Priority id scan not working.

[picaflor]

Been trying to use pri id scan for the 396xt on a motorola trunk system but something seems to be wrong.

One tgid is flagged as priority and the group quick key is enabled, yet when I try to toggle pri modes the scanner says no channel... Pri id scan is enabled in the system options.

Missing something here or is toggling priority modes not allowed on trunked systems (conv. only)??

 

[rdale]

You don't need to turn on a pri mode for trunked.

 

[ka3jjz]

Did you enable Priority ID Scan mode? Check the Easier to read manual if you are unfamiliar with this. If memory serves this is a system-level setting; that is, it has to be set for each system you wish to use.

best regards..Mike

[edit] Whoops. I see you tried that...are you using software to do this?

 

[KE4ZNR]

You are getting the 2 priority modes (conventional & trunked) confused.

Look at my responses in the following thread on
how to set up Trunked Priority:
http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-scanners/194123-priority-scan-help.html
Hope this helps!
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[CoolCat]

Been trying to use pri id scan for the 396xt on a motorola trunk system but something seems to be wrong.

One tgid is flagged as priority and the group quick key is enabled, yet when I try to toggle pri modes the scanner says no channel... Pri id scan is enabled in the system options.

Missing something here or is toggling priority modes not allowed on trunked systems (conv. only)??

I thought this would be an easy question to answer, but I tried it on my 396XT and I couldn't get it working either. I went through all the steps in Marks Scanners Easier To Read BCD396XT Manual (Priority Section), but only get "Priority Scan, No Channel".

I'll break out the old owner's manual CD that came with the scanner and see if there is another setting that needs to be changed.

 

[KE4ZNR]

I thought this would be an easy question to answer, but I tried it on my 396XT and I couldn't get it working either. I went through all the steps in Marks Scanners Easier To Read BCD396XT Manual (Priority Section), but only get "Priority Scan, No Channel".

I'll break out the old owner's manual CD that came with the scanner and see if there is another setting that needs to be changed.

Again, please look at my post right above yours.
It describes how to understand the differences between Conventional Priority
and Trunked Priority ID Scanning. If you are seeing the "Priority Scan, No Channel" message that
has to deal with conventional priority ONLY and not trunked priority ID scan. It means that you are trying to activate conventional priority on a system that has no conventional frequencies assigned as priority. It has nothing to do with Trunked Priority ID Scanning.
Quoting from my linked post above:

Hello,
If you are seeing the "Priority Scan no Channel" message that means that you have tried to use the Conventional Priority Feature instead of the Trunked Priority ID Scan Feature. It is easy to get the 2 confused but if you do the following Priority ID will be turned on:
1)Navigate to the system
2) Select "Edit Sys Option"
3) Select "Priority ID Scan"
4) Select "On".
5) Navigate to Talkgroup you want set as Priority.
6) Select "Set Priority" to "On".
This should get you squared away.
Happy Monitoring
Marshall KE4ZNR

Hope this helps finally clear up some confusion.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[picaflor]

Trunked priority

So lets see if I'm understanding this correctly...

For trunked systems there's no toggling priority on or off with the function + .(no) key combo. I've gotta drill into the sys options menu every time to turn the setting on or off??

Seems awfully inconvenient if this is the only way to do it...

And if I'm getting this, there's also no way to tell what the priority mode is while scanning, it would need do be dug up in the sys options menu as well??

 

[rdale]

Why would you want to turn off trunked priority? Are you even sure it is used on the system you are scanning?

 

[SCPD]

Did you enable Priority ID Scan mode? Check the Easier to read manual if you are unfamiliar with this. If memory serves this is a system-level setting; that is, it has to be set for each system you wish to use.

best regards..Mike

[edit] Whoops. I see you tried that...are you using software to do this?

Speaking of easy to read manuals, I see that marksscanners.com is updating some of the many manuals he has on his site. Manuals are being introduced for each model scanner rather then lumping some similar working models together as has been done in the past.

For those of you unfamiliar with the site, Mark has dedicated his time to creating easier to read (and understand) manuals for many of the scanners on today's market, as well as older scanners. This is indeed a great site and should be known to Radio Reference users.

As a thought, maybe RR can post a link somewhere to direct users to his site.

 

[CoolCat]

Again, please look at my post right above yours.
It describes how to understand the differences between Conventional Priority
and Trunked Priority ID Scanning. If you are seeing the "Priority Scan, No Channel" message that
has to deal with conventional priority ONLY and not trunked priority ID scan. It means that you are trying to activate conventional priority on a system that has no conventional frequencies assigned as priority. It has nothing to do with Trunked Priority ID Scanning.
Quoting from my linked post above:

Hope this helps finally clear up some confusion.
Marshall KE4ZNR

Marshall, that thread that you linked to did not explain the issue or how to fix it. I read through that thread and the issue there was never resolved either.

Both the OP, myself, and the OP in the thread you linked to above did each of the steps you wrote, and we all still get the same error message.

 

[picaflor]

What's not working:

The easier to read manuals are the best thing since scanners, but there is one section that is confusing me. Specifically the section "Priority/Priority ID/Priority Plus Scan":

Set Priority sets the priority mode. You can also toggle these modes by holding on any channel in scan mode then pressing Func then .no(pri).
Scroll to 1 of 3 options and press E/yes.
Off - the priority feature is off.
On - the scanner checks conventional priority channels, and priority IDs within systems that have priority ID enabled. PRI appears in the display when you select this mode.
Plus On - the scanner only scans the conventional priority channels. PRI flashes in the display when you select this mode.

I thought this meant that pri modes could be scrolled for both conv. and trunk.

But in reality pri modes cannot be scrolled for trunked correct?

 

[CoolCat]

Ok guys. I figured out the problem, and how to enable trunked priority ID scan without getting the "No Channel" message. Here is what the Uniden BCD396XT owner's manual (on CD) says about it.

Priority Scan mode

At a specified interval, the scanner interrupts its current operation, checks the user-designated conventional priority channels, then resumes the previous operation. You can set the interval for priority scan checks.

For more information about key operation and other specifics about Priority Scan mode, see Priority Scan.

To enter Priority Scan mode on the BCD396XT or BC346XT:

1. Enter Hold mode.
2. FUNCTION + tap NO.

To enter Priority Scan mode on the BCD996XT, press PRI.

To enter Priority Scan mode on the BCT15X, FUNCTION + press POL/PRI.

If no conventional channels in enabled and unlocked systems are designated as priority, the scanner will display Priority Scan No Channel.

For trunked priority channels, you need to enable priority scanning in the system option menu as well as tagging the channel as priority. Trunked priority only works while scanning that system's control channel or (in the case of Motorola systems) when the scanner is scanning any channel in the system.

Unfortunately, the official manual, Mark's easier manual, and Marshall's explanation all fail to mention one important part. The scanner will only scan in trunked priority mode on one single system at a time. Not only that, but you can't simply disable the other systems by pressing their quick keys, you have to 'hold' the scanner on a single system.

To do this, hold down the "Func" button for a couple seconds until the message "Function Key Holding" appears. Then use the selector knob to select the single system you want to scan using the trunked priority ID scan mode. Once you've found the system, press the "SCAN" button. Now your scanner will only scan the frequencies and TGIDs in that single system (regardless of other systems quick key status).

At this point you can now enable priority mode by pressing the ".no" button (don't press "Func" first, as the button is already in "Function Key Hold" mode).

This is by no means an elegant or convenient mode to use, but it appears to be the only way to use the trunked priority scan mode.

 

[rdale]

That is incorrect. You might need to walk through the steps again.

 

[CoolCat]

That is incorrect. You might need to walk through the steps again.

The steps are correct. I verified it both on my 396XT and 996XT. The only parts I left out were the parts that were already covered about enabling "priority scan mode" in the trunking system and selected at least one TGID as a priority channel.

 

[comphouse]

Dear CoolCat, thanks for your post. Must you leave the scanner in the Function Key Holding mode? If you do this, you have no control of the scanner, such as backlight, etc. If you exit the Function Key Holding mode, then you immediately get the Priority Scan No Channel error and it exits priority mode. Help!!

 

[UPMan]

You do not have to be holding on a system. However, for trunked systems, priority ID is only going to be operative for the system the scanner is currently on.