Not everyone wants the meat. Some just want the potatoes!
Today with scanners and radio systems able to program thousands of channels, trunking, TGIDs, PL codes, control channels, talk groups, various trunking flavors, GPS, etc., they need to be dumbed down for the average scanner user. The majority of scanner users are not radio techs or hardcore technology addicts, and manufacturers cater to where the money is. Its no surprise that manufacturers ended up with a product that meets the majority of users nicely, but leaves out the rank beginners, or the hard core radio enthusiasts. Uniden shot for the larger chunk of the market with one radio, and maximized their return on investment. Their goal wasn't to appease everyone, but to maximize their return on investment, satisfy the wants of the corporate directors, while simultaneously trying to satisfy the needs of the masses. Which generally excludes the needs of the beginners at one end, and the experienced at the other.
I'm closer to the top of the pyramid than the bottom, but not a radio technophile like some when it comes to scanners. I'm a licensed HAM, but my interest in scanners is not the technology but being aware of whats happening in emergencies, storms, etc, as well as casual listening for enjoyment. I can program a trunked system from scratch, but enjoy the ease and speed of downloading a ready made database and re-configuring to my liking, as its much faster to get up and running. I don't have the 436 or 536, but would find the ZipCode programming a great way to populate the radio, then customize it from there. I don't need to manually enter all the data myself, as long as I can modify it to get to the same end result I desire.
Perhaps I am misinformed, but can't you also program the 'dumbed down' BCD436/536 just as you could the 396/996? Looking at the softwar e for both (I have the 396XT) and comparing them, I see the same data fields on both. Sites, frequencies, TGID, trunk formats, fleet maps, ID formats, etc,. Or can you only program it via ZipCode? If you can do both, then the ZipCode programming is just a convenience option, and I would hardly think adding that option dumbs down the whole radio. Any more than adding cruse control to a BMW dumbs it down for serious driving enthusiasts.
ProductionGuy85, perhaps you didn't mean to express yourself in a condescending manner, or put forth an elitist attitude, but thats how it came across to me based on the comments below.
"If you don't understand what "Control Channel Only" means, then you shouldn't be allowed to even use the same model scanner I am because you obviously are educated e NOT enough to appreciate the technology and options available."
"I honestly, don't like the zip code only way because that puts you in a lower class of scanner users and THOSE are the ones that are ruining the scanner experience for all of us, by posting comms online, ect. and essentially forcing departments to go to encryption."
"If you are willing to enter the required info, that clearly shows that you have respect for the hobby like wise, I will have respect for you."
I understand that you may feel slighted by manufactures dumbing down the scanners to fit the majority of their users. But your attitude should be directed at the manufactures by coaxing them to build another scanner directed squarely at the radio technophiles, rather than suggesting people shouldn't be allowed to use the existing radios because they don't fit your profile of what a scanner hobbyist is.
As a software engineer, I've invested thousands of hours learning various computer languages and technologies. I was on the internet 'Super Highway' when it was still a 'dirt road' (ARPANET) and email was privy to only a few large manufactures on the network. I've seen it dumb down over the years and fill up with things like Facebook, forums, anonymous email, twitter, MySpace, and millions of useless abandoned websites.
Should those that don't understand PLPs, PSNs, ITU-T, packets, FSK, if-then-else loops, assembler, hex, modulo 8 math, etc, be limited to using x486 computers and AOL? And gamers be limited to low end computers because they don't really understand the complexity of the hardware/software under the hood for their high end computers? Hell, most people don't know the difference between 1080i and 1080P, MPEG compression, LCD vs LED, yet they all enjoy the programming on their big flat screen tv's. Or should they still be using CRT's and leave the LCD/LED/Plasma TVs to the technophiles who do know?
Everybody has different reasons for using a scanner, computer, TV, etc. If you are well read in the hobby, its obvious the scanning hobby is a lot bigger then just those just interested in the technology, and in fact most are indifferent to what technology is used and more interested in what is being broadcast.