Sentinel: How to make profiles unique

[gcopter1]

I own both SDS radios.
I'd like to know if there's a way to make profiles unique to each radio.
For instance, whenever I make a change to a Favorites list, it is mirrored on both scanners, regardless if I make a profile for either scanner.

TIA

 

[fxdscon]

I own both SDS radios.
I'd like to know if there's a way to make profiles unique to each radio.
For instance, whenever I make a change to a Favorites list, it is mirrored on both scanners, regardless if I make a profile for either scanner.

TIA

Correct, favorites lists are common to all profiles. Your selection of which favorites lists are sent to the scanner and which ones are monitored by that scanner, as well as custom settings for each scanner, are what make each profile unique to a particular scanner. That's exactly what profiles are for.

 

[ofd8001]

Usually if I want to do another Profile for a different scanner, I'll open a Profile I'm happy with and do a "Save As" in Sentinel.

Then I'll be sure that new Profile is opened and make appropriate changes, such as opening screen, target model etc.

Next I'll turn on or off (Monitor On/Off) Favorites Lists owing to my needs. (One Profile A, FLs 1, 2 & 3 are off, but they are on for Profile B).

I've also been know to have multiple Profiles for the same scanner owing to whether I'm traveling.

One thing I've learned the hard way is to be sure I've opened the proper Profile for the scanner I'm working on.

 

[hiegtx]

Then I'll be sure that new Profile is opened and make appropriate changes, such as opening screen, target model etc.

I've done the same, and with the SDS series scanners, I also make sure the target model (in Sentinel) matches the scanner I'm creating the list for.

 

[ryde4ever3]

I'm gonna be honest, this shared favorites list across multiple profiles is infuriatingly un-userfriendly. I'm trying to program a friend's scanner. I want nothing that I scan on his scanner. I don't even want to see it while I'm programming his scanner, and yet there it is glaring at me and confusing me as to what is actually going to the scanner. No other program I've ever used does this. You start a new file and boom its a blank slate. Whenever I start a new word document, it doesn't have every word I've ever typed and then just chooses which ones to put on the document I'm trying to make at that moment. Silly.

 

[ofd8001]

So just start a new favorites list then. It can be done pretty easily.

 

[fxdscon]

I'm gonna be honest, this shared favorites list across multiple profiles is infuriatingly un-userfriendly. I'm trying to program a friend's scanner. I want nothing that I scan on his scanner. I don't even want to see it while I'm programming his scanner, and yet there it is glaring at me and confusing me as to what is actually going to the scanner. No other program I've ever used does this. You start a new file and boom its a blank slate. Whenever I start a new word document, it doesn't have every word I've ever typed and then just chooses which ones to put on the document I'm trying to make at that moment. Silly.

Try Proscan....

ProScan

Computer Aided Scanning Software for the Uniden BC125AT BC250D BC296D BC346XT BC346XTC BC780XLT BC785D BC796D BCD160DN BCD260DN BCD325P2 BCD396T BCD396XT BCD436HP BCD536HP BCD996P2 BCD996T BCD996XT BCT15 BCT15X BR330T SDS100 SDS100E SDS200 SDS200E UBC125XLT UBC126AT UBCD3600XLT UBCD436PT...

proscan.org

 

[W6KRU]

Open Profile editor on your friends profile and turn off download and monitor for all of your favorites. Turn on download and monitor for the new favorite lists you have made for your friend. Turn off download and monitor on your profile for the favorite lists you made for your friend.

 

[tvengr]

I'm gonna be honest, this shared favorites list across multiple profiles is infuriatingly un-userfriendly. I'm trying to program a friend's scanner. I want nothing that I scan on his scanner.

Create separate favorites lists for his scanner. Create one profile with the favorites lists enabled for your scanner and another profile with the favorites lists enabled for his scanner.

 

[dispatch235]

When I program a sds radio for someone else I just save my current configuration on a SD card, then delete my favorite list and create theirs and once I'm done I just download my favorites back into sentinel

 

[tvengr]

When I program a sds radio for someone else I just save my current configuration on a SD card, then delete my favorite list and create theirs and once I'm done I just download my favorites back into sentinel

That is a dangerous way to do it. If something happens that you are unable to read the favorites lists back into Sentinel, they are gone. Leave all of the favorites lists in Sentinel. In the profile editor, turn Download and Monitor ON for the favorites lists you want to write to scanner. Turn Download and Monitor OFF for the favorites lists you don't want to write to scanner.

 

[Ubbe]

When you install Sentinel you get a prompt to accept the install folder, that ends with the BCDx36HP folder. Simply change that BCDx36HP to something else like SDS100_My_Own and it will create a unique Sentinel with favorite lists and database and also profile settings just for that install. I use 4 or 5 different Sentinel installs to not have to change target model and to have different modified favorite lists for each scanner.

If I want something to be the same between scanners I just copy and paste between the different Sentinel windows.

/Ubbe

 

[lamarrsy]

When you install Sentinel you get a prompt to accept the install folder, that ends with the BCDx36HP folder. Simply change that BCDx36HP to something else like SDS100_My_Own and it will create a unique Sentinel with favorite lists and database and also profile settings just for that install. I use 4 or 5 different Sentinel installs to not have to change target model and to have different modified favorite lists for each scanner.

If I want something to be the same between scanners I just copy and paste between the different Sentinel windows.

/Ubbe

Brilliant !
Note taken, will be real useful.

 

[kruser]

When you install Sentinel you get a prompt to accept the install folder, that ends with the BCDx36HP folder. Simply change that BCDx36HP to something else like SDS100_My_Own and it will create a unique Sentinel with favorite lists and database and also profile settings just for that install. I use 4 or 5 different Sentinel installs to not have to change target model and to have different modified favorite lists for each scanner.

If I want something to be the same between scanners I just copy and paste between the different Sentinel windows.

/Ubbe

Is this possibly the non US version that allows this?
When I try to install a 2nd version, I'm given the option to Repair or Remove but no way possible to install a 2nd copy in a different folder.

It never asks for an install location when I do try to install a 2nd copy. Repair or Remove are the only options given.

 

[Ubbe]

It never asks for an install location when I do try to install a 2nd copy. Repair or Remove are the only options given.

Yes, it does that when it sees an install in it's default location if you didn't change that in the first installment of Sentinel.

I believe I fixed that by going to Tools/Options and just change the folder location name BCDx36HP to something like BCD536HP and then with Windows file explorer went to the same location and renamed the folder from BCDx35HP to BCD536HP and a following install will then think that you do not have any prior Sentinel installed.

I have 7 different folders under MyDocuments/Uniden, one for each scanner model.

If you look in the folder you'll see that you have subfolders with favorites and profiles and also the DB as a subfolder under profiles, so remember that all that are unique to each install and also the DB needs to have their own update being done to it as it is not a common DB for all installs.

I think that you after the install also need to rename the start icon on the desktop to better keep track of what version it actually is.

/Ubbe

 

[kruser]

I

Yes, it does that when it sees an install in it's default location if you didn't change that in the first installment of Sentinel.

I believe I fixed that by going to Tools/Options and just change the folder location name BCDx36HP to something like BCD536HP and then with Windows file explorer went to the same location and renamed the folder from BCDx35HP to BCD536HP and a following install will then think that you do not have any prior Sentinel installed.

I have 7 different folders under MyDocuments/Uniden, one for each scanner model.

If you look in the folder you'll see that you have subfolders with favorites and profiles and also the DB as a subfolder under profiles, so remember that all that are unique to each install and also the DB needs to have their own update being done to it as it is not a common DB for all installs.

I think that you after the install also need to rename the start icon on the desktop to better keep track of what version it actually is.

/Ubbe

I did change the install folder several different ways for the initial install but 2nd install attempts always saw the install and prevented any further installs.
I'll play around with changing the folder location from within Sentinel and also renaming the actual original folder like you mentioned.

I hope I can make this work as I get caught up when changing scanner models from an SDS to an x36HP etc. The P25 Threshold settings become lost when you read from one model and then change the type to an SDS or the reverse. Read an SDS and then change to an x36HP, all the Filter settings are now lost when you change back to the SDS.
I know I can create SDS and x36HP specific favorites and turn on/off the download and monitor options accordingly but with 98 favorites, that becomes a chore!

 

[Ubbe]

I did change the install folder several different ways for the initial install but 2nd install attempts always saw the install and prevented any further installs.

Maybe it's a Windows thing. That you will have to reboot Windows after a change, and perhaps do one edit and save, to let the Windows registry take note of the change of the original install. I don't remember doing anything different than you have done.

If everything fails, then program a scanner as you want it and then do a full uninstall of Sentinel and start a new install with your own edit of the install folder and finally read back all settings from the scanner, or use a spare SD card to do the save. If you have several different profiles then make a save from each profile to a SD card if you want to keep those settings.

I have a backup folder on my harddrive of a full copy of the BCDx36HP folder from the scanners SD card, so you'll only need one spare SD card for the transfer, that can even sit in a SD card reader without a scanner involved to speed up the process.

/Ubbe

 

[kruser]

Maybe it's a Windows thing. That you will have to reboot Windows after a change, and perhaps do one edit and save, to let the Windows registry take note of the change of the original install. I don't remember doing anything different than you have done.

Yep, it could be a windows thing.
I didn't get to play with this much but I'm pretty sure I can make it work using most of what you said.
When I uninstalled, it still left everything intact in the folders using the custom folder name I specified.
I'll play with this some more ad see if I can perfect the instructions you think you'd used!

Thanks for the ideas @Ubee!

 

[dispatch235]

Yep, it could be a windows thing.
I didn't get to play with this much but I'm pretty sure I can make it work using most of what you said.
When I uninstalled, it still left everything intact in the folders using the custom folder name I specified.
I'll play with this some more ad see if I can perfect the instructions you think you'd used!

Thanks for the ideas @Ubee!

I like this idea also, would be a bit easier to have an install just for programming scanners for other people.

 

[a727469]

That is a dangerous way to do it. If something happens that you are unable to read the favorites lists back into Sentinel, they are gone. Leave all of the favorites lists in Sentinel. In the profile editor, turn Download and Monitor ON for the favorites lists you want to write to scanner. Turn Download and Monitor OFF for the favorites lists you don't want to write to scanner.

Yes, even though it takes up a small bit of space turning on and off these is definitely the safest and easiest way.