New Uniden Scanner announcement at SEMA 2025
- Thread starter communicore_
- Start date
Not sure what "Enhanced Memory & Dynamic Channel Management" means, but it would be really nice if this scanner acts in the way of Unication radio. Would be nice if it essentially roams or locks on the best reception tower instead on scanning each site of the system.
*not sure if anyone else mentioned this..
*not sure if anyone else mentioned this..
You don't need additional hardware for TETRA. You only need something capable of the bandwidth TETRA takes up, which an SDR based receiver should have no issues with. This scanner lacks TETRA/dPMR/DSTAR/etc because of an intentional decision, not a hardware limitation.
And people travel with these scanners. This is what makes having these capabilities useful and desirable.
Ubbe
Member
You can have a battery stored in a drawer in your desk and it could swell without being used or charged. I believe it is some sort of impurity in the chemicals in some batteries that makes them swell and are unrelated to how, or even if, you charge the battery.
/Ubbe
Ubbe
Member
The 150 has the exact same specification for functions and features as the 100 with the added hardware of Bluetooth, GPS and the battery design. Scanners have a squelch so you can simply set it to a higher value and it will not stop on weaker sites and you decide yourself at what signal strength level that should happen and you can adjust it at any time.
/Ubbe
According to the RRDB, SFO has a TETRA system. But by considering how much activity I see on the SF P25’s SFO site, I doubt the TETRA system is used presently.
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2003
- Messages
- 13,667
- Reaction score
- 9,146
- Location
- Retired 40 Year Firefighter NW Tenn
A Database Admin only found 20 systems total in the US and Canada 20 out of thousands of systems in the US and Canada is a very small market for 75% of the Uniden Scanner sales. Do you think Ford would make a car that would sell 20 of in the US and Canada?
Last edited:
Can you provide a link to the DFW TETRA system? I can't seem to find it,
NJ Transit is the reason I would want TETRA, but based on the above stats, it is not economical at all for Uniden to include it. Oh well.
New Jersey Transit Trunking System, Regional, Multi-State
New Jersey Transit Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
In regards to the TETRA topic, many many years ago I seem to recall the same folks here say the same thing about DMR and NXDN being only for school bus companies, businesses etc. As time went on, we now have police departments, fire department samongst the users of these digital formats. Add Cap+ and Con+ trunking protocols which the TRX can't do, and now we're all on board with buying the upgrades. TETRA is not a popular digital protocol "now", but for some of us, we have these systems around us and would gladly pay to upgrade our scanners. I don't have Pro Voice systems near me, so I don't have the need to pay for the upgrades. That's the beauty of this, if it was made available to add on and some of us decided to pay for it, then we can. If you don't have the need for it, don't purchase it. Seems pretty simple to me.
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2003
- Messages
- 13,667
- Reaction score
- 9,146
- Location
- Retired 40 Year Firefighter NW Tenn
But DMR and NXDN had to gain Market Share before Uniden added them. I am sure when and if TETRA gains enough Market Share Uniden will invest the time and money into developing the firmware to add it. Just remember to add something new it my cause problems with things that work and that takes time and money to fix the problem.
I may have been misremembering things, which happens. I thought I read someone noticed DFW airport going TETRA, so that stuck in my mind.
This is true, but I remember those formats not being very popular at the time it was added either. UPMan and the engineering team were ahead of the game and it seems like overnight, many businesses and hospitals were adding DMR and NXDN emissions on the licenses and we were tracking them when they came on line. If it's being looked into now, I don't know, but if it is and beta firmwares are being tested, that's great!
This is one I could track, but would have to add it to the SDS 100 since it's a little far away for me from my home location at the "other Chicago airport" and would need to hang out somewhere closer by:
Chicago O'Hare Airport TETRA Trunking System, Chicago, Illinois
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2003
- Messages
- 13,667
- Reaction score
- 9,146
- Location
- Retired 40 Year Firefighter NW Tenn
True but was that also about the same time as Whistler released the TRX-1 and it was a reaction to direct competition?
The following timeline information was generated by Grok 4 using expert mode. It looks darn accurate because I was involved with testing all the protocols prior to release.:
Release Date Comparison Table (Scanners and Protocols)
A key takeaway is Uniden and their ability to trunk track the DMR and NXDN protocols unlike Whistler.
Release Date Comparison Table (Scanners and Protocols)
| Model/Protocol | Scanner Release Date | DMR Support Release Date | NXDN Support Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whistler TRX-1 | Late June 2016 | Late June 2016 (native at launch) | December 15, 2016 (free firmware update) | Supports Conventional DMR, MotoTRBO variants; NXDN for NEXEDGE/IDAS. No paid upgrades needed. forums.radioreference.com |
| Uniden SDS100 (handheld) | June/July 2018 | Available at launch (paid upgrade, originally added to Uniden lineup July 2016) | Available at launch (paid upgrade, originally added March 2018) | Upgrades via key code; includes MotoTRBO, Hytera XPT for DMR; NEXEDGE, IDAS, DFA for NXDN. Firmware continues to refine (e.g., 2025 updates for Tier 3). wiki.radioreference.com +4 |
| Uniden SDS200 (base/mobile) | Early 2019 (Q1) | Available at launch (paid upgrade, originally added July 2016) | Available at launch (paid upgrade, originally added March 2018) | Similar upgrades and features to SDS100, with added Ethernet for streaming; ongoing firmware support. wiki.radioreference.com +2 |
A key takeaway is Uniden and their ability to trunk track the DMR and NXDN protocols unlike Whistler.
CollinsURG
Member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2025
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 112
It would be nice to be able to monitor everything. There are systems around many of us we will never be able to monitor. TETRA in your area is analogous to encountering encryption, and encryption is becoming much more prevalent than TETRA in the US. Point being, we will never have it all.
BTW, your avatar is very "cool".
Point taken, however the system I linked is known to be digital and not encrypted. The other point is if it's made "available" and you don't need it/don't want it/can't afford it, then you don't have to add it. We went through the same things back when DMR and NXDN were being floated around. If none of the other systems/decoding are degraded in any way, nothing to be concerned about either. I don't use Waterfall or Pro Voice either, but it's good it was added for those that want it.
CollinsURG
Member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2025
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 112
If TETRA becomes more prevalent I can certainly imagine it will become an available upgrade. As discussed, it should be doable. For all we know it has already been considered and may be an upcoming project for Uniden.
We don't yet know the horsepower of the SDS150. I really don't know the CPU demand of TETRA vs. say P25 when using the TETRA plugin for SDR ++ . Supposedly there is one. Never tried it, never needed it. I am hoping for much faster load times of favorites on startup. Traveling and using the full database is insane when turning on the SDS100, and NC VIPER with 234 sites and lots of agencies statewide is a long load time as well.
I like the batteries in the Home Patrol and Whistler scanners. They just us common AA battery's. Using either rechargeable or the normal throw away batteries instead of a priority battery that can be used only on one scanner seems to be an expensive option. If you can not charge the radio and the battery dies, the radio is dead. The regular AA batteries are readily available at just about any home center or grocery store and are in expensive. So if you are on the road and the battery dies, just pull over at the next exit and buy a pack of new batteries and in a few minutes your radio is back up and running.