How To Display System Name On 396XT

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RickLeb

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When creating a trunked system I have always given the same name to both the system and the site. For example they both may be set for "Ambulance". When the scanner is scanning this system, the display says "Ambulance" and I know what I am scanning.

Recently I set up a new system with multiple sites. The system name is "HWY 400 Police" and the sites represent all the sites adjacent to this particular highway. In this system I named the sites by the name of the village they are located in.

What surprised me is that at no time do I ever see the system name "HWY 400 Police" on the display. When the scanner is scanning , I just see the site names flashing past, and when a signal is received I see the TGID group name and the TG name itself.

I have tried the three different display settings without any help. Am I missing something here? Perhaps a system setting? I would like to think that if I can create systems in the scanner, that it would show me which system I am listening to.

Any help would be appreciated.

Rick
 

KE4ZNR

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This is one of the conditions of Multi-Site Trunking.

From the RR.com Wiki:

Uniden Multi-Site Trunking - The RadioReference Wiki

Uniden Multi-Site Trunking


This feature is implemented in the BCT15, BCD996T, BC346XT, BCD396XT and BCD996XT Uniden trunking scanners.
Some Motorola and EDACS wide coverage systems use multiple system sites that are linked together to provide extended area coverage. Each site operates on its own set of frequencies, but share common talk group channels with all other sites in the system.
With the initial implementation of dynamic memory, each site needed to be entered as its own system, so all talk group channels had to be duplicated for each site. This resulted in more complexity in programming as well as more memory usage.
With this method, you define a system, one or more sites for the system with its respective frequencies, and then the talk group IDs for the system. All IDs are shared among all sites.
Normally, a site will only carry traffic for talk groups that have at least one subscriber unit (mobile radio) affiliated with it.
Here’s an outline of a Multi-Site System:
System
System Attributes
Site
Frequencies
Other Attributes
Site
Frequencies
Other Attributes
Channel Group
Channel Group Attributes
Channel
Channel Attributes
Channel
Channel Attributes
Channel Group
Channel Group Attributes
Channel
Channel Attributes
Channel
Channel Attributes
The System tag is never displayed, but makes the system easy to find for programming updates.
Primary Site attributes include:

  • Site Name
  • Site Quick Key: Equivalent to the System Quick Key; turns the site on/off for scanning.
  • Site Startup Key: Allows you to turn on the scanner with certain sites enabled to scan different areas.
  • Site Frequencies
  • Site Hold Time: Sets how long the scanner will monitor the site.
  • Site Location: Allows you to set the scanner to scan by location and range if you use the scanner with a GPS unit attached.

So just name the individual sites with what you want to show up when scanning. :)
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR
 

RickLeb

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So just name the individual sites with what you want to show up when scanning. :)
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

Thanks for the info KE4ZNR, I probably read that information before, but it didn't register because I wasn't using the multisite configuration back then.

I guess I will just prefix each site name with "HWY 400". That should satisfy my needs.

Rick
 

KE4ZNR

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Thanks for the info KE4ZNR, I probably read that information before, but it didn't register because I wasn't using the multisite configuration back then.

I guess I will just prefix each site name with "HWY 400". That should satisfy my needs.

Rick

No problem. It takes everyone a few mins to get used to Multi-Site Trunking. And it is actually a better way to handle turning on/off sites. I can program 1 list of 300 Talkgroups for a smartzone system here in NC then add 2 sites to that one list of talkgroups: one site labeled Raleigh and another one named Durham. Then I just assign quick keys to each site and all is well. I would recommend a unique name to each site so you can tell them apart. If nothing else maybe add the Quick Key # to each alpha tag so you can quickly ID the site you are monitoring.

Happy Multi-Site Trunking!

Marshall KE4ZNR
 

garys

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I noticed this same thing on a trip to the Baltimore area. I fixed the problem by renaming the sites, but it's still a bit odd.

Here's a sort of related question. Since the sites have the start up key information and not the system itself, can I have one system with multiple identical sites, but use different start up keys? This would make it a lot easier to program a trunk system across multiple start up keys without having to duplicate the system for each start up key. Has anyone tried this?
 

RickLeb

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This is going to change the way I have been thinking about this scanner.

They talk about SQK's being System Quick Keys, but it seems in reality they are Site Quick Keys.

The way that you input a system in Freescan and Proscan ( and probably others that I haven't tried) lead me to think that I could input a system called "HWY 400 Police" and enter all the sites/frequencies that were relevent to that system. Then turn the system on/off with a single SQK.

While this is certainly possible, but only if I assign the same SQK to every site in the system. In reality, what I have always considered a system could be partially turned on and off by a number of SQK's.

When my original question was answered ( How do I Display The System Name), by saying that only site names can be displayed on a multisite system also emphasizes the fact that Uniden considers Sites as Systems.

In my province there are several agencies using the same Fleetnet system. I have a system set up for every agency, and of course the identical site is within each of these systems. If I hear a conversation, and my scanner says "Edgar Tower", I still don't know which of the several agencies I am listening to. The scanner should be saying "Police" or "Ambulance"

If anyone can suggest the reason Uniden chose to go this route, it might help me understand a little better.

Rick
 

hfxChris

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That's a terribly inefficient way to program your scanner. I would suggest one single system for Fleetnet, with all of the sites entered, and create a group for each agency, with a group quick key (GQK) assigned to each group. Then you'll see the group(agency) name on the screen as well: line one on the display will alternate between the site name and group name. So if you program the group name as the agency you want to listen to, it will display along with the site name.
 

RickLeb

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That's a terribly inefficient way to program your scanner..

I agree with you Chris, that this is a waste of memory, but for what I listen to, these scanners have tons of extra memory.

In my current configuration, (which includes systems in areas I only travel too occasionally), I am using 7% of total memory, and 20% of the memory available to Sites. My actual numbers are 24 Systems, 202 Sites, and 2174 Channels.

All the systems I listen to on a daily basis have SQK's less than 10, so I can turn them on and off with a single button push, and I can do that with one hand. This is just more convenient than the multiple steps (and hands) required to use GQK's.

I suppose that if I chose to enter Control Channels only, I could also reduce the amount of memory used. I still add all the frequencies because that is what I became used to from previous scanners.

Rick
 

hfxChris

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Well not just inefficient from a memory-usage point of view, but from a scan time point of view. If you're entering the same site for example 5 times, and you have all 5 of those system quick keys turned on, it scans that control channel 5 times before it's done. If you had just one system using groups, it only scans that control channel once per cycle, but will monitor for for all five agencies during that one scan.
However I'll certainly agree with you on one thing; Uniden's placement for the function button is horrible. It makes table-top one-handed operation clumsy and difficult, especially if you're using your left hand.
 

RickLeb

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Well not just inefficient from a memory-usage point of view, but from a scan time point of view. If you're entering the same site for example 5 times, and you have all 5 of those system quick keys turned on, it scans that control channel 5 times before it's done. If you had just one system using groups, it only scans that control channel once per cycle, but will monitor for for all five agencies during that one scan. .

You know, I just realized that myself after I submitted my last message.

If I am scanning the local tower and just listening for a Police TG, I would miss out on any Ambulance calls. Then a second later I would be monitoring the same tower for only Ambulance TG's and miss out on any police calls. In theory I could be needlessly be missing out on a lot of short communications, or the first few seconds of many comms depending on how many systems I have in my scanner.

I will have to reconsider how I have set things up, but turning on and off GQK's is such a pain. It's also harder to see what is turned on or off at a glance without holding the scanner on a system or wating for some comms to occur on that system.

Rick
 

sjlamb

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You know, I just realized that myself after I submitted my last message.

If I am scanning the local tower and just listening for a Police TG, I would miss out on any Ambulance calls. Then a second later I would be monitoring the same tower for only Ambulance TG's and miss out on any police calls. In theory I could be needlessly be missing out on a lot of short communications, or the first few seconds of many comms depending on how many systems I have in my scanner.

I will have to reconsider how I have set things up, but turning on and off GQK's is such a pain. It's also harder to see what is turned on or off at a glance without holding the scanner on a system or wating for some comms to occur on that system.

Rick

Chris is right on point here. I think you're starting to see the "big picture" though. As you give the tremendous flexability of DMA programming more thought; I'm sure you'll come up with a MUCH better way to organize your systems than you have been to date. Good luck!
 
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hfxChris

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My only wish is that Uniden had come up with a better place to stick that function button! It's honestly been my #1 complaint about these handhelds so far.. function is probably one of the most used buttons on it, and it's probably in the worse place.
 

sjlamb

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My only wish is that Uniden had come up with a better place to stick that function button! It's honestly been my #1 complaint about these handhelds so far.. function is probably one of the most used buttons on it, and it's probably in the worse place.

I'd never really given it much thought but, now that you mention it, I have to agree. I would have preferred to be on the scroll know, like with the 996XT.
 
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