Custom Search Label => 800MHz Trunk CC 
Frequency =>            8xx.0000MHz
Mode Line1 =>                 NFM
Mode Line2 =>                  CC SCR REP