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Help Menu

How to select a Favorite via the Scanners menu
How to improve Favorite loading time
How to turn OFF a system
How to HOLD a System
How to HOLD a SITE
How to HOLD & AVOID a Department
How to create a P25 System 
Close Call - ON and OFF (UBCD436/536PT Models)
Quick Search and Save - USDS100 
How to add a TGID to existing Departments
 
How to Change from ID Scan to ID search (PT Models)
 
UBCD436PT and UBCD536PT Hold functions.

Departments - How to Hold and Avoid.

 

A Favorite has to have a System. A System has to have Departments.

There can be multiple Systems in a Favorite and there can also be multiple Departments within a System.

 

In regards to a trunking system, the Departments are where the TGID’s (Talk Group ID’s) are stored.

Each Department contains different TGID’s for different services.

 

One Department could be for Fire and Rescue TGID’s and another for Ambulance TGID’s.

 

Holding a Department. (Departments contain the TGIDs)

 

This option gives you the ability to monitor ONE particular Department within a System.

 

Let’s say there are 6 different Departments within a System, but you really only want to monitor one at the moment. This could be the SES during a Search and Rescue, or the RFS during a major bushfire.

 

You have two options to HOLD the Department of interest.

 

1. You can wait until your preferred Department is active and then simply push the DEPT/Site Key.

This will then HOLD on the selected Department and only monitor voice traffic relevant to the Department selected.

 

Once the conversation has finished and you wish to resume Scanning, simply push the DEPT/Site key again to release the Department from HOLD and resume scanning all departments within the system again.

 

2. Your second option is to push the DEPT/Site key. The current Department being monitored will be put in HOLD mode.  The current Department name will be displayed on the screen and HOLD text will appear in the centre left of the screen.

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Now to find the correct Department, push the Dept/Site key again and while the centre section of the screen is highlighted, scroll the volume dial left or right unitl you find the correct Department you wish to monitor. Once found - simply release the dial.

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The Scanner will now only monitor the TGIDs within that selected Department.

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 Once the conversation has finished and you wish to resume Scanning, simply push the DEPT/Site key again to release the Department from HOLD.

 

Avoiding a Department UBCD436PT UBCD536PT and USDS100 

 

If you have several Departments in the System you’re trying to monitor you may wish to avoid some of those Departments that are of no interest to you.

 

In the case of the NSW data base there are between 10 and 15 different Departments for each individual System.

One of these Departments maybe for 'Railcorp'.

 

Now the Railways may not be of interest to all users so let’s say you wanted to shut down or avoid the 'Railcorp' TGID’s.

 

First thing you have to do is select the Favorite that is of relevance to the location your trying to monitor.

Remember - the Favorite is named after a location.

 

Inside the Favorite there are the systems, in regards to my data cards - these are generally also in reference to a location. 

Inside the System there are the Departments where the TGID's are stored.

 

To avoid a Department.

 

Push Menu.

 

Scroll down to ‘Manage Favorites’.

 

Once highlighted  - Push the E.Yes button.

 

Select the Favorite that contains the Department you wish to avoid or delete.

 

Once you have highlighted the chosen Favorite  - Push the E.Yes button.

 

Review/Edit System will be highlighted – Push the E.Yes button.

 

Select the System that contains the Department that is to be modified.

Once highlighted – Push E.Yes

 

Scroll down the screen and highlight ‘Edit Department’ – Push the E.Yes button.

 

Now you will see a list of all the Departments available to modify.

Select the Department you wish to avoid – highlight it and Push the E.Yes button.

 

Scroll down the screen and select ‘Set Avoid’ – Push the E.Yes button.

 

Make your selection from the three options.

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Stop avoiding (Only valid if the Department is already avoided).

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Temporary Avoid (Will shut the selected Department down until the Scanner is turned off and back on again)

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Permanent Avoid (Will shut the Department down until such time you choose to release it from permanent avoid using the 'Stop avoiding' option).

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Once you have made your selection – Push the E.Yes button to confirm.

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Your choice has now been confirmed and the Department should be avoided.

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The previous menu will appear on the screen, push the SYSTEM button to resume scanning.

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The department you have avoided inside the selected Favorite has now been avoided.

To enable that Department again – repeat the process – but select, ‘Stop Avoiding’ from the three options.

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Site Hold

Models included. UBCD436PT UBCD536PT BCD436HP BCD536HP

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If you are monitoring multiple sites and want the Scanner to stay on a particular site that has the strongest signal, you need to initiate ‘site hold’.

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For example – you may be in an area/region that has multiple sites but you’re only really within reception area of perhaps one of the actual sites.

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As the Scanner goes from site to site – it will look for the strongest signal to use. If there are multiple sites, this means the Scanner has to check all the entered frequencies in each site until it finds the best one to use in your location – this is called the ‘Control Channel’.

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If the site has been named by its location, this makes the job much easier.

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A Site may contain one frequency or many, depending on how it has been set up.

Some users will input all frequencies allocated to a site - including voice and control channels.

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While in Scanning mode – look at the screen and you will see a small signal meter appear on the top right of the screen. This is a perfect indication of the quality of the signal being received.

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Five bars is excellent and probably the best site to use.

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When the bars appear, have a quick look and see which site name is displayed.

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Once you have confirmed the best site to use you can now activate ‘site hold’ and force the Scanner to lock onto that site.

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To activate ‘Site Hold’, push the Func button/pad (left side fo Scanner above MENU) and then the Dept/Site button. You then need to use the volume dial to scroll between the sites.

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This FUNCTION mode only stays available for abround 5 seconds, so it takes a bit of practise to get used to how quick you have to apply this process.

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Once the name of the site you wish to monitor appears on the screen, stop scrolling and release the dial.

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The name of the site will be displayed on the screen and confirm that ‘Site Hold’ is active.

The Scanner will stop on the selected site and monitor all availableTGID's via that site.

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To release ‘Site Hold’ – repeat the sequence. Push the Func button/pad and then the Dept/Site key.

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You cannot monitor any other Favorites in ‘Site Hold’ mode.

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You can also initiate ‘Site Hold’ during voice activity.

When a conversation starts, that is a good indication that the Scanner is using a control channel and has found the best control channel to use.

While a conversation is taking place - push the Func button/pad and then the Dept/Site button.

The Scanner will then lock onto the current active site and all voice activity will continue to be monitored via the selected site.

To release ‘Site Hold’ – repeat the sequence. Push the Func button/pad and then the Dept/Site key.

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How to turn off a System.

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Applicable to UBCD436PT-UBCD536PT and USDS100 and SDS100

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Sometimes within a Favorite there may be multiple Systems.

Systems that are off no interest to you or outside your location, can be turned off via the Menu.

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Let's say that the Favorite you like to monitor has a few systems in it that are of no relevance to your location.

By turning off Systems that are not applicable to your location saves the Scanner going through unwanted Systems and obviously speeds up the scanning speed.

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For example.

The NSW data base contains a Favorite called 'Hunter Region'.

Inside the 'Hunter Region' Favorite there are 10 individual Systems.

Each System represents a location within the greater 'Hunter Region'.

You can narrow down the areas being scanned by turning off unwanted Systems (locations) and force the Scanner to monitor only the System or Systems that are actually relevant to your location.

Lets say that you lived in the city of Newcastle, this is also the name of one of the Systems inside the 'Hunter Region' favorite.

Inside the same 'Hunter Region' Favorite there is a System called 'Muswellbrook'.

Due to the distance between these two locations there would be no point in having both active if you lived in Newcastle.  You would only want to monitor the 'Newcastle' System.

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You can only receive activity from GRN sites that are within reception range of the Scanner. Just because a System is activated does not mean you will hear it from a distant location.

Scanners are the same as two way radios and will only pick up a signal if it is within range.

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If your Scanner is home based - this is the number one reason you would shut down systems not relevant to your area.

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Having unwanted Systems active can slow the Scanner down and cause you to miss replies to conversations. While you can use the Site HOLD function, avoiding unwanted Systems is more efficient.

 

Turn the Scanner on.

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Push the Menu Pad and the main Menu screen will appear.

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Set Scan Selection will be highlighted.

Push the E.Yes button.

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Manage Quick Key Status will be highlighted.

Push the E.Yes button.

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Set Quick Key Status Menu will appear.

Favorites Quick Key will be highlighted.

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Using the volume dial, scroll down and select System Quick Key.

Push the E.Yes button.

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Select Favorites List menu screen will appear.

Using the Volume dial scroll down the list and select the Favorite that has the System in it, that you wish to modify.

Once you have selected (Highlighted) the Favorite you wish to edit, push the E.Yes button.

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The Set Quick Key Status Menu screen will appear,

A list of ALL the individual Systems within the selected Favorite will be listed.

By default - these will all be ON.

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Scroll down the list and highlight the System you wish to turn OFF. (or ON if already turned OFF previously)

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Once it’s been highlighted – push the E.Yes

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This will turn the selected System OFF.

Repeating the process will turn it back ON.

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You can select as many as you like – in some instances you may have a mixture of Emergency and Public services. You may wish to turn off all the Public Service systems and only monitor the Emergency Services systems.

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Once you have turned OFF (or ON) the selected Systems within your Favorite list, you can then push the SYSTEM button and resume Scanning – the Systems you turned OFF will now be permanently avoided within the selected Favorite, until such time you go back into the menu and turn them back on again if needed.

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