I think you've got to look at it from a different perspective, Rich. Why have the scanner automatically program the entire system in for you? The point of Control Channel trunking is that you can trunk an entire system and only use up one channel in memory to do it. If you wanted the entire system programmed, you might as well program it the old way and then lose 5-20+ memory channels.Most public safety systems have been fully "vetted" so the working channel (and control channel) frequencies are already known. Also, I find in public safety here in Massachusetts that control channels are no longer rotated. I know that's not the case in all areas, but it's not hard to determine what the few possibilities are.
If you really want to learn all the frequencies in the system and then program it, there are two ways to do it: First, simply jot them down as the voice channels appear on the display. Yes, it takes a little work, but it's not a huge deal. Second, you can run Winscan which will log all the working channel hits and auto program them if you like.
I've been using the feature to determine what channels make-up the many 900 MHz SMRs in greater Boston. I do like to then program all the working and control channels in and then trunk normally at times (I do like those dancing lights which you don't get in cc-only mode). Trying to figure out those 900 MHz SMRs without CC-only (or without 2 scanners, a PC and Trunker) is a nightmare. The 780 is a joy for this.
Regarding the four plans, Greg Knox can speak to this issue much more intelligently than me, but my understanding is that its just a requirement of control channel trunking. It's not as though the software engineers skimped on this and had you do something that you shouldn't have to do. Think of it like a Fleet Map. Just a fact of life that it's required.
With that being said, it's really not a big deal. You don't have to select one for 900 MHz trunking. In 800 MHz, the default plan is almost always used. Most importantly, you just have to know a few frequencies within the system if you suspect that an alternate plan may be required, you don't really have to know them all.
I agree it would've been slick if you could've just put the scanner into search, found a control channel, and began trunking, but this is much more complicated from a software perspective than it may seem. Perhaps one day this will be possible by external software.
Rich Barnett