SDS100/SDS200: Can I use a quick key to turn on/off channels (talk groups) in a department?

[slam69]

I apologize in advance, I'm sure this has been covered. My eyes are starting to cross from having looked at so many posts.

I'm new to SDS100, having come over from my TRX-1 (apparently Whistler is now dead).

I'm creating favorite lists and have one for that contains Arkansas's primary trunked radio system, AWIN. So here's my structure:

Favorite List: Northwest Arkansas (assigned a FLQK)
System: AWIN (assigned a SQK)
Department: "Benton County (04) Public Safety" (assigned a DQK)

My question is: how do I turn on/off those talk groups at the department level? I think the lowest level quick key I can assign is at that department level. I can't figure out how to turn on/off talk groups (channels) that are within a department, like Law Tac, Fire Tac, Hospital. Is my only option to listen to everything that's in the department?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!

 

[werinshades]

Separate each entry by a decimal:

1.1.1 turns on or off department 1 in system 1 on favorite list 1 as an example. Then press E/yes.

 

[jtwalker]

You can’t turn off channels within a department by quick key.
The types of things you list can be turned off by turning off service types. Or you can edit the FL and break up a department into multiple departments, each with their own quick key.

 

[slam69]

Thank you! I'll explore turning on/off service types within a department. That may be the answer.

Or I may just create several favorite lists based on each 'department' I want to monitor in the AWIN TRS. I initially read that wasn't advisable because the scanner will repeatedly hit the same sites/frequencies over and over and slow scanning way down. I think I could control this by setting location, or just avoiding all the sites/frequencies I don't need.

I noticed that some TRS's have a department for each service type. That makes it easy to assign a DQK and turn on/off types as I want. Unfortunately, AWIN groups everything into a single department based on county. Ugh.

 

[jtwalker]

Thank you! I'll explore turning on/off service types within a department. That may be the answer.

Or I may just create several favorite lists based on each 'department' I want to monitor in the AWIN TRS. I initially read that wasn't advisable because the scanner will repeatedly hit the same sites/frequencies over and over and slow scanning way down. I think I could control this by setting location, or just avoiding all the sites/frequencies I don't need.

I noticed that some TRS's have a department for each service type. That makes it easy to assign a DQK and turn on/off types as I want. Unfortunately, AWIN groups everything into a single department based on county. Ugh.

Turning service types on/off affects the entire scanner, not within one department, system or FL. Just so you know.

And duplicating a system is not advisable for the exact reason you list. I am talking about copying the department to a new department within the same system and then deleting channels as you wish.

Your last point is my experience also… departments are usually organized pretty well already.

 

[slam69]

So I’ll be creating additional departments based on service types that can be assigned unique department quick keys. I’ll give that a try, thanks a ton.

 

[mc48]

You can divide departments up into smaller groups such as PD Precinct 1, PD Precinct 2, or FD Battalion 1, FD Battalion 2.
Departments can be made up anyway you like as long as you assign the TG# Dept. and Q-Keys correctly.
You can assign a TG to multiple Dept's if you like as well.

 

[slam69]

Creating multiple departments worked. Tedious, but now I can listen to each agency by assigning a dqk. Thank you all for the help!

 

[ofd8001]

When creating new/additional Departments, be sure you add Location information, particularly if you do any Location Control scanning. Newly created Departments are assigned 0/0 Longitude/Latitude by default.

Definitely DO NOT create multiple Favorites Lists such that you are scanning the same sites multiple times. Very inefficient and will lead to missed comms.

 

[Ubbe]

You can use the service types named Custom 2 up to 8 to assign to talk groups to create your own scanning department groups you can quickly enable and disable. Custom 1 are the default when adding new TG's so do not use that.

You will have to first figure out how you would like to use your TG's, write it down and create groups that might include several service types. Then assign each group to one custom service type. Easiest way would be to set the AWIN Law-Tac to Custom 2 and the Custom 3 to Fire-Tac and so on. Then write down what their new service types are and you then have control over them that will only affect your AWIN system.

I have requested the Custom service types in the wish list to Uniden to be allowed to have user editable names, so that you could name them AWIN Law-Tac to make better use of these custom service types that probably no one uses as they are awkward to use when not immediately see and know what they represent.

/Ubbe

 

[werinshades]

I apologize in advance, I'm sure this has been covered. My eyes are starting to cross from having looked at so many posts.

I'm new to SDS100, having come over from my TRX-1 (apparently Whistler is now dead).

I'm creating favorite lists and have one for that contains Arkansas's primary trunked radio system, AWIN. So here's my structure:

Favorite List: Northwest Arkansas (assigned a FLQK)
System: AWIN (assigned a SQK)
Department: "Benton County (04) Public Safety" (assigned a DQK)

My question is: how do I turn on/off those talk groups at the department level? I think the lowest level quick key I can assign is at that department level. I can't figure out how to turn on/off talk groups (channels) that are within a department, like Law Tac, Fire Tac, Hospital. Is my only option to listen to everything that's in the department?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!

Creating multiple departments worked. Tedious, but now I can listen to each agency by assigning a dqk. Thank you all for the help!

Sounds like you have a good working knowledge of what you were trying to do. Self-programming can be tedious, but it makes the scanner work for you and is my preferred method as well. I understood what you were trying to do, and now you can expand on that if you want to make changes.

 

[slam69]

I really appreciate everyone's help! I've got the scanner programmed and I'm getting used to the quick keys structure. One more question... I have 11 departments with quick keys. In the advanced display, top left, I can see what is on/off for the first 10. I hoped the D row would scroll to show me the departments beyond #10 but it doesn't look like it does. So, when I'm monitoring, can I see which departments are on/off past the first 10?

Thanks again!

 

[werinshades]

I really appreciate everyone's help! I've got the scanner programmed and I'm getting used to the quick keys structure. One more question... I have 11 departments with quick keys. In the advanced display, top left, I can see what is on/off for the first 10. I hoped the D row would scroll to show me the departments beyond #10 but it doesn't look like it does. So, when I'm monitoring, can I see which departments are on/off past the first 10?

Thanks again!

What is your quick key numbers used for Favorite List/System?

 

[jtwalker]

The number immediately next to the D is the first digit of the dept QK. So if you have activity on a department within QK 24 it would show something like this:
D2:****4***** with 4 blinking.

(The asterisks could be dashes or digits depending on how QK’s are assigned.)

 

[slam69]

Thanks jtwalker.

 

[ofd8001]

dashes (-) are unassigned quick keys.
asterisks (*) are assigned quick keys but are turned off.

 

[slam69]

You can use the service types named Custom 2 up to 8 to assign to talk groups to create your own scanning department groups you can quickly enable and disable. Custom 1 are the default when adding new TG's so do not use that.

You will have to first figure out how you would like to use your TG's, write it down and create groups that might include several service types. Then assign each group to one custom service type. Easiest way would be to set the AWIN Law-Tac to Custom 2 and the Custom 3 to Fire-Tac and so on. Then write down what their new service types are and you then have control over them that will only affect your AWIN system.

I have requested the Custom service types in the wish list to Uniden to be allowed to have user editable names, so that you could name them AWIN Law-Tac to make better use of these custom service types that probably no one uses as they are awkward to use when not immediately see and know what they represent.

/Ubbe

Thank you, I didn't know about this.