Is Uniden putting any effort into a detachable face 536?

I'm posting this here because I think its the most ideal forum. If a moderator thinks otherwise feel free to move it as you see fit.

Is Uniden making any effort (or UPMan can you tell me absolutely not at this time) to make a remote or detachable face iteration of the 536 any time soon or is that not even on the table including other models?

If that is being considered, has any thought been put into how to deal with sudden power loss in a vehicle or a method to indicate to the radio that power is being removed and do a final SD write/close? It seems all the SD based scanners are prone to issues if they were wired up to an ignition switched power source. I have a charge guard, but the manner in which its hooked up it will shut off power after 14 hours of idle or if the car battery is nearing too much voltage drop. I'd hate to corrupt cards based on that.

I'm curious because if the answer is no I'm going to continue down the road of mounting a Whistler but I'd hate to go through that only to find out Uniden was designing and releases a competitive model all along?

I'm probably going to continue down the Whistler path because too much of what I like to listen to can only be heard on a newer radio, but having the same exact programming on both radios would be an incentive to wait it out.

It's very unlikely you will receive any answer on that... as has always been Uniden's policy....

Scroll down to the last paragraph here:

http://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/publish/upman.html


And.... it's not just a Uniden policy:

http://forums.radioreference.com/2501305-post12.html

.

I suspect they are not working on it since they have the SIREN option which acts as a remote head.

They also have the REPLAY disable which will help on the potential corruption issue.

But, worst case it's not hard to add a relay that switches the scanner on and off like the power switch does. This may void the warranty, but I have suggested a firmware change which could make that a built-in feature. no idea if they would actually add it though, but it should be possible.

Get a Windows Tablet and use Proscan software gives you full control over scanner and sound via wifi works great and it's cheap.

BCD536HP: Is Uniden putting any effort into a detachable face 536?

Yes I think a detachable head for the scanner would be a nice option as the new cars today have no place to mount the scanners like the old cars did. Oh well I will figure out something.

Mike

Sorry, Uniden missed that memo..

Instead they came up with some convoluted idea idea of using wifi and your Iphone as a remote head.

Never mind that you can't actually turn the scanner on or off remotely, or that the cost of producing the app for IOS and Android was probably going to absorb much of the profits from the scanner's sales, or that people were likely to have horrible car accidents while attempting simple tasks like turning the volume up or down or locking channels/systems out whilst driving, if and when they eventually iron out all the wifi/App problems

But of course you don't really need a remote head, because you can simply mount your DIN sized scanner right into the dash of your new vehicle, oh, wait..

Sorry for the sarcasm, but really, why in 2016 are scanner manufacturers still making DIN sized scanners anyway? Every mobile/base digital scanner on the market today is basically identical in design to the handheld version (aside from power and audio amp). You could easily make a 536HP mobile/base scanner no bigger than a packet of cigarettes, with a separate compact, wired remote display/control. Had Uniden done this, they would have saved themselves hundreds, if not millions of dollars in R&D and likely sold many more units. But, they had to reinvent the wheel..

Paul has stated in for the 996 series there would be NO remote head. The previous head for 996 sold very poorly.

I'd guess the DIN factor is to retain some of the commercial usage that insists on it as well as compatibility with previous installs.

alphaacres said:

Get a Windows Tablet and use Proscan software gives you full control over scanner and sound via wifi works great and it's cheap.

Click to expand...

I tried this setup (wired through the RS232, not wifi)-doesn't work with a radio mounted in an inaccessible place (next to the other radio chassis.) The radio has to be powered on/off with the on/off/volume control or the SD card will eventually corrupt. Since it's a vehicle, leaving the radio on 24/7 is not an option for most installations. In my situation, there is a remote battery switch feeding a relay, which in turn feeds an auxiliary fuse block dedicated for the radios. Voyager's solution to use a Reed relay is the best possible answer in this type of setup, but it involves modification of the radio which most likely would void the warranty, and might be a bit beyond the technical expertise of some.

EDIT:

The 996P2 doesn't have the SD card, and I haven't seen any issues with the one I have in my truck at work with a vehicle battery switch/manager, so you might be able to use a tablet with Freescan for remote control. I haven't tried it, but it should work in theory.

Just for the record, if I am following this thread correctly, the RF-96 Remote Head did not allow you to turn of the scanner remotely. You had to turn it off separately.

True

N9JCQ said:

Just for the record, if I am following this thread correctly, the RF-96 Remote Head did not allow you to turn of the scanner remotely. You had to turn it off separately.

Click to expand...

Include Bluetooth...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

horizonscanner said:

Include Bluetooth...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Some Bluetooth info here:

Bluetooth in scanners
.

Voyager said:

I suspect they are not working on it since they have the SIREN option which acts as a remote head.

Click to expand...

I use the iPhone as a “remote head”, however, it seems that all of the functions do not work at this time. Some, like “Volume” and “Squelch” cannot work with Siren as these are adjustable by the front-panel knobs on the 536. It appears that they did a great job of mimicking the display of the HP1/2, but its appearance gives the initial impression that all of the functions are present, and they are not.

Still, it does what I want it to do, which is give me the ability to see what’s going on and HOLD on a specific channel and RESUME SCAN without having to look down to or reach for the radio.

phask said:

Paul has stated in for the 996 series there would be NO remote head. The previous head for 996 sold very poorly.

Click to expand...

It sold poorly because the original retail price was as much as the radio, itself, was. Nobody wanted to pay that. Eventually the price came down to a reasonable point, but by then, it was too late.

Boatanchor said:

why in 2016 are scanner manufacturers still making DIN sized scanners anyway?

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Good question. For those with older cars, DIN-sized scanners are great! They fit in perfectly and the installs look amazing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with my 2010 Honda Accord. I managed to put in in where the center console storage area is and it works and looks great, but as you said, no reason to make them the site that they are, today. Other than the audio amp, your’e right, there’s no difference between the mobile and handheld versions. And we can always use an amplified speaker.

The old remote head was an in convenience to use. There were several conductors (wires, cables) you had to deal with. If possible a removable type head like on some of the ICOM mobiles. Again I do not know the logistics and finances to implement this, but it might be better received on both sides. Both sides meaning those that like the size of the radios as they are now and those that need a removable head. Again a one cable connection in my opinion would be a keeper.


W2WEG

Inconvenience, sorry typo. -2


W2WEG