- SCAN INFORMATION
		- Scan Introduction
		- Scan Programming Template Sample
		- Priority and Non-Priority Modes Scan Program Example
		- Priority Mode Scan Programming Example
		- Scan Programming Notes
	- Syntor X Home
	- HOME

Scan introduction:

This is an explanation of how the Syntor X scan works. It is based on observation and deduction.

Unlike earlier Motorola radios, the Syntor X radio has a built in microprocessor that does the actual scanning. In order for the radio to scan Personality Board jumper JU1 must be installed, or the radio cable J1-31 (Channel Scan Enable) must be switched to ground (i.e. press the "PRI" control head button), and the EEPROM must be programmed with scan information for each mode.

An important concept about Syntor X scanning is the mode selected on the control head is where the radio gets its scan programming from. So figuring out what the radio is doing with scanning is a combination of the mode selected and the "PRI" scan switch. Do not think of pressing the "PRI" switch as scanning, think of it as enabling the scan program selected by the mode selector. The scan program may in fact be, not to scan anything at all (i.e. scanning disabled), in which case pressing the "PRI" switch while on that mode has no effect. If Personality Board jumper JU1 is installed then the operator has no way to enable/disable scanning because scanning is always enabled when JU1 is installed. If JU1 is installed just consider the "PRI" button to always be pressed in the on position.

The scan program can include a Primary Priority Scan mode, a Secondary Priority Scan mode and the Non-priority Scan List (up to 32 modes). The Non-priority Scan List must come from one of these two sources; Selectable scan via System 90*s control head (i.e. NPx box photo) or the EEPROM Non-priority Scan List. The non-priority scan can be any of the 32 modes (the EEPROM Non-priority Scan List can select all 32 modes and 4 NPx boards are required to have 32 operator accessible buttons). In addition Talkback Scan may be turned on or off (explanation below in the next section).

The mode selected on the control head does not even have to be in the scan list (i.e. is does not have to be a Primary Priority Scan, Secondary Priority or Non-priority scan). In this case the mode selected will not be received while scanning.

The Primary Priority mode, Secondary Priority mode, one of the two non-priority scan sources (the EEPROM Non-priority Scan List or the NPx box) and the Talkback Scan selection are combined into a scan program that is selected by the mode selector. When you press the "PRI" button the Syntor X will run the scan program.

The EEPROM Non-priority Scan List is similar to the buttons on the NPx box, except the EEPROM Non-priority Scan List can access all 32 modes and you can not change them without reprogramming the EEPROM. A single NPx box at least allows you to change the Non-priority scan modes with its operator accessible push buttons, but only controls up to 8 modes with a single NPx board. Up to 4 NPx boards can be used to select all 32 non-priority scan modes.

The NPx box also displays which mode the scan stops on. If you do not have an NPx box, a control head that displays the scan mode is required to see what mode the scan stops on. Scanning with only a clamshell control head will not show you which mode a scan stops on.

Scan programming template sample:

For each mode in the radio (up to 32 modes maximum) there is scan information programmed into the EEPROM. Here is an abbreviated sample "scan mode programming template" for all 32 modes.

Scan Programming Template Sample
Mode Select	Primary Priority Scan Mode	Secondary Priority Scan Mode	Check one	Non-Priority Scan	Talkback Scan
Mode 1	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 2	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 3	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
......	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 30	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 31	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 32	Select one mode or none	Select one mode or none *		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On / Off
				Non-priority scan mode list

• The "......" represents ascending mode numbers from 4 to 29. The template was abbreviated in this way to keep the above table to a manageable size.
• The Primary Priority Scan Mode must be a single mode number from 1 to 32 or you can choose not to have a Primary or Secondary Scan Mode.
• The Secondary Priority Scan Mode must be a single mode number from 1 to 32 or you can choose not to have a Secondary Scan Mode.
• * - There can not be any Secondary Priority Scan Mode unless there is also Primary Priority Scan Mode (i.e. pick a primary to go with the secondary or choose "none" for the secondary).
• The Non-Priority Scan List is a list of modes including all 32 possible modes or you can choose not to have any Non-Priority Scan Modes. The Non-Priority Scan Modes can be selected by a list programmed into the EEPROM or by the System 90*s accessory operator select non-priority scan modules. The System 90*s accessory non-priority scan mode control head allows the operator to select which modes are in the Non-priority Scan List with a push button for each mode. It also includes indicator lights to tell the operator which mode an active scan mode is located on. There can be up to 4 of these System 90*s accessory operator select non-priority scan modules together to cover all 32 modes (each one covers 8 modes). You can not use the System 90*s accessory non-priority scan mode control head and the Non-Priority Scan Mode List in the EEPROM at the same time. It must be one or the other, not both. This is the reason for the check box, for each mode you must choose which one you want to use.
• The Talkback Scan controls the transmitter mode selection while scanning. If Talkback Scan is Off and the Push To Talk (PTT) microphone switch is pressed the transmitter will always transmit on the mode selected by the Mode Select control head. If Talkback Scan is On, the scan has stopped on an active scan mode and the PTT switch is pressed, the transmitter will switch to the active scan mode the operator is listening to. If there is a long enough pause in the receiver to allow the scan to restart the operator will not be able to continue two-way communication until they reestablish the original Talkback scan mode or disable scanning and change the Mode Select on the control head to match the original scan mode.
• The way to access the scan program for each mode is to first use the Mode Select control head to select a mode, then push in the PRI switch (it grounds line J1-31 "Channel Scan Enable" to activate the radio's scanning). The Syntor X will begin scanning using the scan program for that mode. You can also disable scanning for any mode, in which case pushing the PRI button would have no effect when a scan disabled mode is selected. Some radios have the Personality Board jumper JU1 "Scan Enable" installed. This prevents the operator from disabling scanning. Any time the Mode Select control head selects a mode and the mode is programmed to scan in the EEPROM, scanning is always enabled when JU1 is installed. JU1 is mostly used with clamshell control heads that do not have a PRI switch. All you have to do is make a modification to switch line J1-31 "Channel Scan Enable" as open or to ground, remove JU1 and you will have a functioning PRI switch (scan enable / scan disable).
• Some radios with clamshell control heads will not scan even when they are programmed to scan. Assuming the radio is not damaged, this is because the radio cable J1-31 "Channel Scan Enable" is not hooked to a switch or the Personality Board jumper JU1 "Scan Enable" is not installed.

Priority and non-priority modes scan program example:

Mode Select	Primary Priority Scan Mode	Secondary Priority Scan Mode	Check one	Non-Priority Scan	Talkback Scan
Mode 1	5	9		Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
			X	Non-priority scan mode list - 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12
Mode 2	7	none		Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
			X	Non-priority scan mode list - 1, 2, 3, 4, 25, 26
Mode 3	none	none		Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
			X	Non-priority scan mode list - 15, 16, 18, 20, 30, 31, 32
Mode 4	5	9		Selectable scan via System 90*s	On
			X	Non-priority scan mode list - 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12
Mode 5	1	none	X	Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
				Non-priority scan mode list - none
Mode 6	none	none		Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
			X	Non-priority scan mode list - "empty list"

• The disabled or unused scan information is shown grayed out.
• The examples below of the System 90*s "PRI" light behavior depend on the Personality Board display enable being activated (J1-33 Display Enable line or JU14), correctly setting up and using a System 90*s accessory with Indicators or Display for the "PRI" light.
• Mode 6 is an example of a mode without a scan.
  

Use the Mode Select control head to select mode 1 and press the PRI button. When the scan starts it will check modes for activity in the following order:
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 1
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 2
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 3
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 4
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 6
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 8
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 10
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 11
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 12
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 1
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 2 etc.....

If the frequency in non-priority scan mode 7 is active it will stop on mode 7, but it will continue scanning the two priority modes:
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7 etc.....

If secondary priority mode 9 becomes active as well as mode 7 then it will change to mode 9 and still scan the primary priority mode 5 (notice mode 7 is not heard anymore):
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9 etc.....

The light above the "PRI" button on a System 90*s accessory will blink when it stops on a secondary priority mode.

If primary mode 5 becomes active then all scanning stops and it stays on mode 5 until mode 5 clears and is not active (notice you can only hear mode 5 now):
listening to mode 5

The light above the "PRI" button on a System 90*s accessory will light up and stay on when it stops on a primary priority mode.

When the primary priority mode 5 activity clears it works backwards (i.e. secondary priority scan mode then non-priority scan modes). How it does this depends on which priority scan modes are active. If all the modes are clear (no activity on any mode) it will go all the way back to the beginning example:
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 1
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 2
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 3
check mode 5, check mode 9, check mode 4 etc.....

From the above example you may notice that is still scans both priority modes while listening to non-priority mode 7 when it is active. The way this is accomplished is, it takes a very tiny bit of time just to switch to the priority modes and check them for activity. It switches back to mode 7 so quickly you can still understand the conversation on mode 7. You will be able to hear a rhythmic sound made by these small interruptions. It accomplishes this the same way when secondary priority mode 9 is active. It takes a tiny bit of time to check the primary priority mode and switches back so quickly you do not miss any of the conversation on mode 9. This extra scanning is what makes a priority scan mode different from a non-priority scan mode. Notice that the primary priority scan mode takes precedence over all other scan modes, then secondary priority scan mode takes precedence over the non-priority scan modes and the non-priority modes have no precedence over any scan modes.

The Talkback Scan is turned off so if the PTT is pressed at any time, no matter where the scan is stopped, the radio will return to mode 1 and transmit on mode 1 (where the Mode Select control head is set).

Use the Mode Select control head to select mode 2 and press the PRI button. When the scan starts it will check modes for activity in the following order:
check mode 7, check mode 1
check mode 7, check mode 2
check mode 7, check mode 3
check mode 7, check mode 4
check mode 7, check mode 25
check mode 7, check mode 26
check mode 7, check mode 1
check mode 7, check mode 2 etc.....

If the frequency in non-priority scan mode 25 is active it will stop on mode 25, but it will continue scanning the primary priority mode 7:
check mode 7, listening to mode 25
check mode 7, listening to mode 25
check mode 7, listening to mode 25
check mode 7, listening to mode 25 etc.....

If primary mode 7 becomes active then all scanning stops and it stays on mode 7 until mode 7 clears and is not active (notice you can only hear mode 7 now):
listening to mode 7

The light above the "PRI" button on a System 90*s accessory will light up and stay on when it stops on a primary priority mode.

It works the same way as the first example except the modes are different and there is no secondary priority scan mode. As before when mode 7 activity clears off it will begin scanning the non-priority scan list and checking the primary priority scan list.

Use the Mode Select control head to select mode 3 and press the PRI button. When the scan starts it will check modes for activity in the following order:
check mode 15
check mode 16
check mode 18
check mode 20
check mode 30
check mode 31
check mode 32
check mode 15
check mode 16 etc.....

If the frequency in non-priority scan mode 15 is active it will stop on mode 15:
listening to mode 15

This works the same as the first example except there are no priority modes at all. This means that when the scan stops on an active mode it will remain on that mode until the activity ceases and the scan resumes.

Use the Mode Select control head to select mode 4 and press the PRI button. This is the same as the first example except the Talkback Scan it turned on. Lets look at the condition where non-priority scan mode 7 was active and the radio's scan activity looked like this:
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7
check mode 5, check mode 9, listening to mode 7 etc.....

If the PTT is pressed the radio transmitter will change to mode 7 and transmit on mode 7 (the Mode Select control head is still on mode 4). While listening to mode 7 the two priority modes (5 and 9) will still be scanned.

If secondary priority mode 9 becomes active (while you are receiving, not talking) it will change to mode 9 and still scan the primary priority mode 5 (notice mode 7 is not heard anymore and you no longer transmit on mode 7):
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9
check mode 5, listening to mode 9 etc.....

The light above the "PRI" button on a System 90*s accessory will blink because it stopped on a secondary priority mode.

If you press the PTT now the radio transmitter will change to mode 9 and transmit on mode 9. Hopefully you were not in the middle of a conversation on mode 7. While listening to mode 9 the primary priority modes 5 will still be scanned. Of course the radio would switch to mode 5 if it became active.

Every time activity ceases on a scan mode there is short period of time before scanning resumes. This is called the "hang time". This allows short pauses in activity without having the radio resume scanning. The hang time is usually long enough to keep the scan on a mode with normal activity, but if the mode is inactive too long the scan will resume, in which case Talkback will not be of any use if you wanted to continue communicating on that particular scan mode.

Use the Mode Select control head to select mode 5 and press the PRI button. This is an example using the System 90*s operator select non-priority scan modules (I'll refer to this as the NPx box - photo). If the NP2, NP3, NP4, NP7 and NP8 buttons are pressed in the scan activity will look like this:
check mode 1, check mode 2
check mode 1, check mode 3
check mode 1, check mode 4
check mode 1, check mode 7
check mode 1, check mode 8
check mode 1, check mode 2
check mode 1, check mode 3
check mode 1, check mode 4 etc.....

All of the scan modes (primary priority, secondary priority, non-priority) work exactly the same as before. The difference is you can change the button settings on the NPx switches and change the non-priority scan list. The other advantage of the NPx box is it has a scan display. Using this example; lets say someone using the frequency on mode 4 starts a REALLY, REALLY boring conversation, the NPx box allows you to press the NP4 button and release it, removing mode 4 from the non-priority scan list and changing the scan activity to this:
check mode 1, check mode 2
check mode 1, check mode 3
check mode 1, check mode 7
check mode 1, check mode 8
check mode 1, check mode 2
check mode 1, check mode 3 etc.....

In this example mode 1 is the primary priority scan mode. The push button NP1 may be presses or released, it does not matter. The same thing would apply to a secondary priority scan mode if one had been selected for this example.

The priority scan operates exactly the same way as in the previous examples.

The only real life drawback to the NPx box is it's rare to find more than one module in a Syntor X control head stack. The Mode Select control head is easy to modify for all 32 modes, but you only have control and display of non-priority scan modes 1 through 8 with a single HLN4290A NPx board. This means; if you choose the check box for "Selectable scan via System 90*s" you will only have access to 8 non-priority modes (typically modes 1 through 8). If you choose the check box for "Non-priority scan mode list" you have access to all 32 non-priority scan modes, but they are stored in the EEPROM so the operator can not change the selection. There is no way to use both the "Selectable scan via System 90*s" and "Non-priority scan mode list" together, it's one or the other, never both.

There are two models of the Hand Held Control Head that allow the operator to select all 32 non-priority scan list modes (similar to how all 4 NPx boxes work). FYI, there are also two models of the Hand Held Control Head that do not allow the operator access to the non-priority scan list.

Use the Mode Select control head to select mode 6 and press the PRI button. The scan will not start because this mode has been programmed not to scan (see Scan programming notes below).

Priority mode scan programming example:

Mode Select	Primary Priority Scan Mode	Secondary Priority Scan Mode	Check one	Non-Priority Scan	Talkback Scan
Mode 1	1	none	X	Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 2	2	none	X	Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 3	3	none	X	Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 4	4	none	X	Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
				Non-priority scan mode list
Mode 5	5	none	X	Selectable scan via System 90*s	Off
				Non-priority scan mode list

• Notice that each Primary Priority Scan Mode is the same as the Mode Select number. This simple "trick" allows the operator to select the Primary Priority Mode with the Mode Select switch.
• No Secondary Priority Scan Mode is used to simplify the example. Be careful when selecting Secondary Priority Scan Modes because it is saved in the EEPROM and can not be deleted by the operator. If a Secondary Priority Scan Mode is driving you nuts with something you do not want to hear, your only choice is to switch to another mode with a different Secondary Priority Scan Mode or stop scanning.
• The NPx box (photo) was chosen for this example, again to simplify the example.
• The same simplification applies to the Talkback selection.

Lets say you are expecting an important call on the frequency on mode 3 within the next few hours, but in the meantime you want to scan. As per the above example, use the Mode Select control head to select mode 3 and press the PRI button. The Syntor X will begin to scan using your selected non-priority scan list and primary priority mode 3. Even when you are listening to an active non-priority scan mode the radio will still constantly be checking primary priority scan mode 3 for activity. This will allow you to catch that important call, and when mode 3 is not active it will scan the non-priority scan mode list selected by the NPx box.

Scan programming notes:

The Syntor X code plug bit map must be programmed for the type of scanning desired. Each mode (up to 32 maximum) must be individually programmed. This discussion will be for a single mode (the other modes program the same way).

• Byte A, bits 0 through 4 (5 bits total) has the primary priority scan mode number minus one (i.e. 0 is mode 1, 17 is mode 16, 31 is mode 32, etc.).
• Byte 9, bits 0 through 4 (5 bits total) has the secondary priority scan mode number minus one (i.e. 0 is mode 1, 17 is mode 16, 31 is mode 32, etc.). If both are used, the primary and secondary modes should be different.
• The first 4 bytes (0 through 3) have the non-priority scan mode list. Each bit (32 bits total) corresponds to a non-priority scan mode. Byte A, bit 7 "non-priority scan source" is the bit that corresponds to the check box in the above examples. If this bit is set to "fixed scan" the non-priority scan made list in EEPROM bytes 0 through 3 will be used. If this bit is set to "selectable scan" the external System 90*s operator select non-priority scan control head will be used.
• Byte 9, bits 6 and 7 select the 4 different scan types. So far most of the scan mode information has simply been about places to put different types of scan mode numbers in the EEPROM. In order to have the radio use this scan mode information the correct scan type must be set. Below is a table of scan types:

  SCAN TYPE	DESCRIPTION
  Double Priority Scan	Primary priority scan, secondary priority scan, selected non-priority scan list
  Single Priority Scan	Primary priority scan, selected non-priority scan list
  Non-Priority Scan	Selected non-priority scan list
  No Scan	Scanning disabled

• In the above scan type description, the "selected non-priority scan list" refers to the previously discussed "fixed scan" or "selectable scan" choice (i.e. you have to choose "fixed" or "selectable" scan). If "fixed scan" is chosen the non-priority scan list may be empty if priority scanning is all that is desired. This option only really makes sense for a double priority scan (i.e. what good is a single mode scan?).
• The choices offered above is the reason why the secondary priority scan can only be used in conjunction with the primary priority scan.
• If no scan is chosen the radio will not scan. This selection would be used for the first example, mode 6 program. In reality you can fill in values for the priority modes and non-priority modes, it was simply consistent to fill in the template with "none". This is because the "No Scan" type will cause the radio to ignore all the other scan information.
• When scan information is programmed into the EEPROM and a scan type is chosen that does not use that scan information, the radio ignores the information (i.e. when "non-priority scan" is selected the mode numbers programmed into the EEPROM primary and secondary modes is ignored or when "no scan" is selected all the other EEPROM scan information is ignored).
• Byte 9, bit 5 is the Talkaround control. Enabled corresponds to ON and disabled corresponds to OFF.
• Do not forget, the radio's J1-31 "Channel Scan Enable" line must be grounded by an external switch or an internal jumper before the radio can make use of the above scan information and actually scan.

--

PL, Private Line, DPL, Digital Private Line, MPL, Talkaround, MDC-600, MDC-1200, MVS-20, Securenet, Smartnet, Privacy Plus, Trunked X2, Trunked X3, Touch Code, Quick Call II, Channel Scan, Talkback Scan, System 90, System 90*s, Systems 9000, Mitrek, Micor, Spectra, MataTrac, Syntor, Syntor X, Syntor X 9000 and Syntor X 9000E are trademarks of Motorola Inc.