Uniden and Radio Reference

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Drkatzjr45

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Is there any business relationship between Uniden and RR, that might
make it slightly and (subtlely) more difficult for people to simply express
their true opinions of Uniden's products?
 

AZScanner

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Would you badmouth the people who pay YOUR bills? I wouldn't.....

That being said, their business arrangement with Uniden is no doubt the exact same arrangement they have with GRE (now Whistler). We Uniden customers just tend to be a bit more passionate about our radios I guess. We either love them or hate them, respectively. I love my 436HP but before I bought that radio, I was ready to drop kick that POS BC796D of mine. I still might, but not until I get some steel toe boots so I don't hurt myself. ;)

-AZ
 

mikewazowski

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Yes, there is a business relationship between RadioReference but that relationship has no bearing on how the site is run.

As a Moderator, I have had no direction on quelling any anti-Uniden threads and as a DB Admin, we have been specifically told not to tailor the database based on any particular manufacturers scanner. What you see is what they get. This would include Whistler, GRE, Radio Shack, etc, etc.

Lots of members have expressed their displeasure over Uniden's latest offerings on these forums.
 

thundermedic

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It should be clarified that the arrangement has to to with the use of the RadioReference Database for use in programming there scanners.

There also appears to be an agreement with some distributors to advertise on the site too.

As with anything these days, it cost money to provide the services like a large forum website. RR has offset this by providing these services.

With the amount of negative feedback I have seen on the site about lots of different scanners and other radios I'm almost certain that RR is independent and doing its best at moderating it forums to keep them safe for all (or most) ages.
 
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thundermedic

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...With the amount of negative feedback I have seen on the site about lots of different scanners and other radios I'm almost certain that RR is independent and doing its best at moderating it forums to keep them safe for all (or most) ages.

There real ages, maybe not the ages members act...
 

mikewazowski

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Gentlemen, I've cleaned up a couple of off topic comments in the thread.

To be clear, these had nothing to do with the discussion of the OP.

Let's stay on topic and try to be civil towards each other.

Thanks.
 

ofd8001

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Just guessing, but I imagine Uniden is a "customer" of RR, just like us premium subscribers. Uniden, like us, pays a fee to RR to download the frequency database. Uniden's bill is probably a tad bit higher than ours.

I'm kinda happy the RR/Uniden relationship exists. In theory I could let my premium subscription lapse and save a few bucks. That's because I have the new model scanner and can obtain the download service via Sentinel. In practicality I probably won't because I also have non-HP model scanners that I update programming on.
 

bberns22

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There is no expectation of freedom of speech on RR, regardless of their relationship with any manufacturer.RR is privately owned and the owner is king of his castle. RR has been more than fair it's tolerance for some of the recent activity on it's forums.
 

QDP2012

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There is no expectation of freedom of speech on RR, regardless of their relationship with any manufacturer.RR is privately owned and the owner is king of his castle. RR has been more than fair it's tolerance for some of the recent activity on it's forums.

Not just "recent"... Its leaders have been tolerant for several/many years.
 

UPMan

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Uniden and RadioReference have a licensing arrangement that allows the RadioReference Database (RRDB) to be included and updated in certain of our scanners. Nothing in these agreements requires either party to exert any editorial control on comments made in any forum (aside from obligations of non-disclosure).

The only times I have requested that information be removed or otherwise affected is when someone has either a) posted non-public information that they received under privilege then publicly disclosed, or b) posted incorrect or misleading comments that could create a false perception as to Uniden's position on some material issue.

That said, I can count on one hand how many times I've made such a request to RadioReference over the past dozen years and have digits left over. I don't care if you post your dislikes of our products, feature implementations, or whatever (as long as your position has a factual, and not fanciful or malicious basis). In fact, I encourage you to make such posts, as they are (when posted based on fact and in a civil manner) my best ammunition when I go to bat for making a new product or changes to an existing product. If you post something factually incorrect, I am much more likely to correct the factual error in my own post than to ask the post be removed.

The moderators here do a great job of policing comments so that threads stay civil, truthful, and on topic, but they do so equally in all forums and for all manufacturers, and the intent (to my perception) is to keep the content in these forums useful, to keep vitriol out of the dialog, and to keep this place a great place to come either as a long-time scanner user or as a first-time user.
 

thundermedic

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And it should also be noted that users on RR were instrumental in finding the Headphone issue on the 536HP that Uniden initiated a recall for. It it weren't for users posting potential issues, Uniden would not have been as fast helping users affected.
 

Drkatzjr45

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The problem is Uniden, at present, has no real (proactive) competition,
which affords them little incentive.

And (of course) there is a relationship with RR....it is in their interest
to protect them. Any other comment is untenable.
 

forums manager

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And (of course) there is a relationship with RR....it is in their interest to protect them. Any other comment is untenable.
As the person who sets the rules and manages the forums I can tell you no one dictates to me any type of favoritism nor do I harbor any, and RR Managers are the first line below Lindsay. Me, personally, I was a GRE supporter...but my management position on here is not personal, it's strictly business. I gain nothing from the relationship Uniden has with RR.

The Uniden area of the forums tends to have a louder, opinionated voice and gets more rowdy hence the greater moderation presence here.
 

LiquidPandora

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The problem is Uniden, at present, has no real (proactive) competition,
which affords them little incentive.

And (of course) there is a relationship with RR....it is in their interest
to protect them. Any other comment is untenable.

Don't look now the DB Samurai is online
 

scannersnstuff

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a thumbs up to both radioreference and uniden. i've certaintly freely expressed my cheers and jeers over every single scanner mfg. products, here. this is the best source of radio information, period !. uniden has done a great job of becoming the king of scanner production. a big thank you to both rr and uniden. i know that i've been critical at times,but most of the scanners in my shack, are unidens.
 

Hooligan

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A good follow-up question is whether the contract between uniden & RR prevents RR from engaging in a similar contract with Whistler.

Also let's not forget that certain RR employees, in addition to other payments from RR, have received special offers from Uniden.

I do think it's somewhat reprehensible that the owner of RR makes a financial profit off of his agreement with uniden for the uniden models to access the RR database -- material which we members provide pro-bono. Having said that though, importing any RRDB material into a uniden then requires a lot of time editing the system/site/channel name info to make it sensible on the scanner.

RR & uniden can (& do!) spin things any way they want, but perception is reality.
 

Boatanchor

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A good follow-up question is whether the contract between uniden & RR prevents RR from engaging in a similar contract with Whistler.

Also let's not forget that certain RR employees, in addition to other payments from RR, have received special offers from Uniden.

I do think it's somewhat reprehensible that the owner of RR makes a financial profit off of his agreement with uniden for the uniden models to access the RR database -- material which we members provide pro-bono. Having said that though, importing any RRDB material into a uniden then requires a lot of time editing the system/site/channel name info to make it sensible on the scanner.

RR & uniden can (& do!) spin things any way they want, but perception is reality.

The whole Uniden (& GRE/Whistler) / RR relationship is a little strange and it is bound to raise questions.

The point about the commoditization by RR, of information voluntarily submitted by members here, followed by the subsequent re-selling of the same information by Uniden, in some cases back to the same people who submitted the information in the first place, is a little troubling.

Uniden and GRE/Whistler would not be able to market any of the HP/Zip scanners if it were not for us enthusiasts who voluntarily and without payment, submit information to the RR database.

It would be interesting to read into this from a legal perspective.
 

digitalanalog

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I asked a similar question a few days ago, and have not received a reply, and would not think your comments will get one as well, they just don't want to talk about it.

http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...-audio-feeds-scanners-wait-encryption-16.html

RR's big money making project is Live Streams, which is Destroying the hobby, but hey..... there is money to be made so who cares....Right?

At last count (and does not reflex all the profit)
Daily Adds Revenue = $430.00
Monthly Adds Revenue = $12,905.00
Yearly Adds Revenue = $154,864.00

BIG Money is in API licensing fee for Every cellphone app for receiving streams that come from the RR.
and those numbers are NOT included in the amounts shown.

Yes I know (before the Cost bashing takes place) it cost to run the RR site, But charging it's own customers for it's own information should not be done, and is NOT FAIR.
The whole Uniden (& GRE/Whistler) / RR relationship is a little strange and it is bound to raise questions.

The point about the commoditization by RR, of information voluntarily submitted by members here, followed by the subsequent re-selling of the same information by Uniden, in some cases back to the same people who submitted the information in the first place, is a little troubling.

Uniden and GRE/Whistler would not be able to market any of the HP/Zip scanners if it were not for us enthusiasts who voluntarily and without payment, submit information to the RR database.

It would be interesting to read into this from a legal perspective.
 
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