BCD436HP/BCD536HP: BCD436/536HP Favorite List structures?

[tomas21]

What are some of the favorite list design/structures that you all are using for the BCD436/536HP?

Coming from a 996p2 and now seeing the new Favorite/System/Dept for the first time opens up a new world to organizing my mega complex lists in the 996p2.

Curious how you all are setting up your favorites structure in Sentinel.

Pls share your list structures and or screenshots on the method to your madness would be appreciated for ideas..

 

[ofd8001]

There are so many ways of configuring a Favorites List. You'll probably never be completely satisfied, always making little tweaks here and there.

That said, I look at a Favorites List as a filing cabinet. (The scanner itself is a room that has many filing cabinets/Favorites Lists).

Then, each drawer of the filing cabinet would be a System. In this example, however, you can have many drawers rather than the typical four.

In each drawer, you would have file folders, those being the Departments.

Then in those file folders you have individual pieces of paper, or channels.

One method many folks use, if Quick Keys are involved, is to have the given Quick Key as part of the name, such as "F00-Jefferson County", "S01-Kentucky State Police", "D04-KSP Post 4".

A piece of advice: if you scan trunked systems, you should avoid duplicating them in separate Favorites Lists. Such as FL1 Police and FL2 Fire. What happens is that you are on 1 listening for police, and fire is talking. Since fire isn't in the list, they are ignore. Then the scanner jumps to 2 listening for fire, but they are quiet with the police being active. A lot of conversations are missed that way.

 

[tomas21]

So a trunked system should be confined to one favorite based on the scenario above ?

 

[ofd8001]

Not necessarily, as long as you are aware of the pitfalls of scanning the same system's sites in multiple Favorites Lists. The pitfall being potentially missing out on some traffic.

 

[nessnet]

If you use GPS/location control, my suggestion would be by geography.

 

[ve1sef]

I think this what your asking for, hope it helps.
My 536 is set up for mobile use with the GPS . For my primary departments I use rectangles, which are colour coded.
I find it tightens to scanner area better than the circles which can be overkill at times. The remaining secondary departments
are a combination of smaller circles/rectangles that are more localized.
The "Sample" is of one of my older "maps". BTW I use Microsoft Streets & Trips (2005 version) for creating my maps.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I primarily organize FLs based on states I frequently visit. Also by service type (Aviation, ham radio, businesses, etc)

 

[tomas21]

Thanks. I do have some trunked systems so will have to see what makes the most sense.

 

[tomas21]

Not necessarily, as long as you are aware of the pitfalls of scanning the same system's sites in multiple Favorites Lists. The pitfall being potentially missing out on some traffic.

Where can I read up more on the pitfalls when to keep one truck group confined to one favorites list or when it’s ok to distribute a trunked system into multiple favorites? I have one trunk that has fire, water & power, etc that would maybe be in different favorites depending on the pros and cons

 

[737mech]

You might also consider how you want services sorted out. That to me is a game changer to weed out the talkgroups I don’t wish to scan on a big system.

 

[tomas21]

Thanks. Ya I know all the services i want from the trunk given my setups on the 996p2/325p2

 

[RMason]

Where can I read up more on the pitfalls when to keep one truck group confined to one favorites list or when it’s ok to distribute a trunked system into multiple favorites? I have one trunk that has fire, water & power, etc that would maybe be in different favorites depending on the pros and cons

You may want to refer to this thread (as an example)

SDS100/SDS200: - Most efficient way to scan trunked systems

I need some advice on programming my SDS 100. All the agencies I want to monitor are on the same p 25 trunked system. If I create a separate Favorite for each agency and have all selected will this create unnecessary overhead on the scanner? If I use 5 separate favorites does this duplicate...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[tomas21]

Thanks ... seems like the best route without have multiple scanners is to go with the following:

• Single system to scan all of the agencies from common trunk
  • Favorite (a)
    • System a (the trunking system)
      • Departments (from trunking system of interest - talk-groups for each agency in a separate department)
      • Dept - Agency A
      • Dept - Agency B
      • Dept - Agency C

 

[ofd8001]

Thanks ... seems like the best route without have multiple scanners is to go with the following:

• Single system to scan all of the agencies from common trunk
  • Favorite (a)
    • System a (the trunking system)
      • Departments (from trunking system of interest - talk-groups for each agency in a separate department)
      • Dept - Agency A
      • Dept - Agency B
      • Dept - Agency C

Exactly. . .

While there are many ways, one is that you could assign Department Quick Keys based on Agency. Another is discipline, as in Police are DQK1, Fire is DQK2, etc. Best thing to do is try different ways and see what you like best.

 

[lu81fitter]

I also just acquired a 536. I am VERY used to 996p2's. When travelling with a p2 to a different area, I would simply press a system button that I had assigned to what I was wanting to listen to. So if the new system I wanted to scan was assigned to SQK 8, I would simply press 8 while scanning. Is this the same on a 536?

 

[ofd8001]

No. With the "SD Card" kind of scanners, an additional "container" was added to the programming architecture. This additional layer is called a "Favorites List". The Favorites List may contain many systems.

So if your System having a System Quick Key of 8 was contained in Favorites List 1, you would press 1.8 eYes to toggle that system. If you do no assign a Favorites List Quick Key, which is perfectly fine, you would press .8 eYes.

Periods are important separators and are all part of the "address" for Quick Key use.

The full scheme of Quick Keys is: FF.SS.DD

Where FF is Favorites List Quick Keys, SS are System Quick Keys and DD are Department (or site) Quick Keys. (Department is new term for Groups).

 

[lu81fitter]

No. With the "SD Card" kind of scanners, an additional "container" was added to the programming architecture. This additional layer is called a "Favorites List". The Favorites List may contain many systems.

So if your System having a System Quick Key of 8 was contained in Favorites List 1, you would press 1.8 eYes to toggle that system. If you do no assign a Favorites List Quick Key, which is perfectly fine, you would press .8 eYes.

Periods are important separators and are all part of the "address" for Quick Key use.

The full scheme of Quick Keys is: FF.SS.DD

Where FF is Favorites List Quick Keys, SS are System Quick Keys and DD are Department (or site) Quick Keys. (Department is new term for Groups).

Thank you!