Help me help you

[werinshades]

Are base and dispatch on the same time slot? What happens if you leave out the TGs, set it to ID Search, and set the Delay to 0 seconds?

Phase 1 system, no time slots. I have tried it in both ID Scan and ID Search with Delay at 0 seconds, same results.

 

[werinshades]

No. The ideal solution is to to look into why the scanner is hanging on a channel with a 0-second delay. There shouldn't be any difference in scanning behavior between conventional and OFT with a 0-second delay, if you're doing a site hold on the OFT system and a channel hold on the conventional, and only have one frequency programmed per OFT site.

It isn't "hanging" on any talkgroup, it's just the nature of communications. You talk, wait a second and reply. The problem is this is occurring on two separate talkgroups and when the reply occurs, the scanner isn't fast enough to switch to the next talkgroup.

I know it sounds odd, and the easiest explanation would be a programming error, but it's not it. I have quite a few OFT systems programmed so I'm very familiar with them. In this situation, on the SDS series of scanners in conventional mode, the UID already is displayed. If..the UID name feature could be added to scanner and Sentinel firmware, it would resolve this issue.

 

[bravo14]

It isn't "hanging" on any talkgroup, it's just the nature of communications. You talk, wait a second and reply. The problem is this is occurring on two separate talkgroups and when the reply occurs, the scanner isn't fast enough to switch to the next talkgroup.

I know it sounds odd, and the easiest explanation would be a programming error, but it's not it. I have quite a few OFT systems programmed so I'm very familiar with them. In this situation, on the SDS series of scanners in conventional mode, the UID already is displayed. If..the UID name feature could be added to scanner and Sentinel firmware, it would resolve this issue.

I know I asked about how the Pri Ch for add on OFT seems it doesn't work as some members explain. We all asked about the UID for Conv. If that does happen you can have same UID as from another freq and it can be confused. Only way UID work in Conv. is you need to make 1 System be a waste for the 98 can't be used.

 

[Ubbe]

There shouldn't be any difference in scanning behavior between conventional and OFT with a 0-second delay, if you're doing a site hold on the OFT system

That will work. But the difference are that OFT use the trunking functionality in the scanner, so if you are in normal scan mode, and not having a hold on the site or system, then as soon as the TG delay timer runs out it will leave the whole system and continue to scan and you'll miss the response on another TG. You'll have to program a system like that as conventional and miss out of several features available in OFT.

/Ubbe

 

[jonwienke]

Before getting too excited, does doing a site or system hold work? Or does the scanner still miss traffic? If it still misses traffic programmed OFT with a zero Delay and a system or site hold active, there is a firmware bug that needs to be fixed.

 

[W4WMH]

Please stop reading my mind. I suggested that for the SDS series.
I even highlighted how it could be done.

There is a GUI in Sentinel that works within the existing limits.

With regards to customization, is there a way you could have 5 or even 10 customized detailed trunked screens. And then be able to assign them per system? Reason I ask, is some public safety multisite systems, I don't know who the users are. So I'd rather look at Site # / Bat Voltage / Unit ID / LAT / LON etc. Now the small business system next door that I personally know them, I might want to replace all the lower 4 field with Unit Name information. That would just be 1 thing that would make the device that much nicer.

And I know I've asked for it before, but in an update for future models, or even the SDS if possible, put an option for Close Call and per channel to require a PL / DPL / RAN / CC / NAC. I do a lot of system sleuthing, and it would be great if I could leave the scanner running in record mode, and only record fully decoded data, as opposed to random data bursts.

Also, in the future, can we exclude ranges from CC? I run CC DND in the background, and for some reason my mobile installation gets a bunch of hits from 180 - 181 mhz. I don't know what transmits there, but I sure would like to just remove the range, instead of locking out ever 12.5 khz step that pops up randomly. Might even be nice to be able to change that range from 136 - 225 to 136 - 174 or whatever we are interested in.

And lastly, Sentinel is great. However, I disagree with 100 mile ranges in RR database on some systems, and want to change them to realistic numbers. Can Uniden add a way for me to append new information without overwriting my current range settings? Sentinel does a lot, but if it could do just a little more, there would be no complaining. I'm new to the DMA scanners (only 2 years in) after laying out for a few years, but I'm catching up.

 

[Ubbe]

but I sure would like to just remove the range, instead of locking out ever 12.5 khz step that pops up randomly.

Uniden has added the Broadcast Screen feature for that reason. You set a min and max frequency that should be blocked from CloseCall, and I beleive it will also block that range in search mode.

/Ubbe

 

[W4WMH]

Uniden has added the Broadcast Screen feature for that reason. You set a min and max frequency that should be blocked from CloseCall, and I beleive it will also block that range in search mode.

/Ubbe

Thanks Ubbe,
I didn't know that function existed that way. I will set it up and try it out.

 

[ka3jjz]

From the Easier to Read manual...

Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

I have been analyzing the Gordian knot that the Uniden TWiki has become, and it became obvious very quickly that this is going to take an extensive amount of work to untangle and make it useful.

To that end, I have started by coding, in outline form, a new structure and organization. Pages that are being replaced would be archived (not deleted) to a directory that a user can't see. That includes out of date or unused pages. The structure I have proposed is a great deal cleaner than what we have now, and makes finding things a whole lot easier.

There are a couple of caveats
- We have to keep in mind that this is a corporate, not a hobby wiki (like ours), and as such, the powers that be might not be so inclined to link to our wiki. After all they're trying to show their products. It's true that ours is WAY more extensive, but that's not necessarily what Uniden might want to show

- The indexes for the TWiki appear to not have been updated in years. It's entirely possible there are more pages out there than are currently visible

- Any scanner model that has 2 asterisks after it has a page on the TWiki somewhere (even if it shows up in another directory). I have coded formats for the individual pages for the scanners that aren't there, but it's not time yet to address this.

Remember this is really meant to address the very 'top level' of the TWiki. There's no sense adding more strings to this knot until the organization is cleaned up.

Did I miss something? Quite possible. Remember at this stage of the game, only those things on the TWiki can be used (for the most part).

A text file is attached to make it readable to everyone. Comments are solicited.

Mike
wiki admin emeritius

 

[ka3jjz]

One thing that I missed mentioning -UPman 's 3 articles on trunking and DMA are not lost. They would be distributed to each scanner page to which it applies. For example the 898T would get the 2 articles on trunking, but NOT the DMA article. The 346XT would get all 3 articles. If there are others on the TWiki that we can't see, they would be distributed in a similar manner....Mike

 

[werinshades]

Before getting too excited, does doing a site or system hold work? Or does the scanner still miss traffic? If it still misses traffic programmed OFT with a zero Delay and a system or site hold active, there is a firmware bug that needs to be fixed.

If you're asking me, no it doesn't. Both Talkgroup ID's are being transmitted on the same frequency (Maybe I didn't make that clear). TGID 1 is the Mobile..TGID 65535 is Dispatch. System Hold makes no difference. If Engine A transmits, "we're on the scene...etc", Dispatch's reply might be heard if the transmission is long enough and is caught when the scanner comes back to it. In Conventional mode, this isn't the issue, but the Radio ID's can be seen, but not allowed to be edited.

 

[buddrousa]

Sounds like this system was designed to discourage scanners. You may be better off with a commercial radio not sure how this works car to car also.

 

[mikewazowski]

My request:

Allow multiple Unit ID lists for a system. That way public works, fire, police, etc can be separated into different UID lists.

My reason for the ask is that 90% of our Township fire departments are DMR. Some have their own DMR repeater(s) and others share their repeater(s) with other agencies, typically public works/bylaw, within their township. The shops doing the fire programming have coordinated ID's and have assigned ranges of ID's to each department so nothing is duplicated. Public works is not coordinated (very rare that public works would do mutual aid). I've created a master list of radio ID's for all the fire departments within the township.

Our fire departments do a lot of mutual aid where the mutual aid units will switch over to the other department's channel. I've copied and pasted the master fire list into each OFT system but for systems where public works/bylaw share the system, I have to maintain a separate township specific list for public works/bylaw. Proscan will let me paste another Unit ID list into a system that already has one Unit ID list but the scanner treats the two Unit ID lists as one when programmed which isn't a problem. I'm sure if I read the scanner out, I'd end up with a combined list. Proscan combines the two Unit ID lists into one if you reread the file back in.

It's not a big deal since I'll maintain the master Fire ID list and can paste it into each OFT system. I'll then have to edit the existing list to remove all the fire ID's and leave the Public Works/Bylaw ID's as a separate list.

 

[jonwienke]

You could also add multiple sites to a single OFT system, and eliminate the need for pasting the same UID list into multiple systems.

 

[mikewazowski]

That’s one way to do it I guess.

 

[Ubbe]

TGID 1 is the Mobile..TGID 65535 is Dispatch. System Hold makes no difference... Dispatch's reply might be heard if the transmission is long enough and is caught when the scanner comes back to it.

Set it to Site Hold, shouldn't matter if you only have one site in the system, and TG delay to 0 sec. It should work fine in that mode. And this is on a 996 scanner as SDS scanners can be easily compromised by some interference issue?

You can't use that method for normal scanner use but it should prove that nothing else are going on. In your situation you would need to have the conventional scanning being enhanced as you have suggested.

In many duplex systems the audio from RX are not repeated out on TX to minimize the chatter and the annoyance of mobile users having too much modulation. Often used with taxi cab channels and other non critical operations where one mobile user only needs help from the dispatcher and not other mobile users. It seems like they have programmed this system to mimic that. Perhaps they can patch the two TG's together if the need should arise in an emergency situation, as they often can do in duplex repeaters by pushing a button to get full repeater audio.

/Ubbe

 

[ausscan]

My request:

Allow multiple Unit ID lists for a system. That way public works, fire, police, etc can be separated into different UID lists.

My reason for the ask is that 90% of our Township fire departments are DMR. Some have their own DMR repeater(s) and others share their repeater(s) with other agencies, typically public works/bylaw, within their township. The shops doing the fire programming have coordinated ID's and have assigned ranges of ID's to each department so nothing is duplicated. Public works is not coordinated (very rare that public works would do mutual aid). I've created a master list of radio ID's for all the fire departments within the township.

Our fire departments do a lot of mutual aid where the mutual aid units will switch over to the other department's channel. I've copied and pasted the master fire list into each OFT system but for systems where public works/bylaw share the system, I have to maintain a separate township specific list for public works/bylaw. Proscan will let me paste another Unit ID list into a system that already has one Unit ID list but the scanner treats the two Unit ID lists as one when programmed which isn't a problem. I'm sure if I read the scanner out, I'd end up with a combined list. Proscan combines the two Unit ID lists into one if you reread the file back in.

It's not a big deal since I'll maintain the master Fire ID list and can paste it into each OFT system. I'll then have to edit the existing list to remove all the fire ID's and leave the Public Works/Bylaw ID's as a separate list.

Probably to add to that, the exclusion of loading them on boot, I have a statewide system with over 4,000 UIDs, that even with a fast SD card takes a fair while to load when you boot, I've found by removing the UIDs the boot is much faster.

Could they load in the background when the scanner first boots, after it loads a system or something to that effect?

 

[Ubbe]

that even with a fast SD card takes a fair while to load when you boot

The SD card interface in the scanner are much slower than any cheap SD card you can get your hands on. The difference when using a superfast card are minimal. When taking the SD card out and use in a SD card reader the transfer speed are almost 10 times faster and then the difference in SD card speed are noticeable.

If using the scanner at home, then never power it off, just turn the volume down. Then you'll only have to wait after having it connected to your computer.

/Ubbe

 

[werinshades]

Only way UID work in Conv. is you need to make 1 System be a waste for the 98 can't be used.

Yes..1 system...could make separate departments too. (Ex. 1.1.1 Fire-North/1.1.2 Fire-South)