led alerts

Status
Not open for further replies.

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
Hi All, I just received My new bcd436. I am finding My way around, but slowly ) - : I have yet to fiqure out how to turn on a led alert for My various FL's. I just thought I had it, but alas not. The manual is not much help unless I missed it. Please Help ( - : step by step would be nice, but I know folks are busy. So any help at all will be appreciated, Thanks, Bob
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
Go into the software and select edit favorites. Select the FL you want to edit and in there is a area called Alert Light. This is where you select for each channel individually what color and flash pattern you like for the LED.

Works very well. I would like to see more flash options in a future update. IMO.
 

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
Hello Dafe1er, Thanks for getting back to Me so quickly. I tried what You suggested to no avail.Edit screen reads 'emergency alert light'. These are the color choices I used, saved, and wrote to the scanner. I must have missed something? Still no alert lights. Any thoughts? As soon as I can get them to work, I will see what You are talking about as far as the length of the alert goes. Although I was given the choice between 'fast blink' and 'slow blink'? Are My even in the right ballpark? ( - :
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
Hello Dafe1er, Thanks for getting back to Me so quickly. I tried what You suggested to no avail.Edit screen reads 'emergency alert light'. These are the color choices I used, saved, and wrote to the scanner. I must have missed something? Still no alert lights. Any thoughts? As soon as I can get them to work, I will see what You are talking about as far as the length of the alert goes. Although I was given the choice between 'fast blink' and 'slow blink'? Are My even in the right ballpark? ( - :

Yes you are in the ballpark. What you need to do is select what you want for color and flash pattern and then when done editing the channels hit the close button for the window and select save. When the screen closes go to the save option in the software and then write to the scanner. Make sure to select overwrite the favorites list on scanner and all should be good then.
 

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
Hello again Dafe1er, Still no luck. I did as You suggested. Software shows My choices of colors and blinktimes in My profile. I am doing something wrong?? I will keep at it, as I know it is probably staring Me in the face. I appreciate Your help and will let You know when I finally stumble onto it ( - :
Thanks Again, Bob
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
Well, the only thing I can think that is going wrong if you are editing the selections is your (or the PC) is not saving the settings when leaving the edit screen. I have 10 channels marked with different colors and also flash patterns. All working without a hiccup.

When you write to the scanner after making your changes you are making sure the check box is checked to overwrite to scanner favorites list correct? If so read from scanner and see if they are in fact being saved.
 

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
Hello Hit_Factor Thanks for the reply. Yes that would be great! e-mail is KF4MBC@comcast.net Thanks Again. Like I said it is probably something simple that I am missing, but it would be nice to have those alert leds. I have them activated on My PSR500 and I find them very advantageous, especially when mobil. Thanks Again for Your help also, Bob
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
I just realized you are located in VA also.......If the file Hit_Factor does not work for you, feel free to try mine.

Download to your PC, right click on the file and select rename. take the .txt off and save. then go load to your unit.

This file if from my 436 on the STARS system.

The file can be found on page 8 post #154 of this thread:
http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-scanners/283710-virginia-state-police-8.html
 

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
alert led's

Hello again Dafe1er, I have went round and round with My 436. They say the definition of insane is to keep doing the same thing over and over again? but I keep thinking I will stumble on the right answer to My problem. Just when I think it is going to work, I go back to scanning and once again no led. When I go through the set-up procedure, the light comes on [blue] as I have set and blinks slow as I have set, but when I back out of the menu and start scanning No Joy ) - : I am not sure as to what You are saying as far as when I write to the scanner, to check the box to overwrite my favorites. I see two possible choices, 'force write the whole database' and to 'erase favorite lists'. I have erased the favorites and wrote them back to no avail. As for the system saving My edited settings? They are there when I go back to the edit screen. Somewhere I am missing something and cannot seem to stumble on the right thing? I have not had any luck with the files that Hit_Factor sent Me. I did mount the 436 in the mobil today for a test and My GPS I use with My HomePatrol 1 worked great. thanks Again to You and Hit_Factor for all of the input. Southpaw57 / Bob
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
OK. I think I might have caught it.

You say "I have erased the favorites and wrote them back to no avail".

By this do you mean that:

you selected the check box and let the process continue until the OK box popped up, unplugged the unit, scan and see if it worked OR

did you do what I just mentioned and THEN read from the scanner to sentinel and re-wrote the FL to the scanner without the check box marked letting the process continue to the OK popup and then unplug?

If you did the last thing mentioned that is the problem.

All you would need to do is the very first step I mentioned above and unplug the scanner from PC, scan and see if it work's then.
 

AC2OY

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
2,392
Location
Belleville,New Jersey
After you edit and before you rewrite you must click save in the upper left menu for it to save it. I'm also having led troubles with the lights myself it seems you have to do a lot of editing to get it the way you want it.
 

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
Hi Mike, Thanks for the reply. Yes I have been saving My edits, but still can't seem to get the alert led's to work for Me. I will keep at it and PM You if I get it figured out. I am getting input from others more knowledgable than I. So hopefully I will find out where I am going wrong. I would eventually like to put My 436 in My mobil with GPS attached, so the colored Led's would help Me identify what I am hearing without having to take My eyes off the road. I see You have a 536. I wanted to get one of those but just could not come up with a good way to mount it in My F 150.
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
OK, we have figured out the issue after going back and forth in PM.

What had happened is southpaw57 was setting the LED alerts inside the Sentinel software under the TONE OUT tab. I did not know this was an option as of yet as I am still learning but, I did catch this in one of his PM's to me and asked him to set them all back to having nothing in the alert fields in the Tone Out tab and then go into the actual favorites list themselves and change the LED Alerts from there. He did and NOOOOOW he is in business.

Now, this posses the question of WHAT are the alerts in the Tone Out tab used for? Is there a problem with having these set in both this tab and also the FL or is this used for something totally different?

Maybe some of you bigger diehard's (LOL) could chime in and give southpaw57 and I a little education this morning on what this is all about....lol

Glad you have it working southpaw57 now go and enjoy that nice new toy!
 

southpaw57

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
51
Location
culpeper va.
Thanks once again Dafe1er, Let Me know if You find a answer to the Tone Out tab? Otherwise what is it for? I am sure there is someone out ther Who knows. Take care
 

Dafe1er

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2011
Messages
815
Location
Off in a far away place, far from u.......
It would affect the LED alert light status for tone outs.

Fire Tone Out - The RadioReference Wiki

So, what I am gathering from reading a little on the Tone Outs, they are the tone's the stations plays when they are giving out a call over the air? doooooo>duuuuuuuuu something like that....lol

Meaning that if we setup in the TONE OUT TAB the LED alerts, those would flash when the tones are played?

Would this not conflict with the LED alerts in the FL? Or would it be just a mute point when they both are setup to alert when a signal goes off?

Thank you UPman!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top