Help me help you

[donc13]

As far as being Paul's replacement, we all know that nobody can replace Paul but... after about a month when we didn't see the firmware rolling out on a regular basis, or at least the public release of beta firmware I felt that he was not a replacement for Paul but was a spokesman passing along customers concerns to whoever wasn't doing anything at all to address any issues prior.

This arrangement worked for quite a while but it was not sustainable. Let's stay optimistic and see what happens.

And do any of us know WHY there have been no firmware updates in the last 7 months?

I sure don't. I don't even know who or what group or if JB is a programmer or if currently Uniden has the funds to pay for that or who they need to get approval for that? I do know their quarterly revenue dropped by 50% over the last few quarters, but don't know why. I do know much of the World was shutdown from about 3/20 to about 3/21 and some of it is still shutdown. That's never happened before. What effect that had on Uniden, I don't know other than comments here about repair services and supply shortages.

Nor do I expect for Uniden to answer any of those questions.

I just find it odd that there are several here who think this is all a scam on Uniden and/or Joe's part.

 

[tampatracker]

A Firmware update for the SDS100 to include activating the key lock feature. I know it has one because I was messing around with the keyboard and inadvertently activated it. I have no idea of the keys I punched to do it, but it was there and had the scanner locked down (keyboard input). I had to remove battery as I recall to get it off.

 

[trentbob]

And do any of us know WHY there have been no firmware updates in the last 7 months?

I sure don't. I don't even know who or what group or if JB is a programmer or if currently Uniden has the funds to pay for that or who they need to get approval for that? I do know their quarterly revenue dropped by 50% over the last few quarters, but don't know why. I do know much of the World was shutdown from about 3/20 to about 3/21 and some of it is still shutdown. That's never happened before. What effect that had on Uniden, I don't know other than comments here about repair services and supply shortages.

Nor do I expect for Uniden to answer any of those questions.

I just find it odd that there are several here who think this is all a scam on Uniden and/or Joe's part.

Yes of course, No doubt that the virus hurt the bottom line of most businesses but a lot of this stuff was going on prior to the virus.

Although Paul passed the last week of December 2019 he was pretty much out of commission for quite a long time secondary to complications and that would explain why no firmware updates since April 15th 2019.

I don't think this is any kind of scam per se. It's more like a Cool Hand Luke moment..."what I think we have here is a failure to communicate"... many people, including myself, thought we had a replacement for Paul. To me, that meant we would soon have public beta firmware being released, getting feedback from The Forum on priorities was important on what needed to be addressed first.

What we got was a list made up of what needed to be addressed, most of the stuff on the list were already well-known, well documented issues.

Of course we got all the wish list stuff too, some of it impossible to do... short of... wait for it... A waffle maker.

 

[JoeBearcat]

So the hardware fixes would not benefit those of us who own the scanners, unless the hardware fix would directly effect us? If you left the current hardware in place, went to the bug fixes, that would benefit more of us here. Waiting on hardware fix for most of us isn't beneficial. Can the Phase 2 control channel issue you mention be corrected via firmware is an example I can think of. The late entry Phase 2 UID capture issue, can that be addressed via firmware?

Maybe have the engineers put out a beta firmware addressing some of the issues, and those of us who have the addressed issue(s) decide if we should download the firmware? I know you have a beta test group, what kind of responses have you received on the beta firmware...if any have gone out?

Can you imagine the outrage if we were to ignore hardware issues and leave them continue while working on firmware?

There is a reason things are in the order they are. Hardware cannot be fixed in the field via firmware update. Firmware issues can. That is why it is important to fix hardware first. No matter which you solve first, those in the other camp will complain. So I chose to fix the issues we could NOT FIX later first.

Yes, TDMA CC is something I expect can be added via firmware update. I see no reason to believe otherwise. Now, should we ignore that issue and fix bugs first since bug fixes affect many more people? Or should we make the core functionality a priority? Yes, I know your answer will change depending on which you need. The one you need is the one you feel is more important to address first.

And yes, the late entry UID is another firmware-addressable issue.

When bug fixes are started, the most critical ones will be addressed first. I expect there will be several firmware releases when that time comes.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Why do we have to address one before the other?

Being realistic and honest about it, when the radios came out and then there was an issue with something we got a firmware update. If the update didn't turn out the way Paul wanted it to... we got another update to tweak it. While Paul could still work he tried to fix things as they popped up. We also had beta versions which eventually became permanent. Once Paul was gone, no one addressed anything, including the hum and intelligent users put their heads together and StaticDischarge developed a permanent fix, not Uniden, more issues have popped up as people became more familiar with the radios and the radios age.

Can you really put out one big firmware update to repair all of the different issues? Firmware updates are going to be a long bit by bit piecemeal process, don't you think? I would think they should have started right away? That was possible right? It certainly was before.

When you're talking about hardware issues, let's be reality-based here, you're basically building another version of the radio. Future models will have the hardware updates but all of us... we literally have to get involved in the Uniden repair process. I assume that will be free and you're going to have a massive repair campaign, we're certainly not going to pay for it.

We will be able to figure out where the serial number starts of the new model. What becomes of the old model?, who's going to want them knowing that they will be involved in the massive repair campaign that's going to overload the repair shop?

Forgive me for just thinking out loud here, trying to make sense of it and see some kind of a well-organized, predictable outcome. I realize that you have a huge charlie foxtrot here.

Paul did not have to deal with a backlog of issues. Yes, replacing him could have gone much more smoothly if we were not dealing with a global pandemic that brought most of the country to nearly a halt. It's easy to fix things as they come up. Once you get a 'pile' it is much more difficult to catch up.

As for no one addressing anything, I have been addressing many issues and I even publicly stated how these would be addressed.

One big update? No. Likely it will be several major updates and I will tell you right now not every issue will be included. It will depend on the budget ($ and time) the engineers are granted. That is not up to me.

Yes, it would have been ideal to replace Paul immediately. But there was nothing I could do about that for many reasons.

No massive repair campaign is planned since not all units have the hardware issues. But it was #1 priority to make sure NONE of the new units released have them. You could say we are putting future customers ahead of existing ones, but to ignore the hardware issues is a slap in the face to everyone.

The repair shop is not overloaded currently, so there is no reason to believe a bunch of new issue units will pop up suddenly.

There is a lot of speculation in this thread recently that has no basis in fact. The sky is not falling. This thread was created to IDENTIFY issues that need addressed, not to complain about the timeline of when they are addressed. They will be addressed. Not everything gets done today. Things are not even getting done as fast as I would like them to get done, but progress is being made.

 

[JoeBearcat]

What it appears you're doing Joe is keeping people silent while making promises that might never materialize. I've questioned your validity to others privately, wondering if you're portraying yourself in a different light than you are. When UPMan was with us, as trentbob mentioned, firmware updates were a trial and error sort of thing. This is starting to sound like we're assisting with a future model and you have no intention of upgrading any firmware because you don't have the authorization to do so.

So here's a question for all the folks out here...if "Joe" is truly working to upgrade hardware before working on firmware updates which we've been discussing here for 7 months now, if that firmware is introduced to our current hardware scheme, could this in any way harm our scanners or "brick" them as I've heard the term used?

Hey Joe, send me a PM with your Uniden number, I'd like to talk more about this

Please don't assume things. Things have materialized, and while future models are in development (that never stops) there is a huge list of issues for existing models.

Can the firmware brick your scanner? That likelihood is so remote it is not worth commenting on other than to ask that you believe the beta team is considerably more competent than that. Restoring original design specs and fixing hardware is not going to break the design. It will make sure it is much more reliable and will provide a solid foundation for the coming firmware.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Some of the Uniden Repair fixes (THE COLD SOLDER JOINT) That I paid for had to be repaired again Uniden wanted another repair fee for the repair the fix they did (NOT FAIR) so I sent it elsewhere and it was repaired right the 1st time. So far you have not put on UPMAN's PENNY LOAFERS much less laced up his shoes.

buddrosa: I Just send my sds100 in, where did you send yours for the other repair?

Those boots are not mine to fill. I am not involved in the service aspect in any way. Please don't add responsibilities to my job then complain that those responsibilities are not being met. That is not fair in any way to me just as the lack of repair was unfair to you. (and I agree about that)

FWIW, that was not Paul's responsibility either. When I hear of service issues, I let management know. I believe I let them know about this specific issue previously.

 

[JoeBearcat]

A Firmware update for the SDS100 to include activating the key lock feature. I know it has one because I was messing around with the keyboard and inadvertently activated it. I have no idea of the keys I punched to do it, but it was there and had the scanner locked down (keyboard input). I had to remove battery as I recall to get it off.

That is on the list. I too would be interested in knowing how it got activated unless it was via a Sentinel 436 file being uploaded.

But I do know for a fact keypad lock is possible because very early firmware (pre-release) had that.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Yes of course, No doubt that the virus hurt the bottom line of most businesses but a lot of this stuff was going on prior to the virus.

Although Paul passed the last week of December 2019 he was pretty much out of commission for quite a long time secondary to complications and that would explain why no firmware updates since April 15th 2019.

I don't think this is any kind of scam per se. It's more like a Cool Hand Luke moment..."what I think we have here is a failure to communicate"... many people, including myself, thought we had a replacement for Paul. To me, that meant we would soon have public beta firmware being released, getting feedback from The Forum on priorities was important on what needed to be addressed first.

What we got was a list made up of what needed to be addressed, most of the stuff on the list were already well-known, well documented issues.

Of course we got all the wish list stuff too, some of it impossible to do... short of... wait for it... A waffle maker.

Exactly. Paul was pretty much out of commission from May 2019 on.

Firmware is coming. And no doubt some will require system-specific testing (public beta) but we are not even close to that yet. Many, perhaps most of the issues will be easy to fix within the beta team. Moving forward, the bugs will be addressed prioritized as follows:

1. How many users does this affect? (the more, the higher priority)
2. How severe does it affect the core functionality (major bug)? (the more severe, the higher the priority)
3. How much R&D will this use up? (the more, the lower the priority)

If a bug is minor and obscure, I would rather fix three more common ('popular') bugs in place of that one. Again, this is a balance of the above factors.

We are communicating. It's just a matter that people want everything *now*. We are cramming three years worth of work into one. And there are people who are all too willing to take the opportunity to do what they love doing - trash Uniden and stir up the hornet's nest.

Yes, the implication is that it is entirely possible not all bugs will be resolved. At some point, the resources will dry out and we will have to do the best we can with the resources available.

Waffle maker? Highly unlikely. Even the pizza slot probably won't make the cut (although that would be a hardware issue, so I can say it didn't make the cut).

 

[JoeBearcat]

Since there has not been a new issue posted on several pages of posts, I will not be spending time reading this thread when I could be doing things that others are complaining are not getting done fast enough as it is. This thread is no longer serving its intended purpose.

I have the issue list compiled and those issues will be prioritized and worked on. A new thread will be posted when firmware is released. Please note this may take a while, but I expect to have several interim releases as major issues are tackled.

The engineers are still busy updating firmware for the current models to accommodate new hardware. A firmware for the BCD325P2 was just released.

BCD325P2FirmwareUpdate < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

 

[R0am3r]

Just my luck... I was hoping the nutty conspiracy theories would pan out.

 

[buddrousa]

Joe you know me. I paid once that repair failed I was ask to pay again I would not. I sent it to Jon I also have the failing SDS200 Screen I think we know that is bad parts also I refuse to pay for it and as it stands right now I would not buy a new Uniden for any reason I paid good money for what should have been a top of the line scanner and I got 3 scanners built with the cheapest parts and labor known to man. I sit here and look at over $15,000.00 in Uniden scanners and I am not very happy.

 

[ka3jjz]

As I've been banned from the TWiki, I can't look at the 325 firmware change. What is the new version number and what does it address?

Thanks Mike

 

[KevinC]

Since Mr Bearcat won't be reading this thread any longer I think we can close it.