Porkins
Member
Just read all 11 pages. Some of the post in here are one big laugh riot. As Lindsay hinted at, I do hope something good comes of this.
GRE US Personnel Attempt Restart of GRE Business
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quarterwave
Member
Can you say Phone-Shack...that's about all they have are cell phones and accessories. Man, I long for the old Shack.
Sad News
Lindsay, thank you for your efforts to get to the truth in this situation as well as being a GREAT supporter of our Hobby.
In all situations like this there are various objectives by all the parties DIRECTLY involved in this process. GRE Japan Corporate has legal concerns, agreements, work force, inventory, support, warranties that effect their public stance. GRE America has the same as well as others. What any of them can and can not say publicly is great effected by this.
The former Dedicated Employees don't want to see their hard work and efforts die, I applaud their efforts and wish them MUCH success in their attempts to keep the products and Technology alive.
I've owed many GRE Radios in my 30 years as a scanner hobbyist and have loved them. Today I own Uniden Radios, but know that we need BOTH in the industry to advance our hobby.
Lindsay, again THANK YOU for your continued efforts to advance our hobby. Everyone is intitled to their own opinion, but I for one think Radio Reference and you are fantastic for this hobby and would never question any post you took time to research and inform your site followers about. I have no doubt it is correct information at the time you posted it. As always things can change and I'm sure you will keep us informed of any changes you become aware of.
Long Live GRE Technology in some form!
Donnie
KE4GYN
Lindsay, thank you for your efforts to get to the truth in this situation as well as being a GREAT supporter of our Hobby.
In all situations like this there are various objectives by all the parties DIRECTLY involved in this process. GRE Japan Corporate has legal concerns, agreements, work force, inventory, support, warranties that effect their public stance. GRE America has the same as well as others. What any of them can and can not say publicly is great effected by this.
The former Dedicated Employees don't want to see their hard work and efforts die, I applaud their efforts and wish them MUCH success in their attempts to keep the products and Technology alive.
I've owed many GRE Radios in my 30 years as a scanner hobbyist and have loved them. Today I own Uniden Radios, but know that we need BOTH in the industry to advance our hobby.
Lindsay, again THANK YOU for your continued efforts to advance our hobby. Everyone is intitled to their own opinion, but I for one think Radio Reference and you are fantastic for this hobby and would never question any post you took time to research and inform your site followers about. I have no doubt it is correct information at the time you posted it. As always things can change and I'm sure you will keep us informed of any changes you become aware of.
Long Live GRE Technology in some form!
Donnie
KE4GYN
I'd worded the comment re codecs badly (bit late in the evening) but my point was more of "No real worries other than maybe needing to relicense the two main codecs used from DVSI" (Phase I P25 uses IMBE, others use AMBE, I've seen various sources saying phase II P25 uses IMBE or AMBE).
I'd only mentioned codec licensing as that's the only real non-FCC bit (other than potentially licensing of other tech) that would impact a scanner release (and it has been speculated in past that the lack of NXDN capable scanners unwilling to license the technology...but with NXDN now being an open standard and DVSI being willing to license other codecs, there isn't a reason a scanner maker couldn't license AMBE and put out a NXDN capable scanner...the point I tried to make but failed epically at).
Keeping this GRE-successor-specific...if GRE-A can get the IP from GRE-J, hopefully this includes codec licensing because if anyone has a shot of making a NXDN-capable scanner, either GRE-A or a successor company would be it
(This would also be the major expense, other than setting up the assembly of course--and as others have noted, there are quite a number of companies in Shenzhen who are all too happy to do manufacture.)
The primary reason I brought up D-Star at all, as an aside, is because there is at least a "chip-based homebrewing" community and in my part of the world D-Star repeaters are starting to show up now and again...may just be a Southeast thing, though; at any rate, you can use the same codec in D-Star and NXDN, which would potentially make a radio design easier. Another point I epically failed to get across. (Moral of the story: Don't post trying to make a point when in need of coffee.)
I'd only mentioned codec licensing as that's the only real non-FCC bit (other than potentially licensing of other tech) that would impact a scanner release (and it has been speculated in past that the lack of NXDN capable scanners unwilling to license the technology...but with NXDN now being an open standard and DVSI being willing to license other codecs, there isn't a reason a scanner maker couldn't license AMBE and put out a NXDN capable scanner...the point I tried to make but failed epically at).
Keeping this GRE-successor-specific...if GRE-A can get the IP from GRE-J, hopefully this includes codec licensing because if anyone has a shot of making a NXDN-capable scanner, either GRE-A or a successor company would be it
(This would also be the major expense, other than setting up the assembly of course--and as others have noted, there are quite a number of companies in Shenzhen who are all too happy to do manufacture.)The primary reason I brought up D-Star at all, as an aside, is because there is at least a "chip-based homebrewing" community and in my part of the world D-Star repeaters are starting to show up now and again...may just be a Southeast thing, though; at any rate, you can use the same codec in D-Star and NXDN, which would potentially make a radio design easier. Another point I epically failed to get across. (Moral of the story: Don't post trying to make a point when in need of coffee.
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OK, I had apparently worded that original post REALLY badly--ironically, the points I was trying to make were tthe same points as your original comment or, put more precisely:
a) The major impediments to GRE-A that are non-FCC-related involve whether they can get codec licensing transferred from GRE-J or if they need to reapply to DVSI (my original point was that it was one company--I failed at this).
b) My point in mentioning DVSI and scanner formats was that most of the rest not presently covered in scanners use AMBE, and--what with NXDN now being an open standard--it should (theoretically) be a simple matter of asking DVSI for a license for AMBE as well as IMBE (I also don't think DVSI would have an issue--I completely and utterly failed at pointing this out). In THEORY it should be as simple as, say, getting P25 implemented in a scanner nowadays.
(I'd noted that, by the way, because one of the popular urban legends was that the folks who owned the NXDN and Mototrbo patents pretty much were refusing to license the tech to scanner companies--both are openly published, though, and NXDN is now as explicitly open as P25 is so that argument can be pretty much dismissed as bunk. There does seem to be a definite interest in a NXDN capable scanner (Kentucky in particular is becoming a veritable sea of NXDN).
c) The only reason encryption was mentioned at all is that SOME documentation on NXDN has claimed that encryption is enabled as standard on shipped radios, and at least some urban legends of the hobby have claimed this is why no NXDN-capable scanners exist (the more likely reason is that Uniden hasn't seen interest in it yet and GRE-J was trying to keep their heads above water, as we know now). I personally find this highly unlikely, and even if this was a concern, scanners aren't legally allowed to do decryption of encrypted transmissions anyways.
(I admit to being particularly clumsy in expressing my point and should really have specified better.)d) Re Phase I P25, yes, that's IMBE; I've read from various sources that Phase II P25 is IMBE or AMBE (yes, there's been claims for both)--and IF Phase II P25 is AMBE and GRE-A can get the IP from GRE-J they have quite a leg up in making a Killer Scanner Firmware.
e) The main reason D-Star was mentioned at all was that it uses the same codec as NXDN and Mototrbo (a point I apparently really failed to make)--they could pretty much purchase the chip and have the firmware capable of both. (D-Star hasn't caught on in most of the country, but there are spots in the Southeast US where D-Star repeaters do exist and are even run as experimental repeaters by the local ARCs. It could well be a case where--much like Kentucky and Tennessee are becoming a sea of NXDN and Mototrbo--we have some local weirdness going on.)
I hate to see GRE in this situation, but who knows, maybe the next great scanner manufacturer will rise from the ashes. Sounds like there are some people trying to resurrect something. Be it the new incarnation of GRE America or whatever name I hope the best for these individuals.
Not sure what you are asking/saying, and who it's addressed to?
Jake68111
Member
Without wanting to join in on the arguing in this thread or wanting to be flamed, could someone "bullet-point" what this would mean for a PSR-800 user?
Does this news about GRE essentially mean that the 800 is "the best it will be" as it operates now?
And why would anybody want to go run out and buy themselves anything with the GRE name? Wouldn't someone want to stay as far away from the GRE line knowing that the company is on its way out?
I'm really trying my best to understand all this but having a hard time wrapping my head around it all.
Thanks in advance for anyone who attempts to s-p-e-l-l this out for me!
Does this news about GRE essentially mean that the 800 is "the best it will be" as it operates now?
And why would anybody want to go run out and buy themselves anything with the GRE name? Wouldn't someone want to stay as far away from the GRE line knowing that the company is on its way out?
I'm really trying my best to understand all this but having a hard time wrapping my head around it all.
Thanks in advance for anyone who attempts to s-p-e-l-l this out for me!
Best thread ever.
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O well at least I bought a nice Radio Shack PRO 106 and I also have 2 nice GRE PSR 600's.
I think this is all a big joke and a scam. Just about when they were suppose to release the GRE PSR 900 this month in October and everything went belly up. Yeah Right.
GRE is just buying time and mis-leading the public. Just give it some time, if not good for UNIDEN. They probably have something good in the works anyways.
The CEO and the higher brass probably ran the company into big debt and ran off with all of the money.
This seems all FISHY like bad smelling fish..............
I think this is all a big joke and a scam. Just about when they were suppose to release the GRE PSR 900 this month in October and everything went belly up. Yeah Right.
GRE is just buying time and mis-leading the public. Just give it some time, if not good for UNIDEN. They probably have something good in the works anyways.
The CEO and the higher brass probably ran the company into big debt and ran off with all of the money.
This seems all FISHY like bad smelling fish..............
I want to ditto the above. RadioReference sure has been a boost to the hobby and I also hope what may have been on the GRE "drawing board" will see the light of day.
This is not "official" but it seems that the PSR-800 recently had free "Beta" firmware uploaded and I hear there may be a free fix for the two observed problems within a week, so it seems there is some activity ongoing. I also previously posted that I believe there is an effort underway to keep the weekly database updates available. I hope this helps your concern.
For the last time folks: This is not a "scam". This is not a "practical joke".
This is not a "fishy situation". This is not an April Fools Joke.
This is no laughing matter.
Lindsay, Larry Van Horn, Jeff from the Ham Station, Don Starr, and many other well know folks in the hobby would not put their reputations on the line for a joke.
Folks in this thread have been to the now shuttered GRE headquarters in CA. They have vouched for everything that the folks above have said.
For petes sake can we give the conspiracy theories a rest???
This situation is real and it has happened.
Marshall KE4ZNR
This is not a "fishy situation". This is not an April Fools Joke.
This is no laughing matter.
Lindsay, Larry Van Horn, Jeff from the Ham Station, Don Starr, and many other well know folks in the hobby would not put their reputations on the line for a joke.
Folks in this thread have been to the now shuttered GRE headquarters in CA. They have vouched for everything that the folks above have said.
For petes sake can we give the conspiracy theories a rest???
This situation is real and it has happened.
Marshall KE4ZNR
So I am hoping the PSR 900 does come out although it's pretty screwed up. I had talked to someone months ago who assured me that the 900 was coming and that both the 800 and the 900 were the only units out there that would be able to handle tdmax2. Guess that explains what happened to my pro-106. i'll say this i liked the demodulation on the 106 and my pro-197 but ruggedness wise, I think uniden had gre beat hands down. just my opinion. sad to see them go however
slicerwizard
Member
Codec licensing should be the easiest task - what business reason would DVSI have to refuse licensing? I would expect others to possibly be less willing, like Uniden for example.
Perhaps you should look into the AMBE-2020 - I hear that they go for about $20 a pop and DVSI will sell you as many as you want - enough AMBE to choke a horse. So where's your impediment?
ProVoice, P25 Phase 1: IMBE
D-Star, NXDN, DMR/TRBO, P25 Phase 2: AMBE
On a positive note. At least GRE went out on top. The PSR-800 is by far the best scanning receiver IMHO. From it's excellent P25 phase 1 decoding, to P25 phase 2 decoding, to it's ability to track PV talkgroups, and so many other innovative features. I really hope GRE comes back in some way.
DonS
Member
DVSI may not have any reason to refuse licensing, but that licensing might be another significant up-front cost (any existing licenses might not be transferrable or assignable).
Potential "impediments" to using the AMBE-20x0 parts from DVSI: board space, power consumption, available pins on other (interfacing) parts, having to maintain inventory on yet another piece of hardware, possible higher cost per unit sold, not necessarily the same vocoder implemenation as the various DVSI IMBE/AMBE libraries, etc.
This is going to be fun.
Factually incorrect. The entire PRO-2000 series line of scanners was designed and manufactured by GRE. Many consider GRE's PRO-2006 scanner the best scanner that was ever produced. I think so anyway
I would have to agree .. for those that are slamming GRE as having an inferior product, look at scanner history, and how GRE has had a significant impact.
The Pro 2006 WAS one of the best scanners ever made (and I continue to use one as a discriminator tapped scanner running 24/7. It just keeps ticking .. and was in its time a great scanner).
I expect GRE to continue to produce some really great products, but time will tell what really happens.
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