Radio Shack 20-106 User Manual page 6

Understanding your Scanner
1. Memory organization is nothing more than a
large list of Scannable Objects.
2. A Scannable Object is simply "something
that can be scanned," including conventional
channels, trunking talkgroups, limit searches,
service searches, and Signal Stalker II setups.
3. There are no "systems," "banks," "groups,"
"sub-groups," or "ID lists." There is simply
a very large collection of objects, each with
their own attributes. Scannable Objects all
exist at the same level or hierarchy within
the scanner—no single type of Scannable
Object is more important than another, and
Scannable Objects do not have dependencies
on or links to other Scannable Objects in
order for them to function properly.
4. The primary method of grouping the
collection of objects is by mapping them to
Scan Lists. Mapping a Scannable Object to
one or more Scan Lists does not change the
physical location of the object in the memory
system. When an object is mapped to one
or more Scan Lists, the object itself has
not moved nor changed from what it is—a
simple, standalone object that is part of a
larger collection.
Object abbreviations used in this manual
Object names are abbreviated so that they can
easily fit into the 16 character LCD. You should
take a moment and become familiar with these
abbreviations now.
CONV – Conventional Channel Object
A CONV object is a regular, non-trunked
frequency used for radio communications. CONV
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Understanding your Scanner
objects are used to store the parameters for
any radio channel that is not a part of a trunked
system. For example, if you want to monitor
specific VHF marine channels, they should be
programmed as CONV objects. If you want to
monitor your favorite amateur radio channel, it
should be stored as a CONV object. If your police
or fire department uses a channel, or channels
that are not trunked, but part of a "plain old radio
system," they should be stored as CONV objects.
TGRP – Trunking Talkgroup Object
Trunking Talkgroups are "virtual" channels that
exist on a trunked radio system. A trunked radio
system is a radio system where a small group of
radio channels are automatically shared between
a larger number of users and user groups. This
sharing of channels is managed automatically by
a special computer, called a controller, or by other
specialized hardware. If you want to monitor a
talkgroup on a trunked radio system, you must
store that talkgroup's parameters in a TGRP
object.
TSYS – Trunking System Object
A TSYS is a special object type that is used when
creating TGRP objects. A trunking talkgroup
must be associated with a specific trunked radio
system in order for it to operate. There are
parameters that are associated with trunking
systems, such as the type of trunked radio system
technology used, the frequencies that the system
uses to broadcast control data, etc. Instead of
entering these parameters over and over again
every time you create a new TGRP, you create a
TSYS object with all of the system parameters,
then specify that TSYS object for each TGRP you
create on the same trunked radio system. A TSYS
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