PSR-800 LED - How Do You Use It?

[Arizona_Scanner]

I use different colors for different agencies like most of you probably do. Also I have played with multiple colors in a pattern, how fast the colors flash, etc., as I'm sure many here have. Lately I have been getting more creative and for one police agency, I have been working on a pattern that is as close as possible to what the lights look like in the real world. My latest attempt is Blue 170ms, Off 10ms, Blue 170ms, Off 10ms, Red 170ms, Off 10ms, Red 170ms, Off 10ms, (repeat). This gives a pretty realistic strobe effect, two blue flashes, two red flashes.

What creative things do some of you do with the LED patterns?

 

[berkeleycarlos]

I have stuck to mostly solid LED colors, with the exception of flashing for the tactical channels for PD and FD. As far as color selection, pretty standard. Blue for PD, Red FD and green for park district and game wardens as well as state park .

 

[Halfpint]

I'll admit that I haven't really played with the patterns but, I have been playing with the colours. Interestingly the LED setup in the PSR-800 is a *lot* more amenable to tweeking the various colours that that in the PSR-500/600 radios.

As an example... The PSR-500/600s *try* to produce a `sort of' purple and the PSR-800 can produce a whole range of purples from the washed out purple like the PSR-500.600s all the way through a *really deep* almost `Royal' purple. What I've found to be amazing is that there are enough variations that are actually quite noticable even at just a simple glance. (And this applies to pretty much all the other colours that one can setup with the Windows `Custom Colour' menu off of the `Stock Colour' menu.)

While I haven't gone and applied this to all the assorted agencies and businesses I've currently programmed into my PSR-800 I do have 5 different Electric Power companies I keep tabs on during severe weather and even if I cannot really hear enough to tell which one happens to be squawking I can quite easily tell by what colour of purple the LED is flashing.

Kudos to the people at GRE who refined the operation of the LED!

I suspect that `Patterns' are next, for me, so I am going to be keeping an eye on this thread to see what comes up. {VB GRIN!}

 

[policefreak]

Ok so I don't really know how the LEDs work on the PSR models, but from what I gather from the grainy youtube pics I saw of the PSR 800 (thats the one I really want) theres a LED backlight for the LCD screen that's always blue I guess...? And the other LED is that little light at the top of the radio...? So I guess its like a color pallate that you can choose from sort of like a Word document. Cool idea to try and make it look like flashing police lights. I often used to wish the blue screen on my 396xt looked brighter and deeper blue like blue LED lightbars. :>X But can you make the LED backlight also change colors on the PSR 800? That would be really cool. Having multicolor patterns sounds like an excellent idea. On my XT I have it set up where specific talkgroups and channels in a given county/agency are assigned different colors and on-off patterns, but when some counties are so big that can kind of get confusing! :>0

 

[JoeyC]

I don't see any way to change the backlight color on the 800 from its natural white color.

 

[One13Truck]

Many years ago I decided to get the Uniden 396XT instead of the PSR-800 and I still love the 396XT but said I would eventually also add a PSR-800 to my collection. Then the whole GRE mess happened and prices shot up so I haven't had a chance to get one. I'm finally getting one. It's used and a "refurb" so I won't hold anything like that against it but I am anxious to get the GRE and start some comparisons between them.
My question is this... On my 396XT I use different audio alerts and backlight colors to signify channels for easy ID'ing from a distance. I know the PSR-800 only has 1 color backlight but what sort of alerting do you all have set for your PSR-800's? Do you use the alert tones for the 800? Do you use the LED's? If you do use the LED's do you just set them as a solid alert or have you created custom colors and flashes? If you have created anything custom anybody care to share?

 

[jaspence]

The 800 led has unlimited color choices, and you can have a steady color, flashing colors, or alternating colors. You can also vary the pattern or speed of the flashing led. Your imagination and ability to remember are the only limiting factors.

 

[SCPD]

Color LED

I don't see any way to change the backlight color on the 800 from its natural white color.

Open PSR 800 software
Click advanced tab
check everything off so it IS checked
click on conventional frequencies
it is under bktl/LED
you can select flash or change colors in this screen

or goto settings on scanner

Easier to Read PSR800 Digital Scanner Manual

 

[JoeyC]

Open PSR 800 software
Click advanced tab
check everything off so it IS checked
click on conventional frequencies
it is under bktl/LED
you can select flash or change colors in this screen

or goto settings on scanner

Easier to Read PSR800 Digital Scanner Manual

Thats for the LED, not the backlight.

 

[detroit780]

Back light color

The PSR 800 only has the white back light. The only color choice is the LED. You can set that color but not the back light.

Les

I don't see any way to change the backlight color on the 800 from its natural white color.

 

[One13Truck]

I really do like this scanner & bought it as at least a stand-along with my 396XT. However it's now found it's place as the scanner I'm using for my online feed instead of the stand-along. I love the scanner but I do admit I'm a bit frustrated with the way it handles priority channels.

But so far I've been having fun playing around with alert sound and light combinations that make sense only to myself. When I travel to areas the 800 will scan systems the 396Xt won't I'm swapping the old scanner back onto the feed & grabbing the 800.