TRS Updates

Status
Not open for further replies.

Metrofire31

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,002
Location
Auburn-Opelika, AL
OK - I've been an RR member for years and have seen the TRS system updates like today's Atlanta, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and MARTA updates. Someone please explain to me what I should know about the changes where the site only changes the way it is described. I guess I'm really asking two questions:

1. Why was this change made in the database, i.e., what really changed?
2. What do users of the RR Database need to know about this?


Metrofire31
Franklin, NC
WQIT636
 

N8IAA

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
7,240
Location
Fortunately, GA
OK - I've been an RR member for years and have seen the TRS system updates like today's Atlanta, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and MARTA updates. Someone please explain to me what I should know about the changes where the site only changes the way it is described. I guess I'm really asking two questions:

1. Why was this change made in the database, i.e., what really changed?
2. What do users of the RR Database need to know about this?


Metrofire31
Franklin, NC
WQIT636

Mike, I've asked this same question myself. Sometimes they just change the site number, that the TGID name has changed, and other small things that mean very little to the average person who uses the database. That answers question one.
As for number two, it doesn't matter a hill of beans as far as I'm concerned.
Larry
 

RRR

OFFLINE
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
1,970
Location
USA
I notice sometimes the county will be green like something changed, but when I click on it, there is nothing inside that is colored different to indicate a change.
 

nunyax

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
371
Location
Walton County, GA
When at the "County" level in the Database, just click on the "Download and Reports" tab to see what was changed. Sometimes it's not an obvious change that shows on the "County Home" tab. It could be a change to "Other Agencies" or "Amateur Radio" or maybe something was deleted/reorganized.
 

SkiBob

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
162
Location
Out Yonder, GA
For what it's worth, there were 3 frequencies in the Atlanta P25 system that I didn't have before. I thought that was the update. The first 3 listed were new to me. I know I am often slow to catch on to changes, but you may want to double check your list of freqs. for that system. I am pretty sure I haven't missed anything as a result of not having them, but i guess you don't know what you don't know.
 

Metrofire31

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,002
Location
Auburn-Opelika, AL
TRS Database Updates

Sounds like I'm not alone in wondering about these updates, ones in which the agency/county/system are shown in GREEN as having had a change, but when you look closer into their information, it's unclear as to exactly what has changed AND whether we should make any changes to our scanners or radios.

Since it was mentioned above, lets use the City of Atlanta DTRS as an example. It was recently shown in GREEN as having a system update. When you clicked on "Atlanta DTRS" and looked closer, it said something about changing from Site #001 to Site 001 - or something similar. I looked at the control channels I've been using for some time, and none of the four (4) of them changed. As best I can tell, nothing changed in the database that would have affected us as users of the RR database or as monitors of the Atlanta DTRS.

So, my questions remain:

1: In this case, what was updated that we needed to know about?, and
2. what changes did we need to make as a result of following the GREEN color coding for Atlanta?

It also raises another question I've asked before - if nothing afecting our successful monitoring of that trunked system changed, and only an administrative change involving the RR database that is purely cosmetic in nature, do we really need them to be shown in GREEN, giving us the impression that action is required on our part?

Not trying to cause a problem --just apparently asking a clarification question that I'm not the only person asking.

Metrofire31
Franklin, NC
WQIT636
 

b7spectra

EMS Dispatcher
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
3,143
Location
Cobb County, GA
Anytime someone changes something in the database, it will turn it green. It could be something as simple as a spelling correction of a city name or something like that.

Just in my humble opinion, I think some DBA's are bored and absolutely, positively have to change something so it will look like they are important. I just change things that are submitted.
 

Metrofire31

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,002
Location
Auburn-Opelika, AL
Thanks, b7spectra! I greatly appreciate your candor - and quite frankly, suspected as much. I would simply remind all Database Administrators that I, as just one subscriber, check RR several times daily. No, I'm not bored but you built this database for the enjoyment of - and value-added service to - your subscribers. Consequently, I check it often to make sure I'm listening to the appropriate frequencies/codes. When I see a GREEN-HIGHLIGHTED agency, I check it! When I can't determine that anything really changed other than some cosmetic change, I wonder why that's really necessary. Could you not devise a process in which such changes don't trigger a GREEN shading on the homepage? I'm not a complainer but I simply ask you to consider your subscribers a bit more!!

Metrofire31
Franklin, NC (formerly Atlanta, GA)
WQIT636
 

wa8pyr

Technischer Guru
Staff member
Lead Database Admin
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
6,982
Location
Ohio
So, my questions remain:

1: In this case, what was updated that we needed to know about?, and
2. what changes did we need to make as a result of following the GREEN color coding for Atlanta?

It also raises another question I've asked before - if nothing afecting our successful monitoring of that trunked system changed, and only an administrative change involving the RR database that is purely cosmetic in nature, do we really need them to be shown in GREEN, giving us the impression that action is required on our part?

Hi,

Just wanted to respond to your questions above.

Regarding your first two points, the database is simply set up to highlight all changes anytime they're made, even if the changes were minor and require no action on your part. It could have been something as simple as a spelling correction, or cleaning up the description of a particular frequency, or the deletion of an outdated news entry.

There is a selectable option for administrators to suppress the timestamp update, but this does not prevent the green highlight, which is an administrative tool in addition to a means to let you know that something has been changed or updated.

If your county name only was highlighted but no other changes were apparent, it could have been a change to another county in a wide-area system which also covers your county. All counties affected by a wide-area system would be highlighted any time a change to the system is made.

I understand your confusion about highlighted changes which require no action on your part. Unfortunately, the back-end programming to highlight only certain changes or geographically limit the highlight would be pretty complicated; it's much easier and requires a lot less overhead to simply highlight whenever a change is made, no matter if it's a major or minor change.

Hopefully this answers your questions.

I'd also like to point out that b7spectra's comments about bored administrators are his personal opinion only and do a disservice to all of the other RadioReference administrators. Some may not be in areas which are as busy as others, but all of our administrators provide a very valuable service to the benefit of the entire RadioReference community.
 
Last edited:

Metrofire31

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,002
Location
Auburn-Opelika, AL
Database Changes

Thank you, WA8PYR!!

I appreciate the explanation - and certainly understand the alternative of having to made sophiticated programming changes to distinguish between actual changes in programming-affecting data versus more cosmetic changes to the database. I just appreciate it being addressed directly rather than us having to guess whether a change is something which requires a response from those of us who are subscribers.

Instead of having to make a programming change, could all the administrators perhaps agree on a symbol, e.g., *, %, # etc, following the change description which might signal to us that we can disregard it as a programming-type change? Just a thought!

I do want to make sure you know how much I value this Database. I've been scanning and tinkering with public safety communications for nearly 40 years and Radio Reference is the single most impactful contribution to the hobby in all that time. Can't thank you all enough!

Mike
Metrofire31
Franklin, NC
WQIT636
 

wa8pyr

Technischer Guru
Staff member
Lead Database Admin
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
6,982
Location
Ohio
Thank you, WA8PYR!!

I appreciate the explanation - and certainly understand the alternative of having to made sophiticated programming changes to distinguish between actual changes in programming-affecting data versus more cosmetic changes to the database. I just appreciate it being addressed directly rather than us having to guess whether a change is something which requires a response from those of us who are subscribers.

Instead of having to make a programming change, could all the administrators perhaps agree on a symbol, e.g., *, %, # etc, following the change description which might signal to us that we can disregard it as a programming-type change? Just a thought!

I do want to make sure you know how much I value this Database. I've been scanning and tinkering with public safety communications for nearly 40 years and Radio Reference is the single most impactful contribution to the hobby in all that time. Can't thank you all enough!\

Mike,

Thanks for the nice comments.

As far as the symbol idea, unfortunately the change descriptions are generated automatically by the database.

If we can come up with anything which would allow making a distinction, we'll certainly take a look at it.
 

b7spectra

EMS Dispatcher
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
3,143
Location
Cobb County, GA
As I had said "Just in my humble opinion". Not slandering anyone, just what I have seen. B98.5% of our DBA's do an awesome job.
 

DanRollman

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
1,105
Location
Atlanta, GA
Anytime someone changes something in the database, it will turn it green. It could be something as simple as a spelling correction of a city name or something like that.

Just in my humble opinion, I think some DBA's are bored and absolutely, positively have to change something so it will look like they are important. I just change things that are submitted.

The 3/22 Atlanta TRS change was me adding the system ID (which was missing) and 3 audio frequencies that were missing. I wasn't bored - just noticed the omissions in the database and corrected it. If TRS non-control frequencies are going to be listed in the database at all (and I think they should be), it make sense that they be accurate. In the reverse, I think there are a few frequencies listed for the Atlanta TRS that are no longer used, but I haven't yet had the time to confirm which and delete them.

I don't have control over the green highlighting (it's automatic). I also don't think the green highlighting is intended to indicate "users need to change something in their scanner." It's intended to indicate something changed. It had.

I personally prefer to be notified of any changes to my systems of interest and decide for myself what to do with the information, so I appreciate that the green highlighting perhaps errors on the side of over-notification of changes. To each his own.

Dan
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top