Does the RR Database REALLY make it this easy?

[KK4JW]

Remember the "old days" of hand programming your "Dual Trunking" scanner to follow that EDACS or MOT system? Keying in all of the control channels, talkgroups, etc.? Then along came software which took a lot of the work out of it, but still left things open to trial and error and getting everything keyed in exactly right to make it all work.

I remember when RadioShack came out with the Pro-97 Triple Trunker, Win97 software (I think) and me sitting up until 2:30 - 3:00 AM setting it all up.

Now, after buying an SDS150 and using the RR Database, it is mind boggling how easy it has became to program a scanner and it work correctly the first time with little tweaking and fine tuning. It's literally "point and click" and complex multi-site simulcast systems are uploaded and programmed, and it just.. Works. It makes me feel guilty a little bit that I'm not sitting at my PC for three hours building a program file only to upload it to the scanner and find out I've missed something. Has modern technology REALLY made it this easy to scan these days?

Sure, the onset of encryption has became a thorn in our sides, but still, I find it amazing that everything has became so.. Automated.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Remember the "old days" of hand programming your "Dual Trunking" scanner to follow that EDACS or MOT system? Keying in all of the control channels, talkgroups, etc.? Then along came software which took a lot of the work out of it, but still left things open to trial and error and getting everything keyed in exactly right to make it all work.

I remember when RadioShack came out with the Pro-97 Triple Trunker, Win97 software (I think) and me sitting up until 2:30 - 3:00 AM setting it all up.

Now, after buying an SDS150 and using the RR Database, it is mind boggling how easy it has became to program a scanner and it work correctly the first time with little tweaking and fine tuning. It's literally "point and click" and complex multi-site simulcast systems are uploaded and programmed, and it just.. Works. It makes me feel guilty a little bit that I'm not sitting at my PC for three hours building a program file only to upload it to the scanner and find out I've missed something. Has modern technology REALLY made it this easy to scan these days?

Sure, the onset of encryption has became a thorn in our sides, but still, I find it amazing that everything has became so.. Automated.

One man deserves the majority of the credit for the ease in programming that exists today: Paul Opitz. He understood the programming complexity that was required to monitor the radio systems in use today and came up with ways of making it easier. Sure there were many others that also deserve kudos (like Greg Knox among others on the software side) but Paul helped Uniden revolutionize trunked system monitoring with the introduction of the Uniden BC235XLT in the 90s. Without Paul our hobby would be very different.
I will always be honored that I got to help him bring many scanner models to market.
I miss his creativity, his eye on technology, his love of music and most of all I miss my friend.
Thanks Paul, for everything you brought to our world.

 

[pb_lonny]

I remember in the early 2000's, trying to work out how to get our EDACS network here working with the UBC245XLT. We don't have the advantage of the RR DB here, so we still have to work out a lot of things ourselves.

 

[pb_lonny]

One man deserves the majority of the credit for the ease in programming that exists today: Paul Opitz. He understood the programming complexity that was required to monitor the radio systems in use today and came up with ways of making it easier. Sure there were many others that also deserve kudos (like Greg Knox among others on the software side) but Paul helped Uniden revolutionize trunked system monitoring with the introduction of the Uniden BC235XLT in the 90s. Without Paul our hobby would be very different.
I will always be honored that I got to help him bring many scanner models to market.
I miss his creativity, his eye on technology, his love of music and most of all I miss my friend.
Thanks Paul, for everything you brought to our world.

Well said. I had some interactions with Paul and he was such a resource and supporter of the hobby.