The more I read your responses about this, the more I think you're trolling. You are creating a custom entry FROM SCRATCH. Do you really think the software is gonna know that when you enter 453.575 in that it should automatically service tag it as LAW DISPATCH for you? Of course not. You are MANUALLY entering data not imported from the database directly. It has to give a service tag and the software is not intelligent enough to GUESS therefore it is given a generic Custom 1 as the starting point. It is up to the user making the list to customize it to his/her likes.
Your gripe just doesn't float.
Not trolling in any way, shape or form.
I am PISSED that I got stuck in this trap trying to do something relatively familiar to me.
I have owned/used numerous scanner programming software from 4 different vendors for many different scanners.
I am not expecting the software to guess or understand the Service Tag that is required when I am making a Favorite List from scratch. I also do not know what the software expects/assumes that I want to use a generic Custom 1 for a Service Tag when I generate my own Favorite List.
I would have been more than fine if the Service Tag would have started out at the beginning with Aircraft. I probably would have said to myself, hey this is not an Aircraft service, let me change it to something closer or on point. I would have entered the the box to try and edit the word Aircraft and would have then likely seen a number of other options and may have realized the box would also scroll because like anyone, I would have been looking CLOSELY at the top line and probably seen the downward scroll button.
But not in this case, Custom 1 - Custom 8, WTH??? What does this mean, was this just some programmers generic place holder?? Custom means nothing to me and since the box was scrolled to the bottom, the scroll control was all the way at the bottom of the box so it was not really obvious until I went back many times later trying to understand what is going on.
My other and MAIN point is this.
I think the Service Types are great, the offer a lot of power and flexibility and help narrow the focus of the database when you plug in a 20+ mile range. What you and everyone here need to understand where I live, I am on the border of VA, MD and DC. The amount of state, county and federal agencies is unreal.
So having the Service Types is a great feature. So today we had like 16 inches of snow, I had put together a new Favorites List that included MANY agencies both local, statewide and federal. I had to turn on ALL of the Service Types because I had so many things in my Favorite list I did not have a chance to go through all of them to verify or properly configure the Service Type. So I figured now I realize how much control the Service Type has, I better enable all of them. A PITA do do this in the scanner, so I did this in the Sentinel software, pretty easy, select enable all or all on.
But it would be much easier for my normal Service Type options to stay the way I had them configured, then to have a SINGLE scanner based option or control for Service Type = All that would over ride my normal 6-8 Service Type settings. Then at my leisure I could easily just select the single Service Type = All back off. But this is not how it works, there are close to 40 Service Types with the Custom options. So from the scanner, I have to remember the 6-8 that I had set and then go and disable over 30 Service Types rather than a single Service Type = All toggle.
OR I have to use the Sentinel software, connect up a cable to the scanner, disabling the scanner while programming and rebooting.
This is in my opinion making ALL of the HP users conform to the software that leaves out a VERY simple and powerful tool. This along with simplifying and making the Sentinel software more user friendly and obvious.
The flip side of the Service Type = All toggle, would be a Wild Card Service Type you could add in the Sentinel software that any chosen/specific frequency/channel/Talk Group would be scanned all the time (assuming it is not locked out). This Wild Card would be effectively ignored by the Service Type filter. Again, not everyone would consider this feature useful, but as time went on many may find this very helpful.
What you have to realize is people think VERY differently. For example one person on the forum uses the Volume offset to "increase" the volume on his scanner so it can be heard better in a loud environment. He sets the Volume Offset to the highest value for ALL frequencies/channels/Talk Groups. This is his choice, but I totally disagree with the way he is using the Volume Offset. I use it very differently. I have a few State Police patches that are VERY loud on a trunked system, I use the Volume Offset to reduce the different in the patch volume level such that I can "balance" the audio between the trunked system and patch. I also use the Volume Offset in another way to increase the volume of a few key frequencies/channels/Talk Groups. Yes I can use the Alert Tones, but many times I have the scanner a very low volume levels as to no irritate others in the house and/or it is in the background while I am doing something else. With a few targeted frequencies/channels/Talk Groups increased in Volume, even if I do not have an alert or miss the alert tone because I am just entering the room, I know what frequency/channel/Talk Group is louder and I can immediately tell without any visual alert or looking at the display.
So the reason the Volume Offset was added may not have even been for the purpose I am using it and others may not use it the way I do, but this is where when people OPEN up their minds they may be able to see how others view the world.
I also had someone here state that an Service Type = All would make the Service Type feature useless or negate it. This is ABSOLUTELY WRONG. It adds another power and useful feature set to the usage of the scanner. Being able to toggle between your "normal" Service Types and All Service Types with a single/few buttons. Then with a single/few buttons toggle right back to the "normal" configuration. I can see this feature used late and night/early in the morning when radio traffic may almost seem to stop.
There are quite a few here thinking I am just a complainer, yes I am complaining, but I am also trying to institute change. Too many take the stance "this is the way it is", "this is the way it was designed", "your a troll", "your an idiot" and so forth. But the beauty is today's products do have flexibility and can be changed, just because a product was released with x,y and z, does not mean the product is the best it can be and consideration for tweaking, improving should be ruled out.
I think if others would open their minds up a bit and say they do not want to be boxed in by software or firmware, we could all end up with an improved product. Like I said, not everyone would see the need or usefulness of a Service Type = All, but they do not have to use it.
I am sure there may be "work arounds" to accomplish the same things I am recommending, but why should be have to "work around" the fact these simple features were not included in the first place.
Let me tell you, I would not be wasting all my time stating my position if I was a troll. I have VERY good reasons for my comment and I am VERY annoyed at the software trap I was caught in. I have been working with software programmers and using all sorts of software for many years and I do not tolerate the foolishness poorly thought out software and firmware.