This post is intended to help explain the analogy between the old school and the new school memory management. It's not endorsed by Uniden, nor has Uniden had any direct input into this post. I don't have one of these scanners, but hope to before the end of the year. It's only by reading the manual posted on the BC246T Yahoo group that I have come to understand the functions of this new memory system.
Uniden's new scanner is not like any other scanner ever made in the way it stores information. Until now, most scanners have used Banks, Channels, and Talkgroup IDs to store information. Uniden's new scanner, the BC246T, adds another level to the hierarchy, but it's not on the top or bottom of the conventional thinking - it's in the middle, and things are shifted around a little bit. This can cause confusion for users used to the conventional Bank/Sub-Bank/Channel way of doing things.
The first level of the memory system is called the Quick-Key. In most current scanners, channel Banks are enabled and disabled by pressing the corresponding key to the bank number (0-9). Conveniently, Uniden uses Quick-Key number 0-9, so the best analogy to the Quick-Key is the Bank. Pressing the Quick Key enables and disables the corresponding entries (systems or groups) assigned to that Quick Key.
The difference with Quick Keys is that while current scanners can have conventional channels plus ONE trunked system per bank ('tricks' notwithstanding), the BC246T will be able to enable many types of systems on the same key. This is roughly analogous to being able to program multiple trunked systems in the same bank - be it Motorola, EDACS, or LTR. In fact, you can have any or all on the same key.
Systems are roughly the same as setting up the BANK TYPE on current scanners. Each System must be either Conventional, Motorola, EDACS, or LTR, and is defined upon its creation (you have to create a system before you can assign it to a Quick Key). There are system options, but basically, no specific data (channels or talkgroups) are entered in the system - only Groups are entered in the system and parameters such as the scan delay for the system and other similar options. (the exception to this is trunked systems, as THIS is where trunk system frequencies ARE entered, as well as the system type such as Normal, Splinter, 900, VHF, or UHF for Motorola systems, LCN and Wide, Narrow, or SCAT for EDACS systems, or LCN number for LTR systems)
Groups. Now there is an interesting item. For conventional systems, groups are like sub-banks where you can group (no pun intended) like frequencies into the same, well, group.
For trunked systems, the group is like the talkgroup sub-bank where, again, you can group together talkgroups used by similar agencies or the same agencies for different 'channels' (Dispatch, Operations, Tac, Talk, Etc.)
Channels are very much like the conventional term. Channels are frequencies on conventional systems, and TG IDs on trunked systems.
So, the levels are: Quick-Key, System, Group, and Channels. There can be an unlimited number of channels in each group (up to the scanner memory limit). This is roughly, per the manual, 2500 conventional Channels without alpha tags, or 1600 with alpha tags, or 200 talkgroups in the case of trunked systems. There can be up to 20 Groups in a System. There can be an unlimited number of Systems (up to 200 - the scanner's limit) assigned to each Quick Key.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion that exists out there.
Joe M.
Uniden's new scanner is not like any other scanner ever made in the way it stores information. Until now, most scanners have used Banks, Channels, and Talkgroup IDs to store information. Uniden's new scanner, the BC246T, adds another level to the hierarchy, but it's not on the top or bottom of the conventional thinking - it's in the middle, and things are shifted around a little bit. This can cause confusion for users used to the conventional Bank/Sub-Bank/Channel way of doing things.
The first level of the memory system is called the Quick-Key. In most current scanners, channel Banks are enabled and disabled by pressing the corresponding key to the bank number (0-9). Conveniently, Uniden uses Quick-Key number 0-9, so the best analogy to the Quick-Key is the Bank. Pressing the Quick Key enables and disables the corresponding entries (systems or groups) assigned to that Quick Key.
The difference with Quick Keys is that while current scanners can have conventional channels plus ONE trunked system per bank ('tricks' notwithstanding), the BC246T will be able to enable many types of systems on the same key. This is roughly analogous to being able to program multiple trunked systems in the same bank - be it Motorola, EDACS, or LTR. In fact, you can have any or all on the same key.
Systems are roughly the same as setting up the BANK TYPE on current scanners. Each System must be either Conventional, Motorola, EDACS, or LTR, and is defined upon its creation (you have to create a system before you can assign it to a Quick Key). There are system options, but basically, no specific data (channels or talkgroups) are entered in the system - only Groups are entered in the system and parameters such as the scan delay for the system and other similar options. (the exception to this is trunked systems, as THIS is where trunk system frequencies ARE entered, as well as the system type such as Normal, Splinter, 900, VHF, or UHF for Motorola systems, LCN and Wide, Narrow, or SCAT for EDACS systems, or LCN number for LTR systems)
Groups. Now there is an interesting item. For conventional systems, groups are like sub-banks where you can group (no pun intended) like frequencies into the same, well, group.
For trunked systems, the group is like the talkgroup sub-bank where, again, you can group together talkgroups used by similar agencies or the same agencies for different 'channels' (Dispatch, Operations, Tac, Talk, Etc.)Channels are very much like the conventional term. Channels are frequencies on conventional systems, and TG IDs on trunked systems.
So, the levels are: Quick-Key, System, Group, and Channels. There can be an unlimited number of channels in each group (up to the scanner memory limit). This is roughly, per the manual, 2500 conventional Channels without alpha tags, or 1600 with alpha tags, or 200 talkgroups in the case of trunked systems. There can be up to 20 Groups in a System. There can be an unlimited number of Systems (up to 200 - the scanner's limit) assigned to each Quick Key.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion that exists out there.
Joe M.
