BCDx36HP Sentinel Software & Siren App Discussion

[MesquiteWx]

There is a simple work around for that since there is some that would like for it to automatically update their favorites and some that wouldn't. I can certainly understand not updating the Alpha Tag because I am the same way. Once it is set I don't want it to change. That would be a huge headache.

Add an option to check for favorites list update.

Then those who want it updated can select the option and those that don't can choose not to select it.

Any of your other settings should be affected as it should only update the known freq.

Anything is possible as long as the options are available.

 

[ColonelMike]

Herein lies the problem: some of us don't want our custom settings to be changed.

For example - RR has a policy that decides what should appear in the "Alpha Tag" field for a given channel. In many cases, that policy goes counter to what the "official" tag is for that channel. Those of us using scanners in official or quasi-official uses have a need to have those tags listed "properly". So if I change, in a favorites list, "FireDisTwn" to "C1 TOWN FIRE TALK", and a week later, Sentinel helpfully overwrites that with the RRDB entry "FireDisTwn" again, it's just creating headaches for me.

Having said that... to the best of my knowledge, all data elements in the RRDB do have unique identifiers. I know they do as far down as the sub-category level within a county/agency. It would make sense in a database perspective for them to have unique IDs all the way down to each data entry.

That was the point of my post about having a unique identifier. That is where it could just changed the frequency and PL tones only. Or on a trunked system, update the frequencies and tower information. Leave everything else the same. That is why I mentioned a unique identifier.

 

[bswp]

IF RR could make each frequency and site have a unique identifiable number and IF Uniden and others could reference this number in their software to each unique item, they could tie them all together.

So item 3874261 in the RR database is "Mytown PD Operations" 155.100 then when I add it to my favorites list and change the name of it to "PD Ops " it would keep that unique ID to it. Then when the database gets updated and they change the frequency to 155.050, the Uniden software could look and see 3874261 has changed to a different frequency, it could either alert you to change it or change it automatically in your database and your favorites list.

BUT, I have the feeling something to make this work would be very time consuming and very expensive.

My favorite workaround is to add all of your favorites to your favorites on RR. Any time one of your favorites is updated, it will show up in green or tan letting you know there is an update. Then just look to see what it is.

This approach (with unique record IDs) is absolutely what should be done, you've articulated it quite well, in terms of feedback to Uniden. It may be more technical than most "users" want to hear.

 

[ordnance1]

Not sure if you still have your problem, but I was having the same issue. In my case (with coaching from UpMan) ny issue was that I did not have the Service Type enabled.

 

[pratzert]

Help! I have loaded the Sentinel software on my desktop. I was trying to make anothe3r Favorties list named "MD State Police".

I had previously made two FL (after some mesing around), but this time, The words "MD State Police" have ended up as a a Profile and I cannot get rid of it.

When I start the Sentinel software, up at the upper left hand side It used to read "BCDx36HP", but now it reads "BCDx36HP : MD State Police". I have tried uninstalling and resinatlling the software several times, searching my Desktop for any signs of "MD State Police", I even scanned my Registry and deleted ny refrences to Uniden. But no matter what I do, I keeps getting that wording. Additionally, when I start the Sentinal prgram, I get an error message that: "Loading Profile File Failed" "Not Extists" "C:\Users\Tim\Documents\Uniden\BCDx36HP\Profile\MD State Police\profile.cfg".

The profile info is obviously hiding on my PC somewhere, but I cannot locate it to delete it.

I tried deleting any profiles thru the software itself without success.

I am beyond pulling my hair out.

Any suggestion or guidance?

Thanks.

*** Update *** I finally fu9nd the offending information. I don't know why it wasn't showing up in my Explorer Searches, but the info was in the local user "App Data". I found a Uniden App Data file and deleted it, and I was able to start from scratch.

But there should be a way to get rid of these profiles wihtout deleting all the other data, but I can't find a way.

I hope this helps someone else who may run into this problem.

 

[davenlr]

Dont know if it will work, but you could try doing a system restore to the point prior to installing the software for the first time. That should clear out any references in your registry.

 

[pratzert]

davenlr,

I could have tried a system restore as a final resort, but I did finally resolve the problem. See my earlier post with an update added.

But thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it. tI would probably have worked.

Regards

 

[fxdscon]

davenlr,

I could have tried a system restore as a final resort, but I did finally resolve the problem. See my earlier ppost withj an updat eadded.

But thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it. tI would probably have worked.

Regards

From the Sentinel top tool bar...

File --> Open.

The window that pops up will allow you to open, create, or delete a profile.

If you have only one profile, you can not delete it from that screen... just create a new one first, and then you can delete the old one.

.

 

[pratzert]

fxdscon,

That explains why I could not delete the profile. Somehow I must have changed the original profile from "Preset" to "MD State Police" and so could not delete it. I have no idea how I managed to do that in the first place.... but I guess I did somehow. Maybe I was able to "Edit" the orignal "Preset" profile into a different one.

So it's manditory to have at least one profile, and it cannot be deleted, but looks like it can be changed (in name anyway).

Or maybe I added the MD State Police Profile and then managed to Delete the "Preset" profile.

Thanks for the info !

 

[shonc182]

Can I delete FL's from one profile without losing them in another. As I build more FL's for different scenarios, I prefer not to look at all of them in my list. I understand that I can control which ones download to scanner for each profile - just trying to understand how the software works.

 

[fxdscon]

Can I delete FL's from one profile without losing them in another. As I build more FL's for different scenarios, I prefer not to look at all of them in my list. I understand that I can control which ones download to scanner for each profile - just trying to understand how the software works.

Favorites lists are commonly shared in all profiles. The only differences in profiles are those made in the profile editor screen.

.

 

[hiegtx]

fxdscon,

That explains why I could not delete the profile. Somehow I must have changed the original profile from "Preset" to "MD State Police" and so could not delete it. I have no idea how I managed to do that in the first place.... but I guess I did somehow. Maybe I was able to "Edit" the orignal "Preset" profile into a different one.

So it's manditory to have at least one profile, and it cannot be deleted, but looks like it can be changed (in name anyway).

Or maybe I added the MD State Police Profile and then managed to Delete the "Preset" profile.

Thanks for the info !

Sounds like you used the "Save as" option on the File drop-down menu, which is for your profiles.

You could do the same, again, and try to 'Save as' either Preset, or simply 'BCDx36HP'.

For your new FL, for MD State Police, you can either copy one of your existing lists, which include the agency, then use the "Remove" option to trim it down to what you want. Or, just go to the Database, select your state and county, then Statewide under the county, and "Append" the State Police to a "new Favorites list" instead of an existing one. You can then name the list however you want.

 

[Jay911]

Can I delete FL's from one profile without losing them in another. As I build more FL's for different scenarios, I prefer not to look at all of them in my list. I understand that I can control which ones download to scanner for each profile - just trying to understand how the software works.

Favorites lists appear on the program's tree menu regardless of what profile you're using. Don't delete them or they'll be gone from everything.

Use the +/- beside each list to shrink them down - that's about the best you can do towards "hiding" them.

 

[pratzert]

Sounds like you used the "Save as" option on the File drop-down menu, which is for your profiles.

You could do the same, again, and try to 'Save as' either Preset, or simply 'BCDx36HP'.

For your new FL, for MD State Police, you can either copy one of your existing lists, which include the agency, then use the "Remove" option to trim it down to what you want. Or, just go to the Database, select your state and county, then Statewide under the county, and "Append" the State Police to a "new Favorites list" instead of an existing one. You can then name the list however you want.

hiegtx,

Thanks for the explanation. It makes more sense now.

I am completely new to the Sentinal App and am a long way from learning how it works.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[davenlr]

Until I get used to this program, Ive set up a favorites list for each city around me. The basic format is:
Favorite Name
...System
......City
......Site
......Site

Which is how the create favorites made it. This way I can just hit the favorite number to turn the list on and off easily. Problem is, it puts the city with its talkgroups above all the sites for the system, and I can see no way to assign quick keys to each talk group to turn them on and off.

Why is it putting the city with its talkgroups above all the sites on the system? Then I have to go and edit each site to avoid it (except the site the city is using). That is like 30 site avoids per favorite list.
I am sure I am not doing it correctly, and should probably be putting all the cities on the site on one list and using quick keys, but doing it this way shows the city name/department at the end of it S0: line so I know what it is scanning.

This is working well, except if a city has say, police dispatch and two secondary channels, there is no way to turn off the secondary channels except using the temporary avoid button each time the scanner is turned on, that I can tell.

 

[ofd8001]

How does one go about configuring the Emergency Alert and Emergency Alert Light in Sentinel? I see fields for this, but danged if I can figure out how to set these up.

The system I'm interested in is a P25 trunked system.

Thanks!

 

[davenlr]

Channels tab on the department in edit mode lets you change them.

 

[LAflyer]

An update for everyone regarding the issues I was having with mysteriously missing/corrupted favorite list after writing to the scanner.

Following the advice to "Erase Favorites List on Scanner" before writing to the scanner, I have yet to encounter any odd behavior in the Sentinel software with FL over the last 2 days.

I seriously doubt however this was the envisaged process to use the software and scanner. Seems not very user friendly to have users wipe the old list as part of new write load, but atleast this suggestion seems to have eliminated the FL list corruption I had been seeing.

In the long run hopefully this bug and behavior can be dealt with as it does require users to remember this extra step or risk having the data go wacky.

Anyhow thanks to those that came forward with the suggestion.

 

[phask]

An update for everyone regarding the issues I was having with mysteriously missing/corrupted favorite list after writing to the scanner.

Following the advice to "Erase Favorites List on Scanner" before writing to the scanner, I have yet to encounter any odd behavior in the Sentinel software with FL over the last 2 days.

I seriously doubt however this was the envisaged process to use the software and scanner. Seems not very user friendly to have users wipe the old list as part of new write load, but atleast this suggestion seems to have eliminated the FL list corruption I had been seeing.

In the long run hopefully this bug and behavior can be dealt with as it does require users to remember this extra step or risk having the data go wacky.

Anyhow thanks to those that came forward with the suggestion.

I seriously doubt that your doubt matters. That is the only way with Sentinel to do it. Maybe Arc will be able to directly.

I used Sentinel on a HP1 since it 1st came out and that IS the way to do it.

 

[ofd8001]

Channels tab on the department in edit mode lets you change them.

That gets me to set the Alert Tone and Alert Light for an active channel, which is for "regular" transmissions. What I was looking for is when the Emergency button is pressed on a radio.