SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 Location Settings ??

[J-Wrock]

Uniden's tech support suggested "Please try the following: set multiple favorites for each of the towns and then turn them all on with the GPS function enabled. This allows for the dynamic shift you are looking for with the GPS function."

I will try this over the weekend.

So, just got back from testing Uniden's suggestion and sadly, it failed.

I created multiple favorites for three of the cities I am working with and, with all of them turned on, drove through each of the cities once the scanner found the GPS satellites. The scanner did not change from one city to the other as I expected although the GPS coordinates on the scanner's display showed my correct location. The scanner stayed on my starting city of Overland Park the entire time. I power cycled the scanner while in a different city (Lenexa) and once the scanner found the GPS satellites, it switched to the Lenexa favorite. However, when I
drove back to Overland Park, the scanner remained on the Lenexa favorite.

I reached back out to Uniden and am awaiting further guidance from them.

 

[dave3825]

The three cities I'm working with are Overland Park, Prairie Village and Lenexa. Here are those cities with their location and ranges as entered into the database. As you can see, they overlap each other so if I drive out of Overland Park and into Lenexa, the SDS 150 will never switch to Lenexa since it will still be in the Overland Park coverage area.

Just looked at your file again. If you delete everything except Overland Park, Prairie Village and Lenexa, and just leave Johnson site, what happens if you start driving West, from the East side of Prairie on W 82nd street to Santa Fe to West 87th street?

 

[J-Wrock]

Just looked at your file again. If you delete everything except Overland Park, Prairie Village and Lenexa, and just leave Johnson site, what happens if you start driving West, from the East side of Prairie on W 82nd street to Santa Fe to West 87th street?

I stay on the city I started out in.

 

[dave3825]

So to confirm, you have just this?








What happens if you create another system in that same fav list with just one conventional channel and use one same rectangle covering the whole area of the MARRS site and the 3 cities? Does the scanner should stop scanning MARRS and switch to the conv channel and then back.

 

[J-Wrock]

So to confirm, you have just this?

View attachment 201600


View attachment 201601



What happens if you create another system in that same fav list with just one conventional channel and use one same rectangle covering the whole area of the MARRS site and the 3 cities? Does the scanner should stop scanning MARRS and switch to the conv channel and then back.

That was one of my original tests a few months ago. If I start in Prairie Village, the scanner would tune in only the Prairie Village department and never switch to the other departments / cities.

Conventional channels switch correctly and if I program in Jackson County, MO, as soon as I cross state line, the scanner switches. So it sounds to me like something wonky with the Johnson County site.

As I was typing my reply, I got another e-mail from Uniden. They are investigating the issue and will e-mail me when they have an update.

 

[CrewRest]

The only way I have been able to get this to work is create a favorites list for each department, Fire N, Fire S, PD, SO N, SO S. Each favorites list has define rectangle or rectangles with the Freqs (each FL has the same 4 freqs). Stuff that is common to each are also included in each FL. It then scans each FL and turns them on and off as needed. Very inefficient but works. Probably miss some calls.

 

[J-Wrock]

The only way I have been able to get this to work is create a favorites list for each department, Fire N, Fire S, PD, SO N, SO S. Each favorites list has define rectangle or rectangles with the Freqs (each FL has the same 4 freqs). Stuff that is common to each are also included in each FL. It then scans each FL and turns them on and off as needed. Very inefficient but works. Probably miss some calls.

This sounds like what I am trying to do but not sure what is keeping it from working.

 

[ofd8001]

The downside of creating multiple Favorites Lists with the same SITES in each of the multiple Favorites Lists, is the potential for missed traffic.

You might be in a position to "hear" Jurisdiction A and Jurisdiction B at the same time. But if your scanner is listening to Favorites List A for Jurisdiction A, it will not monitor anything for Jurisdiction B, if Jurisdiction A is quiet. The converse is true. If you are listening to Favorites List B for Jurisdiction B and they are quiet, you won't hear Jurisdiction A if they are talking up a storm.

Just going way out in left field on the following. . . (some times "Hail Mary" works)

Have you tried different values for the System Hold Time? (0, 2, 4)

For each site, are you scanning all of the frequencies associated with each site? Could you try using just the designated primary and alternate control channels.

Its going to come down to one of two things. Either the scanner has some kind of new hiccup in the firmware, or there is some little programming thing. That said, I'm sure you are exceptionally frustrated - I know I would be.

 

[J-Wrock]

The downside of creating multiple Favorites Lists with the same SITES in each of the multiple Favorites Lists, is the potential for missed traffic.

You might be in a position to "hear" Jurisdiction A and Jurisdiction B at the same time. But if your scanner is listening to Favorites List A for Jurisdiction A, it will not monitor anything for Jurisdiction B, if Jurisdiction A is quiet. The converse is true. If you are listening to Favorites List B for Jurisdiction B and they are quiet, you won't hear Jurisdiction A if they are talking up a storm.

Just going way out in left field on the following. . . (some times "Hail Mary" works)

Have you tried different values for the System Hold Time? (0, 2, 4)

For each site, are you scanning all of the frequencies associated with each site? Could you try using just the designated primary and alternate control channels.

Its going to come down to one of two things. Either the scanner has some kind of new hiccup in the firmware, or there is some little programming thing. That said, I'm sure you are exceptionally frustrated - I know I would be.

I agree about having the same sites in multiple favorites which is why I don't do that with my primary favorites. Right now I am doing it to see if I can get the GPS enabled favorites to work. Once I do, then I can stream line and refine things so that it is more efficient.

I have not yet tried changing the values for the System Hold Time. Might give it a shot just to see.

No, I am not scanning all of the frequencies for the site. Just the three control channels.

My guess is it is a programming issue (problem exists between chair and keyboard ... lol!) as if it was firmware glitch, more people would have noticed. I was initially extremely frustrated, but now I am just treating it as a tinkering project... if I get it to work then awesome, if not, then I'll keep using Quick Keys.

 

[ofd8001]

My guess is it is a programming issue (problem exists between chair and keyboard ... lol!) as if it was firmware glitch, more people would have noticed. I was initially extremely frustrated, but now I am just treating it as a tinkering project... if I get it to work then awesome, if not, then I'll keep using Quick Keys.

Maybe, maybe not. You could be one of a very few people who are trying to do something in a specific set of conditions with a new model scanner.

Uniden dropped an updated firmware for the SDS 200. I noticed a glitch (clicking on a conventional P25 system) that no one else had. It generated an update to the firmware.

 

[J-Wrock]

Maybe, maybe not. You could be one of a very few people who are trying to do something in a specific set of conditions with a new model scanner.

Uniden dropped an updated firmware for the SDS 200. I noticed a glitch (clicking on a conventional P25 system) that no one else had. It generated an update to the firmware.

That's why I finally got around to contacting Uniden Tech support a couple of days ago. My thought is it is 1) Something I'm doing wrong with programming / GPS rectangles (likely); 2) a hardware issue with my specific model - I did order one of the first to be released; or 3) as you suggested, I'm doing something with the GPS that the designers didn't plan on - switching departments within the same site rather than traveling from one site to another entirely.

I'm not going to post every single time I try something different but I will definitely post details if it starts working or if Uniden has other suggestions - like sending it in or here's a new firmware update, our bad.

 

[dave3825]

Just to be 100% sure, do you have location control turned on for that favorites list? When I imported it into a FL, I had to name it and it was turned off:

Yes it is on. Not sure why it didn't stay on in the import.

Same here.


Try this file.

Read your scanner into Proscan. Then import this and confirm that Location is still set to on and give the fav list a quick key. Write to scanner. Set scanner range to 0.

Start at Weltner Park (Prairie) and drive West in W 79th street. When you get to Lamar Ave, pull over in Tomahawk elementary school. You are one block into Overland. Does the scanner switch to Overland?

Continue West on W79th and go to Antloch rd and go South to Santa Fe/W87th st and continue West. Pull into Black Dog Coffee House. Did scanner switch to Lenaxa?

This file has Johnson site with circle and just the 3 listed control channels.


If this did not work then there is definitely an issue with the scanner.

 

[J-Wrock]

Same here.


Try this file.

Read your scanner into Proscan. Then import this and confirm that Location is still set to on and give the fav list a quick key. Write to scanner. Set scanner range to 0.

Start at Weltner Park (Prairie) and drive West in W 79th street. When you get to Lamar Ave, pull over in Tomahawk elementary school. You are one block into Overland. Does the scanner switch to Overland?

Continue West on W79th and go to Antloch rd and go South to Santa Fe/W87th st and continue West. Pull into Black Dog Coffee House. Did scanner switch to Lenaxa?

This file has Johnson site with circle and just the 3 listed control channels.


If this did not work then there is definitely an issue with the scanner.

I will give this a shot. Thank you!!

 

[J-Wrock]

Same here.


Try this file.

Read your scanner into Proscan. Then import this and confirm that Location is still set to on and give the fav list a quick key. Write to scanner. Set scanner range to 0.

Start at Weltner Park (Prairie) and drive West in W 79th street. When you get to Lamar Ave, pull over in Tomahawk elementary school. You are one block into Overland. Does the scanner switch to Overland?

Continue West on W79th and go to Antloch rd and go South to Santa Fe/W87th st and continue West. Pull into Black Dog Coffee House. Did scanner switch to Lenaxa?

This file has Johnson site with circle and just the 3 listed control channels.


If this did not work then there is definitely an issue with the scanner.

Spent the past two hours driving and determined that if the scanner is only scanning the Johnson County site, the scanner ignores the GPS data in the departments. However, if the scanner is kicked off the Johnson County site, either by going into the menu, turning the selector knob or having a non-Johnson County system in the scan list at the same time, then the scanner switches to the correct department based on GPS location.

For fun, I loaded both your favorite and my favorites that Uniden suggested I create and neither of them switched departments as they should have until I stuck in an unrelated conventional system into the scan rotation.

I know that when the scanner is scanning a P25 Trunk system (which Johnson County MARRS is), once it finds an active control channel, it stays locked onto that channel and does not search other programmed frequencies unless that control channel is lost. I wonder if the scanner ignores department GPS data once it has locked onto an active control channel until it loses that control channel and has to scan for another one? Which means the GPS feature works perfectly if I have multiple sites programmed in for a long trip or if I am using the full database. Not so much if I'm just hanging around the home county.

 

[dave3825]

So with that list and Johnson site being a large circle, the test was meant to see if the departments turn on and off when they should. As long as you were in that large radius of the Johnson site, it was supposed to stay locked on the site, and open the appropriate department if you were inside the rectangle for which ever city you were in at the time.

Uniden's answer of creating a fav list for each department is sad and basically says they have know idea how the whole location scanning is supposed to be working.

For fun, I loaded both your favorite and my favorites that Uniden suggested I create and neither of them switched departments as they should have until I stuck in an unrelated conventional system into the scan rotation.

So the reason for the unrelated conv was to see what the scanner did once it left the MARRS system and returned. So if with the conv, everything works, then there is an issue with the SDS150 firmware.

I know that when the scanner is scanning a P25 Trunk system (which Johnson County MARRS is), once it finds an active control channel, it stays locked onto that channel and does not search other programmed frequencies unless that control channel is lost. I wonder if the scanner ignores department GPS data once it has locked onto an active control channel until it loses that control channel and has to scan for another one? Which means the GPS feature works perfectly if I have multiple sites programmed in for a long trip or if I am using the full database. Not so much if I'm just hanging around the home county.

If it were me, I would set the conv freq to the local weather while in Prairie, let it lock onto it and then drive to Overland listening to the weather. Then when well inside of Overland I would rotate the knob so it resumes scanning and see if it realizes it not in Prairie and loads Overland.

 

[J-Wrock]

So with that list and Johnson site being a large circle, the test was meant to see if the departments turn on and off when they should. As long as you were in that large radius of the Johnson site, it was supposed to stay locked on the site, and open the appropriate department if you were inside the rectangle for which ever city you were in at the time.

Uniden's answer of creating a fav list for each department is sad and basically says they have know idea how the whole location scanning is supposed to be working.



So the reason for the unrelated conv was to see what the scanner did once it left the MARRS system and returned. So if with the conv, everything works, then there is an issue with the SDS150 firmware.




If it were me, I would set the conv freq to the local weather while in Prairie, let it lock onto it and then drive to Overland listening to the weather. Then when well inside of Overland I would rotate the knob so it resumes scanning and see if it realizes it not in Prairie and loads Overland.

I initially tried with just the one favorite that you sent me to see if the departments turned on and off when the should. They did not.

The reason for the unrelated conventional channel was to see if having the scanner switch off the Johnson County control channel on its own would get it to lock onto the right department or if I had to manually turn the selector knob every time. I agree, it sounds like something with the firmware not allowing the scanner to "scan" for new department GPS data once it locks onto an active control channel.

I've tried the weather channel idea and the scanner picks up the correct department. (Again, it loses the active control channel so has to search for it at which time the GPS function works as designed.)

I was hoping to be able to seamlessly switch between departments within the same county so I don't miss anything either because I'm forced to scan unrelated systems or have too many talkgroups scanning at once. Sadly, sounds like the current firmware says "Hard NO!"

It is the Memorial Day weekend so I don't expect to hear back from Uniden until at least Tuesday. I did forward them the results of this mornings 2 hour experiment.

Thank you for going to the trouble of creating and sending me the HPE file. That proved rather helpful although I didn't get the results I hoped for! I truly do appreciate all of the help I've been getting on this!!!!

 

[Ubbe]

If it were me, I would set the conv freq to the local weather while in Prairie, let it lock onto it and then drive to Overland listening to the weather. Then when well inside of Overland I would rotate the knob so it resumes scanning and see if it realizes it not in Prairie and loads Overland.

The scanners operating system are not multitasking and works like a Do-No-Disturb setting for CloseCall.
If it monitors a constant transmission it will never go to the functions that handles the GPS location control.

If it changes site it will start to do things that relates to monitoring a new site, being it a conventional site or part of a trunked system, and those things seems to include the location control functions. So I am pretty sure it will work better if the original site with a circle location are instead changed to be a rectangle that are a copy of a departments location rectangle, and then copy that single site several times, each with its own department rectangle location, to trigger a proper department location change at the right moment.

/Ubbe

 

[CrewRest]

I have finally been able to get the radio to switch between Departments. What I did was add a Favorite List that contained a single conventional Freq . I would use any Freq that doesn't have any traffic on it. This forces the radio to check/update its location when it switches between the FL's. By doing this I have the Transmitter Site as a circle which covers the area I want to listen to and then I used rectangles for the Departments. Some had 1 rectangle others had multiple. Thanks @J-Wrock @Ubbe and @dave3825 !

 

[ofd8001]

If someone has “fool” the scanner, then you wonder if a firmware update is in order.

 

[xusmarine1979]

I have finally been able to get the radio to switch between Departments. What I did was add a Favorite List that contained a single conventional Freq . I would use any Freq that doesn't have any traffic on it. This forces the radio to check/update its location when it switches between the FL's. By doing this I have the Transmitter Site as a circle which covers the area I want to listen to and then I used rectangles for the Departments. Some had 1 rectangle others had multiple. Thanks @J-Wrock @Ubbe and @dave3825 !

I'll give that a try too! Never gave that a thought.