Location - Zip vs. Lat/Long and its impact on receiving

[brumey]

Hello:
A question for the Uniden experts. I have a SDS-100, HP1 and 536. I recently created and downloaded favorites and at some point, all three radio's went deaf to more distant systems. After some investigation, I found the range set to 0.0. Then I remembered I set Lat/Lon instead of Zip. I read the manual on the topic of location and the circles and have a few questions.

1) I assume by setting Lat/Lon, I went from a zip code 10 miles circle to 0. This then prevented me hearing systems that were distant (40+ miles). Does this seem like a reasonable conclusion?

2) I live on a hill, with clear line of sight to many distant systems. If I use ZIP code and it casts a 10 mile range, will it really prevent me receiving systems that I know I can here from 80+ miles away? If so, how do you get around this, change the ZIP to something close to the target listening systems?

3) Ideally, I'd like to use Lat/Lon but change the range between 10/50/100 miles.

4) I heard they I could change the properties of the system that comes from RR DB and make it cast a larger footprint. If I have to do that to hear it, will it not get written over with each DB update?

Educate me please

73's

 

[trentbob]

The two settings location and range are separate. When you put your ZIP code in you are getting an approximate longitude and latitude that's preset, in my opinion it's good enough but if you want to make it exact you can put in your latitude and longitude.

Setting your range is a different setting all together. You can put in 1 mile 5 miles 10 miles Etc up to 50 miles.

It's not an exact science because of the way systems are set up.

You could also pick the service types that the database will search.

Start with your longitude and latitude and then set your range to 10 miles and see how that works for you and then just keep going further out from there up to 50 miles.

Be careful that you don't miss a bank robbery down the street because you're listening to a car stop in the next state LOL.

 

[hiegtx]

When you use a zip code for your location, the scanner uses the approximate center of that zip codes area as the location. Using latitude & longitude is more accurate, and the locations used for the systems you're trying to monitor are also set by the actual latitude & longitude, not the zip code of the location.

Hello:
A question for the Uniden experts. I have a SDS-100, HP1 and 536. I recently created and downloaded favorites and at some point, all three radio's went deaf to more distant systems. After some investigation, I found the range set to 0.0. Then I remembered I set Lat/Lon instead of Zip. I read the manual on the topic of location and the circles and have a few questions.

1) I assume by setting Lat/Lon, I went from a zip code 10 miles circle to 0. This then prevented me hearing systems that were distant (40+ miles). Does this seem like a reasonable conclusion?

Which systems are are enabled or disabled due to location & range settings are determined by the sum of the system's range, and the range you set in the scanner. If using a zero range, you would still hear systems if the range circle for their system or site overlaps your location. For a more complete explanation, see this:
How it Works: Location, Location, Location

2) I live on a hill, with clear line of sight to many distant systems. If I use ZIP code and it casts a 10 mile range, will it really prevent me receiving systems that I know I can here from 80+ miles away? If so, how do you get around this, change the ZIP to something close to the target listening systems?

You can't pick and choose what range figure is used. You could adjust the range, just for those systems that you know you can hear, due to your line of sight. But if you increase the range in the scanner, it will likely add more than you really intended. You would be better off to simply create a Favorites list for those 'extended range' systems, and not use location control for that list. I use Favorites lists that include those agencies & systems that I know I can hear, and have location off in those lists. There are some I can hear from 30 miles away, or farther, and several that are within 10 to 20 miles that I cannot, due either to terrain, or because of the coverage pattern set for that system's antennas.

3) Ideally, I'd like to use Lat/Lon but change the range between 10/50/100 miles.

You could do that, but, again, that likely would add additional systems either not of interest, and/or ones that you cannot receive. Having a number of extra systems, or sites (for a trunked system) will slow your scanning speed down, as the scanner will try to receive the out of range systems, then moves on to the next when it's unsuccessful.

4) I heard they I could change the properties of the system that comes from RR DB and make it cast a larger footprint. If I have to do that to hear it, will it not get written over with each DB update?

While you can adjust the range set in your scanner, you cannot adjust the range for a system when scanning using location and range, along with the main database. However, if that system is, instead, in a Favorites list, you can tweak the range settings on a per system, or site, basis. As that would be in a list, instead of the main database, updating the database will not override your adjusted range setting. As noted above, as long as you are using a Favorites list for those systems that would normally be out of range, the scanner would still scan them. Just be sure that, if using range control on a Favorites list, that you also have the location information entered for that system. If you appended it from the main database, location info, from the main database, will be in place, and you can adjust the range to your liking. But, for any system that you add manually, be sure to include location settings. Otherwise, if not set, the scanner will treat the location as zero degrees for both latitude & longitude, which translates to a location out in the Atlantic Ocean, off the west coast of Africa.

 

[ofd8001]

A lot hinges on how much real estate your zip code covers. Densely populated areas have less square miles per zip code compared to the remote areas.

There is an internal table in the scanner that is referenced when you enter a zip code. That table gives the geographic center of the zip code as the lat/long.

So for example you live on the far western edges of a zip code that for sake of argument has a radius of 5 miles. You want to use Location Control to monitor something to the east that is 10 miles away from the center of Auburn's zip code. You MAY need to tack on an additional 5 miles on your Scanner Range value to make up for 5 mile difference from your specific location and the center of the zip code.

I said MAY because the database Range values set for the System/Department may already be large enough where that compensation isn't needed. For example if the database Range values were 20 miles, then you are already "under the umbrella" (by 5 miles) thus no compensation is needed.

As noted above, the only way to fine tune things is to experiment and find the sweet spot. A lot of times, if it involves Favorites Lists, that's where I'll make my adjustments so I don't end up casting too wide of a net.

 

[brumey]

Thanks for the great info. I need to look at location control again.

I am going to wipe out what I have and start again. It’s good practice.My SDS100 works great. The 536 using the same antenna and sentinel favs is deaf. Same on my HP1. Must be something I am doing.

 

[Slim7504]

New to the forum, first post. On my SDS200 I get much better performance using GPS coordinates vs. the zip code for location setting. Previously I was getting a lot of clipping and interruptions. Not anymore.