Is it time for more scanner banks?

[md_p97]

Thought I would throw this out there for discussion:

Though I am not new to scanners or scanning, I am relatively new to trunking systems. I have four scanners, only one of which contains 20 banks, a RS Pro 2052.

I use my Pro 2052 strictly for MilAir freq's, but I do take my handheld Pro 97 out on the road with me. I do a lot of driving transversing lots of jurisdictions. However, I generally only want to listed to those jurisdictions when I am approaching them, in them, or leaving them.

The reason I bring this up is because as more and more systems go trunking I have to assign each one to its own bank. It is just too difficult and cumbersome for me to be turning on and off talk groups while I am driving down the road. I love the 2052's capability of 20 banks. When I am listening to Air freq's, I can turn on various banks which represent various locations, such as particular airports to listen to.

I have heard of the capability of the Digital scanners having capabilities of loading various files, but even that sounds cumbersome, loading and unloading all the time...I want something I can use on the fly.

Are the uniden's different in this respect...or just digitals in general?

 

[safetyobc]

Two words for you, Dynamic Memory!

Now a few more words. The dynamic memory solves all your problems. The new BCD396T will have the ability to have 400 "systems" which can be set up as conventional or trunking. So that solves the needing more banks issue. Also each system can have 20 groups of frequencies like group 1 is fire freqs and group 2 is pd freqs. Talkgroups are limited to like 200 per system I think but conventional freqs are only limited by the scanners memory which will hold 6000 freqs or about 3600 or so with text (I think)

The 246T operates basically the same except it is analog only and has about 1600 channels with text.

 

[Dubbin]

Sounds like you should have gotten the BC246T instead of the PRO-97. If you are still in the time allowed to return the PRO-97 then I suggest you do it and then get a 246T or wait for the 396T.

 

[br0adband]

I agree with the other two responders: the 246T (or the upcoming 396T if you need digital reception - that's the primary selling point for the 396T even though it offers a lot more memory also) would be the scanner of choice. But the fact that you do some milair monitoring will be lost on the 246T: it doesn't cover the milair band (another plus of the 396T soon).

Banks are on the way out being replaced by the dynamic memory allocation of the 246T/396T/all future Uniden products. "Banks" will be more accurately defined as "systems" and then groups within those systems followed by the talkgroups (for trunked systems) or frequencies (for conventional systems). With the dynamic memory allocation, you don't have predefined limits on the memories, i.e. 20 banks of 100 or 10 banks of 50, etc.

Dynamic memory allocation means you create a system, and then that system grows as you add groups to it, and the groups have talkgroups/frequencies inside them. You never waste memory, not one byte of it unlike the traditional bank memory scheme does.

If the milair band is very important to you (as it is for me, I live in the most concentrated military area in the US) and you ever do monitor that band using the Pro-97, stick with it. If not, and if that Pro-2052 is the only scanner that you use for monitoring the milair band, consider either returning the Pro-97 if possible or selling it outright in favor of the 246T (or use that money for saving towards the 396T).

Best of luck with whatever you choose,

Paul

 

[UPMan]

If the milair band is very important to you (as it is for me, I live in the most concentrated military area in the US) and you ever do monitor that band using the Pro-97, stick with it.

Or wait for the BR330T coming out later this year w/2500 dynamic channels and .1 MHz - 1300 MHz continuous coverage (except cellular).

 

[fmon]

Or wait for the BR330T coming out later this year w/2500 dynamic channels and .1 MHz - 1300 MHz continuous coverage (except cellular).

Do you have a $ value for the BR330T?

To the other Paul, indeed, we have a lot of MilAir and the 2052 handles it well.

 

[Admin0140434]

...followed by the talkgroups (for trunked systems) or frequencies (for conventional systems)...

just a tiny correction... these are being labeled as channels

 

[Voyager]

"Banks" will be more accurately defined as "systems"

Actually, I equate traditional banks with System Quick Keys. There are 10 SQKs on the 246 (and 100 on the 396) that act just like the traditional banks as far as enabling/disabling them. On each SQK, you can put many systems. That would be like putting many trunk types in the same bank which is an argument many have had before the 246 - you could only put one TRS type and some conventional in the same bank. Now, you can put as many as you like (up to the memory limits) and have the SQK work just like your traditional banks.

Joe M.

 

[DonS]

I do take my handheld Pro 97 out on the road with me. I do a lot of driving transversing lots of jurisdictions. However, I generally only want to listed to those jurisdictions when I am approaching them, in them, or leaving them.

The reason I bring this up is because as more and more systems go trunking I have to assign each one to its own bank. It is just too difficult and cumbersome for me to be turning on and off talk groups while I am driving down the road.

With the 97, you could put several trunked systems (Mot, that is) in each bank. You might have to do some juggling if they use the same frequencies for their control channels.

Talkgroups, of course, might be a problem. It would depend on how many TGs you want to monitor in each system. If it was limited to 30 per system, you could assign each system to a talk group "sub-bank", then turn those on/off on-the-fly as you cross jurisdictions.

On the 97, it would be possible to monitor 50 distinct Mot systems (ten at a time), each with up to 30 talk groups, with a minimum of key presses to switch between them.

If you have a mix of EDACS and Mot systems, things get a little more complicated, however.

 

[FlashP]

Banks = SystemQuickKeys??

I think Uniden tried to give us more capability but goofed. Dynamic allocation of memory space is great! But "banks are gone" is obviously untrue, why else would they allow multiple conventional "systems" with quick keys? The BC246 has only 10 readily accessible groups of channels, which is half the classic BC9000. If the BC396 has 100 QKs, that's somewhat better, but I'm worried how 'quick' they'll be with multiple keystrokes.

And still they have the problems that (a) to create a mixed bank of conventional and trunked channels, you need to create multiple "systems" and then assign them the same QK and (b) to put the channels in logical order within a mixed bank (so you can step up and down manually) is nightmarish.

I think we need Banks made up of a variable number of Channels; each Channel is a {Frequency+CTCSS/DCS/NAC} or talkgroup in one of [System Conventional, SysTrunk01, SysTrunk02...]. This means defining the systems off in a separate logical area, but it also allows you to reuse the same trunking system definition in multiple banks. You could also consider each search range or service a System, and insert it as a channel to be scanned in sequence (okay, that might confuse some folks).

Flash

 

[UPMan]

Well, I think you might have missed what we've done. We just don't have "Banks"...we have independant "Systems." You can have up to 400 systems in the scanner, and each system can have any number of channels (up to 200 for trunked, up to the limits of memory for conventional). Plus within each system, 10 F+quick keys let you quickly turn on and off groups of channels within a system. You can individually lock or unlock each system or you can enable/disable them as a group by using their quick keys.

I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to do that you find "nightmarish"...

You could also consider each search range or service a System, and insert it as a channel to be scanned in sequence (okay, that might confuse some folks).

I hope this doesn't confuse too many people, because starting with the BCD396T you can enable a search range (or service) to scan in sequence with your channel scanning. This will carry into the BR330T and beyond.

 

[brwkem]

That search range is a great feature we will all enjoy!

Thx.

 

[Caesar]

heh, when that 330T comes out i might switch back from GRE to Uniden, heh... ;-)

 

[safetyobc]

Re: Banks = SystemQuickKeys??

I think Uniden tried to give us more capability but goofed. Dynamic allocation of memory space is great! But "banks are gone" is obviously untrue, why else would they allow multiple conventional "systems" with quick keys? The BC246 has only 10 readily accessible groups of channels, which is half the classic BC9000. If the BC396 has 100 QKs, that's somewhat better, but I'm worried how 'quick' they'll be with multiple keystrokes.

And still they have the problems that (a) to create a mixed bank of conventional and trunked channels, you need to create multiple "systems" and then assign them the same QK and (b) to put the channels in logical order within a mixed bank (so you can step up and down manually) is nightmarish.

I think we need Banks made up of a variable number of Channels; each Channel is a {Frequency+CTCSS/DCS/NAC} or talkgroup in one of [System Conventional, SysTrunk01, SysTrunk02...]. This means defining the systems off in a separate logical area, but it also allows you to reuse the same trunking system definition in multiple banks. You could also consider each search range or service a System, and insert it as a channel to be scanned in sequence (okay, that might confuse some folks).

Flash

You really don't know what you are talking about!!! If you had a 246T you'd hate using the traditional banks and channels again. I got the 246T on a last minute choice. Because I have the 246 I'll be getting the 396 when it comes out just becuase of the memory setup. I can't use banks and channels again. Not on my main scanner! Trust me, if you try a 246 you'll understand. That's all I can say, I can't convince you unless you try it for yourself.

 

[loumaag]

With the 97, you could put several trunked systems (Mot, that is) in each bank. You might have to do some juggling if they use the same frequencies for their control channels.

Talkgroups, of course, might be a problem. It would depend on how many TGs you want to monitor in each system. If it was limited to 30 per system, you could assign each system to a talk group "sub-bank", then turn those on/off on-the-fly as you cross jurisdictions...

So, the 97 works differently than all the other GRE scanners?

I mean for example if ID list 1-01 is Description="Garbage Trks" & TG=00048 and ID list 4-23 is Description="Co. SO Disp" & TG=00048.

Then if you turn off list 1 and leave list 4 on it will display "Co. SO Disp" instead of "Garbage Trks" as it does on all the rest of the GRE scanners?