Uniden BCD436HP setting up favorites

[CanadaUser]

I've watched all the YouTube videos I could find and scoured the manual multiple times. I'm new to this scanner but have found it very frustrating trying to get it to work. Here are the steps which appear to have finally succeeded. Download nationwide database. In menu choose Manage Favorites, Create new FL (you can leave the name as the time stamp or rename it). Set the FL Quick Key (1-99). Scroll down to Add Current db Channels. Once the full database is loaded into your FL you can edit out the channels you don't want. Go into Manage Favorites and choose the FL you created, choose Review/Edit System. This will show you the channels stored (usually city/town name). If you want to delete a particular one scroll down to the name and choose. Scroll to delete and choose. Confirm (E/yes). You'll be returned to Review/Edit System - keep doing the above until you've deleted everything you don't want. You can further edit out specific channels contained within each of the main channels most of which contain both sites and departments. Under Manage Favorities choose Review/Edit System, scroll to main channel you want to to edit. Then choose Edit Site or Edit Department. Scroll to the site or department channel you want to delete, choose it and scroll to delete. Choose delete then confirm (E/yes). For eg., I monitor "City Digital Radio" but I don't want EMS Dispatch (a sub channel of City Digital Radio) so I went to that and deleted it. In all of my trials and errors I finally realized I should frequently exit out of the Manage Favorites menu and go back to scanning just to be sure I had not messed something up and then went back into the menu to make more changes.

Once you've edited your favorite list to your liking go back to scanning. Press the FL Quick Key you assigned and press E/yes so it displays 'ON'. So you now have the full database scanning and the favorite list database scanning. You can now 'turn off' the full database list - go to Set Scan Selection menu, scroll to Select Lists to Monitor, choose Full Database and press E/yes to turn off scanning the full database. This will leave only your favorite list scanning. Note-if your favorite list quick key is not in ON mode you'll get the 'nothing to scan' message when you exit the menu. Don't panic. Go back into Set Scan Selection and turn the full database back on. Then go back to scanning, press the Quick Key and turn it ON.

I hope the above makes sense - while the you tube videos were helpful they each missed a small step (eg., turning the quick key on) which cause much frustration.

 

[Mrgolfer0]

Thank you CanadaUser for your time in describing "how to". This is most helpful as I am having difficulties with FL and your detailed layout will certainly help.

 

[woody_46]

Just a quick comment, instead of deleting systems or departments setting "avoids" will serve the same purpose and leave the database intact in case you want to activate them in the future. Right clicking in Sentinel will bring up the option to set avoids.

Service type settings can also eliminate for instance EMS or businesses , etc. if you have no interest in monitoring them.

 

[ofd8001]

Another option is to use Quick Keys for Systems/Sites/Departments. You can turn off these quick keys so the scanner will not scan such things.

For me, Quick Key use is a little more convenient, as it reduces the number of steps needed to resume scanning something versus going through changing the Avoid status.

You can use Sentinel to set the default status of System/Department/Site to either On or Off through the Favorites List editor. It is one of the tabs on the right pane.

 

[AC2OY]

What if you create a few different profiles and append what you want to that from the data base? I understand putting everything is gets crazy then you have to a lot of work to get it down to what you want in there. When I took my 536 out of the box and did the zip code setup I heard three states and hardly anything I wanted. Like most stated there are a few ways you can eliminate stuff like toggling off service types or shutting off multiple sites. It took me a while to get it better(honestly still a work in progress) but you guys seem to be on the right track. Good luck and happy scanning!!!!