Why id they have to upset the apple cart and go to DMA over the long established 'channel banks'?

[hiegtx]

On this I agree! I despise and do not use Quick Keys or Group Keys in my programming, I just go into the Menu, select "Set Scan Selection" then "Select Lists to Monitor" to turn on and off the various Systems (Favorites Lists) I want to listen to.

Quick Keys are great for those who like them and can remember what Quick Key goes to what, but for me it is far easier to go to the Menu system since I do not change that very often.

Is this in the scanner menu or using software as I don't remember seeing anything in either 996P2 manual.?

"Set Scan Selection" won't work for the OP. He's dealing with a 996P2, not one of the database scanners (x36HP or SDS series).

You can basically 'mimic' the old banks and channels programming when dealing with conventional channels. Set each county, or large agency, into a conventional system. You can use a system quick key, if so desired, so that you can toggle each on or off if you so desire.

On the older type scanners, 'banks and channels', you were limited in how you could input a trunked system, and you did not have a large number slots available for talkgroups. Of course, at that time (prior to the introduction of DMA in 2004, when the 246T was released for sale), there were not nearly as many trunked systems as there are now. Trying to successfully program a large regional, or statewide, trunked system would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible.

With a DMA scanner, once again you could enter your EDACS system of interest into a single system, and if you also assigned it a quick key, toggled it on or off just as in the 'old days'. Quick keys 0 though 9 can be toggled on or off simply by pressing the number on the keypad when scanning. For two digit quick keys (10 through 99), just press the decimal point key ('./no') first, the the two digits (10, 25, whatever).

I can see where you might be confused if you are trying to program your software via the keypad, but as others have stated, it isn't all that confusing once you get the hang of it.

My suggestions are as follows:

1. Invest in Software. Programming with a computer will instantly allow you to see how the programming is going into your computer. If you feel that modifying window's registry is easy, then seeing the same type of tree on the left side window with the values on the right should make you feel right at home on any programming software.

The OP is using ProScan, per his post in the ProScan 'Official Software Thread'.

2. Map out your programming on paper. Figure out what systems you want to monitor and how you want to group them together

Over on the Easier to Read manuals site, Mark has downloadable worksheets that you can use to plan how you want systems & channels to be set up.

Easier to Read BCD996P2/XT Digital Scanner Manual

 

[N9JIG]

Is this in the scanner menu or using software as I don't remember seeing anything in either 996P2 manual.?

Ah, OK I was thinking for some reason you have a 436, not sure where I got that idea. My bad on that!

On the 996 it works a little differently. It is a little confusing but once you get it you got it.

Press the Function Knob (Big Silver Knob/BSK) and you will see a little "F" pop up on the upper right corner of the display. This will stay on for a couple seconds and disappear if nothing else is done. While that "F" is displayed rotate the BSK and view the various scannable systems and searches. The "F" will stay lit as long as the knob is moving and for a couple seconds after it stops.

When rotating the BSK watch the display for the thing you want to lock out or unlock. Just like individual channels you can "Temporary Lockout" by pressing the L/O button once or "Permanent Lockout" by pressing the L/O twice. To unlock an item that is locked out just press the L/O to toggle it off.

The QK's do make a bit more sense to me on the 996/325 radios than the x36/SDS's but this is a decent alternative to using them.

 

[ofd8001]

Radio systems these days, like most anything technology related, are getting complicated. Just look at your cell phone or smart tv. "Scalability" is about 20 years old or so and that's a big thing in database stuff and a scanner memory is "database stuff".

Some radio systems, like statewide systems, are huge. A scanner with 1,000 channel memory banks is not large enough to "deal" with these things. However, a small local system with 1,000 channel memory banks is overkill.

I'm an old codger. I'm set in my ways. I hate having to learn something new when I'm comfortable with the old. That isn't going to stop the engineers making what they think is progress and making things better. I have to choose between learning the new way or finding a new hobby.

 

[videobruce]

These Quick & Group keys, some say you should/have to use them, others say the opposite, don't use them adding to the confusion..
Ten would be more than enough to separate groups. Right now I really have only one, but with too many channels with this additional trunk group in the mix (which is disappointing based on conversations heard so far (which is another story).
I'm ok on the individual channel lockout.
I don't have a problem typing up lists of what is where since I probably would have a problem with 'who's on first' if i didn't have one.
I did see Marks spread sheets.

Uniden was the one who came up with DMA? How about the other manufactures, they use the same or similar setup?

 

[hiegtx]

These Quick & Group keys, some say you should/have to use them, others say the opposite, don't use them adding to the confusion..
Ten would be more than enough to separate groups. Right now I really have only one, but with too many channels with this additional trunk group in the mix (which is disappointing based on conversations heard so far (which is another story).
I'm ok on the individual channel lockout.
I don't have a problem typing up lists of what is where since I probably would have a problem with 'who's on first' if i didn't have one.
I did see Marks spread sheets.

See this page for additional details on using quick keys.

QuickKeys < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

also Uniden Scanners Systems, Sites and Groups - The RadioReference Wiki


You are not required to use quick keys. However, assigning and using them correctly does give you a way to toggle a specific system, site, or group on or off relatively quickly, much in the same way that you could turn a bank on or off on one of the older models.

Uniden was the one who came up with DMA? How about the other manufactures, they use the same or similar setup?

With the release of the PSR-500 (and it's base-mobile sibling the PSR-600), GRE introduced what they called Object Oriented Programming.

After GRE ceased operations, Whistler acquired their intellectual property, and has continued to use Object Oriented in the models they manufacture & sell. GRE, and later Whistler, also produced models for sale at Radio Shack, labeled with RS model numbers instead of GRE or Whistler.

GRE/RS Object Oriented Scanners FAQ - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

These use Scanlists instead of 'quick keys'. You can turn a specific scanlist on or off to include, or exclude, a specific set of channels or talkgroups in your monitoring. While the way these are assigned & used differs from how Uniden scanners handle quick keys, the result can be the same. If you have something of extreme interest happening, whether a major fire, a pursuit, a hostage situation, or something else that you want to home in & focus on, correct use of the scanlists (GRE/RS/Whistler scanners) or quick keys (Uniden scanners) give you a away to focus your scanner's attention on the incident at hand, then when it's resolved, re-enabling the rest of your programmed systems and returning to normal listening.

 

[videobruce]

I remember reading about that "Object Oriented Programming" when it came out. It was a confusing turn off then as much as it is now.

 

[N9JIG]

GRE's Object Oriented Programming is a pretty simple concept. You enter things (channels, talkgroups, searches) into a "Library". Each of these can be assigned to one or more Scanlists.

Let's keep it simple and say that you have 3 towns, each has 5 channels (2 police, 2 fire and a Road Department). You enter these 15 channels into the Library. Then you can set up different Scanlists. Scanlist 1 could be all the channels for Mayberry, #2 can be Mt. Pilot and #3 for Smallville.

Later on you decide you want to be able to listen to all three town's police channels together. You create Scanlist #4 and it has the 6 police channels in it. No need to duplicate the channels, they already exist in the radio. Do the same for Scanlist #5 for fire channels etc.

This is a more efficient way to manage a smaller amount of available memory. One of these radios (like the PSR600) is limited to 1800 channels compared to a 996 of around 25,000. While mere mortals would likely never come close to either, the GRE radios can have the same channel set up in multiple Scanlists while the Uniden DMA radio has so much more memory that you can duplicate the same channel into multiple Systems if you like. They both work well, but can be confusing if you never used one or the other before.