Sentinel Help (again).....

[drdeputy]

It's a simple thing, or should be, but I run afoul of it every single time:

1) Update Master Database
2) Force Write Full Database to Scanner (SDS200)

I know it doesn't automatically update my Favorites Lists, so ->exactly how do I apply the recent changes to my Favorites Lists? I have not changed any naming conventions, so that isn't an issue. I just want to apply the new Master Database change/additionss not only to the Full Database (easy to do), but to my existing FL's....which should also be simple, but continues to elude me.

Sooo, please: cookbook method to funnel database updates to Favorites Lists....

Thanks,
Forrest

 

[Isinglass311]

The Scanner Guys YouTube channel has an excellent video that covers this.

 

[nessnet]

You have to edit them manually. ESPECIALLY if you have done 'custom' work, such as GPS rectangles.
If you add from the database, all this custom work is overwritten!!

On a system here that is evolving (coming on line as sites are tested and turned up), I have deliberately left all data as is (same as RR). I just delete the system then re-add to make the changes.

Manual editing:
Click on the star icon, select the favorite you want to change, then the process varies depending on what you want to change (dept / site).

As an example, say you want to add a site to an existing trunked system.
Select the dept.
Click the sites tab.
To add a new site, click the green plus. Add the site name.
Now, go over to the list on the left and select the new site.
Add your frequencies.
The options tab is where you assign quick keys, etc.
IMPORTANT!! You HAVE TO add location information. If not, your radio will think the site is in the Atlantic off of Africa and will never scan.

 

[drdispatch]

IMPORTANT!! You HAVE TO add location information. If not, your radio will think the site is in the Atlantic off of Africa and will never scan.

IF you use location control when scanning your Favorites List. Otherwise, the location doesn't matter.

 

[drdeputy]

You have to edit them manually. ESPECIALLY if you have done 'custom' work, such as GPS rectangles.
If you add from the database, all this custom work is overwritten!!

On a system here that is evolving (coming on line as sites are tested and turned up), I have deliberately left all data as is (same as RR). I just delete the system then re-add to make the changes.

Manual editing:
Click on the star icon, select the favorite you want to change, then the process varies depending on what you want to change (dept / site).

As an example, say you want to add a site to an existing trunked system.
Select the dept.
Click the sites tab.
To add a new site, click the green plus. Add the site name.
Now, go over to the list on the left and select the new site.
Add your frequencies.
The options tab is where you assign quick keys, etc.
IMPORTANT!! You HAVE TO add location information. If not, your radio will think the site is in the Atlantic off of Africa and will never scan.

Thank you. Things are evolving here also and I’ve also not made any custom changes that can’t be overwritten. So that will be my method for now: delete the system(s) and re-add. And, I think I’ll do it weekly for a while to make it less of a mental “chore”.

Forrest

 

[ofd8001]

More often than not, systems are pretty well established. Additional channels can happen, but they are few and far between. So don't think weekly updates are a must. I usually don't make major updates but twice a year, before trips.

With my local systems, there is usually enough message board chatter to know if changes are on the horizon or just happened. In that case, it's easier to make changes manually, as I went to a lot of trouble tweaking my Favorites Lists.

I can always do a download of the systems to do a line by line comparison of what is in the database and scanner just to compare.

 

[drdeputy]

More often than not, systems are pretty well established. Additional channels can happen, but they are few and far between. So don't think weekly updates are a must. I usually don't make major updates but twice a year, before trips.

With my local systems, there is usually enough message board chatter to know if changes are on the horizon or just happened. In that case, it's easier to make changes manually, as I went to a lot of trouble tweaking my Favorites Lists.

I can always do a download of the systems to do a line by line comparison of what is in the database and scanner just to compare.

Thank you, and I agree. But things here are in quite a bit of flux with considerable new TG's and agencies converting to the statewide system. I really should be doing some ID searching (something else I need to re-learn), but for now just being a little behind the curve suits me.

And my effort at weekly updates isn't based on need at all, rather on tuning my 'mental muscle memory' if you will, so that the method becomes more automatic and less of a relearning task every single time as it is for me right now.

 

[hiegtx]

Thank you, and I agree. But things here are in quite a bit of flux with considerable new TG's and agencies converting to the statewide system. I really should be doing some ID searching (something else I need to re-learn), but for now just being a little behind the curve suits me.

And my effort at weekly updates isn't based on need at all, rather on tuning my 'mental muscle memory' if you will, so that the method becomes more automatic and less of a relearning task every single time as it is for me right now.

Since you are a Premium Subscriber, set up your RR Home page with the counties & trunked systems that you monitor, whether all the time, or those in an area you occasionally visit. That's what I've done for quite some time. I take a peak at my home page, and look for counties, systems, and state agencies that have had a recent update. They are highlighted in green if the update was within the past 24 hours, a yellowish tint if the update was within the last seven days.

I look at the county, system, or agency page & click on the link for the last update (upper right corner of the page). Quite often, the update is only a bit of "housekeeping" done by one of the database admins, correcting or redefining minor details that have zero effect on how the the affected channels or agencies are programmed. If it is something I need to add, like an additional frequency or talkgroup, I could do that quickly and easily. If it's something more extensive, like a given county, agency, or group of cities migrating to a new system, than I can always wait till the main database is updated, then do an append. More times than not, updates, especially on larger regional trunked systems, do not need any action taken on my part. (Texas does not have a statewide system, unlike your state which has MOSWIN.)

 

[ofd8001]

If your system is still building out and new Departments/Talkgroups are coming on a regular basis, I would do as you are - update the full database, then erase and rebuild your Favorites Lists. I would not do much tweaking, such as Alpha Tag changes/modifications, etc., until you are comfortable it won't be changed. Or if changes are minimal, then you can "pretty up" your Favorites Lists and then if changes occur, enter them manually, which doesn't take too much time for just a couple of talkgroups.