System, Departments, Channels

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greggk

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This is something I've wondered about for years, but not willing to jump into and mess up what I already have working. I just came from the Easier to Read manual, read posts here, and still its not clicking.

This is one example, but it applies to many of my lists.

I just downloaded O'Hare Airport into my 436/536. Both System and Department names are the same: Chicago O'Hare. (Quick Key 11)

Then there are many channels under the Department. Some involve tower/Aircraft communications, and the other are Ground Ops.

I realize I can assign Tower ops QK1 and Operations QK2. That way I could turn off QK1 and just listen to QK2, Operations.

Finally, The question: If I turn off QK1 under O'Hare, will that affect any other QK1 I have assigned to any other list? I actually have an entire different system assigned to QK1.

This has held me back from things I would have liked to do in the past, but just cannot grasp this concept. I appreciate any advice. Thank you. Greg
 

hiegtx

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This is something I've wondered about for years, but not willing to jump into and mess up what I already have working. I just came from the Easier to Read manual, read posts here, and still its not clicking.

This is one example, but it applies to many of my lists.

I just downloaded O'Hare Airport into my 436/536. Both System and Department names are the same: Chicago O'Hare. (Quick Key 11)

Then there are many channels under the Department. Some involve tower/Aircraft communications, and the other are Ground Ops.

I realize I can assign Tower ops QK1 and Operations QK2. That way I could turn off QK1 and just listen to QK2, Operations.

Finally, The question: If I turn off QK1 under O'Hare, will that affect any other QK1 I have assigned to any other list? I actually have an entire different system assigned to QK1.

This has held me back from things I would have liked to do in the past, but just cannot grasp this concept. I appreciate any advice. Thank you. Greg
As long as you don't have two or more Systems assigned Quick Key 1, on this same favorites list, turning off QK 1 would not affect you.

Remember that using quick keys, the scanner is looking for a quick key match of FAV/Sys/Dept. (or Site), where FAV is the QK assigned to the Favorites list, Sys is the key for the System, and Dept. is the key assigned to a department within a system, in your case, QK 1 Tower Ops, and QK 2 for Operations. In the quick key hierarchy, the Department series keys (0 to 99) can be used for either Departments within a system, or a site within a Trunked System.

Sentinel does not allow you to duplicate a Favorites list QK on another list, though you can have multiple lists with no key assigned. For the example you've given, you can assign QK 1 to the O'Hare System, then use QK-1 as the Department key for Tower Ops, and QK-2 as the Department key for operations, as long as you are not using SYSTEM QK-1 for another system within the Favorites list that O'Hare is in.
 

greggk

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Thanks Steve. When I set these 2 scanners up, identical, it just turned out that I had ONE favorites list, named "favorites," and then sort of on its own it named all the systems I wanted to hear as system A, System B, etc, under the Favorites List header. I'm sure I set it all up in a poor design, but that's what made sense to me.

I appreciate your time/response Steve. I'm going to try and clear all the crap out of my head and look at it all over again. You have me on the right track. Again...Thanks! Greg
 

ofd8001

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It appears Sentinel or the scanner firmware may have been changed so that multiple Favorites Lists can use the same Favorites List Quick Key number. (I just tried this and was was able to assigned two different Favorites Lists to Favorites List Quick Key 1.)

Whether this is a good practice is another story. . .

Greggk-

Yeah, this is something that takes a little bit of practice to wrap your arms around. However, the more you mess with it, the easier it becomes.

One way of looking at this architecture:

Favorites Lists are like file cabinets. There is a lock which allows or restricts access to the entire file cabinet. That is comparable to a Favorites List Quick Key.

The file cabinet has drawers. The drawers are Systems. The latch releasing the drawer comparable to the System Quick Key.

Inside each drawer are file folders. These file folders are like the Departments. The process of grabbing a file folder is turning on the Department Quick Key.

In each of these file folders are pieces of paper. Each piece of paper is a channel, be it a frequency or Talkgroup ID.

"Quick Keys" is a broad term and should be thought of as three separate things: Favorites List Quick Keys, System Quick Keys and Department Quick Keys.

Some folks have found it helpful to include the Quick Key in the name of the Favorites List, System and Department. For example you might have "Chicao Airport" as a Favorites List with a FLQK of 1. So the name would be "F01 Chicago Airprt.

Then you have a System which imports as "Chicago O'Hare Internatinal Airport (ORD)" with a SQK of 2. The name could be "S02 Chicago O'Hare Internatinal Airport (ORD)"

In that System you have a Department that imports as "Air Traffic Control - Approach/Departure" with a DQK of 3. The name could be: "D03 Air Traffic Control - Approach/Departure".

Then to toggle the ATC Approach/Departure Department, you would press 1.2.3 Eyes.

(I used 1, 2 and 3 to avoid confusion - they could be whatever numbers you desire.)
 

greggk

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ofd8001 : Thanks for the reply. Sorry I was late in getting back here. I have so many hobbies and so little time! Good advice; helps me sort things out a bit more. Thanks. Greg
 
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