I had some time this afternoon, so I paid Taka at AOR another visit for about an hour. As posted on another thread, I returned the AR-DV1 yesterday. However, despite the receiver issues, Taka and I have become pretty friendly because we speak back and forth to each other sometimes in English and other times in Japanese. He is my age, 66, and been a ham since 1963, the same as myself (actually 1962). We have talked about other things besides just radio.
We spoke in detail about the new AOR radio and some of the now well-known issues. I actually walked around the entire facility, and Taka and I went back and played with various AOR receivers, including the new AR-DV1. I again discussed some of my concerns and of those who actually own the radio, as well as the general concerns and comments on the AR-DV1 related threads. Taka is becoming aware of the problems/ We actually sat down with the radio there and went over a few things.
Taka came right out and said that we are essentially the beta-testers. He used a phrase with me in Japanese that essentially means that. I brought up one of the big issues of why no trunking. He told me that because Japan has no similar types of trunking systems as in the US (they use something different), the engineers did not really even initially consider trunking in the radio.
I explained to Taka that trunking was something that every seasoned scanner enthusiast in the US would expect (I guess that is one of the roles of Paul Opitz at Uniden in interacting with his engineers in Japan). I told him that if this scanner could do trunking, that might go a long way towards making the unit more attractive in the US. He thinks this may be possible with firmware, but no promises yet on this issue.
After some of the basic issues like VFO search problem, need for computer interface, and DMR motorboating are addressed in the upcoming firmware (due within about a week he said), he is pushing his firmware engineer(s) to start looking at phase 2 P25.
Taka is even planning on traveling around the US a bit and recording some IQ samples that he says his engineers need to help them write such firmware. I told him we have a few new P25 P2 systems coming on line here in LA, and that Las Vegas and Tucson would be good areas to travel to for P25 P2. He was not aware of this.
I also encouraged Taka to join the RRDB list (told him about very inexpensive fees for a lot of information). I advised him of all the database features and his ability to find where the different P2 and other systems are. I also told him that this would allow some feedback directly between him and all of us on the list. He said he would consider joining.
I told Taka that I would help him find some systems here in Los Angeles/Riverside that he could start using for IQ data. He evidently has a tapped AOR unit that he is using for this purpose. He not do much scanning himself. I told him that I would bring a couple of my Uniden scanners (996XT and one of my 536HPs) and set them up over at AOR for him if he would like so he can get a feel for what we all know is out there and would like to monitor. He also asked if he might come by my house (only about 20 min from AOR) and use some of my antennas to get some better reception and more of a feel for things. He is going to call me in next week or so about that.
Finally, he asked me to take back the AR-DV1 that I returned yesterday and at least wait until a couple of firmware updates to see what I and others who own the radio think. He said if I am not happy (and actually said if others are not happy), then they can return the radio.
I deal with a lot of Japanese healthcare professionals in my second career as a Japanese-to-English biomedical patent translator, I have many ham friends in Japan from over the years, and I am actively involved through our Rotary Club (been a member for 17 years) in student exchanges between Japan and the US, many of which I have chaperoned. The Japanese are pretty sincere people overall, and Taka certainly seems that way to me. I gather he is the face of AOR here in the US, but not sure.
I, as much as many of you, would really like to see a radio like the AR DV1 succeed. As a disclaimer, I have absolutely no financial interest in this venture; only my interest as a fellow amateur radio operator and scanner enthusiast.
My profession is medicine, and now biomedical translation as a second career. But I figure I live practically right next door to AOR USA, I speak Japanese (which has created a bond between myself and Taka), and I really would like see the radio work out.
What will happen in the end, I don't know, but maybe something good will come out of all of this. If they could get trunking via some firmware update, that would be a real nice thing. Taka asked me about the patent issues involved, and I told him I really don't know, that is not my expertise, in fact, radio/electronics is not my expertise, but is my lifelong hobby. I assume the digital modes like NXDN, DMR, and perhaps even P25 are still on patent protection. But I told Taka that even if they could incorporate some analog trunking, that that feature, together with all the digital mode decoding, might really help make their radio of more interest to me, and certainly to many of you reading this rather long post.
Let's see where things go from here.
We spoke in detail about the new AOR radio and some of the now well-known issues. I actually walked around the entire facility, and Taka and I went back and played with various AOR receivers, including the new AR-DV1. I again discussed some of my concerns and of those who actually own the radio, as well as the general concerns and comments on the AR-DV1 related threads. Taka is becoming aware of the problems/ We actually sat down with the radio there and went over a few things.
Taka came right out and said that we are essentially the beta-testers. He used a phrase with me in Japanese that essentially means that. I brought up one of the big issues of why no trunking. He told me that because Japan has no similar types of trunking systems as in the US (they use something different), the engineers did not really even initially consider trunking in the radio.
I explained to Taka that trunking was something that every seasoned scanner enthusiast in the US would expect (I guess that is one of the roles of Paul Opitz at Uniden in interacting with his engineers in Japan). I told him that if this scanner could do trunking, that might go a long way towards making the unit more attractive in the US. He thinks this may be possible with firmware, but no promises yet on this issue.
After some of the basic issues like VFO search problem, need for computer interface, and DMR motorboating are addressed in the upcoming firmware (due within about a week he said), he is pushing his firmware engineer(s) to start looking at phase 2 P25.
Taka is even planning on traveling around the US a bit and recording some IQ samples that he says his engineers need to help them write such firmware. I told him we have a few new P25 P2 systems coming on line here in LA, and that Las Vegas and Tucson would be good areas to travel to for P25 P2. He was not aware of this.
I also encouraged Taka to join the RRDB list (told him about very inexpensive fees for a lot of information). I advised him of all the database features and his ability to find where the different P2 and other systems are. I also told him that this would allow some feedback directly between him and all of us on the list. He said he would consider joining.
I told Taka that I would help him find some systems here in Los Angeles/Riverside that he could start using for IQ data. He evidently has a tapped AOR unit that he is using for this purpose. He not do much scanning himself. I told him that I would bring a couple of my Uniden scanners (996XT and one of my 536HPs) and set them up over at AOR for him if he would like so he can get a feel for what we all know is out there and would like to monitor. He also asked if he might come by my house (only about 20 min from AOR) and use some of my antennas to get some better reception and more of a feel for things. He is going to call me in next week or so about that.
Finally, he asked me to take back the AR-DV1 that I returned yesterday and at least wait until a couple of firmware updates to see what I and others who own the radio think. He said if I am not happy (and actually said if others are not happy), then they can return the radio.
I deal with a lot of Japanese healthcare professionals in my second career as a Japanese-to-English biomedical patent translator, I have many ham friends in Japan from over the years, and I am actively involved through our Rotary Club (been a member for 17 years) in student exchanges between Japan and the US, many of which I have chaperoned. The Japanese are pretty sincere people overall, and Taka certainly seems that way to me. I gather he is the face of AOR here in the US, but not sure.
I, as much as many of you, would really like to see a radio like the AR DV1 succeed. As a disclaimer, I have absolutely no financial interest in this venture; only my interest as a fellow amateur radio operator and scanner enthusiast.
My profession is medicine, and now biomedical translation as a second career. But I figure I live practically right next door to AOR USA, I speak Japanese (which has created a bond between myself and Taka), and I really would like see the radio work out.
What will happen in the end, I don't know, but maybe something good will come out of all of this. If they could get trunking via some firmware update, that would be a real nice thing. Taka asked me about the patent issues involved, and I told him I really don't know, that is not my expertise, in fact, radio/electronics is not my expertise, but is my lifelong hobby. I assume the digital modes like NXDN, DMR, and perhaps even P25 are still on patent protection. But I told Taka that even if they could incorporate some analog trunking, that that feature, together with all the digital mode decoding, might really help make their radio of more interest to me, and certainly to many of you reading this rather long post.
Let's see where things go from here.
