New Uniden Scanner announcement at SEMA 2025

[KevinC]

Yeah me trying to recall 16 year old forum posts. Thanks for the responses!
I saw here where 'joebearcat' was 'supposedly' to follow up on the P25 systems.
Read through the posts here about them talking about it.

Trunked Priority Question

It is 100% about when the scanner goes to the control channel. We are talking about a different type of priority than preemptive priority. Priority Monitor grants do not come into play. Once you get over the fact we are not talking about preemptive priority, all the "flaws" you cite go away...

forums.radioreference.com

Does work wile on HOLD though.

I participated in that thread. And no offense to Joe, but he was completely lost as to how preemptive priority on trunking is supposed to work. It works fine on 3600 systems, but who still uses those?

 

[KevinC]

From the SDS200 manual...

Preemptive Priority ID Scanning – For Motorola systems that have channel priority active on the system, if you flag a channel as priority and the system also has that TGID identified as a priority channel, the scanner will preempt any current transmission if the TGID becomes active.

They need to put an asterisk beside that stating it's for Motorola 3600 baud systems only and add that to the SDS150 and any other current/future models also.

 

[jasonhouk]

From the SDS200 manual...

Preemptive Priority ID Scanning – For Motorola systems that have channel priority active on the system, if you flag a channel as priority and the system also has that TGID identified as a priority channel, the scanner will preempt any current transmission if the TGID becomes active.

They need to put an asterisk beside that stating it's for Motorola 3600 baud systems only and add that to the SDS150 and any other current/future models also.

I have asked Uniden for clairifacation and will report back once I hear.

 

[jasonhouk]

A lot of people talking about Tetra in the SDS150. You need hardware for that, That's not a simple fix by firmware. Buy an AOR AR-DV1 if you want it all, or wait until the AOR AR-DV3 is on the market.

"tetra-rx is an open-source command-line tool for decoding TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) downlink signals using Software Defined Radios (SDRs). It is part of the osmo-tetra project, a broader Osmocom (Open Source Mobile Communications) initiative focused on implementing TETRA protocol layers in software. Developed primarily for Linux, it processes raw IQ samples from SDR hardware to demodulate and decode TETRA transmissions"

No special hadware needed.

 

[RRR]

Soooo.... Will they wait for release of the SDS-250 on the RH200? 🤔

 

[dmfalk]

None of these less known protocols are listed in the press release. I agree it would be nice to have these available, but only as a paid option.

Agreed, and I, for one, would be willing to pay.

 

[PA9900]

"tetra-rx is an open-source command-line tool for decoding TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) downlink signals using Software Defined Radios (SDRs). It is part of the osmo-tetra project, a broader Osmocom (Open Source Mobile Communications) initiative focused on implementing TETRA protocol layers in software. Developed primarily for Linux, it processes raw IQ samples from SDR hardware to demodulate and decode TETRA transmissions"

No special hadware needed.

I know what Tetra is and how it works. But you need to have the (CPU)power in a scanner to decode Tetra. You say it yourself when you talk about SDR. When you decode Tetra with SDR, the software use the power for decoding from the computer. That is another story in a standalone radio as the DV1 and DV10.

 

[dmfalk]

"tetra-rx is an open-source command-line tool for decoding TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) downlink signals using Software Defined Radios (SDRs). It is part of the osmo-tetra project, a broader Osmocom (Open Source Mobile Communications) initiative focused on implementing TETRA protocol layers in software. Developed primarily for Linux, it processes raw IQ samples from SDR hardware to demodulate and decode TETRA transmissions"

No special hadware needed.

And I was going to say something to that effect!

TETRA is a four-slot system ("tetra" = 4 in Greek), which makes it different from DMR, for example. (C4FM is similar.)

I have no idea what's so hardware specific about TETRA that couldn't be done in SDR, and as we're discussing SDS units here, which is based on SDR technology, this isn't outside the realm of possibility, only a matter of licensing - Again, something that could be a paid upgrade.

 

[PA9900]

Again, something that could be a paid upgrade

Not going to happen. Not enough CPU power in the radio. Why you think only AOR have 3 radio's that can decode Tetra. It has nothing to do with the Tetra protocol but with the CPU power to decode Tetra. You can find all this info on Internet. SDR use the computer power to decode Tetra with software.
On google i found this:
a Uniden SDS100 cannot get TETRA with a firmware update because the hardware does not support it, and Uniden has not included the necessary technology in its firmware. While Uniden has released firmware updates for other features, such as the waterfall display, TETRA decoding has not been a focus, likely due to limited use in the U.S. and the cost of development.

• Hardware limitations:
  The SDS100 is a Software Defined Radio (SDR), but it does not have the necessary hardware or firmware to decode the TETRA protocol.
  
  
• Lack of demand:
  TETRA is not widely used in the United States, so there is limited demand from the U.S. market for this feature.
  
  
• Development costs:
  Adding TETRA decoding would require significant investment from Uniden, which they have deemed not profitable enough.
  
  
• Professional receivers:
  Professional-grade receivers from brands like AOR and ICOM are equipped with TETRA capabilities, but these are sold at a higher price point than consumer scanners.

 

[dmfalk]

AOR has the licensing, that's the sole difference, other than it uses older hardware for channel memory and display functions.

Airports and malls are increasingly using TETRA.

As noted, TETRA is being employed in SDRs and already have an open protocol system developed that could be implemented with ease.

AOR's processing power isn't all that much different, otherwise, from Uniden's. Dedicated TETRA handhelds use even less than either, especially since TETRA was originally developed on much older systems.

But you're so gung-ho on AOR in a Uniden forum, that you've repeatedly put down Uniden and the SDS system as inferior, that I'd expect you'll continue doing so, so not worth my time.

 

[PA9900]

But you're so gung-ho on AOR in a Uniden forum, that you've repeatedly put down Uniden and the SDS system as inferior, that I'd expect you'll continue doing so, so not worth my time.

I responded in this topic because a lot of people think, that a firmware update wil give Tetra. And it is not.
I had a SDS100E and SDS200E and it is not my intention to put down the Uniden SDS. That is your own interpretation.

 

[GTR8000]

On google i found this:

Sorry, but an AI "summary" is not fact, and those AI summaries are often full of misinformation, in case you weren't aware.

The SDS series has more than enough CPU horsepower to decode P25 Phase II 2-slot TDMA, so what makes you so certain that they don't have enough horsepower to decode 4-slot TDMA? If you can't provide any actual proof to support your position beyond an AI summary from a Google search, then you're merely engaging in speculation.

The more likely answer why they don't have TETRA capabilities is that these scanners are USA-centric, and we don't really do TETRA here, so there's not a whole lot of reason to spend money investing in niche technology for the largest scanner market (by far).

 

[buddrousa]

Per the Uniden designer they are not going to invest the time and money into a system that will not pay for itself or make a profit.

 

[buddrousa]

GTR thanks for catching me missing the ?

 

[dmfalk]

Sorry, but an AI "summary" is not fact, and those AI summaries are often full of misinformation, in case you weren't aware.

In my case, I actually looked at the AOR's specs, hence why I wasn't so impressed with the AOR, as this other seems to be, even though it covers more digital systems.

The SDS series has more than enough CPU horsepower to decode P25 Phase II 2-slot TDMA, so what makes you so certain that they don't have enough horsepower to decode 4-slot TDMA? If you can't provide any actual proof to support your position beyond an AI summary from a Google search, then you're merely engaging in speculation.

I was going to mention this, particularly since it's already implemented in open SDR systems, which are entirely software based. (The dongles being nothing but basic RF detectors.) And since there's already an open TETRA protocol for SDR reception.....

The more likely answer why they don't have TETRA capabilities is that these scanners are USA-centric, and we don't really do TETRA here, so there's not a whole lot of reason to spend money investing in niche technology for the largest scanner market (by far).

As I stated, there's a growing number of TETRA usage in the US, notably in malls and airport campuses. SFO and DFW already use it, and I think LAX and a few others do, too.

It really is about licensing, as being the main holdback. Same reason for dPMR, although the code for dPMR is already in the SDS firmware, they don't have the licensing for upgrade keys outside of Europe.

 

[dmfalk]

Per the Uniden designer they are not going to invest the time and money into a system that will not pay for itself or make a profit.

At the time when Opitz was alive, the only TETRA usage in North America was in Mexico. Otherwise, it was barely used outside of the UK and Australia, so at the time, this would've made sense.

 

[buddrousa]

What is the percentage of tetra in the us? I would bet it is less than .1% no money.
1 in 10,000 the money in the US is P25 DMR and NXDN.

 

[GTR8000]

20 TETRA systems in the US (13) and Canada (7). The math isn't mathing when it comes to Uniden America investing in licensing/coding for a scanner that they brought to the market, and where North America probably makes up at least 75% of the scanner market.

 

[dmfalk]

What is the percentage of tetra in the us? I would bet it is less than .1% no money.
1 in 10,000 the money in the US is P25 DMR and NXDN.

While at least 50% of all digital is P25, and about 25-30% is both DMR and NXDN, the rest are other systems. Thanks (or should I say, no thanks) to Baofengs flooding the radio market, dPMR has become an unexpected chunk of digital. That leaves D*Star, C4FM and others filling up most of the rest. But when I check the database for metropolitan trunking systems, I have indeed noticed the appearance of TETRA, mostly in localised areas, like airports, malls and amusement parks & similar tourist attractions, mostly in larger metropolitan areas. They're definitely there. The first time I noticed a TETRA system in a US listing was for SFO, handling general facility usage like stores, restaurants, maintenance wheelchairs and yes, security and operations, amongst other things. All the ground stuff not covered by aviation itself, except for airline operations and local AIRINC usage. Those use their own systems.

Now, this seems to be a growing trend for airport facilities, using TETRA. Why? I don't know.... I could think of cheaper networking systems to use, including PoC or even, gasp, P25. TETRA radios are not cheap!

 

[dmfalk]

20 TETRA systems in the US (13) and Canada (7). The math isn't mathing when it comes to Uniden America investing in licensing/coding for a scanner that they brought to the market, and where North America probably makes up at least 75% of the scanner market.

When Paul Opitz was alive there were none. The first time I saw TETRA listed was, at that time, for Tijuana, Mexico metro police and Baja state police. Since then, both have gone to P25.

Even though it's relatively small, it is a growing number, mostly in metro areas. Since software implementation exists, this is now possible to add. It's just a matter of getting the licensing. Probably another $60 for upgrade keys, if/when they're introduced.