Is the software on the BCD396xt still be improved/developed?

[Machria]

Given the BDC396xt is something like 4 or 5 years old now, does anyone know if Uniden is or is willing to work on the firmware on it? For improvements, additional features.... ?

Maybe @Upman can answer?


After using it for a few days, I have a few things I'd LOVE to see done/added to it, and they would be very easy to do (I was a software developer for 30 years so know a bit about it).

For example, I'd love to see a Menu item added: <GoTo> which would give you a direct access menu to Systems, Groups, Talkgroups or a conventional channel. It would work exactly like the <Program System> menu item works, except instead of programming and adding stuff, it would just put the receiver onto that system/group/ or talkgroup/channel. So you Press the Menu key, then scroll down to [GoTo], then select a System from all systems available, they you would be given a list of available Groups in that system, after selecting a Group, you would see a list of talkgroups or frequencies in that group to select from. Hit Enter or select at any time brings the radio to that item.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Given the BDC396xt is something like 4 or 5 years old now, does anyone know if Uniden is or is willing to work on the firmware on it? For improvements, additional features.... ?

Maybe @Upman can answer?


After using it for a few days, I have a few things I'd LOVE to see done/added to it, and they would be very easy to do (I was a software developer for 30 years so know a bit about it).

For example, I'd love to see a Menu item added: <GoTo> which would give you a direct access menu to Systems, Groups, Talkgroups or a conventional channel. It would work exactly like the <Program System> menu item works, except instead of programming and adding stuff, it would just put the receiver onto that system/group/ or talkgroup/channel. So you Press the Menu key, then scroll down to [GoTo], then select a System from all systems available, they you would be given a list of available Groups in that system, after selecting a Group, you would see a list of talkgroups or frequencies in that group to select from. Hit Enter or select at any time brings the radio to that item.

This has already been answered for you in your other thread:
http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-owner-tech-support/314393-direct-memeory-channel-access.html

Number Tags do what you are asking quicker and easier than drilling down in a menu.
Why reinvent the wheel when Number Tags do what you are asking for quickly and easily?
Marshall KE4ZNR

Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[teufler]

As was said, number tags will do exactly what you want. I know its confusing, with all the numbers used , for quick keys, group keys, but reading what number keys can do, they are NEAT, Only thing bad, by using Freescan, is it would be nice to get a print out of number key assignments just like we can get a print out of quick key assignments. In a round about way, you can export as a cvs file then import to excell, then hide columns. That works but not as easy as Freescan's quick key assignment option.

 

[Machria]

This has already been answered for you in your other thread:
http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-owner-tech-support/314393-direct-memeory-channel-access.html

This question was not answered (or asked) in the other thread. The question is, is this scanner still being developed? Is Uniden still willing to work on the firmware, or is it done given it's age?

The below was just an example of one of the many things I see could be improved.

Number Tags do what you are asking quicker and easier than drilling down in a menu.
Why reinvent the wheel when Number Tags do what you are asking for quickly and easily?
Marshall KE4ZNR

Marshall KE4ZNR

The number tags do not do what I'm asking. Number tags seem to be great, I have no problem with them and will use the heck out of them. BUT, for the other 1000's of talkgroups/freqs/sites... I do not utilize often but do have programmed in for use one the fly, the number tags will be useless. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, literally. How would I remember a huge number of tags?

The menu driven drill down would not "replace" the number tags, it would be in addition to.... a nice feature to have. Currently, I don't see any way to get to some of my obscure programmed sites and freq's without quick keys programmed. So this feature would be a way to get to them without memorizing them, without carrying a printed manual of my "codes" (per teufler's idea to print them...).

Laslty. adding the feature would not "hurt" anything. If you think you can use number tags quicker, go for it, you would not be forced to use the menu driven "GoTo" function.

As was said, number tags will do exactly what you want. I know its confusing, with all the numbers used , for quick keys, group keys, but reading what number keys can do, they are NEAT, Only thing bad, by using Freescan, is it would be nice to get a print out of number key assignments just like we can get a print out of quick key assignments. In a round about way, you can export as a cvs file then import to excell, then hide columns. That works but not as easy as Freescan's quick key assignment option.

Again, memorizing them is not going to work. I have way to many.... printing them and referring to a printed list is fine, sometimes. Like sitting on the couch in the comfort of home with lights, reading glasses and the time to do so. BUT, how about when if I'm away somewhere and don't have the list with me? What if I'm out in the backyard.... What if it's late at night and the lights are out, can't read the list anyway..... Again, it would just be a nice easy way to get to a freq or talkgroup without having to memorize anything. You know, the whole point of automation!

 

[marksmith]

I would not hold your breath. Uniden has been pretty slow coming out with firmware fixes for the problems their brand new x36 radios are having. These are not always new features but mainly fixes. To the extent they appear to be tied up with firmware fixes to these "flagship" radios, I would not expect them to take the time to enhance a system or platform that is already pretty bulletproof and stable, and getting long in the tooth since the new models came out.

If you want additional features they would suggest you buy one of their newer radios. For what its worth, I would stay with your 396xt, as I doubt they will ever get the x36 radios working with as few problems as the 996/396.

In general, although I have a couple of them and they are great radios, when the new stuff came out in early 2014 you could kiss any further enhancements goodbye on the 396xt, since it produces no additional revenue for Uniden and generates expense to provide this support. Its not a good business decision anymore.

Mark
536/HP1e/HP2e/996P2/996XT/396XT/PSR800/PRO668/PRO652

 

[lep]

Only UNIDEN can answer the Question, are they still working on changes to the 5 year old 396?

[readers of these forums will know that it is against their company policy to discuss such issues, but I suspect common business sense says NO].

 

[Machria]

Only UNIDEN can answer the Question, are they still working on changes to the 5 year old 396?

[readers of these forums will know that it is against their company policy to discuss such issues, but I suspect common business sense says NO].

Well not really. If an update was released a week ago, one could say "they are still working on the firmware as they just released and update last week". That was really my question, when was the last time an upgrade came out for the firmware? Was it years ago, or recently?

And for part 2, if that is true, it is REDICULOUS. I can understand them not publishing dates, when it will be done, what exactly they are working on.... but why would they not say "The Firmware is no longer being worked on as of xx/xx/xx date". As most technology companies do. When they are mothballed and no longer "supported", you as a customer are made aware of that fact so you can make decisions based on that (aka buy a newer unit or just know nothing further will be done...).

 

[UPMan]

How would we possibly know what the future portends?

 

[Machria]

How would we possibly know what the future portends?

Because it is you (as in Uniden) that decides it. ??

As a company (usually a management group or simply a product manager) decides when a product will no longer be worked on. Sometimes it's a future date as with Microsoft announcing a few years ago "they will no longer update or support Windows XP as of xxxxxx". Sometimes it is on the fly, aka "As of the current release, we will no longer work on improving this software".

On the other hand, most company say "We are working on improving this software, check back for new releases soon (or even on a particular date).

I do not mean to be a wise guy or ask this in a derogatory way: are you new to the company or software release business?

 

[QDP2012]

I do not mean to be a wise guy or ask this in a derogatory way: are you new to the company or software release business?

Maybe instead of (possibly) insulting UPMan (who, as you can discover through a simple forum-search, is the Product Manager for Uniden, and has been for many years), you could simply ask this question:

"Hello Uniden, What is the scheduled End-of-Life date for the 396XT product line, after which Uniden will no longer provide firmware updates?"

If that date has passed, you have your answer about no future releases.
If that date has not passed, you can use the appropriate forum to politely suggest some improvements to be included in future firmware releases.

Just a thought,

 

[Machria]

Maybe instead of (possibly) insulting UPMan (who, as you can discover through a simple forum-search, is the Product Manager for Uniden, and has been for many years), you could simply ask this question:

"Hello Uniden, What is the scheduled End-of-Life date for the 396XT product line, after which Uniden will no longer provide firmware updates?"

If that date has passed, you have your answer about no future releases.
If that date has not passed, you can use the appropriate forum to politely suggest some improvements to be included in future firmware releases.

Just a thought,

QDP,
Is that NOT EXACTLY what I have done?? Can you please read the TITLE of this thread. And then read the 1st post, it asks the forum (as I assume the experts on here probably can answer the question for us), AND included UPman's name in case he was available to answer it. I did that because I, err um, searched other threads and saw a reference where he was said to be a product manager for Uniden. Can you please explain where I posted anything rude about it?

Now, when upman answered with a baffling question as to how he would be able to know such a thing in the future, I promptly asked why he would not know...... and explained why he should know.

i'm really just interested if the product will be further developed, and if I should waste my time or not typing up a suggestion list with examples and ideas and sending it off to Uniden for consideration. If it is end of life, the answer would simply be no. I have done this many times with products, many companies of obliged and made significant changes to their products based on some of my suggestions. Some companies did not, and in some cases they tried but could not do them for technical reasons (not enough memor or processing power...).

So again, is the BCD396XT still being worked on by Uniden, or have they "mothballed" it?


If the answer is no, fine. I will move on and try and find a product that will suit my needs, or live with it as is. If the answer is yes, I can prepare some documentation...

 

[lep]

Well not really. If an update was released a week ago, one could say "they are still working on the firmware as they just released and update last week". That was really my question, when was the last time an upgrade came out for the firmware? Was it years ago, or recently?

And for part 2, if that is true, it is REDICULOUS. I can understand them not publishing dates, when it will be done, what exactly they are working on.... but why would they not say "The Firmware is no longer being worked on as of xx/xx/xx date". As most technology companies do. When they are mothballed and no longer "supported", you as a customer are made aware of that fact so you can make decisions based on that (aka buy a newer unit or just know nothing further will be done...).

If you are so interested in the 396XT, why not do some research and answer your own Question? The answers about past updates and their frequenc are right here on the site in the TWIKI>UnidenMan4 web search for Firmware Revision Notes.

Enjoy.

 

[Machria]

If you are so interested in the 396XT, why not do some research and answer your own Question? The answers about past updates and their frequenc are right here on the site in the TWIKI>UnidenMan4 web search for Firmware Revision Notes.

Enjoy.

Tried that, there is nothing about whether it is done or not.

Is it so bad to ask the question?? geeesh!

 

[ProScan]

Because it is you (as in Uniden) that decides it. ??

As a company (usually a management group or simply a product manager) decides when a product will no longer be worked on. Sometimes it's a future date as with Microsoft announcing a few years ago "they will no longer update or support Windows XP as of xxxxxx". Sometimes it is on the fly, aka "As of the current release, we will no longer work on improving this software".

On the other hand, most company say "We are working on improving this software, check back for new releases soon (or even on a particular date).

I do not mean to be a wise guy or ask this in a derogatory way: are you new to the company or software release business?

Since you are new here, let me give you a little tidbit. Back in 2008, five years after the BCD796 was initially released, everyone thought it was end of life and Uniden not going to support it any longer. When the Motorola trunking systems were rebanded, The BCD796 no longer could track the systems and Uniden came out with a firmware release to address the problem. Bottom line is there's other factors such as the FCC and manufacturers that come into play.

On the other hand, most company say "We are working on improving this software, check back for new releases soon (or even on a particular date).

If I hear something like that, I would think they are blowing smoke. The hardware has to support the software. You have 30 years in the software business. You should know that.

 

[XTS3000]

As others have testified over the past years, the 396XT is pretty much bulletproof with all the normal bugs fixed.

Uniden probably doesn't want to give an official "end of all firmware updates" date because something could come up years from now like a different/new TRS table that could be updated with a few lines of code changes. Uniden has updated some pretty old scanners in the past.

I don't expect Uniden to add any additional features or change anything on the 396XT seeing as it's a 6 year old scanner now.

 

[Machria]

Since you are new here, let me give you a little tidbit. Back in 2008, five years after the BCD796 was initially released, everyone thought it was end of life and Uniden not going to support it any longer. When the Motorola trunking systems were rebanded, The BCD796 no longer could track the systems and Uniden came out with a firmware release to address the problem. Bottom line is there's other factors such as the FCC and manufacturers that come into play.

That's a good point. I should clarify the question and add: Will Uniden be working on future "feature" changes/additions....", not technical changes to handle those types of changes/fixes...

If I hear something like that, I would think they are blowing smoke. The hardware has to support the software. You have 30 years in the software business. You should know that.

Why is that? That is a standard statement. I would not expect a company to tell us exact dates all the time (they might not know how long it will take to complete), They VERY often basically say "Check back again soon...". That's very normal.

As others have testified over the past years, the 396XT is pretty much bulletproof with all the normal bugs fixed.

Uniden probably doesn't want to give an official "end of all firmware updates" date because something could come up years from now like a different/new TRS table that could be updated with a few lines of code changes. Uniden has updated some pretty old scanners in the past.

I don't expect Uniden to add any additional features or change anything on the 396XT seeing as it's a 6 year old scanner now.

I'm guessing your probably right, but I'd love to get he "real" answer for confirmation. In reality, 6 years old isn't always over the hill although it's a lifetime in electronics. Garmin just updated my 7 year old chartplotter on my boat, with significant feature changes, additions... And actually, that is a good example. They have clearly defined to us (customers) on the products website that this will be the last release, except for any point releases required to fix any bugs created/found in this release. So we now know as customers, this is the end of the line for updates.

Seems like in the scanner industry, everything is kept top secret!

 

[Voyager]

Or like the Close Call frequency display which is one reason why I hope they do have at least one more firmware update.

 

[QDP2012]

QDP,
Is that NOT EXACTLY what I have done?? Can you please read the TITLE of this thread. And then read the 1st post, it asks the forum (as I assume the experts on here probably can answer the question for us), AND included UPman's name in case he was available to answer it. I did that because I, err um, searched other threads and saw a reference where he was said to be a product manager for Uniden.

Not only did I read the thread's title, and all of the posts before mine, but I also noticed that in your OP, you did not simply ask the question about an EOL date and stop with that. Instead of keeping the scope of the conversation narrow, focused on only the EOL question, you continued with a description of your suggested improvement; which, other Uniden users then seemed to interpret as a sign that you were not familiar with some of the scanner's other features. My suggestion was to keep the scope of the OP (or any follow-up posts) simple, and narrow, to the question about the EOL date, and stop with that. Had you done that in the OP, it's doubtful that any of the other comments on here would exist. I am not condoning or condemning anyone's response to your suggested improvements, nor commenting on them myself; simply making an observation about conversation-scope and how you might have controlled it differently from the beginning, thereby reducing your apparent frustration and maybe that of some others who posted. That's all.

Now, when upman answered with a baffling question as to how he would be able to know such a thing in the future, I promptly asked why he would not know...... and explained why he should know.

Can you please explain where I posted anything rude about it?

I do not mean to be a wise guy or ask this in a derogatory way: are you new to the company or software release business?

Whether you intended it or not, the above question comes off as at least condescending, if not directly insulting. Assuming you did not research UPMan's employment status and longevity by searching the forums as mentioned earlier, then the question is simply not nice. If you did research and understand UPMan's employment history and longevity, then the question is more insulting, whether you intend it to be or not.

With that, I'm stepping to the sidelines on this, so that I don't go OT.

Just one opinion,

 

[KE4ZNR]

The number tags do not do what I'm asking.

Actually they do. You just are not happy with putting some effort into memorizing Number Tags.

Number tags seem to be great, I have no problem with them and will use the heck out of them. BUT, for the other 1000's of talkgroups/freqs/sites... I do not utilize often but do have programmed in for use one the fly, the number tags will be useless. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, literally. How would I remember a huge number of tags?

You just have to put in the effort to make the number tags mean something to you.
Me: Here in the Triangle area of NC we have 15 mutual aid talkgroups divided among 3 radio systems for interoperability. Interstate 40 runs through all 3 radio system coverage areas so I assigned Number Tag 40 for these 15 Mutual Aid Talkgroups. so now all I have to do is select Hold then 40.1 then menu and I am parked on Mutual Aid 1. If I hold 40.11 then Menu then I am on Mutual Aid 11.
Another example: on the radio system I help maintain there are 15 city "Ops" Operations Talkgroups. The highway that runs through the city is numbered "147". So I assigned Number Tag 147 to these 15 OPS talkgroups and I can quickly remember 147.3 is OPS 3.

For a local PD I used their 10 code for arresting someone ("10-95") as their Number Tag. So for that PD I can tap 95.7 and I am parked on their LE OPS 7.

You just have to put effort into developing a system that helps you match up the Number Tag with the use of the channel.

Again, memorizing them is not going to work. I have way to many.... printing them and referring to a printed list is fine, sometimes.

I have thousands of channels & talkgroups in my 396XT. I don't assign number tags to them all as that would be insane. But for the important ones that do have Number Tags assigned I matched up Road or Highway # with system and channel.

With a little effort I am sure you can come up with your own easy to remember Numbering Scheme.

Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[seth21w]

I'm just waiting on the bcd 396 p2 because I don't want any other features from my 396 other than p2. I hate USB charging and only 2 battery thing oh and the zip code lazy thing lol jk...