Help With Systems

[W6BAR]

Hi everyone,

I seem to be running into some problems with the programming of a BCD536 I recently purchased. I have three conventional systems of analog frequencies along with one P25 system. When I run the scanner to scan, it only goes through one of those conventional systems and the P25 system. I'm able to avoid the P25 system if I want, however, the unit then only scans that one conventional system and ignores the other two: even though the other two are not on avoid and on the settings appear the same in Sentinel and ARC536 Basic. This has been plaguing me for days and not sure how to fix it. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks all!

 

[doctordialtone]

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks all!

Check your Service Types.

Make sure you enable the ones you intend to monitor.

This explains Service Types

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

If service types check out OK, enable quick keys for other two systems if assigned

 

[n1chu]

If service types check out OK, enable quick keys for other two systems if assigned

I don’t want to confuse the advice given in this thread so my question is NOT intended as contradictory, merely wondering why I have seen so many times advice to enable QK’s. I have never enabled QK’s and scan just fine. If this has been discussed before, I missed the answer… I believe enabling QK’s is one of the listed items in the manual that can cause “Nothing To Scan” also, and that may be where the enable QK suggestion is coming from. So, why is it I can ignore all QK’s and have no problem scanning all of my FL’s? I still Aviod or lockout using the old tried and true method that predates the BCDx36HP.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I don’t want to confuse the advice given in this thread so my question is NOT intended as contradictory, merely wondering why I have seen so many times advice to enable QK’s. I have never enabled QK’s and scan just fine.

Everyone's scanner setup preferences are different. Some like to assign quick keys on the FL, system and/or department tiers, others do not. Not all lists are created equal. What works for you may not work for someone else. At times I 'll monitor conventional systems and want to leave service types enabled. For instance if I only want to hear public works during snow season, I'll assign a quick key for public works departments that I can enable & disable at will without having to touch the service type. But that's just me

 

[ofd8001]

Because each Favorites List can be programmed differently, you may wish to consider posting your Favorites List so we can give it a "look see" and see what the issue might be.

(Export the Favorites List to an HPE file, then zip the HPE file and post the resulting zipped file.)

Invariably, things like this are very simple issues. A fresh set of eyes is all that is needed to notice the problem.

 

[trentbob]

I don’t want to confuse the advice given in this thread so my question is NOT intended as contradictory, merely wondering why I have seen so many times advice to enable QK’s. I have never enabled QK’s and scan just fine. If this has been discussed before, I missed the answer… I believe enabling QK’s is one of the listed items in the manual that can cause “Nothing To Scan” also, and that may be where the enable QK suggestion is coming from. So, why is it I can ignore all QK’s and have no problem scanning all of my FL’s? I still Aviod or lockout using the old tried and true method that predates the BCDx36HP.

So if I could ask, if you did not assign quick keys to favorites list how does your radio operate? Everything is just scanning all at once, you have no ability to separate favorites list by number or assigning titles of favorites list like County names or fire or police? It's all just lumped together?

Some people may not want to assign quick keys to systems but assigning quick keys to favorites list and naming and numbering them is essential to be able to toggle them on and off according to location or what you desire to hear.

 

[W6BAR]

Thanks for the help and quick answers all. It appears as though the Service Types seemed to be the issue, although I'd like to look into the quick keys/ favorites list to see if that would help me in the future the more I put on it.

 

[doctordialtone]

It appears as though the Service Types seemed to be the issue

Thanks for letting us know.

Glad you got it figured out.

Yes, Quick Keys make things a lot easier. Good luck!

 

[n1chu]

No. I simply create FL’s and ignore QK’s altogether. My question is not meant to criticize, it’s merely an observation on my part that QK’s do not need to be assigned in order to scan anything you have programmed… even when the manual says so. I understand not assigning QK’s may give a “Nothing to Scan” notice but I’ve never had it happen to me. And I have never experienced a “Nothing to Scan” problem where there was t another way to correct it… so, why have it listed in the manual as one of the things to check? I’ve never had a problem as long as a service type was assigned, the service types I want to listen to are not Avoided and what FL’s I cared to monitor were also not avoided.

Using or not using QK’s is a personal preference. While I could see where the use of QK’s might help simplify things, the amount of times I have found myself wishing I had assigned one are few and far between… not enough for me to bother with… not to mention I’m not one for carrying around a list of QK assignments.

 

[trentbob]

No. I simply create FL’s and ignore QK’s altogether. My question is not meant to criticize, it’s merely an observation on my part that QK’s do not need to be assigned in order to scan anything you have programmed… even when the manual says so. I understand not assigning QK’s may give a “Nothing to Scan” notice but I’ve never had it happen to me. And I have never experienced a “Nothing to Scan” problem where there was t another way to correct it… so, why have it listed in the manual as one of the things to check? I’ve never had a problem as long as a service type was assigned, the service types I want to listen to are not Avoided and what FL’s I cared to monitor were also not avoided.

Using or not using QK’s is a personal preference. While I could see where the use of QK’s might help simplify things, the amount of times I have found myself wishing I had assigned one are few and far between… not enough for me to bother with… not to mention I’m not one for carrying around a list of QK assignments.

Yep I understand the radio will work without assigning a quick key to a favorites list. I've never seen it so I don't know how it would work but I guess you create favorites list but they all default to 1 and are all lumped together? I'm not criticizing either and to be honest I don't use service types on anything new that goes in manually, it defaults to custom 1., if it gets assigned by programming that's fine. I do this because I find the service types often have nothing to do with the object they are assigned to. It's just someone's interpretation of what that object is but it might be something entirely different than what the service type says it is. I just make sure they're all enabled.

What's important about numbering and labeling favorites list is consistency for me. If I leave one County and go to another County then I toggle the new County on and toggle the old county off. Now I'm just listening to the favorites list of the county that I'm in.

The nothing to scan problem can happen to anybody if every single object in the radio is being avoided, one way or the other.

Something really cool about labeling and numbering favorites list is I have been using the same number designations for the same counties going all the way back to pre trunking days. Number 3 has always been County A, 4 County B, 5 County C Etc.... 8 has always been Marine, 9 Rail so after doing that for decades you don't need any cheat sheets LOL.

To each his own

 

[tvengr]

When I run the scanner to scan, it only goes through one of those conventional systems and the P25 system.

Are the systems all in one favorites list or each in its own favorites list?

 

[doctordialtone]

Are the systems all in one favorites list or each in its own favorites list?

See post #8

 

[tvengr]

See post #8

Thanks Doc! I missed that one that OP found problem.