MattSR
Member
PS - please take this as constructive. I'm not attacking anyone here, just putting my opinion forward as if I was developing the scanner myself 
Announcing the BCD396XT and BC346XT Scanners
- Thread starter UPMan
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DaveNF2G
Guest
A few thoughts on the thread:
I'm thrilled to hear that my old 296 might yet receive an update.
The 396X sounds very interesting.
Anyone can add a NASCAR logo (or any other) at home.
"P25 Single Channel Trunking," EDACS-SCAT, Motorola VOC, and single channel LTR might best be comprehended as ways of using a trunking mode in place of CTCSS/DCS for user separation. Obviously the technical details are more complicated, but from the scanning perspective they achieve the same purpose.
The RID display feature on the GRE is interesting, but takes way too much memory to be practical. I can't input enough IDs to make it worthwhile.
I'm thrilled to hear that my old 296 might yet receive an update.
The 396X sounds very interesting.
Anyone can add a NASCAR logo (or any other) at home.
"P25 Single Channel Trunking," EDACS-SCAT, Motorola VOC, and single channel LTR might best be comprehended as ways of using a trunking mode in place of CTCSS/DCS for user separation. Obviously the technical details are more complicated, but from the scanning perspective they achieve the same purpose.
The RID display feature on the GRE is interesting, but takes way too much memory to be practical. I can't input enough IDs to make it worthwhile.
SquierStrat
Member
sound/looks like a great scanner however im a little disappointed in one thing.
only 500 talkgroups per system. that doesnt seem like a feature in a new scanner, that seems like a feature to add to the existing scanner (is there still gonna be the "pay for" upgrades coming out for the bcd396t??) i would have thought with this being the NEW scanner they could at least keep up with GREs 1800ish talkgroups per system, ESPECIALLY with room for 25,000 of them.
i really do hope this 1 thing gets changed before the release
only 500 talkgroups per system. that doesnt seem like a feature in a new scanner, that seems like a feature to add to the existing scanner (is there still gonna be the "pay for" upgrades coming out for the bcd396t??) i would have thought with this being the NEW scanner they could at least keep up with GREs 1800ish talkgroups per system, ESPECIALLY with room for 25,000 of them.
i really do hope this 1 thing gets changed before the release
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DaveNF2G
Guest
For UPMan:
I know you're not on the marketing side of things, but do you know whether Uniden intends to price the 396X and the 996X the same, or will there be a "portable premium" on the 396 model?
I know you're not on the marketing side of things, but do you know whether Uniden intends to price the 396X and the 996X the same, or will there be a "portable premium" on the 396 model?
MattSR
Member
Yes, its unusually small limit, especially when you consider a 3600 baud system can have 4096 TGs and a 9600 system some stupid number (2^16 for those that care)
UPMan,
Not to sound critical, but is there a reason that you aren't releasing it for the Christmas shopping season?
I would think that releasing a new product after people have "blown thier budget" for frivolous spending would limit the potential for sales.
Victor
Not to sound critical, but is there a reason that you aren't releasing it for the Christmas shopping season?
I would think that releasing a new product after people have "blown thier budget" for frivolous spending would limit the potential for sales.
Victor
RISISS
Member
Now... will they do the same thing with the bcd996t ?
Pricing and release timing:
Can't talk about specific pricing because:
1) We don't set the retail price; and
2) Since it has not yet received an FCC grant, promoting it for sale (i.e. by putting a price tag on it) would be an FCC violation.
In general, we expect the retail price to be about the same as current models, but it could certainly float either up or down a bit, depending on demand and retailer decisions.
As to timing: Because it won't be ready. Actual production will be late November, but we'll have some final assembly work stateside. It is somewhat remotely possible that it will be available the last week of December, but we are not counting on it in this year's budget, and really don't expect it to be available until the first week or two of January.
Can't talk about specific pricing because:
1) We don't set the retail price; and
2) Since it has not yet received an FCC grant, promoting it for sale (i.e. by putting a price tag on it) would be an FCC violation.
In general, we expect the retail price to be about the same as current models, but it could certainly float either up or down a bit, depending on demand and retailer decisions.
As to timing: Because it won't be ready. Actual production will be late November, but we'll have some final assembly work stateside. It is somewhat remotely possible that it will be available the last week of December, but we are not counting on it in this year's budget, and really don't expect it to be available until the first week or two of January.
CC Data output is something like:
(different system types woud appear differently)
(different system types woud appear differently)
mikey60
Member
So what would P25 look like? And will extended packets be provided on VHF systems that use them?
Mike
MattSR
Member
Any responses to my points UPman?
Tried to make the update a "soft" launch (to let some beta testers check the live site, first). In any case, that is a topic for a different thread.
Matt: The CPU RAM limits the total system size (channels + frequencies).
Matt: The CPU RAM limits the total system size (channels + frequencies).
A few months ago I did a side-by-side test between a GRE PSR-600 and a Uniden BCD996T. The one feature the GRE had that I really liked was the multicolor alert LED. I could program law enforcement channels or TG to light that LED in blue, fire in red, EMS in green, etc. Made it real easy to see from the across the room to see what kind of traffic the scanner was stopped on.
From what I've read, the BCD396XT will duplicate that feature through the multicolor display backlighting. Is that one feature worth it for me to dump my BCD396T and get an XT? I dunno.
Probably the hottest features for everyday scanning are:
Of course, I'm rather fond of all the new features, but the above are probably the ones that will get the most use.
- Multisite Trunking
- Analog/Digital/All Channel Selection
- NAC support
- Temporary Lockout
- System / Channel Number Tagging
- Priority on Trunking
Of course, I'm rather fond of all the new features, but the above are probably the ones that will get the most use.
Egads that thing sure is ugly .... aesthetically it looks like something from the 70s.
UpMan,
For the BCD396XT Fire Tone Out Search, will there be a way to store the decoded tones (like the way the close call store works) and will it be possible to associate an alpha tag (if we've put it in for the frequency transmitting the tones) with the stored tones (if they are stored)?
Thanks, Andy
For the BCD396XT Fire Tone Out Search, will there be a way to store the decoded tones (like the way the close call store works) and will it be possible to associate an alpha tag (if we've put it in for the frequency transmitting the tones) with the stored tones (if they are stored)?
Thanks, Andy
Yes. If you hit ENTER during the FTO Delay period, you'll be prompted to save the info. For FTO Search, I really recommend setting the delay to infinite.
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