Just on the off chance that anybody from these companies ever reads this....
Like many others I will now bow out of the public safety scanning hobby, as I suspect many others are doing or will be doing soon.
As large metro areas like the Phoenix metro area move to simulcast systems that encompass most to all departments, people like myself who once enjoyed scanning are giving up the hobby since your equipment doesn't work properly on these systems. What was once an exciting hobby, is now unintelligible garbled muck. The basic problem is what could be loosely called "digital simulcast multipath", and it makes all transmissions sound like garbage unless you are REALLY close to one particular site, or can isolate out others sites (as I could do with a yagi at my old location, but not at my new location). I can listen at work (don't usually have time) where I sit RIGHT below a tower, but in most places including home and on the go, it's AWFUL.
I know you are aware of the problem, and obviously have made a business calculation that AT THIS POINT it is not worth your efforts to develop a scanner capable of simulcast reception. At this point, there obviously is not a sufficient need to spend the R&D funds on such a project. I get that, and I sold my scanners and bow out of the hobby for the time being since all that was once exciting to listen to can no longer be received well enough to listen to, despite being in the middle of a large metro area.
So I close with a request. Please consider developing a scanner that can be used on simulcast systems. Public safety radios work, so we know it is possible. I suspect it is simply a matter of money. If that is the case, then I hope you will consider offering a scanner that works on these systems, even if it means the unit is $1200-$1500. I would pay for such a device, and I suspect a growing number of other (former) scanner enthusiasts would as well.
If this is largely a matter of tuning a unit to a PARTICULAR system, not just a matter of developing one unit that works everywhere (a matter of money), then I guess public safety monitoring in large metro areas is on the way out, and that's that. Thanks for the years of enjoyment that you provided. Loved the products of both companies.
Cheers
Like many others I will now bow out of the public safety scanning hobby, as I suspect many others are doing or will be doing soon.
As large metro areas like the Phoenix metro area move to simulcast systems that encompass most to all departments, people like myself who once enjoyed scanning are giving up the hobby since your equipment doesn't work properly on these systems. What was once an exciting hobby, is now unintelligible garbled muck. The basic problem is what could be loosely called "digital simulcast multipath", and it makes all transmissions sound like garbage unless you are REALLY close to one particular site, or can isolate out others sites (as I could do with a yagi at my old location, but not at my new location). I can listen at work (don't usually have time) where I sit RIGHT below a tower, but in most places including home and on the go, it's AWFUL.
I know you are aware of the problem, and obviously have made a business calculation that AT THIS POINT it is not worth your efforts to develop a scanner capable of simulcast reception. At this point, there obviously is not a sufficient need to spend the R&D funds on such a project. I get that, and I sold my scanners and bow out of the hobby for the time being since all that was once exciting to listen to can no longer be received well enough to listen to, despite being in the middle of a large metro area.
So I close with a request. Please consider developing a scanner that can be used on simulcast systems. Public safety radios work, so we know it is possible. I suspect it is simply a matter of money. If that is the case, then I hope you will consider offering a scanner that works on these systems, even if it means the unit is $1200-$1500. I would pay for such a device, and I suspect a growing number of other (former) scanner enthusiasts would as well.
If this is largely a matter of tuning a unit to a PARTICULAR system, not just a matter of developing one unit that works everywhere (a matter of money), then I guess public safety monitoring in large metro areas is on the way out, and that's that. Thanks for the years of enjoyment that you provided. Loved the products of both companies.
Cheers