SDS100/SDS200: GPS Scanning

[Patch42]

I took my first drive out of my normal area today with the GPS attached to the scanner. One issue popped up very quickly. When I turned on the full database I got a ton of stuff I didn't care about. Even after turning off everything but Public Service, the scanner was spending a lot of time scanning conventional frequencies, most of which did not appear to be things I'd care about. This experience has lead me to think scanning the full database, even with location control and GPS, is, not exactly pointless, but of far less practical utility than I originally believed.

This leads to my question. When you travel with GPS connected to the scanner, do you use the full database or do you use your own curated favorite lists? I'm starting to think I need to begin working on statewide lists for my state and the surrounding states I'm likely to drive into with any regularity. I can't say I find that an appealing prospect.

 

[highwayman1224]

I took my first drive out of my normal area today with the GPS attached to the scanner. One issue popped up very quickly. When I turned on the full database I got a ton of stuff I didn't care about. Even after turning off everything but Public Service, the scanner was spending a lot of time scanning conventional frequencies, most of which did not appear to be things I'd care about. This experience has lead me to think scanning the full database, even with location control and GPS, is, not exactly pointless, but of far less practical utility than I originally believed.

This leads to my question. When you travel with GPS connected to the scanner, do you use the full database or do you use your own curated favorite lists? I'm starting to think I need to begin working on statewide lists for my state and the surrounding states I'm likely to drive into with any regularity. I can't say I find that an appealing prospect.

I just let it scan since I'm a trucker and never really stay in the same place as I drive to several different states every week. Let's me hear lots of things and if I don't like something I just hit avoid.

 

[Hit_Factor]

If I didn't have time to create a FL, I used the full DB, range set to zero. I only listen to Police, so that helps to keep the items scanned shorter.

You can go into the Full DB (in Sentinel) and set items to avoid, those, in turn, are DL'd to the scanner.

 

[jeffdafoe]

One of my FLs is curated for when I'm traveling up the east coast of Florida, I use GPS for that. When I travel to visit family in South Carolina, I use full DB once I get outside of my curated list.

 

[Patch42]

One of the problems seems to be the database has a ton of vestigial entries. I was looking at one particular city in the database here where there were 400MHz frequencies listed for the city. These had been superseded by a local P25 system that had subsequently been superseded by the statewide P25 system. Yet all of these entries are still there and, I assume, in the database used by Sentinel. So you turn on the full database and even if the GPS location is working correctly it ends up scanning all these frequencies that are dead.

 

[Hit_Factor]

One of the problems seems to be the database has a ton of vestigial entries. I was looking at one particular city in the database here where there were 400MHz frequencies listed for the city. These had been superseded by a local P25 system that had subsequently been superseded by the statewide P25 system. Yet all of these entries are still there and, I assume, in the database used by Sentinel. So you turn on the full database and even if the GPS location is working correctly it ends up scanning all these frequencies that are dead.

While in Sentinel, right click on those and avoid them. It's actually pretty easy, and saves tons of wasted scanning time.

If in Detroit, the scanner would also scan Ontario based freqs, you can turn those off very easily with this method. Same problem, just a practical description.

 

[Hit_Factor]

One of the problems seems to be the database has a ton of vestigial entries. I was looking at one particular city in the database here where there were 400MHz frequencies listed for the city. These had been superseded by a local P25 system that had subsequently been superseded by the statewide P25 system. Yet all of these entries are still there and, I assume, in the database used by Sentinel. So you turn on the full database and even if the GPS location is working correctly it ends up scanning all these frequencies that are dead.

The other thing you can do is research all of this and submit the necessary changes to the DB admins.

 

[Patch42]

The other thing you can do is research all of this and submit the necessary changes to the DB admins.

It appears the old data has been left there on purpose as the database is strewn with situations where there are comments about one system being replaced by another while the old data is still there. In this particular case the bit about the statewide trunking system is clearly an exception to the normal display so one assumes whoever added it could well see the existing exception about a trunking system and even cursory checking of work would show the original dedicated frequencies.

I'm also not willing to take on the task of investigating the entries for every single community in my state. I'm still trying to figure out which frequencies are in use for the city I live in.

While in Sentinel, right click on those and avoid them. It's actually pretty easy, and saves tons of wasted scanning time.

This is when it's scanning the full database.

 

[iMONITOR]

Setting the range down to 5, maybe even 2 miles might help also. You'll still hear stuff that's farther away because the actual distance will be close to 2 + 10 =12 Miles due to the range of the transmitter.

 

[Patch42]

I had the range set to zero. After some investigation today I discovered the scanner wasn't picking up the location from the GPS. I'm not sure if that makes the scanning loads of stuff I didn't care about better or worse. Between the detritus in the database and the gross level of control over what it scans in the full database, with GPS and using the full database it appears inevitable that loads of unwanted and dead frequencies are going to be scanned.

While the GPS feature gives the impression of being very nice to have, the details of the implementation of it seem to leave a lot to be desired. The "GPS" icon at the bottom is fairly useless if the scanner can't figure out what the GPS is telling it. I assumed it was all working fine since I had the GPS icon lit up when the GPS was attached, yet all it means is the GPS is connected and the scanner is getting something from it. Even if it doesn't understand what's coming in, it still lights up that icon. It turned out the location format was set incorrectly, yet I didn't even know to look for this until I reprogrammed the detail display to include lat/long. Aside from not knowing the format was incorrect, the whole setting seems unnecessary. It would take just a couple lines of code for the scanner to figure out for itself if the format is DD.ddddddd or DD mm' ss.sss". This would have moved the GPS one step closer to just working when you plug it in and made it unnecessary to go through the diagnostics I did.

 

[Hit_Factor]

While the GPS feature gives the impression of being very nice to have, the details of the implementation of it seem to leave a lot to be desired. The "GPS" icon at the bottom is fairly useless if the scanner can't figure out what the GPS is telling it. ...

It works very well, you just haven't learned how to use it effectively.

You can customize the screen to show GPS values. As I mentioned several times, you can avoid items in the full DB. You can contribute, like many of us have already (just work your local area for starters), that's where some of this DB comes from.

Perhaps you could search for GPS in the Uniden Tech Support forum and read the posts that come up. GPS is a bit more advanced of a topic. If you don't know who to create favorites lists, and set service types, you need to get a handle on those first. Since you are dissatisfied with the built in results, you'll need to learn the ins and outs.

 

[pboissy]

Have you updated the database in your radio recently?

 

[jonwienke]

Update the database, and set range to no more than 5 miles.

 

[Patch42]

Have you updated the database in your radio recently?

Yes, and I turned it off and back on again. Twice.