Abbreviations on Text Labels "DISPLAY"

How do you prefer to abbreviate county names for Text Labels?

  • As is -- 2-3 digit #'s on SC21, 3-4 lettered alpha abbrev. elsewhere

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2-3 digit county #'s on ALL listings

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    18
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Starcom21

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Asking for everyones opinion on what the preferred way to abbreviate on Text Labels (for imputing/importing to your scanner)

For example, StarCom21, we are using a 2 digit number to represent the county --- 59 is Madison County (59 is the SOS #, also on Sheriff License plates).

Should we continue with this and integrate it into non-SC21 labels or ??
The "RadioReference.com" preferred way is to NOT use numbers, as people traveling, etc, will have no clue, off hand, what county "64" is.
My most recent brainstorming came up with the idea, to create a 2 letter identifier, like the United States Postal Service is for the states. (Maybe this is already out there???)
Examples: CK=Cook, MC=Macoupin, SG=Sangamon*.... and so on. (There are a few issues with many counties beginning with the same letter, but that will work out on its own)

Please comment as you'd like and vote, using the Poll I have created.

NO shouting matches please......
 

JFDoering

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Dunlap, IL
I like the two-letter designators Illinois used when many counties were on 39.50. Examples: TC Tazewell County, SK Stark County, ML Marshall County, etc.
Yes, I know I date myself....
 

ChargerSRT8

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I use the group heading to tell me what Dept. I'm listening to. So I only want id descriptions of the talk groups.

I have no need for the county numbers. I strip them out. This leaves more room for talk group ID's.
 

Starcom21

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Yeah... that's exactly what I'm referring to..... I just don't know if there was a "SET" List or if anyone has it.

JFDoeringI like the two-letter designators Illinois used when many counties were on 39.50. Examples: TC Tazewell County, SK Stark County, ML Marshall County, etc.
Yes, I know I date myself....
 

jboczek

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DuBois, Illinois
the fire marshall's office uses 2 letters for the county ids, along with 3 numbers for fire departments in the county. I'd be happy to populate a list if that's the way you want to go. For example, Washington County is WC, and our fire department is WC123.
 

cubn

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Marion/Johnson County, IN
I don't care what schema we use as long as they are easy to understand (which is hard to do with only 12 characters). Some cities and counties share a name McLean Co/McLean, Champaign Co/Champaign, Dewitt Co/Dewitt. I think it is very important to note in an alpha tag if the agency is a county such as including, if there is room, "Co". That way somebody will know that ChmpgnCoFD is different from Chmpgn FD. Particularly when I am traveling, I like to be able to look at the radio and know if I'm hearing a city versus county pd/fd because it makes a difference if their call may be to an area I'm headed which would cause a traffic backup.

I prefer not to use the Indiana SAFE-T system of county numbers because when I'm travelling and see "41 WR ADM 5" on my scanner's screen, it isn't going to help me know what talkgroup I'm hearing.

I don't use the text labels in the database when loading frequencies in my scanner--I prefer to make my own tags. Plus, with DMA scanners, I can put the county or city name in the group or system name freeing up more characters for the freq/tg alpha tag.
 

Starcom21

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OK, since we haven't had too many opinions about this so far, I would like to wait a little longer to figure this out.

I had also been thinking about the DMA Scanners and their ability to have the TalkGroup "Group" listed, which would display the city/county name in the "GROUP" and leave the TG ID to more accurately describing the talkgroup.

So, for example, instead of having:

7219 D 87-FH Emerg Fairview Heights: Emergency Button Trigger (to FH PSAP) Emergency Ops
7220 D 87-FH Police Fairview Heights: Police - Dispatch (UHF Patch) Law Dispatch
7221 D 87-FH Fire 4 Fairview Heights: Fire - Dispatch (& French Village; Patch w/ 154.415) [F-4] Fire Dispatch

We could have: (under a "Fairview Heights" TalkGroup "Group")

7219 D Emergency Fairview Heights: Emergency Button Trigger (to FH PSAP) Emergency Ops
7220 D Police Disp Fairview Heights: Police - Dispatch (UHF Patch) Law Dispatch
7221 D Fire Disptch Fairview Heights: Fire - Dispatch (& French Village; Patch w/ 154.415) [F-4] Fire Dispatch


Now, this also means, which I already began to test last week, having ALL the talkgroups in a "County" under one listing. This is how it was decided it would be done in the very early stages of creating the SC21 databse. It was also decided to use the county numbering scheme as it is now, just like the Indiana system is done.

NOW, if, for example I take St. Clair County, pull "Sheriff" out of it, for it's own TG Group, Fairview Heights out (already is), Ofallon out with its, then we are down to a lot of municipalities/agencies with only a few TG's each.... Do you leave these under a general "County" TalkGroup "Group" and get rid of the "87-" ???

From:

7101 1bbd D 87-MascPolic Mascoutah Police: Dispatch (DB: CENCOM) Law Dispatch
7103 1bbf D 87-StkyTwnsh Stookey Township: Road Maintenance Public Works
7105 1bc1 D 87-Law? 7105 unid law enforcement - (*11/12/07) Law Tac
7106 1bc2 D 87-AgilPtch St. Clair County: Radio Agile Patch (available for any frequency) Interop
7107 1bc3 D 87-FCty C/W Fairmont City "Citywide" ? (hrd PD/FD) (2400 units, also on IFERN patch and talking about CityWide) Multi-Tac
7108 1bc4 D 87-FCty7108 Fairmont City? --"look for corrosion on ground" "out at xx in Cahokia with a body attachment" (*11/07) Public Works

to
7101 1bbd D Mascoutah PD Mascoutah Police: Dispatch (DB: CENCOM) Law Dispatch
7103 1bbf D StookeyTnshp Stookey Township: Road Maintenance Public Works
7105 1bc1 D 87-Law? 7105 unid law enforcement - (*11/12/07) Law Tac
7106 1bc2 D Agile Patch St. Clair County: Radio Agile Patch (available for any frequency) Interop
7107 1bc3 D FrmntCty C/W Fairmont City "Citywide" ? (hrd PD/FD) (2400 units, also on IFERN patch and talking about CityWide) Multi-Tac
7108 1bc4 D FrmntCty PW Fairmont City? --"look for corrosion on ground" "out at xx in Cahokia with a body attachment" (*11/07) Public Works


or abbreviate the city name more and put more focus on the type of use?
7101 1bbd D Masc Police Mascoutah Police: Dispatch (DB: CENCOM) Law Dispatch
7103 1bbf D StkyTS Roads Stookey Township: Road Maintenance Public Works
7105 1bc1 D 87-Law? 7105 unid law enforcement - (*11/12/07) Law Tac
7106 1bc2 D Agile Patch St. Clair County: Radio Agile Patch (available for any frequency) Interop
7107 1bc3 D FC Citywide Fairmont City "Citywide" ? (hrd PD/FD) (2400 units, also on IFERN patch and talking about CityWide) Multi-Tac
7108 1bc4 D FC PblcWorks Fairmont City? --"look for corrosion on ground" "out at xx in Cahokia with a body attachment" (*11/07) Public Works


I do think, no matter what we do, it is never going to fit everyone's ideas on what should be there.

I think all of us are anal enough about our scanners that we put what we want where we want and how we want.

I think we have to assume that a lot of this is done for the quick download and install in the radio by an inexperience user.

I am going to pull apart St Clair County and test a little for now.

Please tell me your opinions via YahooGroups or
RadioReference.com thread http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112060

Thanks!
Terry Weatherford
 

ChargerSRT8

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Terry, I like what you have done by breaking out the talk groups. Much cleaner and organized. The smaller municipalities need to be broken out from the main list at some time, not necessarily for each city, but maybe one for local municipalities.

Looking good.
 

KC0QNB

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Gothenburg, NE
Fips codes? just a thought, that way it would a "standard" nationwide, but then one would have to build a cheat sheet. Just my 2¢ worth
 
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