Page Type: REFERENCE
Channels not in the master nationwide channel database (RCDB) can be added to a hub's scanner reception. Such extra "custom" channels may be tied into the system/group/channel hierarchy.
Custom channels are channels you want to receive which are not in the master channel database, or a second copy of a channel in the master channel database so it can be received from two locations.
Custom channels are added in the programmer. Go to Save Options and select Hub Overrides. A text box opens below, and custom channels are entered into this box (one per line.) Note: custom channels will not appear in the regular list of channels in the programmer. The only place they will show is in this box.
After creating the line describing a custom channel in the correct syntax, go to Save Options, select "Edit Hub Overrides", copy and paste the text into the text entry box, and press Apply Changes.
OPTION 1
If you are not concerned about placing a custom channel into the system/group/channel hierarchy, you can define a channel with a line of text like this (without quotation marks). (This only works for conventional channels, for talkgroups see option 5)
"CX10200:r=16,f=154.3850,p=127.3,u=F1,n=Fire Department 154.385"
CUSTOM CHANNEL SYNTAX -- The value before the colon will be the CID of the custom channel. Conventional custom channels must start CX. The five-digit number following should be unique among custom channels in the entire Rangecast system. You can request from Rangecast an allocated block of custom channel IDs for use in your hub.
--> r= FEEDSITE ID -- The value of the 'r' parameter is the feed site ID where you want the custom channel to be received. If the feed site value is below 10, a leading zero must be included.
--> f= FREQUENCY OR TALKGROUP -- The value in the 'f' parameter is the frequency or talkgroup of the custom channel.
--> p= PL CODE (optional) -- The value of the 'p' parameter is the PL code of the custom channel, expressed in the same format shown in the HTML5 programmer for PL codes.
--> u= FUNCTION TYPE -- The value of the 'u' parameter is the function type (e.g. F1 for fire dispatch) in the same format shown in the HTML5 programmer.
--> n= CHANNEL NAME -- The value of the 'n' parameter is the name of the channel in (maximum 64 characters.)
OPTION 2
If you want your custom channel to fall into an existing group (in the Radio Reference / Uniden Home Patrol hierarchy of system/group/channel), find the group code, and add this parameter (in addition to what would be done for Option 1):
--> c= GROUP ID -- the existing group ID
Group IDs can be found in the programmer by finding a channel in the group, hovering over the group name, and looking at the link URL that will show in the browser (not by clicking on the link, but just the preview identification of the URL.) This will be a Javascript link with a value inside quotation marks like G123456. That is the group code to use with the "c" parameter when defining the custom channel.
Alternatively, you can find the group ID in the Rangecast channel database query utility, by finding an existing channel and seeing what group code is associated.
OPTION 3
If you want your custom channel to fall within a custom group - for example, to group related custom channel together, for ease of management in the player or scripts - you can create a custom group. There are three steps:
a) Choose a group ID. If your hub has an assigned block of custom channels (e.g. CX10000 - CX10100), then your assigned range of custom group IDs is the same but with a leading "GX" instead of "CX" (GX10000 - GX10100).
b) In the hub overrides text box, add a line giving a name to the group, e.g. (without the quotation marks):
"GX10000:n=Name to Display for the Custom Group"
c) On the line defining the channel, associate your channel with this group with the "c" parameter (same as previous option, using your custom group ID)
This option only applies to conventional channels. Talkgroups must be associated with a group that is associated with the trunked system carrying the channel.
OPTION 4
If you are making a copy of an existing channel, you can use the "c" parameter to copy the properties of that channel. For example:
"CX10200:c=C028297,r=16,n+=North Shore"
--> c= CID OF CHANNEL -- The value in the 'c' parameter is the CID of the channel on which you are basing the database properties of the custom channel (including system/group membership.) For custom trunked channels, this must evidently be a talkgroup in the same trunked system.
--> n+= ADDITION TO NAME -- this copies the existing channel name, and adds additional text. This is useful, for example, when you want to receive a channel from multiple locations, and you want the name to reflect the receive location to differentiate the signals. (If you want to replace the channel name field, you can use the "n" parameter instead.)
OPTION 5
You can also base a new channel on the properties of a similar channel. This is done in the same way as Option 4, but for a different purpose, and you would use some of the features illustrated in Option 1 to customize the differences (such as using property "f" to specify a different frequency or talkgroup ID)
This is useful, for example, if you are adding an unlisted tac channel that should be part of an existing group in the master channel database's system/group/channel hierarchy. To do this, use the "c" parameter referencing a similar channel, and then use other parameters to make adjustments (such as specifying a different frequency, function type, and channel name.)
This is also useful for adding custom talkgroups. Since talkgroups must be placed under a specific trunked system (so the programmer knows what trunked system the talkgroup is part of), Option 1 cannot be used for talkgroups, but this variant on that technique can be used. The custom channel code for trunked talkgroups must begin TX (not CX). The talkgroup will be assigned to the same tower as the channel it is based upon (if you want to specify a different tower, use property "i", for example i=L12345 to assign to tower L12345)
Note about PL: in this case, if the channel referenced has a PL code, you must specify the PL (or else the PL of the referenced channel will be applied.) For no PL, use "p=" with no value.
Note about name: a name specified with "n" will supplement the existing system/group text tags, this field is the additional information describing the particular channel.
Note: For retaining this custom channel in future updates to the RCHAN, it is essential that the CID from which the database properties are copied remain available (e.g. in the channel list shown in the HTML5 programmer.) This does not mean that the reference channel must be selected for reception, only that it be known about by the programmer. In particular, note that the reference channel may be lost in the future if the entry screen parameters are changed in a way that excludes that channel.
GENERAL COMMENTS
A custom channel is a property of this hub, and is not available for programming into the RCHANs of other hubs.
Note: Custom channels do not appear in the list of channels in the HTML5 programmer. The channels in these lists are solely drawn from the master channel database. When a custom channel is added to a hub, it will only appear in the Hub Overrides list, where you will later copy/paste the line you have written.
SOLUTION