Will Uniden launch 996XT next generation replacement?

[Rescue611]

I'm very curious what the rumor mill has to say, or insight from those who might be familiar with Uniden product cycles, about the likelihood of Uniden replacing the 996XT sometime soon.

I have an 996XT in my vehicle (and many thanks to those who've answered my questions along the way), but now that it's mobile, I miss it sitting on my desk. I'm thinking of buying a second one for home, but would feel like a fool if they introduce a new, more advanced scanner soon. As others have noted, it seems like the price of the 996XT is dropping, so do retailers know something that Uniden is not telling us?

I'll just point out to any Uniden reps that might be listening, that strong brands (think Apple) encourage greater loyalty by announcing their product release plans in advance so they don't "burn" loyal customers by releasing a new product out of the blue. There is always a market for "slightly obsolete" products, particularly when your talking about your flagship products that your most loyal customers are interested in purchasing.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[garys]

Uniden generally doesn't discuss products in development until about six months before the expected release date.

I speculate that we might see something more along the lines of the Home Patrol as the next scanner release.

Other than TDMA x2 and maybe some of the other digital modes, I can't think of what I'd want in a new scanner.

[MK]

The price of the 996XT has not dropped much because it is in high demand and short supply with GRE no longer being much of a competitive supplier.

Many of the next generation features can be seen already in the HP-1. If the ProPatrol-1 is an advancement on the HomePatrol design, the next generation will go well beyond what the 996XT can do. As you might know, the HP-1 already can do many things that the 996XT cannot.

[garys]

Originally Posted by MK

The price of the 996XT has not dropped much because it is in high demand and short supply with GRE no longer being much of a competitive supplier.

Many of the next generation features can be seen already in the HP-1. If the ProPatrol-1 is an advancement on the HomePatrol design, the next generation will go well beyond what the 996XT can do. As you might know, the HP-1 already can do many things that the 996XT cannot.

Is "ProPatrol-1" a name you came up with? If you did, you should trade mark it and sell it to Uniden.

[kayi4cle]

Wow! I wish you had put a question mark after the title of this thread. I was gasping and couldn't catch my breath when I read, "Uniden to launch next generation 996XT replacement." I thought my new TDMA-capable radio was finally coming. You sure got me going!

[Ronaldski]

Yeah I mentioned that the subject needs to change, causing already too much speculation, etc.

[garys]

Originally Posted by Ronaldski

Yeah I mentioned that the subject needs to change, causing already too much speculation, etc.

Just waiting to see how long this thread is when I get up in the morning!

[bear780ks]

I wouldn't mind seeing HP-1 Updated to say like the HP-4 change a few things an add a few things Like maybe add Volume and squelch and Make it to were you can do more adjusting as you can on the 996 or 396 it's a great scanner as is but with a slight make over it could make it a Super Scanner..


A thing that i'v been thinking about in my Head and wondering if it would Work and if Uniden has Looked at the Possibility is a CB / Scanner they put weather Radios in them Why not Concept the Two.. Trucker's would Possibly Love them as it Simplifies space And it might be accepted by the General Public as Well

How to Make this Work Make the Chassis just big enough so that the Board for the Scanner and CB Radio be Separate from each other And use only External Speakers an also use separate Antenna Hook up's

Design the Front Panel of the Twin System to were it Looks and Functions as a CB radio when the Switch is turned to CB but when the Switched is Turned to Scanner it Functions Totally as a Full Fledged Digital Scanner. With special internal paneling and Shielding i think it would Work Flawlessly


I would Call it Uniden Dual force 1 the first of it's Kind Part CB Part Scanner But as i said it was something that was just stirring in my Head Ra

[KE4ZNR]

Originally Posted by Ronaldski

Yeah I mentioned that the subject needs to change, causing already too much speculation, etc.

I have adjusted the thread title to be less confusing.
But: Yall folks should know by now that all Uniden announcements
come from UPMan himself
Marshall KE4ZNR

[Rescue611]

Yes, sorry. I intended to include a question mark in my original post, but then...oops...forgot it.

Sorry for the confusion, raising hopes, and bursting bubbles.

[fxdscon]

Originally Posted by Rescue611

I'll just point out to any Uniden reps that might be listening, that strong brands (think Apple) encourage greater loyalty by announcing their product release plans in advance so they don't "burn" loyal customers by releasing a new product out of the blue. There is always a market for "slightly obsolete" products, particularly when your talking about your flagship products that your most loyal customers are interested in purchasing.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

UPMan has some thoughts on this...

At the bottom of this page:

Upman < UnidenMan4 < TWiki


.

[Rescue611]

Originally Posted by fxdscon

UPMan has some thoughts on this...

At the bottom of this page:

Upman < UnidenMan4 < TWiki


.

That's awesome. Thanks. I now feel a small step closer to the inner circle of the scanner elite!

[Boatanchor]

Uniden will release a new digital scanner only if and when it recovers its financial investment into its current model lineup. Like I've said elsewhere, expect at least 7000-10,000 units of each of the 996xt & 396xt to be required to be sold before Uniden release another model.

Uniden would have had new models on the drawing board for a while already and probably fully functioning protypes hidden away somewhere, but they won't see public release until a profit has been made, or at the very least recoved costs from the existing models. If this takes another couple of years, so be it..

They don't really have any competion any longer, so there's no rush and the last thing you want to do is sabotage sales of your current models by announcing a new product too far in advance of its release.

[W8RMH]

Originally Posted by Boatanchor

Uniden will release a new digital scanner only if and when it recovers its financial investment into its current model lineup. Like I've said elsewhere, expect at least 7000-10,000 units of each of the 996xt & 396xt to be required to be sold before Uniden release another model.

Uniden would have had new models on the drawing board for a while already and probably fully functioning protypes hidden away somewhere, but they won't see public release until a profit has been made, or at the very least recoved costs from the existing models. If this takes another couple of years, so be it..

They don't really have any competion any longer, so there's no rush and the last thing you want to do is sabotage sales of your current models by announcing a new product too far in advance of its release.

The have sold well over 10,000 units. I think I will go with Uniden's official answer instead, thanks.

[bee]

boatanchor--Where, did you get your information?????????

[JoeyC]

Silly. boatanchor and Upmans "official" wording essentially say the same thing. Of course Uniden isn't going to discuss how they need to recover R and D costs and make a profit before moving on to the next model - thats just common smarts in business.