See if increasing the channel delay time will help you achieve what you want.
The x96 scanners had a means to extend the site Hold Time. That isn't available in the x36 series. That is what you might have done.
The scanner jumping to the control channel after the carrier drops on the voice frequency is normal behavior. It is desired behavior too. That's because the voice frequency is released for use by other users/talkgroups on the system when the carrier drops. So you could be waiting for a police conversation to continue, but the voice frequency has been re-assigned to a fire conversation, for example.
I'm pretty sure even the "system radios" do this same thing - monitor the control channel after the carrier drops on the voice frequency that was assigned.
When scanning trunked systems, you are "following" talkgroups and not voice frequencies.
I'm not that much of a noob
, I do appreciate the information. I took video to attempt to best describe what I'm talking about. I believe you got what I'm talking about and I had a feeling the setting is not on the 436.
https://youtu.be/193SPGwftdU - pay attention to the Freq and P25 status on the 996
@ 1:23
The thing is the carrier hasn't dropped the voice freq yet. The RCS controller has a delay I believe and I don't know it's value but a RCS radio tech is on here and more so on a local forums. As on the 996 is still holding it and the convo continues up to 10-15 secs. I have Site Hold to 20 secs and it seems to only hold up to 20 secs and releases sooner if need be.
It took me a year to get the 996 perfectly to mimic the actual "field" radios.
Reason being when a deputy keys up with 10-4 takes less than 2 secs, the 436 misses it whereas the 996 catches it as it still holding the voice freq LNK....
In order to monitor the system, Status Bit, and seems to work better with End Code has to be turned off. Whereas the field radios will be getting this information, so when the VC gets dropped the system tells the radios go back to CC,
Edit System Options - Set Hold Time: 20, Set Status Bit: Off, Set End Code: Ignore
Edit Site Options - Digital Waiting Time: 0ms
Edit Department / Edit Channel - Set Delay Time: 30 Sec.
* In the video you might see Imperial Beach and Lemon Grove talkgroups and one of the scanners might be on IB and the other is on LG. Imperial Beach and Lemon Grove talkgroups and patched normally, the 996 can only to monitor which ever the dispatcher is using(?) as it can only receive from one or the other but not both (If IB is active, LG will be silent till they drop the patch) whereas the 436 can pick up 100% on either or TG's. The field Radios are programed for the substation and Imperial Beach radios won't have Lemon Grove vice versa, but both will have the mutual aid TG, etc. Not that many TG's programmed. I got to ride with the Medical Examiners office (a friend was the one who drove the white unmarked vans and placed the deceased in body bag, in the van, to the ME's office (sub-contractor)) and I got to play with the radio in depth, the ME radios only had 7 or 10 TG's ME 1-3, County Wide: LE S-N-E CMD's, LE TAC's, LAW AIR, only about a quarter of the dial was active. Not all RCS radios are programmed a like, Motorola XTS-5000.
I messed with every delay/hold I could find to no avail.
Reception issues is ATT put a tower on my block (5 lots down) I noticed I don't get full solid bars, it fluctuates now. The Sheriff's station has a T mobile repeater on the station (city council member wanted it because her and her family and friends use T Mobile...) since we don't use the old repeaters for anything since we got the RCS. Deputies only notice spotty service at the beach (I'm 1.5 miles east of the beach). I've noticed when I'm by the station, that T Mobile repeater drowns out my 996 while the moto radios are a-okay (I've done Ride-Alongs with them). I bought a "better antenna" from Scanner M***ter, they showed the stock version and another one but all metal (no plastic) claiming it was "100% better than the stock". I was new with scanners and was listening to everything. So a 800mhz would have limited me. They sent me the stock antenna for $40+SH and wouldn't refund or even send me what was pictured. I basically gave up on the bs phone tags after 2 months.
1 Communications Training for Amateur Radio Operators Introduction to the San Diego County 800 MHz RCS System & Local Government VHF Systems
RCS Loop Map
I guess I'm SOL like you said the 436 doesn't have the setting. I would of been better off getting a 396(xt).. I tried copying my 996 programming to the 436 including setting when I first got it hoping it would be that easy. I didn't know the ins and outs of the Home Patrol series of how it's setup. My way of programming was for speed as I was working as a stringer. I've given my programming to my friends (for free, some guy on local forums wanted to charge me 40 bucks instead of giving tips for the system as I was asking for info / tips on the particular system to learn.
I was a fresh noob then, Like I said, it took me about a year and many of hours fine tuning the 996 and it's perfect. My friend says it's better than downloading the radio ref version, he too has a 996, a Pro-196, and 396 I think, I converted my programming from Uniden to RadioShack fairly easy using Proscan and FreeScan and worked flawlessly as I was finish programming his RS radio we hear a shooting / murder down the road, we went to the crime scene, my other friend who worked for ME I texted him the call and he said he just got the call to pick up the body. So we're all waiting in the parking lot taking a smoke break, ME transport had to wait for the ME to finish and release the body for transport, I had my friends RS I just setup, clipped to my back pocket, and it matched the Deputies radios. Some random guy walking near was walking up to us and "Can I get a cigarette?", heard and saw the radio and could hear echoing from the deputies radios, "Oh never mind you guys are pigs".
Ex: I split the RCS up by loops and by type. So I have two of each zone, one for LE and one for FIRE. The quick buttons all setup, There is System Quick Buttons and Group Quick Buttons on the 996, the Group QB were the 996's version of Departments, so Func+Num I could turn on or off depts. I hope that makes sense
Now, I just wanted to clone that to the 436 and be mobile. I'm still a noob with the 436, I'm still debating on how I'm going to do it. My thought is Systems on the 996 will be Favorite Lists on the 436, so Pressing 0+E Turns on CHP, 0+1 Turns On/Off RCS SOUTH LAW, etc and pressing No, No+0-9 Turns On/Off Departments on that system.
Is there a better efficient way with this scanner or my thought of setting up would be way to go?
I'm still reading the manual and playing with it. I just wanted to be able to quickly while driving be able to turn systems and agencies on and off and if they have a better way?
I also use Free Scan (996 only
), ProScan and Sentinel
I posted on the Uniden forums and it's silent over there.
Sorry for the rambling and jumping around.
In interested I can upload the 996 programming just let me know what software. Pro-Scan / Free Scan includes the scanner settings, Pro-Scan lets me change the boot screen
Here is a PDF example of RCS SOUTH ZONE LAW:
https://www.pdf-archive.com/2017/05/21/rcs-south-law/rcs-south-law.pdf