Uniden x36 maxing out priority channels

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Doublea626

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Hi- in the past few years I've bought both x36 models. Hadn't used any Uniden products for years, and was wondering something about priority scan. The max is 100 priority channels, but there is no error going beyond that (maybe a future option?) . I've definitely had 150+ going a few times (I live in L.A., super busy and hard to not add more pri channels). My real question is does the scanner ignore those priority exceeding 100? Seems like as I add more, my earlier ones are hardly ever heard until I go back and disable/re-enable those channels. Then I hear them more frequently. How in your experience have BC scanners handled a ton of priority channels? Thanks
 

hiegtx

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Unless your "100 plus" priority channels are most all on trunked systems, with that many priority settings, you'd hear a very significant break in reception of whatever you are currently hearing when the scanner takes a time out to check the channels set as priority. For conventional frequencies set as a Priority, the scanner has to stop whatever it is hearing and go check the tagged priority channels. That would result in a very noticeable break in reception. The more frequencies set as priority, the more annoying the interruption.

For trunked systems, you have to set the system for "priority ID scan". That setting, needed for each system with one or more TGIDs set as priority, is under Options for the system. However, trunking priority is separate from conventional channel priority. For conventional entries, the scanner does break offto check your flagged frequencies, causing the hiccup in the audio. On a trunked system, setting "Priority ID Scan" prompts the scanner to check the control channel data to see if any of the IDs you set as a priority is active. That's 'behind the scenes', and does not introduce the noticeable gap in reception. When the scanner is in a trunked system, and checking that single system for priority settings, it will not be checking your conventional priority channels, nor priority talkgroups in any other trunked system.

This is just me but you may be expecting too much from 1 scanner.
This is why I run 16 scanners in my main home scanner rack and have a 4 scanner portable scanner rack I take to work plus my 6 plus Handheld scanners.
I agree 100% with budd. If you have anywhere close to that number of conventional channels set as a priority, you'll miss more transmissions than you hear, and what you do hear will be so broken up as to be practically useless.
 

Ubbe

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The max number of priority channels are probably 255, as in other user selectable functions like avoids and IFX.

The number 100 are the max number of priority checks in one go. If you have set 255 channels it will only scan the first 100 when priority are engaged and then the next 100 in the next prio period and lastly the 55 remaining.

As in the other functions, Avoid an IFX , it will probably not let you know if you have gone above 255, it will be first in first out so that the oldest programmed are removed and all will move down one step to make room for the new one at the top in the reserved 255 list. The scanner goes thru the systems and department in quick key order to find the prio channels and then in system/department order as in the order they are programmed.

As a 436/536 scans at a 80-85ch/s rate it takes a little more than 1 sec to scan a 100ch bunch of priority channels.

I would like to see a priory group function, that a conventional analog system or department could have a function that only priority scans in the same system or department. Then it would be possible to priority scan the input frequency of repeater frequencies in that system or department and not prio channels from totally different systems. Each department could have a selection box of global prio or local prio with a time interval.

/Ubbe
 

ofd8001

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The user manual has a pretty good explanation of this beginning on page 50 (Priority Scan Options).


MaxChannels/Pri-Scan – This sets the maximum number of priority channels that are scanned
during one priority scan interrupt. If there are more priority channels than the value you select,
the channels are divided into more than one group and the scanner scans each group in turn.
Example: If you set the maximum channels to 20 and there are 100 priority channels, the scanner
checks those 100 channels in groups of 20 and takes a total of 5 intervals to complete the priority
scan.
 

wtp

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the more you try to listen to, the less you get to hear...
and i have only 6 or 7 radios running during the day.
 

Ubbe

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the more you try to listen to, the less you get to hear...
Not really true. The more you scan the more conversations you will hear from different systems, but you will have a higher risk of not hearing conversations from one particular system while you are scanning and listening to other systems.

I would like to see a TACscan™ feature in scanners like Probe has. That would be really useful function. Optoscan OS456 / OS535 and Optocom Software - Probe Features

"TacScan™ - The benefit of TacScan is quite noticeable, particularly when you are scanning a large number of frequencies. While you can use the standard "delay" features on a normal scanner, they are usually too short to be effective. You could use Probe's extended delay features, but applying a lengthy delay can result in hearing less traffic. With TacScan, your odds of hearing a response to a dispatch are greatly improved. When you are searching a large number of frequencies, you will hear more activity and less dead air. Find, identify and log those "new" frequencies more quickly!

TacScan assigns an active frequency to a priority position in the scanning list for a specified period of time. When and how the frequency is assigned as a TacScan frequency is based on the settings for TacScan. You can set TacScan on "auto", or use Probe's logging features, as a trigger so a frequency found active is assigned to the TacScan scanning list. You can also manually assign an active, or last active frequency to the TacScan list right from the scanning screen."


/Ubbe
 
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