BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Would DMR Favorites Lists Slow Overall Scanning? (436HP)

[rs16]

On my 436, I have several favorites list. Favorite list 1 is my local Buffalo PD (digital), list 2 is Buffalo Fire (analog), list 3 is EMS (DMR) and List 5 is University at Buffalo (DMR).

When I have lists 1 and 2 active, I get all the traffic I expect from fire and police. However, when 3 and/or 5 are enabled (Sainet DMR systems with only t 3 or 4 sites to scan), it seems to miss the traffic on lists 1 and 2. Often the scanner seems to be hung up on scanning list 3 or 5 (at least that what shows on the display with "ID Scanning" present).

Is there any setting that might be causing this?

(If I need to upload my programming file from Sentinel for someone to review, I'll do this if someone can tell me how to do that).

 

[trentbob]

On my 436, I have several favorites list. Favorite list 1 is my local Buffalo PD (digital), list 2 is Buffalo Fire (analog), list 3 is EMS (DMR) and List 5 is University at Buffalo (DMR).

When I have lists 1 and 2 active, I get all the traffic I expect from fire and police. However, when 3 and/or 5 are enabled (Sainet DMR systems with only t 3 or 4 sites to scan), it seems to miss the traffic on lists 1 and 2. Often the scanner seems to be hung up on scanning list 3 or 5 (at least that what shows on the display with "ID Scanning" present).

Is there any setting that might be causing this?

(If I need to upload my programming file from Sentinel for someone to review, I'll do this if someone can tell me how to do that).

My first response would be, it shouldn't slow things down but.. I don't do a lot of DMR and I use the SDS 100 which is based on the 436, for the most part.

Yes there are individuals who will take a look at your setup and advise you. I know this is no help but.. the reason I responded was..

Have you installed the most recent firmware for the 436 that came out this month?, first significant update in a long long time and I Know It deals with DMR and some are reporting a faster scan rate.

Just wanted to make sure that you knew about the firmware update. Hopefully someone else will chime in, who can help you.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Scan one system and one site at a time for the greatest chance of not missing any traffic, simply put

 

[jtwalker]

Scan one system and one site at a time for the greatest chance of not missing any traffic, simply put

Yeah, this was my first thought too. To reiterate what I read from OP ... I am now scanning 4 FLs and I miss more traffic than when I was only scanning 2 FLs.

 

[rs16]

Yeah, this was my first thought too. To reiterate what I read from OP ... I am now scanning 4 FLs and I miss more traffic than when I was only scanning 2 FLs.

That makes intuitive sense, but these favorite lists are really very tiny. It feels like I'm missing things on 1 and 2 because it's hanging on the FLs that are the DMR lists too long.

 

[bobcraig]

I used to scan that way too, but what Whiskey3JMC says is true. What I finally did was make a new favs list with everything in it, thus decreasing the chance of missing something. Then, if you want to listen to a particular service, you can switch your scanner over to that favs group.

Bob In Iowa

 

[lamarrsy]

I am a bit surprised to see peoples making multiple Favorite Lists (it seem to be the « standard » way of managing what we listen to on a Uniden scanner), as I come from a looong history of Uniden scanners, before the advent of dynamic memory and Profile / Favorites List / Systems / Groups / Sites / Departments /Channels / Frequencies.
I have progressed thru Uniden and GRE-made Radio-Shack scanners, then BC246T, BCD396T, BCD396XT, BCD436HP, BCD325P2, and when I migrated from the 396XT to the 436HP, I created a sole unique Favorite List, called “my region” and then imported my Systems / Groups / Sites / / Departments / Channels / Frequencies I had.

All this long text just to say : is it possible that by creating and using many FLs, it takes longer to the scanner to “get in then get out” of a FL before jumping to the other FL ?

Wouldn’t it be quicker to scan if the “tree” structure started one level below the Favorite Lists (like my example) ?

… just a thought to support the original question asked here (and for my own understanding too!)

 

[Ubbe]

Switching between favorite lists while scanning are instant, it takes micro seconds, so no additional time added to scan rate using a lot of favorite lists.
If you scan a conventional digital channel it usually doesn't transmit any carrier or data while idle, so no extra lag scanning those systems.
When scanning trunked DMR systems like cap+ and DT3 they transmit either idle bursts of data or a constant control channel data.

As soon as there are are a carrier, the squelch detects a signal, it will stay a minimum of 1,5sec on that channel, even if you have set a hold time of one or zero seconds, and during that time it tries to decode the data signal. If it decoded that no calls are active it will continue to the next site or system, So it will scan 0,75ch/s for a trunked system compared to 80ch/s for conventional systems. If you have 3 sites or systems that are trunked it could take 5 sec to scan those and that will be the time where you cannot scan your other lists.

If you have programmed the same site twice in different system then for that system you effectively have gone down to half scan rate 0,32ch/s. Program a site to only be scanned once per scan cycle and use different TG departments with quick keys to select what TG's to scan.

Scanning are done according to the quick numbers you set to favorite lists. If your list 3 has 3 trunked systems and your list 5 has 3 trunked system then it could spend 10 sec scanning those two list while you are not monitoring anything from list 1 and 2.

If you instead alternate between conventional and trunked favorite lists, rename list 1 or 2 to 4, or rename 5 to 6 and then rename either 1 or 2 to 5, then there will be a shorter time where you do not monitor a conventional channels favorite list.

/Ubbe

 

[merlin]

I have several systems. If I scan more than one of them, I miss a lot of calls. Talk groups within a list will scan faster with fewer missed call.
I have 16 lists I can program. My marine list is the largest and cycles through the list about twice per second. (analog)
one DMR list scans 6 talk groups about once per second. A call hangs the scan 2 seconds.

 

[n1chu]

There’s that old adage; The more you scan the less you hear.” Obviously, when the scanner has stopped on a busy channel or system, anything on another channel or system will not be heard. And I realize your ask pertains to if a DMR system would take more time to scan through than say a single conventional frequency type you have programmed into the scanner. To that I say it depends upon how extensive the DMR system is. Is it a single channel DMR system? Or does it consist of multiple frequencies, sites, etc.? The more you scan…

 

[rs16]

Switching between favorite lists while scanning are instant, it takes micro seconds, so no additional time added to scan rate using a lot of favorite lists.
If you scan a conventional digital channel it usually doesn't transmit any carrier or data while idle, so no extra lag scanning those systems.
When scanning trunked DMR systems like cap+ and DT3 they transmit either idle bursts of data or a constant control channel data.

As soon as there are are a carrier, the squelch detects a signal, it will stay a minimum of 1,5sec on that channel, even if you have set a hold time of one or zero seconds, and during that time it tries to decode the data signal. If it decoded that no calls are active it will continue to the next site or system, So it will scan 0,75ch/s for a trunked system compared to 80ch/s for conventional systems. If you have 3 sites or systems that are trunked it could take 5 sec to scan those and that will be the time where you cannot scan your other lists.

If you have programmed the same site twice in different system then for that system you effectively have gone down to half scan rate 0,32ch/s. Program a site to only be scanned once per scan cycle and use different TG departments with quick keys to select what TG's to scan.

Scanning are done according to the quick numbers you set to favorite lists. If your list 3 has 3 trunked systems and your list 5 has 3 trunked system then it could spend 10 sec scanning those two list while you are not monitoring anything from list 1 and 2.

If you instead alternate between conventional and trunked favorite lists, rename list 1 or 2 to 4, or rename 5 to 6 and then rename either 1 or 2 to 5, then there will be a shorter time where you do not monitor a conventional channels favorite list.

/Ubbe

Thanks, this is helpful to understand what is going on.

 

[werinshades]

Is the DMR systems programmed as Conventional or OFT (One Frequency Trunk) or is it Cap+ or Con+?