PSREdit?

[Wilrobnson]

Okay, here's my issue- I am an idiot.

I bought the PSR500 in early March, stepping up to it from a 10 year old Uniden Sportcat.

I still can't understand the 'owners manual' for the radio, I can't fathom a 'v-scanner' nor the need for it, I can't understand why locked-out talkgroups keep re-appearing even after being locked out 2-10 times, and I'm programming by hand. And how the hell can you 'save' a search? And why would you?

I glanced at the PSRedit program; it looks to me to have a HUGE learning curve to it.

Am I wrong? Will downloading and working with this program help?

I am not stupid when it comes to most other things, but I think I got too attached to simply being able to program a frequency in and LISTEN to it.

Help?

Ps- I should probably add that I rarely listen to the radio at home, next to the computer. It goes in the 'field' with me often, whether in the car or office. Does this psredit program require the radio attached to it at all times?

Also- to download things from here on RR.com, do I have to have a paying membership??

Sorry about all these questions, but I'm befuddled.

 

[bravo14]

I would use the software since its better doing it by hand. I'm not sure if you have to be a pay member to download info from the software or the site I know on some things on the site you have to be a paid member. I'm still learning the radio myself since it has more stuff on it. I couldn't get the v-folder to work when I used the program you are using. I'm glad it was a 30 day trail. I went and paid for the other one I'm using seems to work for me.

 

[tglendye]

In my opinion, the reason you're having problems with the owner's manual is not because you're an idiot... it's just not a good manual. I do love the radio, however.

Your lockout problem sounds like you have the temp lockout enabled. It's a nice feature... but you can pull your hair out until you figure it out. With the way it's set up now, simply press "Func" and then "L/out" to permanently lockout a talkgroup or frequency. With temp lock out, the channel returns when the radio is cut off and re-powered on.

I can't tell you a whole lot about PSR-Edit. I've looked at it and used it a little. It seems like a real good program. I've been using Win500... the reason I selected that was simply because the author had developed programs for GRE in the past. The first one he did was freeware. I thought that was nice... so I've bought the win500 (and win97 as well). I've heard good things about PSR-Edit. If that's what you're using, by all means I would stick with it.

You'll just have to ask some questions to understand the radio. You're at the right website. Oh yeah, I would never, never program the radio by hand- ever. Just too time consuming and too complicated. Also, if you want to save more time get the premium membership you were asking about from radioreference. It's helped me by being able to download it to the scanner software. I'll still go back and edit some talkgroup names, but it's much easier. You can be up and running with a large trunked system in just a matter of a couple of minutes by downloading it from radioreference.

EDIT: I should say to take a look at PSR files that other users have made. You can join a PSR-500 yahoo group and have access to files that members have uploaded to the group. Open them up and see how they have set theirs up. May give you some ideas and understanding of how it works.

 

[mikey60]

I still can't understand the 'owners manual' for the radio, I can't fathom a 'v-scanner' nor the need for it, I can't understand why locked-out talkgroups keep re-appearing even after being locked out 2-10 times, and I'm programming by hand. And how the hell can you 'save' a search? And why would you?

Look at V-Scanners as a filing system for radio configurations. They come in handy if you travel a lot with the radio. You can have one V-Scanner folder as your home area for example, and another for other areas you visit on a regular basis. Then you can load in those configurations when you are in those areas and be ready to go.

On my trip to Florida with my family in February, I have V-Scanners set up for each state I would be driving through. Once I crossed the state line, I would load the next state configuration and be ready to monitor that area.

Re: Lockouts

By default, the PSR-500 uses a temporary lockout when you press the L/O key. The next time you turn off the radio and then turn it back on, those lockouts will be cleared and availble to listen to. This comes in handy when there is something big happening and you want to lock out other items that aren't involved with the incedent.

You can perminantly lock out an object (TGRP, CONV) by pressing the Func key and then the L/O key while a transmission is active. There's also an option in the GLOB menu (PGM->F3) to make pressing the L/O key a perminant lockout without having to press the FUNC key. Look for the "TLO = FUNC L/O" option near the bottom of that menu and set that to yes if you want the L/O key to be a perminant lockout by default.

I glanced at the PSRedit program; it looks to me to have a HUGE learning curve to it.

Am I wrong? Will downloading and working with this program help?

I am not stupid when it comes to most other things, but I think I got too attached to simply being able to program a frequency in and LISTEN to it.

There is a bit of a learning curve to the radio in general. Try all three of the software titles that are out there for the radio and see which one works best for you. I'm a little biased towards PSREdit500, since I wrote it .

The PSR-500 is pretty easy to program by hand once you get the hang of it. That can take a little time depending on what you're coming from. Using software definately helps though.

Ps- I should probably add that I rarely listen to the radio at home, next to the computer. It goes in the 'field' with me often, whether in the car or office. Does this psredit program require the radio attached to it at all times?

No, it doesn't need to be connected to the radio at all times. Once you've uploaded your configuration to the radio, you can unplug the cable and scan that configuration to your heart's content.

Also- to download things from here on RR.com, do I have to have a paying membership??

Yes, you have to have a premium subscription to the Radio Reference web site.

Mike

 

[Wilrobnson]

Re: Lockouts

By default, the PSR-500 uses a temporary lockout when you press the L/O key. The next time you turn off the radio and then turn it back on, those lockouts will be cleared and availble to listen to. This comes in handy when there is something big happening and you want to lock out other items that aren't involved with the incedent.

You can perminantly lock out an object (TGRP, CONV) by pressing the Func key and then the L/O key while a transmission is active. There's also an option in the GLOB menu (PGM->F3) to make pressing the L/O key a perminant lockout without having to press the FUNC key. Look for the "TLO = FUNC L/O" option near the bottom of that menu and set that to yes if you want the L/O key to be a perminant lockout by default.

Thanks for all the answers, guys.

I'm not sure I was clear when I described the lockout problem, though. I'll try a 'for-instance'- Say I'm scanning bank (list) 02, the local military 380 P25 TRS. I generally leave the radio in the 'wildcard' mode, listening for new talkgroups (channels, what have you). When a previously-heard channel pops-up, I hit the TgLo softkey so I don't have to listen to it. I usually get a message about 'duplicate object- create another?'. No matter how many times I do this, I still hear the same channels! I've sat there and locked out the same talkgroups/channels/whatever as much as 20 times with no results.

??

 

[BVince]

Scanable Objects

Brett Posted:
Thanks for all the answers, guys.

I'm not sure I was clear when I described the lockout problem, though. I'll try a 'for-instance'- Say I'm scanning bank (list) 02, the local military 380 P25 TRS. I generally leave the radio in the 'wildcard' mode, listening for new talkgroups (channels, what have you). When a previously-heard channel pops-up, I hit the TgLo softkey so I don't have to listen to it. I usually get a message about 'duplicate object- create another?'. No matter how many times I do this, I still hear the same channels! I've sat there and locked out the same talkgroups/channels/whatever as much as 20 times with no results.

??
__________________


Brett,

Let me see if I can clear this up a little. If you are monitoring a trunk system and just have a wild card programed, then that wildcard is considered a scannable object. If it finds a TG and you hit the LockOut button, you have locked out the wild card, not the TG it found. I think what you want to do is Store the found Talk Group, then you can lock out that TG. Remember, a wild card will work properly when in the Scan mode. When the radio is scanning, it looks for all of the TG's that have already been entered and does not capture those with a wild card object. If the radio is not in the scan mode, then all TG will be heard.

I know it may sound confusing, but the idea of scannable objects is a great approach, once you get your self wrapped around the concept.

A search limit can also be a scanable object. Say you want to set up a scan list with several search limit objects. Scanning that list will allow you to scan all of the limited ranges you have entered or you can lock out some of the ranges and only scan the ranges you choose.

Hope that helps,

Vince

 

[mikey60]

Thanks for all the answers, guys.

I'm not sure I was clear when I described the lockout problem, though. I'll try a 'for-instance'- Say I'm scanning bank (list) 02, the local military 380 P25 TRS. I generally leave the radio in the 'wildcard' mode, listening for new talkgroups (channels, what have you). When a previously-heard channel pops-up, I hit the TgLo softkey so I don't have to listen to it. I usually get a message about 'duplicate object- create another?'. No matter how many times I do this, I still hear the same channels! I've sat there and locked out the same talkgroups/channels/whatever as much as 20 times with no results.

??

OK, try this:

Press PGM then F3 (GLOB).

Scroll down to the TGRP Ignore option and set that to Yes.

This option will ignore talkgroups that are in other scanlists, and may take care of your issue.

Mike

 

[Wilrobnson]

OK, try this:

Press PGM then F3 (GLOB).

Scroll down to the TGRP Ignore option and set that to Yes.

This option will ignore talkgroups that are in other scanlists, and may take care of your issue.

Mike

It was already set to 'yes'...!?

 

[Wilrobnson]

Brett,

Let me see if I can clear this up a little. If you are monitoring a trunk system and just have a wild card programed, then that wildcard is considered a scannable object. If it finds a TG and you hit the LockOut button, you have locked out the wild card, not the TG it found. I think what you want to do is Store the found Talk Group, then you can lock out that TG. Remember, a wild card will work properly when in the Scan mode. When the radio is scanning, it looks for all of the TG's that have already been entered and does not capture those with a wild card object. If the radio is not in the scan mode, then all TG will be heard.
Hope that helps,
Vince

Thanks, Vince. So what you're saying is, in effect, I'm screwed. Right? Like if I'm listening to a system with several hundred talkgroups, and I want to search for new ones, I have to program in each active one found or known, and then lock them out???

What the hell was GRE thinking?

 

[BVince]

Brett,

No I don't think this is a problem. If I understand what you are trying to do, then just locate the TG you DO WANT to monitor, store those in a scan list and then select that scan list to scan. At that point, you can discontinue using the wild card.

A wild card is for fnding things you want to listen to. Once found they will be TG that you can manage as you see fit. Its a solid idea and works well.

Vince

 

[Wilrobnson]

Vince, the problem I'm having is not finding the talkgroup I want to hear.

Say we're back in the day of the BC235xlt. I enter all the freqs for a trunked system, and start tracking it. As each talkgroup ID number comes up, I 'pause' or hold it, check to see if I know what it is, and if I do, I lock it out. Eventually, I have all the known talkgroups locked out of the system, and I just listen for new, unknown ones.

That's what I'm trying to do with the PSR500.

I'll quote the 'manual' here:

Talkgroup lockout is similar to search lockout, as it allows you to
lockout undesired talkgroups while searching for new talkgroup
activity with wildcard TGRP objects. To apply lockout on an undesired wildcard hit, press the TGL/O softkey while the scanner is stopped on the undesired talkgroup. Applying wildcard lockout to an undesired talkgroup creates a
new TGRP object in the same Scan List as the wildcard TGRP,
then applies permanent lockout to the new TGRP object, so that
will be ignored in the future by the scanner when scanning the
wildcard talkgroup.

I DO this, and the SAME damn talkgroups keep re-appearing, over and over again! They are NOT ignored! I can scroll down from the 'wildcard' entry, and see the same talkgroup 'locked out' 2, 3, 4 or more times.

What am I doing wrong here? I don't mean to come off as a jerk here, but when I have a bank or 'scan list' for a trunked system, and 4 of the talkgroups in that list are the exact same ones, and it's STILL coming up in the wildcard search, I start pulling my (rapidly thinning anyhow) hair out.

 

[mikey60]

Ok, Here's my suggestion to do what you want to do...

Put the Wildcard object in a scan list all by itself...

Turn off all scanlists except the one with the Wildcard in it and press scan. You need to be in scan mode as when the scanner is in manual mode, it will show you all received talkgroups (the issue I think you are reporting).

As long as only the wildcard is in that scanlist you will only see talkgroups that you have not already stored. As you go along, you can download the configuration into your software and redistribute them into the scanlists you really want them in...

Mike

 

[BVince]

Brett,

Mike is correct! You MUST be in the scan mode. The radio will do exactly what you want it to do, just follow Mike's directions. He said it better than I did. Thanks Mike.

Vince

 

[Wilrobnson]

Ok, Here's my suggestion to do what you want to do...

Put the Wildcard object in a scan list all by itself...

Turn off all scanlists except the one with the Wildcard in it and press scan. You need to be in scan mode as when the scanner is in manual mode, it will show you all received talkgroups (the issue I think you are reporting).

As long as only the wildcard is in that scanlist you will only see talkgroups that you have not already stored. As you go along, you can download the configuration into your software and redistribute them into the scanlists you really want them in...

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'll work on figuring this out and trying it- except for the software part. I'm still hand-programming

 

[mikey60]

Thanks Mike, I'll work on figuring this out and trying it- except for the software part. I'm still hand-programming

Ok, if you're doing that by hand, find your wildcard object and move it to another scanlist by itself. To do that:

Locate the Wildcard Object in memory.

Edit the object and locate the ScanList option.

Using the right or left arrow keys, cycle through the scanlist numbers. Those that are preceded by an asterisk (*) are enabled scanlists. Press the Sel key to turn a scan list on or off for the object. To do what you want, you'll need to put the wildcard in a scanlist by itself.

Once you are done setting the scanlist, save the object.

Now press scan, and turn on only the scanlist that contains the wildcard. You will only see talkgroups that have not been stored, or talkgroups that have been stored from the wildcard (by pressing the F3 key when active).

Stored objects (aka talkgroups) will inherit all of the properties of the wildcard, including LED settings, Alert settings, Scanlist memberships, etc. About the only thing they don't inherit from the wildcard is the AlphaTag, and the talkgroup number.

You can then go back into the scanlist that contains the wildcard later in manual mode and scroll through the list of stored talkgroups. Using the procedure you used to modify the Wildcard object, you can then place these talkgroup objects in the scanlists you want them in, and edit the Alpha Tag at the same time. The only pain about this process is that once you save the object into a new scanlist, you'll have to get back to the scanlist that contains the wildcard to get to the next talkgroup object. This is one area where the software packages out there really help a lot.

Mike

 

[BVince]

Well, this has become an interesting subject.......Today, I turned on scanlist #2 which contains my wildcards. The radio was in scan mode and I WAS getting TG's that have previously stored in scan list #19 and #17 (and maybe others).

Scan list was the only list selected for scanning. I have cpu version 1.2 (have not uploaded 1.3 yet).

I don't think the radio did this in the past. WHAT HAS CHANGED????

Vince

 

[mikey60]

Well, this has become an interesting subject.......Today, I turned on scanlist #2 which contains my wildcards. The radio was in scan mode and I WAS getting TG's that have previously stored in scan list #19 and #17 (and maybe others).

Scan list was the only list selected for scanning. I have cpu version 1.2 (have not uploaded 1.3 yet).

I don't think the radio did this in the past. WHAT HAS CHANGED????

Vince

Check the "TGRP Ignore" setting in the GLOB menu (PGM->F3) near the bottom. If that is set to No, you will see talkgroups that are stored in diisabled scanlists. If that is set to yes, you will not see objects that are stored in disabled scanlists.

Another thing to check is to ensure that those objects are not members of the scanlist that the wildcards are in (remember that stored TGRP object gleened from the wildcards will inherit all properties of the wildcard except the talkgroup number and alpha tag).

Mike

 

[BVince]

WOW,

Is my face red or what.......right after I posted the above, I left the house and while driving, it hit me about the TG IGNORGE in GLOBAL PRGM. I was looking at that in considering Brett's original question and forgot to change it back.

Score:
PRS500 - 100%
Operator - 0%

I'll try to do better guys.....Thanks Mike

v

 

[Wilrobnson]

Locate the Wildcard Object in memory.

Edit the object and locate the ScanList option.

Using the right or left arrow keys, cycle through the scanlist numbers. Those that are preceded by an asterisk (*) are enabled scanlists. Press the Sel key to turn a scan list on or off for the object. To do what you want, you'll need to put the wildcard in a scanlist by itself.

Once you are done setting the scanlist, save the object.

Now press scan, and turn on only the scanlist that contains the wildcard. You will only see talkgroups that have not been stored, or talkgroups that have been stored from the wildcard (by pressing the F3 key when active).

Ok, Mikey, I did everything you wrote, and when I'm in scan mode, nothing comes up. if I hit manual and stop at that scan list I designated for the wildcard, I get all sorts of talkgroups popping up, all of which are locked out in the other scanlist. If I hit TgLo for them, I get the 'create another object?' question again.

What do I have to do, store them, lock them out, and go back into manual mode, since nothing comes up in manual mode??

Oh, and before I typed this up, I tried that 'ignore' function, and it is set to 'yes'.