HomePatrol-1 Extreme Upgrade Post-Release Thread

[OCO]

Sheldon:
Yes, you can set a volume offset for each "channel" (talkgroups are listed as channels) using the Sentinel Favorite editor. If you slide to the right end of each line, you'll see the column. It's just a relative value of up to +3 or down to -3...

 

[psycho_bob42]

IR Remote

I would have liked to seen this scanner with an infrared remote. I have a scanner setup in my entertainment cabinet. I can overlay the audio on top of whatever I'm watching, so if I here sirens outside I can just punch up the audio. I know most normal people would probably just set it on an end table. My wife tolerates my hobby and sometimes she'll turn one on herself to see whats going on, but she doesn't like my "radios" lying around the house so I put my 780xlt in the cabinet with an IR add on. Now we live in a digital exclusive area and need something different. I have a 396xt that I carry around with me everywhere. The homepatrol would be perfect, maybe somebody will figure out an IR add on, a video out would be nice too, I could have it on picture in picture.

 

[ST-Bob]

@psycho_bob42 - Asking for things which can be added THROUGH SOFTWARE to our existing devices is something I think is worthwhile. Asking for pie-in-the-sky stuff which requires a whole new device does nothing for anybody but make them wish they maybe hadn't purchased the HP-1 "yet". If everyone waited till a thing was perfect before buying, there would be no new product sales and no new product development. It's all driven by money. No sales = no money = no new products.

In other words: Be realistic in your expectations and wishes. The features put into any device must appeal to the widest array of potential purchasers possible. It's a trade-off and in this case your esoteric wish for IR remote would be a VERY infrequently used feature in my opinion.

On the other hand, if the next iteration of touch-screen scanner from Uniden has a light sensor for auto-backlight-dimming then it could have an IR remote control. There was once a series of Garmin Street-Pilot GPS that had this feature. Of course it didn't come without problems. Sometimes neon signs and other flickering light sources would cause random actions on the unit. Every feature comes with the risk of some negatives as well.

 

[psycho_bob42]

Sorry, I just thought it was a natural progression. First we had big boxy mobile scanners till somebody got the idea to make one to fit into a standard DIN slot like the 996t. Most aftermarket car stereos come with an infrared remote that you can attach to the steering wheel. Some scanners have remote heads, why not an IR remote? If my idea is so esoteric then why do we have people designing their own aftermarket IR kits and selling them through scannermaster? I'm just saying that I was surprised that uniden hasn't done this yet. Maybe they have and just thought it wouldn't work, who knows? To me there seems to be a market otherwise you wouldn't have the add on kits. Ok, I'm done.

SO.

Has anybody tested the touchscreen in extreme heat like inside a car during the Texas summer? I have a gps that the touchscreen stops working when it gets really hot.

 

[OCO]

Has anybody tested the touchscreen in extreme heat like inside a car during the Texas summer? I have a gps that the touchscreen stops working when it gets really hot.

I'm guessing the number one Texas tester is UPMan....

 

[jkahn]

Sorry, I just thought it was a natural progression. First we had big boxy mobile scanners till somebody got the idea to make one to fit into a standard DIN slot like the 996t. Most aftermarket car stereos come with an infrared remote that you can attach to the steering wheel. Some scanners have remote heads, why not an IR remote? If my idea is so esoteric then why do we have people designing their own aftermarket IR kits and selling them through scannermaster? I'm just saying that I was surprised that uniden hasn't done this yet. Maybe they have and just thought it wouldn't work, who knows? To me there seems to be a market otherwise you wouldn't have the add on kits. Ok, I'm done.

SO.

Has anybody tested the touchscreen in extreme heat like inside a car during the Texas summer? I have a gps that the touchscreen stops working when it gets really hot.

Not everybody who reads this thread is completely negative about "pie-in-the-sky" ideas. I think your use of a scanner in the entertainment center is really cool, I only wish my wife was as accepting! She doesn't even like to listen in the car.......but when she rides in MY car....too bad!

Taking your idea to the extreme: The computer control output added with the recent upgrades could be used by a computer to give you the video out you want (ARC Patrol does this in the virtual control mode) for picture-in-picture, and many computers (my old NEC for example) have an IR remote for the audio/video use, so you may actually be able to get what you want with the addition of a computer and a little work.

Keep dreaming and don't let krumudgeons get you down!

JK

 

[b52hbuff]

Taking your idea to the extreme: The computer control output added with the recent upgrades could be used by a computer to give you the video out you want (ARC Patrol does this in the virtual control mode) for picture-in-picture, and many computers (my old NEC for example) have an IR remote for the audio/video use, so you may actually be able to get what you want with the addition of a computer and a little work.

Keep dreaming and don't let krumudgeons get you down!

JK

Sometimes if you think about the problem in a different way, you might get a better answer. I recently craigslisted an old car stereo that had a remote control. It was fun at the time, not to have to bend over and reach out to adjust the stereo head for my *six* disc changer.

Today I hold a 64GB iPod touch that streams music over Bluetooth to a sound dock, car stereo or entertainment center. The music source itself is the UI and the remote. Noone could have thought of that a decade ago...

In this case, a simple bluetooth interface would provide many of the same benefits without all of the complexity of extending the UI...

 

[milcom_chaser]

HP-1 Extreme Question...

Greetings,

I have the chance to pick up an HP-1 at a very affordable price. I currently own the 396XT. The HP-1 extreme looked like a good alternative to the 996XT for traveling. Before I purchase this radio, are there plans for Close Call to be made available in a future firmware release ? I use that feature, and would like it as part of the tool set. But it would be a deal breaker if there is no future of Close Call being added...

Thank you.

 

[ST-Bob]

According to what I've read, close-call is not something which can be added as a software upgrade. Scanners with that feature usually have a separate attenuator circuit and wide bandwidth receiver section which does not exist in the HP-1.

 

[KE4ZNR]

According to what I've read, close-call is not something which can be added as a software upgrade. Scanners with that feature usually have a separate attenuator circuit and wide bandwidth receiver section which does not exist in the HP-1.

The above is correct.
No Close Call capability in the HP-1.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[johnwashington]

I have firmware version 2.01. I don't know if it is the latest but thats what I have.

 

[OCO]

According to what I've read, close-call is not something which can be added as a software upgrade. Scanners with that feature usually have a separate attenuator circuit and wide bandwidth receiver section which does not exist in the HP-1.

ST-Bob - your post suggests you may have had access to block diagrams or schematics of the HP1....have you ?? Only place I've seen such info was on the FCC site and they're locked "forever"..

 

[VE3RADIO]

ST-Bob - your post suggests you may have had access to block diagrams or schematics of the HP1....have you ?? Only place I've seen such info was on the FCC site and they're locked "forever"..

UPMMAN said so earlier in this thread.

 

[OCO]

UPMMAN said so earlier in this thread.

Paul said what - the location of schematics and block diagrams for the HP1 ? I haven't seen that anyplace in this thread.....

 

[OCO]

OK, here's why I asked Bob the question - his statement "Scanners with that feature usually have a separate attenuator circuit and wide bandwidth receiver section which does not exist in the HP-1." This implied Bob might have seen prints and block diagrams..

I have never seen UPMan get that specific about the hardware design of the HP1(which doesn't surprise me). As a matter of fact, after thinking about it last night, I did extensive searching on this forum and Uniden's for anything about Close Call, especially those posted by UPMan. The closest I could come was the generic "the hardware won't support it"...which I have no reason to doubt. But - this left me scratching my head as to how the HP1's architecture is so radically different from every other recent scanner. I'll never know.....

 

[KE4ZNR]

OK, here's why I asked Bob the question - his statement "Scanners with that feature usually have a separate attenuator circuit and wide bandwidth receiver section which does not exist in the HP-1." This implied Bob might have seen prints and block diagrams..

I can safely say that no one outside of Uniden (besides the FCC ) has seen any internal block diagrams or any other internal documentation on the HP-1.

I have never seen UPMan get that specific about the hardware design of the HP1(which doesn't surprise me). As a matter of fact, after thinking about it last night, I did extensive searching on this forum and Uniden's for anything about Close Call, especially those posted by UPMan. The closest I could come was the generic "the hardware won't support it"...which I have no reason to doubt. But - this left me scratching my head as to how the HP1's architecture is so radically different from every other recent scanner. I'll never know.....

The HP-1 hardware does not support the Close Call feature.
The Close Call feature is available on the other Uniden Scanners which advertise this
feature.
Hopefully this can now be put to rest.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[OCO]

Marshall:
The question wasn't whether it had it (never said it did), but since it clearly doesn't, what might be the differences in architecture that it can't. I'm old school - I can remember when we actually got that info on Uniden scanners in the service manuals... I also guess that in today's appliance operator world, no-one is supposed to wonder what's under the hood. I was also speculating that those people here on the RR board with the "special" relationship with Uniden - beta testers - might have more info....As you wish, end of topic....

 

[E-Man]

a video out would be nice too, I could have it on picture in picture.

Unsure if something like this is doable with the HP or Unidens?

http://forums.radioreference.com/pi...-well-there-nothing-like-picture-picture.html

 

[ST-Bob]

Marshall:
The question wasn't whether it had it (never said it did), but since it clearly doesn't, what might be the differences in architecture that it can't. I'm old school - I can remember when we actually got that info on Uniden scanners in the service manuals... I also guess that in today's appliance operator world, no-one is supposed to wonder what's under the hood. I was also speculating that those people here on the RR board with the "special" relationship with Uniden - beta testers - might have more info....As you wish, end of topic....

No special relationship here - just 30+ years in the electronics/computer industry plus ham radio experience. In fact no scanner I've ever owned had close-call. I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night though

 

[OCO]

Good one, Bob! About the same experience here (more years, but I let my ticket drop, so I don't list that). I've always wanted to know how things work, paid off during my 40 years in IT. Since this generation of equipment is mostly considered non-serviceable, I'm guessing we'll never see any internal documentation.. (we need a mole at the FCC). Thanks for the chuckle..