BCD536HP Multi-Color LED Suggestion

[K4EET]

I use the Multi-Color LED to identify the service;e.g. Blue=Police, Green=Military, Red=Fire, etc.). It would be "nice" if the color LED would remain on while the squelch is open. At this time, the LED turns off many times before I have a chance to look at the scanner to see what color is on (I'm disabled in a wheelchair). Better yet, to appease everyone, make the LED programmable; e.g. momentary or continuous while the squelch is open or the talkgroup is active.

Thanks for your consideration and a GREAT scanner!

73, Dave K4EET
_____________________
Retired E911 Police Communications Systems Manager
BC800XLT (1978) and BCD536HP (2015)
NOTE: I had a Motorola Police HT when 800 MHz Trunking
came about so did not need a scanner. LOL! :lol:

 

[Voyager]

Been discussed many times. They can't due to patent issues.

 

[buddrousa]

Voyager GRE/WHISTLER holds it staying on what would be the chance of adding more time to the on time as it is short sometimes?

 

[Voyager]

Yes. GRE/Whistler does it because they are the ones who hold the patent. The longer Uniden makes it, the more likely they are to find themselves in an infringement suit.

I too wish it could be on longer, or for the entire duration of the transmission, but I really doubt Whistler will grant them a license to add that.

 

[MStep]

There is a little cheat you can do if you want that light to stay on longer (I think right now it stays on for about 5 seconds).

Just program your conventional channel or talk group into "X" number of continuous channel slots with the alert light enabled in each and each slot with negative delays of -5 seconds.

Then when you scanner stops on your signal, it will remain there for 5 seconds with the light flashing, then jump to the next slot for another 5 seconds, again with the light flashing, and so on and so forth.

I admit that this is not a perfect solution, but a few of my friends who monitor local fire and police channels on conventional frequencies use this method and it works just fine.

 

[Voyager]

Interesting. Is there any gap in the transmission when you do this?

 

[MStep]

Interesting. Is there any gap in the transmission when you do this?

Maybe a tenth of a second gap--- and of course once the transmission ends, the scanner just resumes its normal operation. Of course, you have to program in about 20 or so continuous slots, and the method is only effective if you hit the transmission on one of the earlier slots. The last slot should be programmed for your normal 2 or 5 second delay--- if the your scanner hits on one of the later slots, the method is not quite as effective for that transmission.

This is good for late-night listening, which I often do, with just 4 or 5 specific frequencies (PD, FD, EMS), but once you get the hang of it, you might find it very effective.

Admittedly not as good as having the light actually stay on and entire signal transmission, but hey, patents are patents and sometimes we need work-arounds. Try it and let me know.

 

[Voyager]

From your reply, I'm assuming you are doing this on an analog channel, and not P25, correct? For P25, I would think there would be much more than a 1/10th second gap due to the re-acquisition of the signal and subsequent decoding.

 

[K4EET]

Been discussed many times. They can't due to patent issues.

As an engineer who has worked on patents, I'm surprised that this is protected by a patent. This is one of those "obvious" features that should not be patentable. Shame on the Patent Office.

73, Dave K4EET

 

[XTS3000]

Every radio I own illuminates the LED continuously while receiving. How can this "feature" be patented? So Whistler can sue Moto, Kenwood to name just a few of EVERYBODY who could be sued by Whistler? This doesn't sound right.

What is the patent # of this patent?

If this is the case, Whistler could make WAY more money suing every radio manufacture out there then selling scanners.....

 

[MStep]

From your reply, I'm assuming you are doing this on an analog channel, and not P25, correct? For P25, I would think there would be much more than a 1/10th second gap due to the re-acquisition of the signal and subsequent decoding.

More efficient on conventional, non-trunked channels, be it analog or digital, but certainly doable with trunked channels as well if you set up your system for ID Scanning and not ID Searching and just include those talk groups you wish to monitor.

I didn't say this was a perfect or easy solution, but I have set up radios for towing services to work in this fashion. They basically only want to monitor police, fire and ems (and maybe some of their competition!), and not hundreds of channels or agencies.

 

[buddrousa]

XTS3000 you are not changing the color on your radio led. We are talking about scanners not 2 way radios. We are talking about different colors for different groups in scanners. I know at one time the Truck Pull Sleds had a patent that was held by a man that patented the theory of moving weight transfer funny thing he never built or owned a sled and his patent was a drawing of a sled he saw working.

 

[Voyager]

Every radio I own illuminates the LED continuously while receiving. How can this "feature" be patented? So Whistler can sue Moto, Kenwood to name just a few of EVERYBODY who could be sued by Whistler? This doesn't sound right.

Which radios have multi-color LEDs on received channels for the duration of the transmission (programmable for each channel)?

I suspect the answer is "none" which is why it doesn't sound right - because it's not right and there are no infringements.

As for ridiculous patents, ever watch Shark Tank? They will issue a patent for just about anything. One guy on the show had a patent for HOLES in clothes so you can run a wire through the holes for a headset, or any other reason. Ever put a hole in your clothes? Better pay up.

Who would have ever thought you could get a patent for putting glue on the back of a piece of paper? 3M did and marketed it as Post-It-Note.

 

[Minus1]

Been discussed many times. They can't due to patent issues.

Nonsense, there is nothing remotely patentable about a light coming on. I've previously noted such timewasting nonsense from you and blocked you, clearly I need to reinstate the block.

 

[K4EET]

OK, enough back-n-forth. I do NOT want my thread to be locked...

QUESTION: Does anybody know what the Patent Number(s) is/are blocking Uniden from doing what I originally stated? I have used several patent search engines and cannot find any patents by Mr. Kenneth P. Whistler or a colleague along these lines. I don't doubt one or more exist from what I've read. I just want to see how they wrote the patent to make it a patentable item. Just curious...

Thanks in advance to anybody with this information. As for other discussions that have occurred above, please do not post any more along those lines. Thanks!

73 (best wishes), Dave K4EET

[EDIT: Mr. Kenneth P. Whistler may be an incorrect name for the patent holder...]

 

[buddrousa]

K4eet did you look at GRE as GRE started this with the LED's and Whistler bought all scanner rights from GRE? Here is a post from the GRE 500 600 release talking about the RS/GRE led patents.
http://forums.radioreference.com/gre-scanners/70509-gre-release-new-digital-handheld-others-7.html

 

[K4EET]

K4eet did you look at GRE as GRE started this with the LED's and Whistler bought all scanner rights from GRE? Here is a post from the GRE 500 600 release talking about the RS/GRE led patents.
http://forums.radioreference.com/gre-scanners/70509-gre-release-new-digital-handheld-others-7.html

Thanks for the post link. I had forgotten that GRE is still making all of Whistler's radios. But I'm still not able to find the actual patent that prohibits Uniden and everyone else from doing a multi-color LED scenario with different blinks continuously while the squelch is open or the talkgroup is active. One method is analog sensed and the other is digital sensed. I doubt if the patent is for both. But then I might be wrong too... LOL! 73, Dave K4EET

 

[fxdscon]

Thanks for the post link. I had forgotten that GRE is still making all of Whistler's radios.

I think you misread or misunderstood something here....

GRE is no longer making any scanners for anyone.

 

[XTS3000]

Seeing as Whistler bought all the intellectual properties from GRE, I think we need to search for the patent issued to GRE. Searching for GRE brings up nothing, but General Research of Electronics, Inc brings up all GRE patents.

I see nothing related to any multi color LED from GRE (General Research of Electronics) in any of their patents. However, I haven't worked with patents since the mid/late 80's (USA or International), so maybe I'm missing something.

After searching other scanner terms, I noticed a few possible infringements on some patents not related to LEDs from the current manufacturers. Don't want to open Pandora's box, so I'll keep this to myself....

The one radio that contained a multi color LED was the VX-7R. Yes it's a transceiver, but is also a wide band receiver where the LED stayed on during the entire transmission even outside the ham bands.

 

[phask]

I may be wrong, but it seems that someone posted or linked the patent when this same subject came up a year or so ago.

Could one get a Whistler - old GRE manual and check all the patent numbers listed within?