Why Scanners today so Limited ?

[Will001]

Also, why not just get a HF receiver? You can find them on Amazon for relatively cheap, and they’re relatively small. I’ll repeat what I’ve seen some reasonable folks say: if you want it, build it. Otherwise, if someone gets too extreme about their opinion, they start to sound like ISIS...(no offense to anyone).


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[hardsuit]

bob550 - mark my words, when someone figures how to create a REAL scanner out of a Android Mobile device or Smartphone , there wont EVER be the need of a stand alone scanner again. heck the RFinder DMR Radio uses a Android Smartphone or a Tablet, so why cant a Scanner or CR be built into a Smartphone or Tablet, less to carry.

 

[Will001]

bob550 - mark my words, when someone figures how to create a REAL scanner out of a Android Mobile device or Smartphone , there wont EVER be the need of a stand alone scanner again. heck the RFinder DMR Radio uses a Android Smartphone or a Tablet, so why cant a Scanner or CR be built into a Smartphone or Tablet, less to carry.

Because the majority of people don’t give a rat’s hind quarters about a scanner. That’s why stand-alone scanners are a much better idea.


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[Citywide173]

bob550 - then explain how can a $180 Communications Receiver gets MORE Spectrum than a $699 Digital Scanner. take the ICOM R-6 its 100 khz to 1309 MHz and compare it to UNIDENS flagship scanner the SDS100. the Uniden has been using the same Outdated receiver tech of the 1990's. they only improved Database Management and addition of Digital modes. FACT is a CR used as a Scanner is superior to any "scanner" and CR have Many SCAN and SEARCH modes that scanners even lack, such as AMWS and Voice Scan. CR can also Receive TWO calls at the same time - DUAL VFO. and If scanners were trying to capture the HAM market, then they would offer Continious Coverage scanners and Demodulate ALL analog modes as well as ALL the HAM Digital Modes. but scanners today are Inferior, frankly there were better when they had continuous coverage and could receive Cellular.

You really just don't get it. Uniden and Whistler are not trying to "capture the HAM market"

Let's try a different approach.....

I am a fire scene photographer. My desire is to listen to the local fire departments and know when there is an incident of interest to photograph. I am located in southeastern Massachusetts. With a very few VHF exceptions, the departments I listen to are on UHF or the digital RISCON system. WHY DO I NEED ALL OF THESE OTHER MODES AND EXTENDED FREQUENCY RANGE?

When you extrapolate the above situation to all fire scene photographers, then further to all news photographers who use scanners, the people that just want to listen to local public safety (these are the targeted market of scanner manufacturers by the way,) police and fire departments that purchase scanners to listen to adjacent jurisdictions and businesses that rely on public safety for their own interests (board up companies, tow companies, insurance adjusters, etc.) you realize that the radio you describe is not what the majority of the customers buying scanners want. The majority of these people are not HAM operators and quite honestly, couldn't give a **** less about what a HAM operator wants-as long as it meets their needs, they are happy-as long as the majority of the customers are happy and buying their product, the manufacturers are happy and content to provide it.

The HAM market does not support enough sales to make it that attractive to the scanner manufacturers when compared to the overall customer base to justify changes. Icom and AOR market to the ham market and the monitoring community. If someone wanted to market a scanner that captures the HAM market while appealing to a larger customer base, perhaps it should be them, not the scanner manufacturers.

 

[hardsuit]

mule1075 - Well Excuse Me...…..I thought you did not Live in the USA based on your comment.
In Pennsylvania it should NOT matter where you live, a Scanner or Receiver works the SAME in PA as the REST of the USA, its just a matter of Legality. but, who is to say you IMPORT from a scanner friendly state, and you can still Listen Legally in your own Home or Garage.

 

[Citywide173]

bob550 - mark my words, when someone figures how to create a REAL scanner out of a Android Mobile device or Smartphone , there wont EVER be the need of a stand alone scanner again. heck the RFinder DMR Radio uses a Android Smartphone or a Tablet, so why cant a Scanner or CR be built into a Smartphone or Tablet, less to carry.

Original Android phones had FM receivers in them that used the earphone jack as an antenna. As the devices have evolved, there are but a few current production devices that have this capability. Care to guess why? It wasn't popular enough to support the cost of putting the receiver into the device! FM radio is exponentially more popular than scanners or any other form of communications monitoring. If the market didn't support an FM receiver, how much interest do you think there will be in a scanner inside the phone?

 

[hardsuit]

Citywide173 - but Is NOT scanning All About Spectrum security ? Watching the Watchers so to speak.
form what I have seen UNIDEN used to have a Continious Coverage scanner. but it would rather save a few pennies per unit ? by having a Cheaper receiver ?

 

[Will001]

The law is the same throughout the US. Mobile scanning is something different. Why are you now harping on legality of scanners? Wasn’t this whole thing about the HF bands? Hams, at least in my area, don’t care about public safety bands, so they buy some cheap CCR’s to scan the ham bands. There are some exceptions, like myself, who like scanning multiple bands. But as was said earlier, the hams don’t represent a big enough market to appeal to manufacturers.


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[hardsuit]

Citywide173 - DMR radio is popular with HAMS, so much so the Built in RFinder and a VHF or UHF radio into a Android Device and they even have a Tablet Computer with DMR radio as well.
I see the Future with in DASH scanners built into the Double DIN Receiver already in the Center Console, would hardly be any problem including a SDR based Digital scanner into the many GPS/Infotainment systems that use Android.

 

[Will001]

Also, what does the HF bands offer? If you pray hard enough, MAYBE the bands will be open enough for you to pick up a faint signal, and for what? To listen to old hams complaining about how they don’t like taking medicine? How they hate these new technician class hams trying to take over ham radio as a whole? Milton is hard to find, SW radio is dead, ham radio can get incredibly boring, so why would a scanner manufacturer make a scanner like that? So the local news station that buys one can listen to the hams and report it on the news? NO! They buy scanners from the major manufacturers to listen to PUBLIC SAFETY.


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[Will001]

Citywide173 - but Is NOT scanning All About Spectrum security ? Watching the Watchers so to speak.
form what I have seen UNIDEN used to have a Continious Coverage scanner. but it would rather save a few pennies per unit ? by having a Cheaper receiver ?

Because NO ONE WANTS HF. Maybe the few that pop up once in a blue moon, but I am willing to bet AT LEAST 90% of the folks who get scanners aren’t crying their eyes out that they can’t listen to the old hams on 80m, or any other HF band.


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[Citywide173]

Citywide173 - but Is NOT scanning All About Spectrum security ? Watching the Watchers so to speak.
form what I have seen UNIDEN used to have a Continious Coverage scanner. but it would rather save a few pennies per unit ? by having a Cheaper receiver ?

Then you should be more concerned with the encryption argument than the expanded frequency debate.

Obviously, you don't want to see that the majority of scanner users don't care about the HF bands, don't care about "watching the watchers," don't care about radio as a hobby and only want to listen to what they want to listen to, which is the product that the scanner manufacturers provide. Radio enthusiasts and scanner users are two different groups. While your statement above might ring true to an enthusiast, it does not hold true for the average scanner user. To them, scanning is about being nosy and having the ability to turn on the radio when they see flashing lights at their neighbor's house. There are many more scanner users than radio enthusiasts out there and their money speaks louder than yours.

 

[Citywide173]

Citywide173 - DMR radio is popular with HAMS, so much so the Built in RFinder and a VHF or UHF radio into a Android Device and they even have a Tablet Computer with DMR radio as well.
I see the Future with in DASH scanners built into the Double DIN Receiver already in the Center Console, would hardly be any problem including a SDR based Digital scanner into the many GPS/Infotainment systems that use Android.

The app is installed in somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 android devices. There are an estimated 2.3 billion android devices in use worldwide.

100,000/2,300,000,000= less than 1/2 of one percent. Keep telling yourself how popular it is. This should put in perspective how many people just don't care enough about radio to make any of your ideas attractive to a manufacturer who has a successful business model. Successful by their standard, and that is the only one that matters to them.

 

[bob550]

bob550 - then explain how can a $180 Communications Receiver gets MORE Spectrum than a $699 Digital Scanner. take the ICOM R-6 its 100 khz to 1309 MHz and compare it to UNIDENS flagship scanner the SDS100. the Uniden has been using the same Outdated receiver tech of the 1990's.

You seem to be using a receiver's frequency coverage and available modes as units of measurement. That only tells part of the story. What may not be obvious is the receiver's sensitivity, selectivity and dynamic range. I wouldn't even begin to compare the performance level on my Icom R5 to my R71A on the HF bands, even when both are connected to my long wire antenna. The R5 just isn't in the same league. I certainly wouldn't compare the scan speeds of the R5 to my Uniden 536. What it offers in portability and frequency coverage is tempered by a lack of performance. The one-size-fits-all does-everything approach is rarely successful.

 

[Will001]

Not to mention that communications receivers lack trunk tracking.


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[wtp]

if i remember

and i do.
Bob Grove, as in monitoring times magazine, tried doing this years ago and gave up because of costs.

 

[tumegpc]

I don't think you'll ever see a "GOVERNMENT USE ONLY" version of a scanner.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-016271

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-015287

 

[Tramagod]

Obvious troll post is obvious.

I agree


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[Tramagod]

Uniden for some reason has fallen behind in quality control in the past few years. The SDS100 is a toy compared to the Icom R30 in build quality. Uniden will make you believe that adding Bluetooth and GPS will degrade performance and cost $$ way too much. Well the Icom R30 has both and out performs the SDS100 by a mile while costing $50.00 less. And that's including a hand full of other digital modes.



The R30 has dual receivers, dual record, dual bandscope, microsd that is easy to access, GPS, Bluetooth, a scanner app that actually works quite well. IP57 waterproof protection (1 m depth of water for 30 minutes).I can listen privately to the R30 while wearing wireless earbuds or headphones. R30 has a nice drop in desk top charger that was included. Battery is low profile and last easily for 8 hours. There is an optional AA battery adapter. Digital decoding of P25 and NXDN is the best I've ever heard. Exceptional UHF/VHF reception. The list goes on and on.



If my public safety when encrypted tomorrow. I would still have plenty to listen to with the R30. Can you say the same for the SDS100?

I certainly can, and see have a 536 and SDS100 to be delivered by Wednesday.


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[majoco]

Seems to me all you guys have talked yourselves into a corner. If you want to listen to your local EMS/LEO's - then buy a scanner. If you want to listen to worldwide broadcast stations, ham radio and other utilities - buy a communications receiver. End of story.