396XT new user question #1

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novascotian

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I have used scanners for decades but this is new to me. My question regards the Quick Keys.... I am programming a 16 site Mot system.... plus lets say for now 10 conventional systems.... I am unsure about numbering the SQK's..... are the 16 sites that I want to turn on and off individually each going to have a SQK. lets say 1 to 16? and then the conventional systems would be some other numbers like 17 and upwards? If I set the scanner up that way can I have an SQK that turns the whole MOT system off, if all I want to do is listen to the conventional, or will I have to go in and turn off each site SQK?
 

ka3jjz

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I would certainly try to keep the site quick keys for your trunk and system quick keys for your conventional stuff separate in this case. However since trunking is done at the site level on the XTs, I suspect you'd need to disable each site individually (with 16 of them, that would be painful...). Or perhaps assign a system number tag? However I don't know how to lock that tag out so the system isn't scanned? Or assuming you are using the XT in a mobile setting, set up location based scanning so that once you're out of a given range, the trunk system is no longer scanned...

Hmmm...Mike
 
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novascotian

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At this point i think that there are only two levels of quickkeys.... System and underneath that the Group ones... To me it looks like the sites go with the systems.... and according to what you are saying it is in fact necessary to turn the sites off and on individually... so as you say quite painful to contemplate. Looks like I should just keep a couple of the closest sites turned on or off as I want at the time, but the others keep turned off unless I am travelling...

I guess the basic question still remains... are the sites and the conv systems all using the same series of SQK numbers and therefore not to be duplicated unless for some reason I specifically want to.?
 

ka3jjz

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You could use the same quick key for a trunked site and a conventional system - but doing so ties the two together, and from your description I don't think that's what you want to do.

Thinking about this further, and assuming that you're using the scanner in a mobile environment I think that using location based scanning would be the way to go, since it too works on the site level. Perhaps others have better ideas... Mike
 

novascotian

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Yes I will be using this handheld mobile but usually just around town which has 5 sites that are easily received. Based on what you are saying I could just number them with SQK 1 to 5... I could I think put all the other 11 sites on one SQK. lets say #6 and only turn that one (11 sites) on when I am travelling. I would use SQK's 7 and up for my conventional systems... How does that sound?

I am not familiar with location based scanning..


By the way when travelling I would like to have all 16 sites on as the reality is that there are more than 60 sites in this system but they share CC's so that there are only 16 sets... so I am hoping that in travelling I will hear them all as they come in and out of range.
 

davidmc36

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Yes I will be using this handheld mobile but usually just around town which has 5 sites that are easily received. Based on what you are saying I could just number them with SQK 1 to 5... I could I think put all the other 11 sites on one SQK. lets say #6 and only turn that one (11 sites) on when I am travelling. I would use SQK's 7 and up for my conventional systems... How does that sound? .
That looks like a pretty good setup. Flexible yet easy to use.

I am not familiar with location based scanning...
That is using a GPS hooked to your scanner to automatically turn sites on and off when you travel in and out of range of them.

By the way when travelling I would like to have all 16 sites on as the reality is that there are more than 60 sites in this system but they share CC's so that there are only 16 sets... so I am hoping that in travelling I will hear them all as they come in and out of range.
If you have the GPS hooked up you could program all the sites in and tailor your ranges so you always have the best sites that you are near to you active.
 

ka3jjz

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KE5TLF

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They really should have put in a way to turn on/off a whole block of 10 SQK's. Something like .1., .2., etc. seems like it would work just fine. Pretty sure that isn't conflicting with anything else. There are a lot of little refinements to this series that could/should be done, but the support ship for this series has obviously sailed LONG ago.
 

ka3jjz

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Good thought, Dave - I couldn't come up with it, but you certainly did. That should work...Mike
 
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