Sentinel: Sentinel

[mikebennett]

I have used BUTEL software forever but thought I'd give Sentinel a try, mainly because I wanted to use rectangle locations with the SDS200. ARC536 does not allow this option, only circles.

The first issue I ran into was repeated error messages when programming location data into P25 systems. When I tried to enter the GPS coordinates I would get an error message regarding an "object" error. The only way to continue was to close out the program and restart. It would then accept it on the second attempt. This happened while programming EVERY P25 system and was quite irritating and time consuming. (I'm running WINDOWS 11)

After finally getting everything programmed in I uploaded to the scanner and found out that about a half dozen of the P25 systems showed to be loaded under the radio menu but would not open with the designated QK's. There are a lot of reasons this can happen but I triple checked the programming for errors but the ones that didn't work were programmed just the same as those that did. I uploaded a few more times and finally got a few to work, but a lot of these systems are location dependent and I have no way of knowing if they were going to open up unless I happened to travel to those particular areas so my confidence wasn't very high.

I ended up using some reverse engineering and downloaded the Sentinel data from the radio into ARC536. I then uploaded that profile back to the radio and everything worked perfectly, however in order to utilize the rectangle locations I had to manually enter them in the radio, which was very time consuming.

Everything now works as designed however when I invariably have to edit or add something in the future I'll have to do it manually to avoid having to manually change the location stuff again.

Has anyone run into these issues and/or have any solutions?

 

[tvengr]

After finally getting everything programmed in I uploaded to the scanner and found out that about a half dozen of the P25 systems showed to be loaded under the radio menu but would not open with the designated QK's.

Both Download and Monitor need be set to On for each favorites list in the profile before you Write to Scanner. Download sends the file to the scanner. Monitor enables it to scan.

 

[mikebennett]

Both Download and Monitor need be set to On for each favorites list in the profile before you Write to Scanner. Download sends the file to the scanner. Monitor enables it to scan.

I'm uploading four FAV lists. They load fine, it's just some systems within the FAV's that aren't.

 

[dave3825]

in order to utilize the rectangle locations I had to manually enter them in the radio, which was very time consuming.

Rectangles are pretty easy and fast using using @ProScan Just open the departments (of interest) location tab, click convert to rectangle, resize on maps.






Before and after with @ProScan

SDS100/SDS200: - Vehicle install/setup

Has anyone done a nice SDS100 vehicle install? You know, with part numbers of the items used, things like that. It's been running fine so far, no cold solder issues yet. However it is far from a slick install. Scanner in a cup holder and an ugly wire that all keeps getting in the way of my iced...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[tvengr]

Do you have the correct service types enabled for the systems not scanning? Are system quick keys enabled?

 

[mikebennett]

Do you have the correct service types enabled for the systems not scanning? Are system quick keys enabled?

Yep

 

[jtwalker]

The systems aren't scanning or they aren't showing up on scanner?

 

[mikebennett]

The systems aren't scanning or they aren't showing up on scanner?

The QK will turn on & off like normal but when turned on the system doesn't come up. I think it does that if you have the service type turned off or if no site frequencies are programmed in, but that is not the issue here.

 

[jtwalker]

Location control active on favorites list? And if so, proper manual location set or gps connected or zip code entered ?

 

[mikebennett]

Location control active on favorites list? And if so, proper manual location set or gps connected or zip code entered ?

Correct

 

[jtwalker]

I’d double check because that’s about all it could be. Unless you entered the squares incorrectly.

 

[jtwalker]

You have squares set up on both sites and departments?

 

[tvengr]

Please attach a favorites list file which has the problem so that we can look at it. Go to the File tab in Sentinel and click on Export to hpe file (Favorites List). You will need to right click on the exported file and Send to Compressed (zipped) folder to be able to attach it. Click on Attach files and open the zipped folder.

 

[hiegtx]

The QK will turn on & off like normal but when turned on the system doesn't come up. I think it does that if you have the service type turned off or if no site frequencies are programmed in, but that is not the issue here.

Location control active on favorites list? And if so, proper manual location set or gps connected or zip code entered ?

Correct

Mike, for the systems that you show that the quick key is on, but you are not getting anything on them:
You are using location control, correct? While it seems that you do have the desired location and range entered in your profile, have you verified if any of theses systems that appear to be 'MIA' also have the correct location details (location & range)? Location, for Systems in a Favorites list, is set at the Department level for conventional systems. For Trunked systems, location settings are both at the Department level, as well as for Sites. Were any of these problem systems entered manually (other than via an append in Sentinel, or imported via the ARC536 software)? Are any of these systems "splits"? (Where when importing or appending, you have all of that county's, or city's channels or TGIDs as a block, but then split into, say, separate departments for Fire and PD? If the import was divided up, then were location details entered manually for the newly created 'Departments?

Your quick keys are turning on & off, but are all of them enabled? Favorites list Quick Keys are are enabled in your Profile. In the Options tab of a Favorites list (in the Sentinel Favorites editor), you enable the QKs for the system level. At the System level, the option tab (in the editor) is where Department & Site keys are enabled for each individual system.

 

[mikebennett]

Please attach a favorites list file which has the problem so that we can look at it. Go to the File tab in Sentinel and click on Export to hpe file (Favorites List). You will need to right click on the exported file and Send to Compressed (zipped) folder to be able to attach it. Click on Attach files and open the zipped folder.

I have attached the file. Let me know if you see anything that could cause the problem described.

 

[hiegtx]

I have attached the file. Let me know if you see anything that could cause the problem described.

Mike, looking at your file, I see several areas that, if set up differently, would definitely speed up scanning this list. There's quite a bit of duplications, especially on trunked system sites. The SDS scanners take up to about half a second to acquire & decode a control channel on a site. So, where that site is used multiple times, in different systems, it would really slow down how fast the list is scanned.

 

[tvengr]

Mike, looking at your file, I see several areas that, if set up differently, would definitely speed up scanning this list. There's quite a bit of duplications, especially on trunked system sites. The SDS scanners take up to about half a second to acquire & decode a control channel on a site. So, where that site is used multiple times, in different systems, it would really slow down how fast the list is scanned.

I agree! You should not have multiple trunked systems using the same site. That drastically slows down your scanning speed. Instead of splitting talkgroups on the same system into multiple systems, you should add more departments and combine the talkgroups into a single system. The number of talkgroups on a trunked system has no effect on the scanning speed. How many systems are you trying to monitor at the same time? If you try to scan too much at once, you will miss much of what is happening in your local area. There is an old saying that the more you scan, the less you hear.

 

[mikebennett]

Which trunk systems were y'all specifically looking at regarding this? Did you see any indication why nothing comes up on some of the P25 systems when the QK is enabled? I've checked QK's, location data, etc., and I can't find the culprit. I have multiple systems (usually two) programmed under multiple QK's. When I tried to manually program the QK on some of these it would act like that QK was already being used. I know you can't program more than one FAVORITES LIST per QK but multiple systems are allowed within the FAVORITES LIST.

I have this favorites list set up for location control. About a dozen or more of the systems I have programmed for the maximum location range, otherwise they will not enable. These are not location dependent, I just want to be able to turn them on and off regardless of location. Is there any other way to program those systems without having to enter location data?

 

[jtwalker]

.

 

[jtwalker]

I have this favorites list set up for location control. About a dozen or more of the systems I have programmed for the maximum location range, otherwise they will not enable. These are not location dependent, I just want to be able to turn them on and off regardless of location. Is there any other way to program those systems without having to enter location data?

Put them in a FL that doesn’t have location control active.