SDS100/SDS200: BC-SGPS GPS & SDS-100 How to Use Together...

Aremel

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I'm thoroughly confused about the best means of using the GPS as I'm traveling down the road with the SDS-100. I'd like to connect everything up (I think I understand this) and hit the road. As soon as I transition through different areas, I'd like the scanner to just find and adjust to receiving the new frequencies in the new area. For example, traveling from Wyoming into Nebraska, the scanner would just switch to monitoring the Nebraska State Troopers and local Sheriff's Office and Police Departments. Can I do this? From what I've been reading, I need to preprogram every department I am passing through into a favorites list before my journey. I guess I was thinking I could just scan the "Full Database" with the "Nationwide Systems" I want. Maybe I need to turn off all the "Nationwide System" and just select the "Services Types". Do I need to set the range somewhere? Is there a guide in outline form that shows "Do this first", Do this second", etc...?

Can you help me without laughing at me too much? I'm still new and trying to figure out things like the tone alerts and quick keys, among other things.
 

nessnet

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Lots to cover here because there are many levels of complexity here.
From fairly simple to very detailed programming that only scans exactly what you want for exactly wherever you are.

First rule: The more you scan, the less you hear.

Simple:
Yes, you can scan the full database and by using the range setting and service types, you can somewhat control what you hear. But, see first rule.

Complex:
Programming rectangles (vs circles) for everything you want to hear and when you cross the state/county/city border, (w/ range 0), it switches as you cross to everything you want to hear in that new jurisdiction - and just them.

To start, try simple. Just remember to pay close attention to your service types and don't get carried away with the range. Start with maybe 10 miles, maybe even less. And yes, w/ nationwide off.

Question:
Just these states? (which would be fairly easy to program favorite lists for).
 

Aremel

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I just gave those states as an example. It would obviously be more difficult if I were to go from Wyoming to New Mexico. I need to figure out what you're talking about with how to program squares and circles. Like I said, I am fairly new to modern scanning. I did a lot of monitoring in the 70's and 80's but kind of dropped it for quite a while.
 

nessnet

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I just gave those states as an example. It would obviously be more difficult if I were to go from Wyoming to New Mexico. I need to figure out what you're talking about with how to program squares and circles. Like I said, I am fairly new to modern scanning. I did a lot of monitoring in the 70's and 80's but kind of dropped it for quite a while.

I assume you've downloaded and installed Uniden's Sentinel?
If not, do it and we'll pick this up when you have - and ask if you don't know how.

Basically, when you import stuff from the database that is built into Sentinel (the RR database) and then build your favorite lists, the circles are automatically imported too (already there). It really is fairly easy to build favorites.

"Circles" are just the estimated coverage (RF propagation) of a site, or the GPS lat/long of the center of a state/county/city, with a circle's radius large enough to cover the whole state/county/city. The range number, under the location tab of a site or department (when you build a favorite list) is this radius, in miles.

The rectangles are a way more complex way of doing it, requiring a lot of researching the actual state/county/city boundaries, then calculating a bounding box (or boxes), then manually programming them. I just wanted to show you how far you could actually take this. (100% automated and very accurate switching)

Let's just learn the basics first - this other is advanced stuff.
So.... Sentinel - got it installed?
And updated?
 
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Aremel

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I've been using Sentinel since I got the scanner and I'm very familiar with how to use it.

I remember seeing something about rectangles, I just don't remember where.
 

nessnet

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I've been using Sentinel since I got the scanner and I'm very familiar with how to use it.

I remember seeing something about rectangles, I just don't remember where.

"very familiar with how to use it"
So... you have already built favorite lists?
Then, you can just enable location control for the systems you want GPS to control - under the options tab - or manage favorites/system/use location control.

I do recommend taking the time to build favorites vs scanning from the database. I personally build all my favorites by a common location, so everything I want to monitor when I'm physically there, is all in one favorite, but people certainly organize theirs differently. YRMV....

That said, I've driven across the country and certainly didn't program favorites for all those states/counties/cities.... I used the database. Honestly though, I thought the radio was strangely too quiet much more than I thought it should be, so I'm leery....
 
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n1chu

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I’ve done it while driving I-95 from Ct. to Fl. and back a few times. I chose the Full Database only, and then choose only those Service Types I want, like Law Dispatch, Law Tac, Fire Dispatch, etc. I set the Range to the lowest setting or 1 mile (the scanner Range setting doesn’t actually use the number of miles you choose, not even close, but the way the scanner actually does estimate Range eludes me-it was explained in a thread but it boils down to what I noticed when I used it… even at the lowest setting I was picking up agencies many miles away). Of course, I had GPS enabled. The scanner would periodically update, dropping agency locations and adding newer ones as my location changed. Just remember to update the Full Database first so you have the latest data available, a two step process… first, download it into your Sentinel programming and then from the programming into the scanner-remember to check the box that reads “Force Full Database”.

My observation on the first half of my trip, leaving Ct. and arriving in Fl., was I needed to lock out/Avoid a lot of data only channels so I was busy with that (it could prove to be distracting while driving by yourself, someone other than the driver would be ideal for this need.) But the trip back home proved to be a hands free operation. I don’t make those trips anymore and don’t recall if or how I saved my settings for my next yearly trip to Daytona Bike Week so hopefully someone else here can guide you on that aspect. And I don’t recall if the process of updating the Full Database caused me to loose my trip programming if in fact I had saved it.
 

drdispatch

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There are as many ways to do this as there are SDS/x36 owners.
I have traveled from my home state of Michigan to Atlanta, central Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and South Carolina. I built a Favorites List for my destination, since I was there for several days; but for the drive, I used the database and a GPS. I set the scanner range to 1 mile, turned off most of the nationwide list agencies (DEA, Border Patrol, etc.), and enabled only law, fire, EMS, and a couple of other service types. I felt that the scanner monitored what I needed/wanted it to, without a lot of extra "stuff". I will say that part of the drive to Arkansas took me close enough to the border that I was hearing Tennessee even though I was not in Tennessee; I chalked that up to the range settings and inevitability, and tapped the "Avoid" key a few times. No harm, no foul, IMO.
 

dave3825

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I live on Long Island and have to travel thru NYC when ever I go somewhere. I made my own fav list for NYC with everything of interest and set location control to on. Then went into the main db and avoided everything for NYC. Obviously I have fav list set up for my home area so when I travel, I set that lists location to on. Then gps all the way. Listen to my home list as I am leaving. Listen to NYC list when over there and full db the rest of the way.
 

N9JIG

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Using the Database and GPS is a great start, and for most people just fine for casual listening on the road. Remember however that how it works with popping in a Range to go with the GPS is that the GPS does nothing more than tell the radio where it is. The Range develops a circle of an appropriate size around that center point. If you are driving, that circle follows you and you will get stuff from in front and in back of you within that circle.

Start small like "nessnet" said. I start out at a range of 0 miles and work my way up. When you enter 0 it only includes items directly covering the location you are in right now.

The way the DB works is that everything in the database has a GPS point in it and a range assigned. In effect there are thousands of circles on the map, each caused by an entry in the database. If the circle (or rectangle if you build them) from your GPS-equipped scanner crosses or touches the circle of a database entry then it is included in your radio at that time. This is where the Service Types come in.

Service Types help you tailor the data sent to the radio. Want to listen to only public safety? Disable all other Service Types. Want to keep the radio hopping with anything? Turn them all on. Select the ones you want and turn the rest off.

All that said, the Database is user-driven and updated regularly, Be sure to update your radio with Sentinel occasionally, I usually do it monthly but always before I leave on a trip. The database is by no means complete nor is it entirely accurate. In some areas it is exceptionally so, in others it is woefully out of date. For the casual user transiting an area it is fine. For more serious listening or in your home area you are best off with Favorites Lists. These can be as simple as a batch of frequencies or as detailed as you have time and inclination to build. You can even have them set up with Location Control to turn on and off automatically depending on GPS location.
 

nessnet

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I set the Range to the lowest setting or 1 mile (the scanner Range setting doesn’t actually use the number of miles you choose, not even close, but the way the scanner actually does estimate Range eludes me

Every object in the database has a range.
So, let's say you have a tower site that has 20 mile range set in it's location information.
If you set the range in your GLOBAL profile (main settings) to, let's say 5 miles, it is additive - meaning the radio will now be using a radius of 25 (20+5) miles from your current location.

Let's say a county system has a location range of 50 miles. Remember, this is a circle drawn from the approx center of that county, with a radius big enough so that the circle covers all of that county. Great when the county is square, but if it is not (a square), the circle has to be bigger to still cover that entire county's irregular shape, whatever that is. So, in this case, it is actually covering much more than just that county because of this now much bigger circle. Now, let's say that you have your global profile's range set to 10, that big circle becomes an even bigger 60 miles and you are monitoring every county around it also.

With rectangles, you set the NW corner and SE corner's GPS coordinates of a 'box' that is big enough to cover the area in question (state/county/city). There is no more range setting because you are either inside - or outside the box. The global range setting then tells the radio how far from the box to switch. If 0, it switches right when you cross into the box and switches off right when you leave the box. Irregular shaped entities are easily defined by using multiple overlapping boxes and remember you are just inputting the upper L and lower R corners, so it could be a square - or a narrow rectangle, or anything in-between. So by using multiple overlapping boxes, you can very accurately define the coverage for any shaped state/county/city.

When I travel in my state and the 2 surrounding states, my radio literally switches when I cross any border of any state/city/county/reservation, (range = 0). Yea, it was a ton of work setting this up, but it is soooo nice to turn the radio on and it just does it's thing - 100% automatically. I may adjust the volume on occasion, otherwise I don't ever even need to touch it. If on the Interstate, I may bump the range up a bit to see what may be happening ahead a couple of miles before crossing a border...
 
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dave3825

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And also keep in mind there are plenty of over exaggerated ranges in the db. Some have to be to encompass the area they cover and some are just way off.
 

nessnet

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And also keep in mind there are plenty of over exaggerated ranges in the db. Some have to be to encompass the area they cover and some are just way off.

True.
One of the GREAT things about ProScan, is that you can actually see these circles on a map and drag them to whatever you feel is a more realistic radius.

And... reference my previous post. If a jurisdiction isn't an exact square, that circle still has to be big enough to cover all of it. Use Tennessee as an example. Long E/W and narrow N/S. The circle covering it is waaaaaay bigger than the state is N/S. Well into Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, N Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama.
 
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Aremel

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So... you have already built favorite lists?
Then, you can just enable location control for the systems you want GPS to control - under the options tab - or manage favorites/system/use location control.

Yes I have and use favorites lists for where I live. They are made according to the Service Types, so if I want to listen to aircraft, I enable the favorites list for Aircraft, etc...

I have to thank everyone for their responses. This is all very fun and I enjoy it. I still need to figure out this "squares" thing and how to program that. I get the range controlling the radius of the circle of coverage. And I still have to figure out "Search/Close Call", "Custom Seaches", "Tone Outs", "Quick Keys" and "Discovery". Did I miss anything?
 

nessnet

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Yes I have and use favorites lists for where I live. They are made according to the Service Types, so if I want to listen to aircraft, I enable the favorites list for Aircraft, etc...

I have to thank everyone for their responses. This is all very fun and I enjoy it. I still need to figure out this "squares" thing and how to program that. I get the range controlling the radius of the circle of coverage. And I still have to figure out "Search/Close Call", "Custom Seaches", "Tone Outs", "Quick Keys" and "Discovery". Did I miss anything?

There are 2 ranges....
The global one in your profile and the individual ones in each object - and that they are additive.
 

Aremel

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There are 2 ranges....
The global one in your profile and the individual ones in each object - and that they are additive.

Is this on the radio itself? I don't see any Global Range setting in Sentinel. 🙄

FYI, I update Sentinel every week on Monday.
 
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nessnet

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Is this on the radio itself? I don't see any Global Range setting in Sentinel. 🙄

Edit / Edit Profile

Note: You will see lat/long info in the boxes. I redacted mine, after all, this IS the Internets.
Also, for a 100, the Baud Rate should be 4800 (This profile is for a 200)


1674068696954.png
 
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Aremel

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Note: You will see lat/long info in the boxes. I redacted mine, after all, this IS the Internets.
Also, for a 100, the Baud Rate should be 4800 (This profile is for a 200)
So you're saying that in my example for Rock Springs Wyoming, the radio would actually be scanning a 30 mile radius? I'm not about this. Is there any more information about this like in the SDS-100 Manual at SDS Sentinel Software Manual Any other URL's or video's for some teaching/training? Trust me guys, I'm eating up this information. And about those squares... where do I find those?Screenshot 2023-01-18 122908.jpg
 
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