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amickey1979

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If I want to monitor a system, MD FIRST, that has multiple sites how do I keep the scanner from scanning through all the programmed sites instead of locking on the strongest site nearest me? Or do I have to set a QK to each site and turn on/off as I travel? I currently have one FL with all the Departments, assigned to QK's, I want to monitor and then I have the sites that I would need to monitor the different Departments assigned to QK's. Is this the proper set up? I am used to using a Unication G5 and I do not have to turn on/turn off Sites. It locks onto the strongest one and stays on that Site until it drops and then picks up the next strongest signal.
 

jonwienke

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The Unication doesn't lock on to the site with the strongest signal, it locks on to the first site it finds that has a usable signal, and then parks on that site until it decides the signal is no longer usable. So if there are other sites in range that have traffic not carried by the site being monitored, you will miss it.

Unidens are designed to use location control to determine which sites and departments are within reception range. if you're stationary, you can tell the scanner where it is by entering a zip code, but if you're mobile, you have two options:

Toggle every site and department by hand. This is a major PITA.

Connect a GPS to the scanner, so the scanner knows where it is and can automatically toggle stuff on and off as your location changes. This is the only practical way to scan large statewide or multistate trunked systems, or scan the database on long road trips outside your local area.
 

WX4JCW

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Stow, Ohio
Once you monitor for a while you’ll figure out which sites are good for certain talkgroups,


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Jason WX4JCW
XPR7550 - SDS100
 

troymail

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Supply (Lockwood Inlet area), NC
If I want to monitor a system, MD FIRST, that has multiple sites how do I keep the scanner from scanning through all the programmed sites instead of locking on the strongest site nearest me? Or do I have to set a QK to each site and turn on/off as I travel? I currently have one FL with all the Departments, assigned to QK's, I want to monitor and then I have the sites that I would need to monitor the different Departments assigned to QK's. Is this the proper set up? I am used to using a Unication G5 and I do not have to turn on/turn off Sites. It locks onto the strongest one and stays on that Site until it drops and then picks up the next strongest signal.

Sentinel will load a system and all sites and by default will try to scan all of them. For example, NC VIPER has something like 227 sites and if you don't do something to deal with it, the radio will waste time checking each and every site for a control channel frequency.

Applying location control to that programming might help but it is somewhat "crude" and can result in unexpected and/or undesired results.

Custom programming is a better option.

For travel, the options are (a) use quick keys and toggle the sites (and/or other things) as you go or (b) use a GPS.

Option (a) gives you far more control as even with GPS, the radio will almost always waste time trying to scan things that are not in range. In some cases, the radio will stop on a talkgroup in a more distant site (poor reception) that is actually active on site that is closer. However, in some cases, you may receive (even if poorly) a talkgroup that is active on that more distant site that is not being carried on a closer site... Another issue with using location control is that some talkgroups will be ignored because the location data deems them as "small areas" or towns where it assumes you only want to hear them if you are driving through them. If you try to compensate for those "little circles" by increasing your range setting, you'll end up telling the radio to start scanning even more stuff that is out of range (more sites, more channels, etc.) further degrading your monitoring.

Everything is a trade-off and there is no "one size fits all" answer to these types of things.

Many times, when I travel around (up and down I-95 or even around Maryland when I'm up there), I'll create a favorites list that is specific to each county. These favorites lists only contain what I want to listen to (to include various systems, sites and groups of talkgroups) and do not use location control of any type. Then I control what the radio does.

I only use location control - 99.9% of the times coupled with custom favorites lists - when I'm in a hurry or being lazy.
 

maus92

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Jun 23, 2004
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The OP
If I want to monitor a system, MD FIRST, that has multiple sites how do I keep the scanner from scanning through all the programmed sites instead of locking on the strongest site nearest me? Or do I have to set a QK to each site and turn on/off as I travel? I currently have one FL with all the Departments, assigned to QK's, I want to monitor and then I have the sites that I would need to monitor the different Departments assigned to QK's. Is this the proper set up? I am used to using a Unication G5 and I do not have to turn on/turn off Sites. It locks onto the strongest one and stays on that Site until it drops and then picks up the next strongest signal.

I listen to First, and use several regionalized FLs depending on where I am: Eastern Shore; Central; NCR, SoMD, and Western. Each FL has FIRST programming, but I only enable sites that are receivable in those areas. I happen to use startup keys since I've never bothered to learn how to use QK. Works for me, but I'm pretty familiar with geography and the footprints of the various systems around the region.
 
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