SeeHawk® Touch
Creating Public Safety Channel Lists
Cleaned Video Transcript / Study Notes
This lesson explains how to create channel lists for public safety grid testing in SeeHawk Touch.
Before creating channel lists, make sure the tablet is connected to the scanner through Bluetooth.
1. Select the Protocol
If you are setting up channels for a P25 system, go to the protocol section and make sure P25 is highlighted.
Then, under Band, select the plus sign to add a new band.
The system will ask whether the channel list should be:
- Uniform
- Non-uniform
2. Uniform Channel List
A uniform channel list is used when channels are evenly spaced.
For example, if the first channel center frequency is entered as:
850 MHz
Channel 1 will be set to 850 MHz.
The channel bandwidth can remain at:
12.5 kHz
You can then adjust the channel spacing.
For example, if the channels are spaced:
50 kHz apart
The system automatically updates the full channel list.
Uniform lists can create very large channel lists, sometimes thousands of channels. Since public safety systems usually do not require that many test frequencies, uniform channel lists are rarely used.
3. Non-Uniform Channel List
Most public safety channel lists are non-uniform.
To create a non-uniform P25 channel list:
- Highlight P25.
- Select the plus sign.
- Choose Non-Uniform.
- Keep the bandwidth at 12.5 kHz.
- Start with Channel 1.
- Tap the Channel Center Frequency field.
- Enter the first frequency.
- Select Add.
- Change the channel number to Channel 2.
- Tap the center frequency field again.
- Enter the next frequency.
- Select Add.
- Repeat until all required frequencies are entered.
This manual method works well when only a few frequencies need to be added.
Once all channels are entered, select Save and name the list.
Example name:
P25 List
4. Custom Channel Power
If you need to test another type of system, such as an older analog system or another non-P25 system, you can use Custom Channel Power.
To create a custom channel power list:
- Highlight Custom Channel Power.
- Select the plus sign.
- Choose Uniform or Non-Uniform.
- Select the appropriate scanner range.
Available ranges may include:
- Wideband scanner range from 10 MHz to 6 GHz
- Public safety band from approximately 140 MHz to 990 MHz
If the wideband option is not available, use the public safety band option.
In this mode, you can enter any frequency you need to test.
5. Importing a Large Channel List
If you have many channels to enter, it is easier to use a spreadsheet instead of entering each frequency manually.
Create a spreadsheet with two columns:
| Channel | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 1 | Frequency 1 |
| 2 | Frequency 2 |
| 3 | Frequency 3 |
The required headers are:
- Channel
- Frequency
Then:
- Paste all required frequencies into the spreadsheet.
- Increment the channel numbers.
- Save the spreadsheet as a CSV, or comma-separated file.
- Copy the CSV file to the tablet.
- Place the file in the Seahawk Touch folder.
- Put it inside the folder named Custom Channels.
- Import the channel list in SeeHawk Touch.
This is much faster than entering many frequencies one at a time.
6. Importing the Channel List in SeeHawk Touch
After copying the CSV file to the tablet:
- Return to SeeHawk Touch.
- Go to the channel setup area.
- Select the import option.
- Choose the CSV channel list.
- Import the list.
- Name the channel list.
The imported frequencies will now be available for testing.
7. DMR Channel Lists
The DMR option works in a similar way.
To create a DMR list:
- Select DMR.
- Select the plus sign.
- Choose Non-Uniform.
- Enter the required frequencies.
DMR frequencies can be entered in the supported scanner range, depending on the scanner configuration.
Final Summary
SeeHawk Touch allows users to create public safety channel lists manually or by importing a CSV file.
The main methods are:
- Uniform list — used when channels are evenly spaced.
- Non-uniform list — most common for public safety systems.
- Custom Channel Power — used for analog or other systems where only power is measured.
- CSV import — best for large channel lists.
For P25 public safety testing, the most common workflow is to create a non-uniform P25 channel list and enter only the specific frequencies required for the test.