Help me help you

[Ronaldski]

I understand how to backup... ahh the ole MS-DOS commands , but appreciate your reply, may help others.

I'm saying is not everyone, well most people I wouldn't be surprised, based on what I see around here, don't update their database, let alone know how. So if something goes wrong, they wouldn't know how to fix it. Have to a windows computer, not all have one, let alone know how or have an apple, chrome device instead. Us experts on here more apt to know how, but the general public much less chance to know.
So lets say in the menu system have an option to revert back to say a week before or so?

If anyone, including us experts are out somewhere and something goes wrong, again a whoops by the operator or others gaining control of the radio and messing it up. So if out and about most likely we don't have quick access to P.C. to fix it.

I have had quite a few people with their whistler, rs, gre's mess it up big time from their mistakes or grandkids messing it all up, etc. The quick fix was to restore from the previously working backup in their Vscanner/Vfolder that I put in for just that reason.

 

[Ubbe]

....So lets say in the menu system have an option to revert back to say a week before or so?
... So if out and about most likely we don't have quick access to P.C. to fix it.

It should be a recommendation in the user manual and at the boot screen to always copy a new config to a spare SD card and keep taped to the scanner or keep in your wallet. SD cards are just a $10 investment. I would guess that even if the scanners firmware had a backup function that people would forget about doing backups anyhow.

For anyone that wants to use the file backup bat file and would like to keep several backups with dates to be able to restore from an older backup than the recent one, the command can be modified to include the current date using an added %DATE% variable to the backup folder when the files are copied and then rename that folder to Backup without the date to be able to use the Restore bat file.

robocopy G:\BCDx36HP G:\Backup_%DATE%\ /S /XD HPDB audio
pause

/Ubbe

 

[tumegpc]

but definitely high on the priority list.

So what is actually on the top of this priority list? We are almost into August and no word of any firmware or fixes.

 

[JoeBearcat]

So what is actually on the top of this priority list? We are almost into August and no word of any firmware or fixes.

No - the bug fixes are being prioritized and will be worked on soon (like starting this month). There are a lot of them on the list and I don't know which is highest priority right now. The new TDMA P25 control channel may push everything down if that is going to be "a thing".

 

[JoeBearcat]

So, it's been half a year since this thread was started. Any tangible progress to report, @JoeBearcat? I don't expect you to spill trade secrets, but perhaps a new thread with some updates on where the most important issues/bugs stand would be a welcome sight to many long time Uniden customers who have a vested interest in progress being made. Excluding the recent "hardware revision" firmware for the 996P2, there hasn't been any firmware release for over two full years at this point. Thanks.

"tangible progress"? Yes, but nothing that can be addressed in firmware. I wanted to make sure the hardware was solid first (or as solid as we can get it). SW is currently being evaluated for bugs (only a few items on that list), but that also won't involve firmware to fix. We should start diving into bugs this month, and there are many on that list. I can't say they are all truly bugs, but reported issues that may be bugs.

 

[GTR8000]

The new TDMA P25 control channel may push everything down if that is going to be "a thing".

I certainly would never discourage Uniden or anyone else from adding cutting edge features, but it should be noted that despite all of the sudden interest in these TDMA control channels...they are so far only found on 2-3 pretty new Harris P25 systems owned by utility companies. They have not yet been seen on public safety systems, and probably won't be for a while. But hey, by all means add the functionality to your TDMA scanners, I'm sure those monitoring these couple of systems would be appreciative...but at this point it doesn't seem to warrant a high prioritization, there are certainly more pressing issues that could be addressed. Just my 2 cents.

 

[JoeBearcat]

It;s only a matter of time until they hit PS systems, and not everyone buys a scanner to monitor PS.

I would rather be in front of the issue.

 

[werinshades]

Heyyy...while on that "be in front of the issue" topic, would TETRA be on that list? I know..."very few systems out there" song begins. Wellll.....O'Hare's TETRA system went live recently, and they reallocated their analog frequencies for the TETRA system. If they sold them a system, might be others in the near future? So...if you need a TETRA beta tester, I'll volunteer

Here's the link to the system: ULS Application - PubSafty/SpecEmer/PubSaftyNtlPlan,806-817/851-862MHz,Trunked - 0008373908 - City of Chicago

 

[JoeBearcat]

TETRA is still too sparse to be included. We will see how it progresses.

 

[sfb88]

IIRC, TETRA is used in Europe. Perhaps TETRA should be developed for the European version of the SDS scanners and then it would be ready when it is needed for the US.

 

[werinshades]

IIRC, TETRA is used in Europe. Perhaps TETRA should be developed for the European version of the SDS scanners and then it would be ready when it is needed for the US.

Not just in Europe..

 

[BoxAlarm187]

...it should be noted that despite all of the sudden interest in these TDMA control channels...they are so far only found on 2-3 pretty new Harris P25 systems owned by utility companies. They have not yet been seen on public safety systems, and probably won't be for a while.

I know of at least one PS system that will have a TMDA CC live within the next 3-4 months.

 

[werinshades]

TETRA is still too sparse to be included. We will see how it progresses.

New O'Hare Airport TETRA System

As of this week the TETRA system has come alive. While I'm a little too far to get a perfect decode, I have caught a few groups in use so far. 10010001 - I am fairly certain (about 95% sure) this is a patch to the CPD talkgroup on the new P25 system. 10010002 10010004 10010008 10010012 10012003...

forums.radioreference.com

One of our Illinois contributors started a thread. I wouldn't be surprised to see these systems implemented across the country and I'm sure the reason is "to prevent those scanners from hearing us" sales pitch is being used. Maybe look into it a little more, I know others have posted TETRA systems in the USA so it's not just isolated here. The users are O'Hare Aviation Security, O'Hare City Ops, and the city maintenance, snow plows etc.

 

[GTR8000]

There are currently eleven TETRA systems in the RRDB for North America (U.S. and Canada), including three transit systems in the metro areas of NYC/NJ and Toronto. Compared with the amount of other system types, that's a pretty paltry number. Uniden America (and let's remember that's who we are dealing with here) likely doesn't feel that there is any return on investment to add TETRA to their scanners at this point, which is understandable.

Frankly, I'd much rather see them put effort into fixing long standing bugs and adding features that were promised long ago but never materialized, before adding another protocol (a niche one at that).

 

[werinshades]

There are currently eleven TETRA systems in the RRDB for North America (U.S. and Canada), including three transit systems in the metro areas of NYC/NJ and Toronto. Compared with the amount of other system types, that's a pretty paltry number. Uniden America (and let's remember that's who we are dealing with here) likely doesn't feel that there is any return on investment to add TETRA to their scanners at this point, which is understandable.

Frankly, I'd much rather see them put effort into fixing long standing bugs and adding features that were promised long ago but never materialized, before adding another protocol (a niche one at that).

You're right on the bugs...50 pages later, we have plenty of them to go around. However, looking into the near future and staying "out in front" was how the TDMA control channel issue was described, and think TETRA could be added to the list. Unication has a scanner coming in the near future, and I don't know the supported digital formats yet, if TETRA and TDMA control channel support was added, you might see Uniden step it up a notch. Keeping an open mind is a progressive thinking.

 

[wbloss]

TETRA vs "Bug Fixes" does not have to be an either/or!

 

[GTR8000]

You're right on the bugs...50 pages later, we have plenty of them to go around. However, looking into the near future and staying "out in front" was how the TDMA control channel issue was described, and think TETRA could be added to the list. Unication has a scanner coming in the near future, and I don't know the supported digital formats yet, if TETRA and TDMA control channel support was added, you might see Uniden step it up a notch. Keeping an open mind is a progressive thinking.

You can plead your case as much as you want, the fact remains that TETRA is very niche in North America. Uniden has to make a financial decision as to whether investing in the engineering and licensing (potentially) to add TETRA is going to sell enough scanners to make it worthwhile. At this point, the answer is almost certainly "no".

Adding support for P25 TDMA control channels is an entirely different conversation. The scanners already support P25, and so adding support for the new control channel protocols to the TDMA capable models is fairly straightforward. They are not all that different from the existing TDMA traffic channels.

 

[werinshades]

You can plead your case as much as you want, the fact remains that TETRA is very niche in North America. Uniden has to make a financial decision as to whether investing in the engineering and licensing (potentially) to add TETRA is going to sell enough scanners to make it worthwhile. At this point, the answer is almost certainly "no".

Adding support for P25 TDMA control channels is an entirely different conversation. The scanners already support P25, and so adding support for the new control channel protocols to the TDMA capable models is fairly straightforward. They are not all that different from the existing TDMA traffic channels.

I seem to remmeber someone saying the exact same thing about MotoTRBO/NXDN not too long ago and the option was offered to those that wanted it. You're correct...not many TETRA systems out there just like the MotoTRBO/NXDN market some years ago, but that has changed. If Motorola can sell TETRA to one of the worlds busiest airports, and not to a business then it's something to make note of. Just a little background about O'Hare, the police and fire use the city's P25 system, they migrated the agencies mentioned from an analog/UHF-T system. The city is migrating off their remaining UHF-T systems

 

[trido]

Can you say where.

I know of at least one PS system that will have a TMDA CC live within the next 3-4 months.

 

[MStep]

TETRA vs "Bug Fixes" does not have to be an either/or!

An "either/or" would certainly be better than a "neither/nor".