My Email From ICOM Regading Future Trunk Tracking or Digital Scanner

[hotdjdave]

Recently, I emailed ICOM on this exact question. Listed below is a reponse from Gerd Jerochim, a Technical Support Rep with ICOM America:

ICOM'S RESPONSE TO MY EMAIL

From: receivers@icomamerica.com
To: hotdjdave@###.com
Subject: ICOM Technical Support Ticket # 5C7L2A3A9A
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 10:22:53 -0800

THANK YOU FOR YOUR EMAIL.
Icom has disconntinued the PCR1000.
At this time Icom has no plans to make a trunck tracking scanner.....perhaps in the near future.

Gerd Jerochim
Technical Support Representative

ICOM America, Inc.
2380 116th Ave. NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
Ph. (425) 454-7619
Fax (425) 637-8417
www.icomamerica.com
​

MY EMAIL TO ICOM

EMAIL SUBJECT: Scanners with APCO Project 25
BODY:
Hello,

Radio Shack, Uniden Bearcat, and other scanner
manufacturers have made scanners with the capability
to receive APCO Project 25 digital communications. In
fact, some are producing second generation APCO 25
digital scanners.

Does ICOM plan to join the 21st Century and join the
digital scanner community? I have always been a fan
of ICOM. I have an IC-R1000 and an IC-R1. However,
my next scanner will probably be a Bearcat (UNIDEN
BEATCAT BCD-396T 5500 CHANNEL TRUCK TRACKER IV)
because it has the digital APCO 25 capabilities, which
is widely used where I live in the Southern California
region and exclusively by the police here.

Please let me know ICOM's plans for digital scanners
with APCO 25 capability or a module to add on to
existing ICOM receivers, specifically the IC-R1000. I
would prefer to buy ICOM products.

Thank you,

David W.
Loyal Customer
​

Not too happy about the answer, but he did offer a glimmer of hope ("...perhaps in the near future."). What I would really like to know is when Motorola is comming out with a scanner - :roll: - not holding my breath on that one.

 

[pfish]

Motorola has no reason to make a scanner. That is not their target market. It is the same deal with Icom.

 

[hotdjdave]

Motorola has no reason to make a scanner. That is not their target market. It is the same deal with Icom.

But ICOM does make scanners, lots of them, in addition to making receivers, amateur radios, and other two-way radios - I am sure you know this, though. Unless, of course, you mean that ICOM does not have a target market for "digital trunk tracking" scanner, but that was the premise of my email to them - they should join the era of "digital trunk tracking" scanners as more and more radio communications moves this direction. There will come a day soon when all radio communications will be digital (vs. analog), then they will be forced to make a digital scanner or not make scanners any more. Just take a look at the DTV market; all television manufacturers have to make their televisions DTV compatible by 2007 and all TV broadcasts will be exclusively digital by April, 2009.

I know that Motorola does not have a reason to make them; I just think if they did, it would be a very good one. A Motorola scanner has been a dream of many of my scanning enthusiast friends and myself - admittedly, a pipe dream.

 

[hotdjdave]

PRC2500 and R2500

And now, apparently, iCOM comes out with even a newer model: the IC-PCR2500/R2500, that has "digital" capabilities, but not APCO-25. What a slap in the face to America.

See this website on the IC-PCR2500/R2500:
http://translate.google.com/transla...&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=/language_tools

See this thread:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35458

 

[Napalm]

What about the slap in the face that Uniden gives us when they don't release an MPT1327 scanner?

 

[williams63]

Some whow I can see the US Gov , homeland security , BAN all scanners...I think you can see that now , in its early stages.

I hope I VERY wrong.

And now, apparently, iCOM comes out with even a newer model: the IC-PCR2500/R2500, that has "digital" capabilities, but not APCO-25. What a slap in the face to America.

 

[rdale]

"I hope I VERY wrong."

Don't worry - you are.

 

[williams63]

Doubtfull...you can see the wheels now in motion...best of luck USA...I hope you can fight the soon to be non scanners ...due to Homeland Security Issues...

** this post was NOT meant to disrespect any US citizen **

 

[kikito]

Some whow I can see the US Gov , homeland security , BAN all scanners...I think you can see that now , in its early stages.

I hope I VERY wrong.

I'll bite....

Although I don't see it happening, even if they did, that's just going to be like everything else done in the name of Homeland Security: To give the ignorant masses a false sense of security.

Banning scanners is not going to make them go away or stop people from using them, even if they stop producing them altogether, there's enough of them out there to keep going for a few decades. They will have to ban computers and all kinds of electronic gadgets and components in order for people not to be able to modified or built their own. They will have to ban HAM radio and it's operators and gear since the gear is perfectly capable of being used as a scanner and the operators have the know-how to "figure it out".

As you can see, we could go on forever with examples that banning scanners as we know them, it'll be as effective as trying to clap with one hand.

**Apologies to the original thread poster for the momentary hijack**

 

[K7TKR]

Why should Icom compete with Uniden, GRE, AOR etc? It's not their market. They don't produce scanners anyway, but receivers and transceivers. And don't confuse a receiver with a scanner because it isn't. My 706 has the capability to scan, but it's slow cumbersome, and a little hard to program. However, it's a fantastic all mode broad-banded transceiver. Anyhow, with products spanning marine to avaition and us hams in between, they probably don't feel the need. And so too Kenwood, Yaesu, Alinco etc.

And they have digital radios by the way-as D-STARS becomes more popular within the ham community.

Finally, what did it cost Uniden and GRE to get the license from Motorola and EF Johnson so that their products could accuratly track these systems? Is it worth adding that to an already expensive R8500 or the new PCR-1500 which I saw listed over $600.00.

I loved my R10, but the 396 beats it hands down in scanning. However, the 396 ain't so good in receiving WWV time signals eithor.

 

[hotdjdave]

iCOM Does Make Scanners; New iCOM Models Marked "P25 Digital" on IC Boards

Why should Icom compete with Uniden, GRE, AOR etc? It's not their market. They don't produce scanners anyway, but receivers and transceivers. And don't confuse a receiver with a scanner because it isn't.

Actually, a "scanner" is technically a "scanning receiver;" but I understand where you see the difference. So iCOM does make scanning receivers, or "scanners."

Finally, what did it cost Uniden and GRE to get the license from Motorola and EF Johnson so that their products could accuratly track these systems? Is it worth adding that to an already expensive R8500 or the new PCR-1500 which I saw listed over $600.00.

Contronl (from a Yahoo Group) took apart the IC-PCR1500 and found markings on the integrated circuit (IC) board that read "P25 Digital" next to an empty space where a 30-pin circuit would go. He also found another empty space marked "HFI10" where an IF filter would go. iCOM clearly has intentions of possibly putting APCO P25 Digital decoding in their PCR scanner series. I assume the new PCR2500 models have the same capabilities as well.

When everything goes digital (probably APCO Project 25 (P25), as suggested by the Government), iCOM will be forced to follow suit with the market or...

Also, see the other RR thread regarding this subject.

Sources: Click on the underlined word or phrase to go to the linked source.

 

[K7TKR]

I did not know that. Wonder what the thinking is in that case over at ICOM.

 

[swest90]

The 2500 without APCO-25 is a joke, D-Star is and will be a joke. There is already a P25 repeater here in SoCal and I have my order for an XTS3000 sitting here on my desk awaiting next weeks pay check. P25 will become more popular as 1st generation equipment is being sold off as surplus more and more each day. LAPD is putting in a bid for new XTS5000 radios which will replace the 3000+ astro sabers that they currently own. Thats a lot of nice UHF astro equipment that will be up for bid in a few years that the masses can consume. Icom should step up to the plate or understand they are going to be on and island talking to themselves on d-star unable to communicate with the rest of us on the open, multimanufacturer, tried and tested IMBE.

 

[hotdjdave]

I agree

The 2500 without APCO-25 is a joke, D-Star is and will be a joke. There is already a P25 repeater here in SoCal and I have my order for an XTS3000 sitting here on my desk awaiting next weeks pay check. P25 will become more popular as 1st generation equipment is being sold off as surplus more and more each day. LAPD is putting in a bid for new XTS5000 radios which will replace the 3000+ astro sabers that they currently own. Thats a lot of nice UHF astro equipment that will be up for bid in a few years that the masses can consume. Icom should step up to the plate or understand they are going to be on and island talking to themselves on d-star unable to communicate with the rest of us on the open, multimanufacturer, tried and tested IMBE.

I agree.

Also, if you would, keep me informed about LAPD radios for sale. I have two MTS2000s, but they are trunked.

 

[Cary]

Apco and D-star adapters for PCR-2500

Found on Universal Radio on-line catalog, under accessories for the Icom PCR2500:

#3504 UT-118 Digital Unit provides D-STAR® digital voice reception with digital code
and callsign squelch capabilities. List:$248.00 Your price:$189.95

#4747 UT-122 P25 Digital voice decoder. Price:To be announced


http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/widerxvr/2501.html

 

[MarkWestin]

Old News

See this thread:
http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36836

This was posted on 5/16/2006

Mark

 

[bozoface]

Icom

ICOM has no intention of making a trunking Scanner look at the R20 does it trunk. The answer is hell no. They are not willing to pay to fee to motorla because they are cheap skates.

Buy a Uniden It will really work!!!

 

[Yokoshibu]

I think it will not take long for someone to create a dual trunk scanner out of the pcr-2500... of course Icom would give us the tools but not the software to support it and I would venture to guess it will only be 8 months from now that people will use the daul capability to sit on the control channel and decode p25 voice with the other reciever if not with one reiceiver on its own.

 

[KG7JEV]

Some whow I can see the US Gov , homeland security , BAN all scanners...I think you can see that now , in its early stages.

I hope I VERY wrong.

Or everyone go encrypted. My hometown of Casper Wyoming went encrypted with their new system. There used to be a big thread on it, but can't find it now.

 

[steve_s]

Or everyone go encrypted.......

I think you hit the nail on the head, bomber. There has been serious talk about encrypting sensitive services (Police, Narcotics, etc.) for a very long time. The main hurdle has been inexpensive digital-capable radios, and an agreement between all involved parties on a common, interoperable encryption system. I am afraid that most, if not all of the the hurdles will be smoothed out within a few years.