BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Priority Scanning?

[ia_teacher]

Hello everyone

Hoping someone can help me here. I just purchased a Uniden BCD436HP and so far I'm LOVING it. I used the easy set up by ZIP Code which added quite a few channels I have no interest in so I have two questions.

Is there an easy way to get rid of some of the channels I'm not even close to and don't want to hear?

How do I set up my local PD as priority channel? The owner's manual doesn't seem to explain that very well. (Or maybe I'm just not smart enough to figure it out LOL)

I DO have the software installed on a Virtual Box Windows machine since I have a Mac - that's how I updated the firmware so I could HEAR my local PD. (I needed the firmware update)

I appreciate any help folks can give me!

Thanks

 

[movinon]

Create a favourites list.
You tube videos explain it.
Have fun.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[jonwienke]

The easiest way to create a Favorite List is to use the Edit - Add Channels On Range menu option in Sentinel. It dumps everything you are currently set to monitor into the Favorite List you choose. Then you can go into that Favorite List and Avoid things you are not interested in hearing.

 

[marksmith]

In Sentinel, create a favorites list, then go into the database at top left, and pick out what you want.

When you find something, right click and append it to your new favorites list.

When you get done, go to profiles, and uncheck the full database and make sure your favorites list is good for download and monitor.

Download it to the radio.

As mentioned above, lots of YouTube instructions out there.

536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others

 

[UPMan]

Another option for making a local Favorites List that excludes channels you don't want to hear (and that provides an opportunity to perhaps find some interesting channels you did not know about) is to scan based on Zip Code. As channels are monitored that you don't want to hear again, press AVOID twice to lock them out. After some time has passed and you've not avoided anything in a while (i.e. the current scan seems to be just of things you are interested in), use the scanner's menu to save the current scan selection to a Favorites List:

MENU --> MANAGE FAVORITES --> NEW FAVORITES LIST --> ADD CURRENT DB CHANNELS

You can also then rename the favorites list, assign QK, etc. Or, bring into Sentinel and give it some further review.

 

[ofd8001]

How do I set up my local PD as priority channel? The owner's manual doesn't seem to explain that very well. (Or maybe I'm just not smart enough to figure it out LOL)

A Favorites List containing that channel would have to be created. Then depending on what type of system you are monitoring, certain settings have to be made.

Once you have created your Favorites List, let us know and you can be walked through the process of setting up the priority channel.

 

[ia_teacher]

A Favorites List containing that channel would have to be created. Then depending on what type of system you are monitoring, certain settings have to be made.

Once you have created your Favorites List, let us know and you can be walked through the process of setting up the priority channel.

Hello

Thanks everyone - I have created a favorites list. I want to try to monitor our local PD which goes by the call sign "Muscom" In the Radio Reference Data Base it's listed (for some odd reason) under Starcom 21 statewide Illinois (even though Muscatine is in IOWA not Illinois) I'm not sure how to tell what type of system it is other than it must be DMR or TRBO because on the RR site for my town it said to read the sections on monitoring DMR and TRBO. (Which is why I bought the scanner I did - because it said it could monitor this system type) I HAVE been picking up the transmission but I think I'm missing things when the scanner moves on to other channels so I wanted to see about setting up the priority.

Thanks again

 

[ofd8001]

If you are referring to this: https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=854, or perhaps the Starcom System https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2324, this might be a question better posted in either the Iowa or Illinois page where the "kical knowledge" is better.

The Muscatine Iowa system appears to be pretty "fresh" in that their FCC licenses were issued or renewed just 2 years ago. They do have some DMR channels on their conventional system.

However as you point out, they also have a site with talkgroups on the Starcom System in that city.

That "local knowledge" should answer the question on do they use Starcom or the conventional system.

I could see where Starcom needed a site to provide coverage for a portion of Illinois and they may have co-located on the Muscatine tower site. Instead of paying rent, they might have said "You assign us some talkgroups and let us use the system, we'll call it square".

Once you determine which system they use regularly, let us know. Setting up priority is done one way for a trunked system and another for a conventional system. Unfortunately if you monitor both the trunked system and the conventional system, the way priority works will not cause the scanner to stop monitoring the trunked system to check for a priority transmission on the convention system. The opposite is also true.

 

[ia_teacher]

Well, I can say for sure that maybe 90% of the time when I'm hearing my local PD the display on my scanner says the following:

STARCOM21 Statewide Illinois
MUSCOM - Muscatine, IA
Law 1
TGID: 26001
Law Dispatch

Does that help?

 

[jonwienke]

Then your PD is using the Starcom trunked system. You can't set a traditional "priority channel" (a frequency that gets scanned more often) on a digital trunked system because all talkgroups are carried on the same site frequencies.

What you need to do is look at the Service Types you have enabled, and turn off the ones not associated with what you want to hear--Schools, Transportation, Public Works, etc.

Also, look at the location you have set in your scanner, and make sure it is as accurate as possible. Use Google Maps to check your actual location, and enter the coordinates it shows for your location into Sentinel. If you use the scanner in multiple locations more than a mile apart, or in your car, then you need a GPS to keep your scanner's location accurate and up to date. Change the Range setting in the scanner to no more than 5 miles, or the scanner will try to monitor a lot of stuff that can't be picked up with the factory antenna, and will waste a lot of time trying to hear stuff you don't care about anyway. Read this article to understand why: How it Works: Location, Location, Location

 

[ia_teacher]

Thank you everyone. I think I actually wound up on the right track somehow. Before jonwienke's post I had actually gone in and deleted a ton of frequencies from cities that I have no interest in so now I think I AM getting most of my local cities PD/FD transmissions. I also figured out if something interesting is happening I can hit the HOLD key to keep the scanner on that channel so I think I'm on the right track. Thanks again for all your help folks!

 

[jonwienke]

You can press the system, department or channel buttons to hold on a system department, or channel. Press it again to release the hold.

 

[ofd8001]

A little bit more on Priority scanning with the 436/536 scanners:

With conventional systems, when one does Priority scanning, every so often the scanner will "leave" a non-priority frequency to check for activity on a priority frequency. Loosely, this is pre-emptive in that an on-going nonpriority frequency's transmission is pre-empted to check for activity on a priority frequency.

While you can set-up Priority scanning (technically called "Priority ID Scanning") in a trunked system such as Starcom (P25 digital), that pre-emption does not happen. Only when the scanner is monitoring the control channel will any type of Priority scanning occur. Thus if there is a conversation on non-priority Talkgroup A, the scanner will remain on Talkgroup A, even if there is a conversation on priority Talkgroup B.

I'm sure a lot of us users would like to see that preemption, but for now, it is what it is.

Priority ID scanning for trunked systems isn't a total "bust" however. You can hold on a talkgroup and if it is inactive (no transmissions) and there is a transmission on a Priority talkgroup, the scanner will go to that priority talkgroup. Also if a conversation concludes on a third talkgroup, (Talkgroup C) and the scanners returns to the control channel seeing channel grants for non-priority Talkgroup A and priority Talkgroup B, it should choose Talkgroup B over Talkgroup A.

Here is how to set your scanner up for Priority ID Scanning:

1. In the Options for the System, set Priority ID Scan to On.
2. In the Channels section of the System (under Departments) set P-Ch (for priority channel) to On. You may set as many channels to be Priority as you wish.

It's worth noting that you have a "back door" way of scanning just those talkgroups that you consider to be priority. All you need to do is Hold on a channel and move to a priority talkgroup. Then the only channels you scanner will "listen" to are those marked as Priority. So if you have 20 talkgroups programmed, but only 5 are really important and during a given scanning session all you want to hear are those 5, just press Hold, jump to one of them and all you'll hear is the desired 5. To resume listening to all 20, press Hold again, which releases the Hold.

 

[bravo14]

Here is a video I've done awhile ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkDv_eULBDY

 

[ofd8001]

Excellent video!

A couple of comments on questions/points you raised:

You mentioned something about a channel having an active transmission and whether the scanner will go to a priority talkgroup. It doesn't do that - Priority ID Scanning requires the scanner to be "listening" to the control channel.

Also when you press the ". Pri No" button, that's the same as turning on Priority Scan Mode, which is applicable only to conventional frequencies. It has not effect on trunked system Priority ID Scanning. Also when Priority Scan Mode is On, the scanner must "see" a conventional frequency that is marked as a Priority Channel if not you get the message saying there is no Priority Channel. In that case, the scanner will "refuse" to turn on Priority Scan Mode. If you have a priority channel assigned, but the scanner can't see it because of Quick Key(s) being off, or where the channel is located has an Avoid condition, that means the scanner can't "see" the channel.

 

[n0wla]

Signal strength fluctuates 1-5 bars as it scans with either antenna.
Update: I have been parked on that system for at least an hour and I do receive one of the cities listed as a user. (Blue Springs) Geographically they are not any closer then any of the others. I don't know how the MARRS system works as far as tower sites....if its a shared system I would think they would have a common transmitter site.....????? That said.......getting one but not the rest I wonder if they have changed systems or have flagged the transmissions with yet another hoop for the scanners to jump thru............

 

[ofd8001]

Can you point to the system you are dealing with, please (as in an RR link)?

 

[hiegtx]

Can you point to the system you are dealing with, please (as in an RR link)?

This the system he's referring to:
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=6916

Note that the first posts from n0wla and replies have been moved to a separate thread for clarity, to avoid confusion with the original posts in this thread.

New thread is here:
https://forums.radioreference.com/report.php?p=3020258

I've thrown together a Favorites list to try, but still need to do some editing to trim it down. I should be able to post it tomorrow.

 

[n0wla]

Back at home........no trunking...ugh.
Another thread discussion mentioned close proximity to a cell tower will null trunking RF. I have a cell tower 1 block up the street.