Quick keys - how do you remember them?

[lakemirror]

Hi there. Noob to trunk system scanning, just got my Uniden a few days ago. Long learning curve on favorites lists and quick keys etc, but I think I'm finally getting my head around them.

My question today is....with all the thousands and thousands of quick keys the scanner can be programmed with, how do you guys keep track of them? I've done a lot of reading and see the various methods of arranging quick key numbers logically for favorites, systems etc. But still, how do you know what qks you stored stuff in? Do you do a spreadsheet for reference? Otherwise, how will I remember that, for example, I stored EMS in Fort Lonesome, Florida, at 15.7.4?

This place is a great reference for info. Thanks.

Tom W4TDL

 

[kennyloatman]

I made a list in my I-phone notes for quick keys and channel tags. I usually carry my I-phone and scanner together most of the time. I could never remember all them with the 40 systems and muiltable group quick keys I have stored in each scanner. The ones I use most often are easy but the ones I seldom go to I need the notes.

 

[scannersnstuff]

down and dirty. i only use my quick key's for the different system's, and don't use them for group's. i alphatag, for instance LOCAL/PRIORITY 1 NJSP 2 JCP&L 3.

 

[buddrousa]

CHEAT SHEET

 

[phask]

CHEAT SHEET

What he said

I'm still honing mine... Way back in the 780 days I had a whole bunch... Used it mobile and had few sheets a few different ways so I could find and activate while moving. I was younger and stupider then as well, plus could see the screen.

I now use a spreadsheet - plus ProScan and it will print them.

 

[ofd8001]

I to am a "Cheat Sheeter". I'll add the QK to the name of the Favorites List/System/Department. The more I see something helps me remember.

For example I'll have

"F0 Jefferson County" (a Favorites List with the FLQK of 0)
"S1 MetroSafe" (a System with the SQK of 1)
"D2 Fire" (a Department with the DQK of 2)

 

[Ensnared]

I Don't

For the Favorites I use on a frequent basis, I can easily remember the Quick Keys. I started putting the Quick Keys for Favorites in the Alpha Tag for that Favorite list. Then, I just open the menu and turn on/off the ones I want to monitor.

 

[phask]

One tip , if applicable. Ohio uses the county's number tag a lot. It's just the taking all the counties in order.

The states highway patrol uses it for their physical posts as well as the area a unit is covering, many counties just IF as the number. our license plates all have a county number sticker. Point is - you quickly learn quite a dew. I use that corresponding number as the Department QK in the statewide system.

One could also use it for a FL qk or whatever. Ohio has 88 counties, but at home I only have the neighboring counties loaded anyway and can on/off with 5 or so keystrokes... without looking.

 

[kirk5056]

I put the SQK as the first two characters of the system's Alpha tag. For example: "38 JACKSON Cnv". That makes it easy to disable the current system with it's SQK but also helps me remember all of the SQKs.

 

[ShyFlyer]

I currently only use quick keys to toggle on/off Favorites Lists and have said lists set up by county (i.e. one county = one FL). As a result, there isn't a lot of switching going on except on road trips, and then they're sequential based on my typical route. I do keep a printed list of them in the car, though.

 

[jonwienke]

I have my favorite lists organized by state--I can drive an hour and be in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, or Virginia. The only reason I don't just have one favorite list is because many state agencies aren't labeled with the state name (e.g. "State Police") and having a favorite list with the name of the state tells me whether I'm listening to a Maryland agency or a Pennsylvania agency with a similar name. I don't bother breaking things down by county; that's what Location Control is for. I have one additional favorite list for multistate entities like First Energy and medevac and such, which also has Location Control enabled.

The state favorite lists are numbered 1 through 5, and the multistate list is number 9. The only time I manually toggle lists is when I'm within 5 miles or so of crossing a state line.

I don't use system or department quick keys. If I'm getting static or something boring on a channel, I temporarily Avoid it or click the scroll to move on. If I hear something interesting, I hold on the system or department.

It's simple enough for me to remember without a cheatsheet. YMMV.

 

[scanman1958]

When I first learned how to program my 396xt I would program the first channel/TG in a system with a channel tag. (Hope that is the right term) I could then go directly to the the beginning of a system with little trouble as long as I remembered the system quick key. Yep. A cheat sheet is a must. Because I have over 70 systems.