I'm just wondering if there is anyone on this site that has the knowledge and skills to design a new brand of police scanner that would be able to compete with uniden or whistler , I ask because we have so many experts and people with great knowledge about scanners here ?
Just a curious thought
- Thread starter kmartin
- Start date
What features are so new that someone needs to spend weeks, if not months to design, spend tens of thousands on a prototype(s), thousands more on advertising, only to hope someone will spend $500 plus to buy one? Not to mention the higher cost now either using American labor or paying the new tariffs?
It's just a question.
And keep in mind that many people have had suggestions or talk about features they would like to see on certain scanners or things they wish was added
So if one person asked for something it justifies the expense of a new model? What happens when someone asks for something new after the new model, do they start over.
All I'm saying is there haven't been any major changes in the communications that are causing a good number of the scanner community to be missing communications traffic. Just about everyone has something they'd like added, but with more features comes higher costs, which many are already complaining about.
So my initial question remains, what features are so new, or so needed, that it would justify the costs of creating a new company for a new scanner brand? Just a question.
It would really only make the market more competitive. You only have whistler , who almost went under , and uniden now.
Not worth the costs and time involved. It would be years before such a radio hits the retail shelves. IMHO, this is a shrinking market largely because of encryption and it's already saturated.
I guess you don't have an understanding of product development and how much it costs or how long it takes, if this would be profitable companies with deep pockets would have done it already. There is a reason so many companies have stopped making scanners and why there is no competition.
rf_patriot200
Active Member
We are Extremely Lucky we have that much ! I don't expect much more than that.
That does not bode well for the future of the hobby, though. In the current political climate, the push to encrypt could accelerate and throw in VOIP (Voice of Internet Protocol) for good measure.
@kmartin in addition to the shrinking market that @kc2asb mentioned and how lucky we are to have multiple manufacturers as @rf_patriot200 mentioned, I'd like to mention that the saturation of SDR dongles and the abundance of free to low cost software for the SDRs also does not help encourage competition. Given time we will see tablet and phone apps that work well enough to actually be useful, allowing true portability using a small SDR dongle, and offering many more features than a $700 scanner.
BinaryMode
Blondie Once Said To Call Her But Never Answerd
In the coming years AI will be able to output the schematics...
Good point. That seems inevitable. I still prefer a stand-alone radio with knobs and a screen, but technology does not stand still. It will be interesting to see what Uniden's next move is, and what Whistler will bring any new models out
Do you guys remember years and years ago Bob Grove was attempting to manufacture a handheld scanner that included the milair band.
He spent a lot of money making a test model; but abandoned the idea as too costly to sell it at a reasonable price because of high production costs. And back then that model would have been just for analog comms as there was no digital comms worth manufacturing.
He spent a lot of money making a test model; but abandoned the idea as too costly to sell it at a reasonable price because of high production costs. And back then that model would have been just for analog comms as there was no digital comms worth manufacturing.
Me personally I think Uniden and others might ponder these two suggestions:
1. A scanner that can go in the dash. Replaces the car radio. Has AM/FM, a usb stick, etc. Does everything a car radio does when the squelch isn't open on the scanner side.
2. A handheld scanner that looks like a commercial handheld two way. Not a dinky little radio that breaks if it fall 2 feet. As tough as a Motorola handheld. And have a CLAMP ON extension speaker that looks just like a Moto speaker/mike. Could you imagine how many "play the role" whackers would snatch something like that up?
1. A scanner that can go in the dash. Replaces the car radio. Has AM/FM, a usb stick, etc. Does everything a car radio does when the squelch isn't open on the scanner side.
2. A handheld scanner that looks like a commercial handheld two way. Not a dinky little radio that breaks if it fall 2 feet. As tough as a Motorola handheld. And have a CLAMP ON extension speaker that looks just like a Moto speaker/mike. Could you imagine how many "play the role" whackers would snatch something like that up?
Don't remember this, but Bob Grove had the financial resources and still found it too costly. People like Bob Grove and Tom Kneitel are legends whose passion and advocacy shaped the hobby we enjoy today.
That's the answer I was waiting to hear. Wouldn't it be interesting to wake up someday and see , just as an example the Blanton LC100 scanner ! Sorry Mr Blanton , but sure sounds cool !
BinaryMode
Blondie Once Said To Call Her But Never Answerd
I bought my Icom IC-R3 from Bob Grove. I think it was his wife that picked up the phone back in circa 2003. Saw the R3 advertised in the back of Monitoring Times magazine circa 2000 and I wanted it!
I had no idea he had an idea for a scanner.
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