Quick Keys and Systems

[Nutes]

I bought my BCD325P2 about 6 weeks ago. I have programmed in two systems so far with ease. 1 is my County P25 System on the MARCS IP (Pike County, OH) and the other is my County Conventional System. The P25 System on the MARCS IP is currently linked to my 4 local and closest sites. I have both the Pike County OH P25 System and the Pike County OH Conventional System assigned to Quick Key #1 and Startup Key #1. The P25 System has 5 group id's assigned to it and the Conventional System has about 10 groups or frequencies assigned to it. Everything works great.

Question: I now want to branch out and program in some areas that are not necessarily (LOCAL) traffic and therefore would only need to be turned on from time to time, but would need to have quick access. Examples of such traffic are the: Ohio Department of Natural Resources Game Warden Group ID's that should be operating in my area, and the Ohio Helicopter Medical Transportation Group ID's that would be operating in my area. I would like to be able to assign these two groups to quick Keys 2 and Quick Keys 3 respectively. However, as best I can tell, in order to do so I would have to assign the same Sites all over again to each of these new systems which will create duplicate sites in my scanner which is inefficient at best. I say this because unless I am mistaken you can only turn systems on or off with quick keys based on site assignment, not group assignment.

Is there something I am missing?

 

[ofd8001]

I think I understand your question.

Setting the stage, System Quick Keys (SQK) are different than Group Quick Keys (GQK). With a trunked system, sites can be assigned SQKs. You can use the same or different SQKs for sites if you wish to limit the number of sites your scanner is receiving.

Groups are clusters of talkgroups that can be turned off with GQKs. You can have 20 groups, but unfortunately only 10 GQKs.

So in your case I would probably add whatever sites needed to "bring in" those additional groups, assigning these sites a different SQK than your "primary" sites. Next I'd program as you describe, the additional talkgroups in groups, assigning different GQKs.

Then when you wish to scan the additional groups, you'd enable the appropriate SQKs to turn the sites on, and GQKs to "activate" the groups.

I see this as the most efficient way of accomplishing this.

 

[Nutes]

Reply System QK vs. Group Qk

I think I understand your question.

Setting the stage, System Quick Keys (SQK) are different than Group Quick Keys (GQK). With a trunked system, sites can be assigned SQKs. You can use the same or different SQKs for sites if you wish to limit the number of sites your scanner is receiving.

Groups are clusters of talkgroups that can be turned off with GQKs. You can have 20 groups, but unfortunately only 10 GQKs.

So in your case I would probably add whatever sites needed to "bring in" those additional groups, assigning these sites a different SQK than your "primary" sites. Next I'd program as you describe, the additional talkgroups in groups, assigning different GQKs.

Then when you wish to scan the additional groups, you'd enable the appropriate SQKs to turn the sites on, and GQKs to "activate" the groups.

I see this as the most efficient way of accomplishing this.

Appreciate input. However, the new ODNR and Medflight groups that I wish to listen to periodically will NOT require additional Sites. In other words, the four main sites that I have assigned to my Pike County P25 System are the only sites that I would want to listen to the new groups on. So how do I add these groups but have the ability to quickly turn the groups off/on by using quick group keys? Or can I?

 

[phask]

Don't forget - you have 500 TG's / unit ID combos. per system. I have to break up ODNR. OSP and Local with duplication of sites to get it to fit.

 

[W6KRU]

Appreciate input. However, the new ODNR and Medflight groups that I wish to listen to periodically will NOT require additional Sites. In other words, the four main sites that I have assigned to my Pike County P25 System are the only sites that I would want to listen to the new groups on. So how do I add these groups but have the ability to quickly turn the groups off/on by using quick group keys? Or can I?

Just create two new groups in your Pike County system and assign Group quick keys to them. Creating Groups

 

[ofd8001]

I concur with the above since additional sites are not needed.

 

[Nutes]

Quick Keys and Groups

Just create two new groups in your Pike County system and assign Group quick keys to them. Creating Groups

I concur as well. However, if I create a new group in my existing P25 County System and then assign it to Quick Key #2, if I hit Quick Key #2 it simply beeps at me and does not shut down the group 2, because it is wanting to shut down SITES assigned to #2 of which there are none.

Is there a way to shut a group or set of groups with a Quick Key without shutting down a site or sites?

 

[W6KRU]

I concur as well. However, if I create a new group in my existing P25 County System and then assign it to Quick Key #2, if I hit Quick Key #2 it simply beeps at me and does not shut down the group 2, because it is wanting to shut down SITES assigned to #2 of which there are none.

Is there a way to shut a group or set of groups with a Quick Key without shutting down a site or sites?

You press Func then 2 while scanning the system containing the group.

 

[Nutes]

Awesome. I NEED TO LEARN TO READ!

 

[amcferrin90]

I'm glad you guys understand all that SQK and GQK stuff. I've tried and just can't get it. I understand programming them, I think but the turning them on and off, what seems like should work doesn't. For now I just resort to turning sites on and off which gets to be a pain in Columbus with all these little branch sites.I have another post I posted in.

 

[Voyager]

Have you checked out the YouTube videos on the subject?

 

[amcferrin90]

Have you checked out the YouTube videos on the subject?

The only videos I've found talk about how to set them all up in programming but the logic behind them is not explained. Actually not sure if it's the same, I'm using a BCD436HP. May be different and more difficult.

 

[Voyager]

Try this post then:
http://forums.radioreference.com/un...1698-sentinel-versus-butel-2.html#post2484856

 

[greggk]

I am not sure if I understand completely what you are looking for, but I have an idea of what you can do that may help. This was one of the most confusing things I had with the 436.

1. On the left side of the 436, press the MENU key.
2. Highlight "SCAN SELECTION
3. Then press MANAGE QUICK KEY STATUS
4. Then select FAVORITES QUICK KEY
Then you can scroll thru the quick keys turning them on and off by pressing the top control knob.

You can also press the left menu button and go to SET SCAN SELECTION

Go to SELECT LISTS TO MONITOR

Again, scroll down to turn lists off and on.

Your selections here affect what "starred" items you see on the top of the screen during normal scanning.

In certain cases, lists and quick keys cannot be changed unless you go thru the steps above.

Hope this helps.