A Beginner-Friendly Step-by-Step Guide to monitoring your most important channels.
Think of Priority Scan as a way to tell your scanner: "Hey, I have some really important channels I want to keep tabs on, even while I'm listening to other stuff." It's designed for the times when you want to monitor multiple channels but have a few that are more important than the rest.
Here's the simple explanation: Priority Scan lets you mark certain channels as "priority channels." Your scanner will periodically stop what it's doing and quickly check those priority channels to see if anything is happening on them. If activity is detected, the scanner alerts you. Then it goes back to normal scanning.
For example, you might want to listen to your entire county's communications, but if a specific hospital or fire station goes active, you want to know about it immediately. You'd mark that hospital channel as priority, and the scanner would keep checking it throughout your scanning session.
These are two completely different features, and it's important to understand the difference because they work in opposite ways.
| Feature | Priority Scan | Close Call |
|---|---|---|
| What it monitors | Channels YOU specifically mark | ALL strong signals nearby |
| How it finds things | Checks only selected channels | Detects ANY transmission |
| Setup required? | Yes - mark channels first | No - automatic |
| Good for | Specific important channels | Discovering new frequencies |
In short: Priority Scan = I already know what I want to listen for. Close Call = I want to find out what's transmitting near me.
Your SDS100 has three different Priority Scan modes. Understanding each one is key to using this feature effectively.
What it does: Checks priority channels on a regular schedule (usually every 2 seconds). Interrupts regular scanning to check.
When to use it: When you must catch every single transmission. More aggressive.
Trade-off: Interrupts your listening every 2 seconds.
What it does: "Do Not Disturb". Checks priority channels only during silence gaps between other transmissions.
When to use it: Most popular mode. Balances priority checking with smooth listening.
Trade-off: Might miss activity if regular channels are very busy (no gaps).
What it does: Disabled completely.
When to use it: Normal scanning with no interruptions.
This is the fastest way to turn Priority Scan on and off while you're already scanning.
Speed tip: This cycles very quickly, so be ready to release the button!
Critical: Priority Scan only works if you have actually marked channels as priority! Otherwise it does nothing.
Step 1: Enable System Priority
Step 2: Mark Talkgroups
Note: Trunked priority is always active once the system setting is On; you can't toggle it easily with the quick button like conventional.
Press Func + Period (.) to cycle modes.
For trunked systems, you MUST enable Priority ID Scan in the Edit System menu first!
Final Thoughts: Once you master Priority Scan, you can relax and scan broadly, knowing your SDS100 will jump to the action on your most important channels automatically.
