PSR800, EzScan & Radio Reference DB

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Wanderingbehr

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Question 1: When using the Radio Reference Database "Search for a US City/Location" option i can find frequencies that are not in the scanner or EZ Scan databases. Is there a way to download them to the software library, then update to the scanner?
Example: I can search for Alachua, FL click on the FCC licenses tab and find "Baugh South".
I know I can add it manually. Yet if an organization has many frequencies that could become rather time consuming. Especially when the EZ Scan software doesn't follow many common windows practices such as tabbing between fields when entering a "New Channel"


Question 2: When using the "Set Location, By Zip Code" feature to add frequencies to the scanner what happens to the frequencies that were added by using an earlier instance of "Set Location, By Zip Code"? Do they get removed or are they added with the new Zip Codes input? If they are added to the previous
Zip Codes input it could mean overlapping frequency info. For instance if Zip Code 12345 has ABC stores using frequency 555.5000 and Zip Code 98765 has XYZ stores using the same 555.5000 which gets displayed when a transmission is received? What if i am in Zip Code 12345 but Zip Code 98765's info shows up?

Thanks in advance,
Dan
 

mikev

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1. The FCC licenses information on the website is not the "actual" RadioReference DB, but information that is published by the FCC and imported into the site. The "actual" RR DB consists of frequencies and trunked system information that has been confirmed and submitted by those of us that use the site, not simply who is licensed to be using a frequency. If you have confirmed frequencies or talkgroups that are being used, and know who they are being used by, please feel free to use the Submit link(s) at the top of the county or trunked system page they should be added to and an admin will add them to the DB.
 
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mikey60

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Question 1: When using the Radio Reference Database "Search for a US City/Location" option i can find frequencies that are not in the scanner or EZ Scan databases. Is there a way to download them to the software library, then update to the scanner?
Example: I can search for Alachua, FL click on the FCC licenses tab and find "Baugh South".
I know I can add it manually. Yet if an organization has many frequencies that could become rather time consuming. Especially when the EZ Scan software doesn't follow many common windows practices such as tabbing between fields when entering a "New Channel"

I don't think the library DB in the scanner has the FCC data in it. It only has the data that appears in the database here.

Question 2: When using the "Set Location, By Zip Code" feature to add frequencies to the scanner what happens to the frequencies that were added by using an earlier instance of "Set Location, By Zip Code"? Do they get removed or are they added with the new Zip Codes input? If they are added to the previous
Zip Codes input it could mean overlapping frequency info. For instance if Zip Code 12345 has ABC stores using frequency 555.5000 and Zip Code 98765 has XYZ stores using the same 555.5000 which gets displayed when a transmission is received? What if i am in Zip Code 12345 but Zip Code 98765's info shows up?

Any previously existing channels will be updated if they are reimported, or otherwise ignored and left in the scanner. The import process doesn't delete anything. That being said, yes, it's possible to get the same frequency twice for different agencies.

Mike
 

Wanderingbehr

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Thanks

Thanks Mikev & Mikey60 for the info.

About Q1: It is an obvious benefit to have confirmed frequencies in the database. In my quest to listen to what was in my current vicinity I have gotten a bit carried away.

About Q2: As someone who travels a lot it would be nice to use the "Zip Code" Feature to have frequencies that are currently local to my location and not have the multiple previous locations starting to clutter things up.

GRE some of us need the ability to selectively delete whole & multiple scanlists w/o connecting to a computer.

Dan
 

Ensnared

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Considering PSR 800, Unsure About EZ Scan

I am seriously considering buying a PSR 800; however, I am not thrilled about being bound by the Radio Reference DB. Unlike my PSR 500, I cannot go inside the radio & fine tune frequencies. However, this radio does handle different radio systems like the new TxWarn "T" mode in Houston, Texas.

What also concerns me is having only one software option, EZ Scan. Although someone has attempted to put a picture of this, it is rather hard to see the finer details.

Another thing I like about this radio is the "decoding" function.

I wish GRE would make a PSR 500-R version with the hardware needed for newer systems.

On the Fence.
 

Ed_Seedhouse

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I am seriously considering buying a PSR 800; however, I am not thrilled about being bound by the Radio Reference DB. Unlike my PSR 500, I cannot go inside the radio & fine tune frequencies.

You can enter all the frequencies you want with the software and then clone it over. You can also enter frequencies directly although admittedly this is a pain because it involves using popup tables of letters and numbers. But nevertheless it is possible. The EZ-Scan software works great and the radio is best thought of as a combination of the scanning unit and your computer with the software, in my opinion. And that's fine with me.

You are certainly not tied to the RR database in any way. It is just very convenient to use it and free once you've bought the radio.
 

jaspence

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PSR 800 EZcan

You could even go online and download the EZScan program and install it. That way you can see exactly what it is. Yes, it is a totally different approach, but I would not trade my 800 for my BCD386XT and my Pro 106. The ability to go anywhere in the US and have all that data usable without taking a computer is great.
 

brian

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I have never programmed by PSR-800 via the included RR DB function, either via the radio itself or via the software. I have created multiple configurations (V-scanners) using the EZ Scan DIgital software and my own data, each with 1000s of objects. Doing this is no more complicated than using Win500 to program my PRO-106.

The PSR-800 has advantages over the PRO-106 "family," namely the virtually unlimited memory capacity, 200 scan lists, scan sets, the recording feature (which I rarely use), etc. The PRO-106 "family" has advantages over the PSR-800, namely the ability to enter new conventional or trunked objects via the radio, the TSYS "Analyze" function, the ability to edit trunked system object parameters, Search and Sweeper objects, etc.

There is no perfect scanner - at least I haven't discovered it yet. But I find the PSR-800 to be a very good performer and not at all limited by its integration with the RR DB.
 

Ensnared

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More Versatile Than I Thought

I am feeling a bit better about this eventual purchase. I was unaware that I could download EZ Scan to become familiar with the radio. When I find the RR DB to be inaccurate, I can then correct it if needed. That is very nice. I do love the idea of having an on board recorder because it would record from inside. At present, I use an Olympus Digital recorder which requires "house silence" something rarely allowed with the better half.

I've been reading about various tweaks needed like battery drain, but he whole package is very appealing. It is hard for me to think I could respond to an unplanned trip without saying, "it will take me some time to get ready."

I could have really used a PSR 800 in Colorado. I still remember the bloody fingertips when I programmed the IH25 corridor. That was labor intensive.
 

bfletcher

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Regarding the comment on a battery drain issue fix, would this be a reference to changing values on the "Battery Indicator/Alert Values" table? If so, does that perform any function other than simply representing a different charge state on the battery icon? It doesn't literally have anything to do with how code interprets remaining charge state---nor does it literally alter power consumption---does it?

I would not consider my experience (two weeks into it) to be one with horrible results with regard to battery drain; on what I consider heavy use, I can yield at least 14 hours of continued use on a single charge. In a couple instances where I did lose power prematurely---say within 4 to 6 hours---I found that under a load test I had a battery that either had to be conditioned or was time for disposal. Brian
 
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