BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Priority for System talk Group

Status
Not open for further replies.

radionut44

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
277
Location
Kernersville, NC
My desire was to have the priority function check for a particular talk group in a department in a system in a favorite list. But when I turn priority on with Function . (no) it says Priority Scan No Channel. In manage favorites I selected the FL, then selected the system, then edit dept and selected the dept, then edit channel and selected the channel and set priority on. I then backed out to menu and selected priority scan, set priority to priority scan, interval 2, max Chan 5. Is there something I have missed setting? I get same result if I set priority to Priority DND.
 

hiegtx

Mentor
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 8, 2004
Messages
11,172
Location
Dallas, TX
My desire was to have the priority function check for a particular talk group in a department in a system in a favorite list. But when I turn priority on with Function . (no) it says Priority Scan No Channel. In manage favorites I selected the FL, then selected the system, then edit dept and selected the dept, then edit channel and selected the channel and set priority on. I then backed out to menu and selected priority scan, set priority to priority scan, interval 2, max Chan 5. Is there something I have missed setting? I get same result if I set priority to Priority DND.
The Priority Scan that you are turning on is for conventional channels only, not for a trunked system.

To set priority for a specific talkgroup in a trunked systems, there are several things to note,

First, open the Favorites list that contains your systen of interest in the Favorites list editor.

Next, you need to set the talkgroup(s) to Priority.
1631675148068.png

Then, in the system itself, go to the Options tab.

1631675315388.png
There, you need to turn on Priority ID Scan.

You cannot toggle Trunking Priority on or off via the key pad. In the scanner, you would need to go in through the Menu to Manage Favorites lists, then go into Options for the system and turn Priority on or off.

The scanner will only check for priority talkgroup activity when it is scanning that specific system. It checks the control channel data to see if that TGID you set for Priority is in use, and if so, then it can switch to it.

That status is not checked, when the scanner is in a different trunked system, or is scanning conventional channels. Only when the scanner is monitoring a system where (a) you have activated trunking priority and (b) have one or more TGIDs set for Priority.

Turning Conventional Priority on or off via keystrokes does not affect trunking priority settings or operation.
 

ofd8001

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
7,891
Location
Louisville, KY
An excellent explanation above. The only thing I could add is this: With trunking, a transmission is not pre-empted so the scanner can see if there is a higher priority transmission in progress.

So "priority" is a misnomer.
 

n1chu

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 18, 2002
Messages
2,546
Location
Farmington, Connecticut
“So "priority" is a misnomer.”

Agreed.
I see Uniden’s trunked TG priority as a second best offering for not being able to have the priority setting apply to other trunked and conventional systems… a “Sorry, we can’t get our design to check your TG for activity when the scanner is scanning OTHER trunked or conventional systems, but we have done the next best thing and included the ability to prioritize any TG while the scanner is scanning within that system which contains your prioritized TG.”

And as long as you only scan that one trunked system, your TG will be prioritized and function as you might expect with conventional systems.

I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of priority when scanning multiple trunked and /or conventional systems but imagine it’s just not an ability Uniden has under its current designs. Is there a scenario or design where Uniden can make this happen? I doubt it. I don’t believe the laws of physics make that possible. I’d think they would have to include additional receivers within the same inclosure, one set for conventional priority and additional receivers, the priority feature set for individual trunked systems, a considerably drastic and expensive solution to the issue.

If it is imperative a TG in a trunked system must be prioritized, that would mean all activity on that TG must be monitored, requiring the scanner should be dedicated to that trunked system and only that trunked system… kinda takes away from the initial intent of a scanner.

one man’s opinion which doesn’t mean much because as I state, I know nothing about the question of if it’s even possible to do what was asked. I deem the TG priority function as useless, generally speaking.
 

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
It's more or less impossible to have TG priority the way most people would like to use it, as it takes time to jump to a system, sync with the control channel, decode the data, wait for the dataframe where the active TG's are announced, and then decide that there is a TG there that you have selected to be prio. It would probably be a too long break in the scanning routine or an unacceptable long interruption during a pause in another systems conversations. It is best solved by using a second scanner, less advanced and cheaper, or even an old professional radio if that can be obtained at a fair price.

Uniden have done the best they can by using this semi prio feature for trunked TG's.

/Ubbe
 

werinshades

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
5,817
Location
Chicago , IL
Trunking Priority Channel could be renamed "Trunking Priority DND" in it's current form. I use it on my trunking systems, and when the non-priority talkgroup "releases/un-keys" the scanner will jump to the Priority Talkgroup if their is activity. It's not set up like a commercial Motorola radio where it will interrupt a conversation when the priority channel is active.
 

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
Trunking Priority Channel could be renamed "Trunking Priority DND" in it's current form.
Or even "Same Trunked System TG DND priority". I know that UPMan where dealing with decoding of voice channel data streams, to display user ID properly and would almost automatically make pre-empt prio possible. Hopefully the system manager will have the same opinion of which TG's that should be announced in voice channels as scanner listeners, as not all TG's can be announced. I believe that JoeBearcat has this on his wish list. It's probably a matter of convincing Unidens management that the development costs will result in boosted PR and added thrust in the company that will increase sales and make additional profits in the years to come.

/Ubbe
 

radionut44

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
277
Location
Kernersville, NC
Thanks for the info. That confirms what I suspected, so the second scanner is answer for home, and “forget priority” when portable will be my solution.
 

Jimbnks

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Sep 20, 2014
Messages
246
Location
Central, KS
The Priority Scan that you are turning on is for conventional channels only, not for a trunked system.

To set priority for a specific talkgroup in a trunked systems, there are several things to note,

First, open the Favorites list that contains your systen of interest in the Favorites list editor.

Next, you need to set the talkgroup(s) to Priority.
View attachment 109529

Then, in the system itself, go to the Options tab.

View attachment 109531
There, you need to turn on Priority ID Scan.

You cannot toggle Trunking Priority on or off via the key pad. In the scanner, you would need to go in through the Menu to Manage Favorites lists, then go into Options for the system and turn Priority on or off.

The scanner will only check for priority talkgroup activity when it is scanning that specific system. It checks the control channel data to see if that TGID you set for Priority is in use, and if so, then it can switch to it.

That status is not checked, when the scanner is in a different trunked system, or is scanning conventional channels. Only when the scanner is monitoring a system where (a) you have activated trunking priority and (b) have one or more TGIDs set for Priority.

Turning Conventional Priority on or off via keystrokes does not affect trunking priority settings or operation.

@hiegtx is it safe to say this will not work multi-site scanning? I've been playing around a little with it.
 

hiegtx

Mentor
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 8, 2004
Messages
11,172
Location
Dallas, TX
@hiegtx is it safe to say this will not work multi-site scanning? I've been playing around a little with it.
Jim,
There's no reason that it could not work on a multi-site system, whether statewide like your KSICS, or a regional system, such as MARRS, which also has a number of sites. But I suspect that the results might be disappointing.

The setting, on whether to use Trunking Priority, is at the system, not site level. But, remember that when this is active, the scanner is looking for your tagged priority TGID to show up in the data stream for a site, and it's only looking when it's not receiving a different talkgroup on the site it is currently decoding. Plus, let's say you have five sites enabled, for your area, and other nearby cities & counties that are in range. But, your priority flagged talkgroup, for example your home city (or county), might only be carried on only one of the five sites, unless a unit is in one of the other locations on official business. So, while it might work when your "home" site is being scanned & it's control channel being processed by the scanner, once the scanner moves off that site to one of the others, it's not going to go back to your home site every xx seconds to see if your priority channel is active. Once it's been through all the programmed sites, the scanner will move on to other conventional, or trunked, systems. Your next "chance" that the priority designation would work will not happen until the scanner goes through whatever else you have programmed, and it then gets back to take another look at your ;home' site, and see if the priority TGID is active at that time.
 

ofd8001

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
7,891
Location
Louisville, KY
Trunking Priority Channel could be renamed "Trunking Priority DND" in it's current form. I use it on my trunking systems, and when the non-priority talkgroup "releases/un-keys" the scanner will jump to the Priority Talkgroup if their is activity. It's not set up like a commercial Motorola radio where it will interrupt a conversation when the priority channel is active.

I suggest re-writing the manual to say:

Priority ID Scan – This function is similar to conventional priority although there is no interruption
during the transmission
. Priority is checked in between transmissions, when the scanner is
receiving the control channel, and during the channel delay period. The scanner can only look for
priority IDs in the trunked system it is currently scanning.

I'm afraid that people may not fully grasp "DND"
 

werinshades

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
5,817
Location
Chicago , IL
I suggest re-writing the manual to say:

Priority ID Scan – This function is similar to conventional priority although there is no interruption
during the transmission
. Priority is checked in between transmissions, when the scanner is
receiving the control channel, and during the channel delay period. The scanner can only look for
priority IDs in the trunked system it is currently scanning.

I'm afraid that people may not fully grasp "DND"

Do Not Disturb...it won't "disturb/interrupt" transmissions in progress. Maybe better word choice?
 

ofd8001

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
7,891
Location
Louisville, KY
There probably is no better word choice. I said what I did based on other posts I've seen where people have asked about the different kinds of priority.

It's the situation of no matter how hard one tries, some folks will need additional help understanding.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top