BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Why can't I do this simple thing?

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radioroo

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Say my scanner stops on an interesting channel like one of the Ontario Police channels for example, and I decide I'd like to save that one to my favorites. Why can't I just do that? If I hit YES it asks me if I want to save the channel to my favorites but when finished the process it actually saves the whole system and everything within it, to my favorites list, not just the one interesting channel I wanted. I am struggling to see how the favorites feature is at all useful without a PC.

Am I simply stupid and doing it wrong?

All I want to do with this scanner is find interesting frequencies or channels and save those individually to a list. So that I can turn the scanner on, select only that list and it will only pick up action on all the channels I added to the list.
 

UPMan

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For a trunked radio system, in addition to the channel information (which is a Talk Group ID, or TGID), the scanner also needs the operating frequencies of the system. If it only stored the TGID, you would not be able to monitor it from the favorites list (TGID is just a code that is sent on the control channel to indicate when it is active, TGID does not embody the operating frequency itself).
 

radioroo

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For a trunked radio system, in addition to the channel information (which is a Talk Group ID, or TGID), the scanner also needs the operating frequencies of the system. If it only stored the TGID, you would not be able to monitor it from the favorites list (TGID is just a code that is sent on the control channel to indicate when it is active, TGID does not embody the operating frequency itself).

Is that another way of saying it can't be done? When I try to add one channel to monitor it adds everything in the entire system which is full of dozens of things not even in my area. Is that the best it can do? I don't understand the point of favourites then. I must be missing something.
 

radioroo

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There must be a way to simply add whatever I'm currently listening to to a favourites list of some kind, isn't there? The old analogue radios could do this really simply. Find something interesting, press a button or two and it's stored for future monitoring. Right now I barely use the radio because it takes so long to boot it up and then get to the item I want to listen to. Then getting to the next item I remember. If I can't store single channels of interest in an easy to get to way I am missing the point of the radio.
 

radioroo

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For example say I see a helicopter approaching in the distance that I want to see if I can pick up transmissions from, by the time the radio boots up and I scroll my way to the system and frequencies the heli should be on it's too late. Close Call is completely useless - I don't know why it's even included as a feature as it can't even find a 4 watt transmission in the next room. So one would expect there should be a way to save the heli frequencies to a list so I can quickly access them as soon as I have booted up the radio.
 

radioroo

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I should also note that even when I do let it add the whole system, it does not add the department I was listening to. It's really weird. I'm listening to police communication on the channels they always talk on 24/7. I press YES to add it to my fav list. It adds a whole bunch of stuff. I go back to my fav list to monitor but it cannot pick anything up now. It's silent. The dept section of the screen is scanning through dozens of areas that are over 100 miles away but not picking up and transmissions anymore. What is going on here?
 

fxdscon

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For example say I see a helicopter approaching in the distance that I want to see if I can pick up transmissions from, by the time the radio boots up and I scroll my way to the system and frequencies the heli should be on it's too late. Close Call is completely useless - I don't know why it's even included as a feature as it can't even find a 4 watt transmission in the next room. So one would expect there should be a way to save the heli frequencies to a list so I can quickly access them as soon as I have booted up the radio.

Create one or more favorites lists manually in Sentinel and put only what you want in it.

Set the the scanner to scan only those favorites lists instead of the entire database, it will boot up much faster.

.
 

radioroo

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Create one or more favorites lists manually in Sentinel and put only what you want in it.

Set the the scanner to scan only those favorites lists instead of the entire database, it will boot up much faster.

.

I'm talking about not using a computer. When I'm out of the house and discover something interesting that I'd like to add to a list, I can't pull a computer out of my pocket and start programming via a cable. And I don't know in advance what to enter in sentinel unless I've already found something of interest on the radio. From the lack of answers in this thread it seems very likely that what I'm wanting to do is not possible. Really? so I buy the latest and greatest radio out there and it can't do what my old crappy ebay analogue could do?

So when you come across a single frequency of interest when using your bcd436 and want to store it, you have to write it down with a pen and paper, wait until you get home, load up your computer, connect the cable, run sentinel software, manually program in the information then copy it to the sd card on the radio?

For me scanning is about discovery, not having to know hundreds of frequencies and what is on them in advance and then compute programming them one by one into your radio and then and only then being able to listen to them. I want to discover first, then store it. It seems this radio works the other way around. You have to know what you are going to find interesting in advance. Somehow.
 

radioroo

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Right now adding what I'm currently listening to to my fav list does nothing but stop me from being able to listen to it once it is stored. What's the point in that? It's like hey, find something you like listening to? Want to not be able to listen to it in a minute? Then why not add it to your favourites list so you'll have blissful silence afterwards!

Is my radio malfunctioning?
 

UPMan

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If it is a conventional frequency, then when you store it to a favorites list, it will create the system, create the department, then add only that one frequency(channel) to the department. Trunked systems don't work that way. If you add a trunked channel to a Favorites List, it will create the system, create the department, then add only that one TGID (channel) to the department; it will then also add all sites to the system so that the scanner actually has something to scan.
 

radioroo

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If it is a conventional frequency, then when you store it to a favorites list, it will create the system, create the department, then add only that one frequency(channel) to the department. Trunked systems don't work that way. If you add a trunked channel to a Favorites List, it will create the system, create the department, then add only that one TGID (channel) to the department; it will then also add all sites to the system so that the scanner actually has something to scan.

But once it's finished adding everything I can no longer hear anything. Not even the action that I wanted to store in the first place. And the scanner now scans things where I am located as well as nowhere near my location and everything in between. When I'm stopped on a busy channel and add it to my fav list all I get is silence afterwards.
 

radioroo

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The Favourites feature simply does not work for me at all. And so the rare times I take the scanner out and blow the dust off it to use it, I have to scan through the entire database until I get to something I want to listen to, try to remember things I want to tune into and scroll through the entire database to get to it. It's really slow and laborious and the scroll knob is so loud and plasticy and rattly it really starts to annoy anyone in the room. If favourites feature is as useless as Close Call then I need to sell the radio. I do not carry a computer, keyboard and mouse with me when I am away and even if I did, I do not have a mental database in my head of what communications happen under what labels in sentinel. There are thousands of them and I don't know what they are. I just want to scan, then say ooh this sounds like something I'd like to come back to in the future, then store it. But apparently that's not possible anymore.
 

fxdscon

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It's like hey, find something you like listening to? Want to not be able to listen to it in a minute? Then why not add it to your favourites list so you'll have blissful silence afterwards!

Is my radio malfunctioning?

That, of course, is incorrect.

Sounds like you need to slow down a little, and become familiar with the basics of the newer scanners. These are much more complex devices than "crappy ebay analogue scanners". They are not more complex because manufacturers just decided to make them that way... Radio systems today are vastly more complex than they used to be.

The link given to you in post # 2 above is a VERY good place to start.

Read this post for some possibilities as to why you aren't able to get your favorites lists working:

http://forums.radioreference.com/un...4-x36-nothing-scan-checklist.html#post2121181

Here are some others:

uniden favorites list - YouTube

Sentinel BCDX36HP Software Manual
 

radioroo

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That, of course, is incorrect.

Sounds like you need to slow down a little, and become familiar with the basics of the newer scanners. These are much more complex devices than "crappy ebay analogue scanners". They are not more complex because manufacturers just decided to make them that way... Radio systems today are vastly more complex than they used to be.

The link given to you in post # 2 above is a VERY good place to start.

Read this post for some possibilities as to why you aren't able to get your favorites lists working:

http://forums.radioreference.com/un...4-x36-nothing-scan-checklist.html#post2121181

Here are some others:

uniden favorites list - YouTube

Sentinel BCDX36HP Software Manual

Thanks for the help. Yes I have a copy of the easier to read manual but I find the original manual easier to read. I have already got the message that what I want to do is not possible on this scanner and that the favourites feature built into the scanner does not really do anything. It's all about the computer programming via cable. And that's not for me. It's not why I bought a portable scanner.
 

fxdscon

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the favourites feature built into the scanner does not really do anything.

Again, incorrect.

Contrary to the help that others are trying to give you, your mind seems to be made up.

I wonder why so many others find the favorites lists to be one of the best features of the new scanners?

.
 

NWI_Scanner_Guy

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Thanks for the help. Yes I have a copy of the easier to read manual but I find the original manual easier to read. I have already got the message that what I want to do is not possible on this scanner and that the favourites feature built into the scanner does not really do anything. It's all about the computer programming via cable. And that's not for me. It's not why I bought a portable scanner.

FL's actually do quite a bit, IF you have a thorough understanding of the scanner's workings. I thought UPMan gave the definitive answers in posts #5 and #13. With the advent of groups and talk groups, and of systems, departments and channels, a lot more goes into storing a frequency / TGID than in the past.
 
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