Official BC-RH96 Remote Head Pre-Release Thread

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UPMan

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I'm pleased to be able to report that in February, 2007 Uniden plans to release another much-requested enhancement to the product line: A remote head unit that provides complete control (including volume and squelch) for the:

* BCD996T
* BCT15
* BCD396T
* BR330T

More details will become available as we get closer to the release date, but I've started a Wiki Page for it that has a preliminary photo of a mockup sample and the basics.

Moderator: Suggest to make this a sticky.
 

DaveIN

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Glad to here Uniden is going to follow through with this. Looks like Scanner Master is off the hook on this one +;-)
 

DaveIN

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Hopefully this will work through the RS-232 ports and not be a radio modification? I can just see problems with some installations with ribbon cables in mind. If it's for the BCD396T and BR330T it has to be through the mini port...
 

UPMan

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This is entirely controlled through the serial port (mini connector). No hardware modifications are needed to the scanners. RH needs only the serial connection and power. If the scanner is very remote (as in in the trunk), you'd also need to run a seperate remote speaker up to a suitable location or interface it to an existing audio system.
 

K9GTJ

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That sounds very cool but I do wonder about the cost. If you have it around $150 or less, I'm sold.
 

h8tdigitalradio

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Hello,

Hopefully, it will cost much less than the RHs sold by Scanner Master for the BC785/BC796. With the BC-RH96, there are multiple mounting options for mobile use, especially those who can't use a DIN-E slot. The possibilties are endless. :)

73

Dave AKA The Tripzter
 

rdale

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We all know it's cool and we all know we'll like it even more if the cost is right - might be a better use of this thread to ask specific questions and/or read Paul's updates...
 

UPMan

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I'm not really at liberty to discuss specific pricing right now. Our distributors and dealers ultimately set the retail price, so once cost information starts to feed through the supply chain you should start to see some specific pricing quoted (however, since FCC has not yet been received for this model, actually offering the unit for sale is still a no-no). It is safe to say that the price should be substantially less than the ones that were available for previous models.
 

b52hbuff

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Will the device control more than one radio? Or will we have to add our own serial switch boxes? What is the serial connector on the back? DB-9 male? What is the maximum cable run between the device and the radio? Does the faceplate device provide ability to plug in a serial port to allow 'remote' programming of the radio?

Does the product support all radio's functions?

Wiki picture make the backlight look like 996T amber color. Is color changeable like the 996T? One suggestion is to split the backlight control between the radio and the faceplate. It would allow folks to leave backlight off for the radio while turning on the backlight on the faceplate. No reason to have backlight on unit on, since it will be hidden somewhere.

...that's all for now... :)
 

UPMan

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It will control one scanner at a time.

Serial connector is mini stereo and can be extended (how far is not yet known...hope to know more after getting the engineering prototype).

Can't remote program the scanner through the head from a PC.

All functions are supported. In the case of the handhelds, a couple of features are added (like "latching" function so that F+ operation can be made one-handed).

Single-color backlight.

Without having the prototype to work with, you are going to start stretching my ability to be definitive very quickly at this rate. :)
 

b52hbuff

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UPMan said:
Without having the prototype to work with, you are going to start stretching my ability to be definitive very quickly at this rate. :)

Thanks so much for the information you've provided so far. It's very 'intoxicating' to have such access and response time to someone in your position. Thanks again...

Great job on the faceplate.

If the backlight is single color, how about green? ;) I don't know about other 996 users, but although the amber is 'cool', I think the green is more readable.

I know that the 'recall' feature was removed in the transition between the 396 and 996. Does the faceplate support it?

Also, how does the power feature work? I am assuming that you need to have the radio connected to 12V and ignition controlled? So it'll come up in 'power on' state, and then the faceplate can turn it off if it's in the 'off' state? Is this understanding correct?

One other suggestion... Consider offering a nice shielded serial cable so folks can get some good distance between radio and head...
 

brandon

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This sounds pretty cool.

What I would really like to see is a remote head that connects up to the network and allows you to control a scanner over the Internet. Imagine putting a scanner at a remote location hooked up to the Internet and have a remote head that controls it from your house. That would be sick!
 

kingpin

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I certainly see a market for it. As space in the car comes more and more valuable, this will certainly ease some of the problems in mounting a quality radio and it not getting in the way.

I really, really hope that there will be either switchable colors on the display, or it done in green. I have both the 996 and the BCT15, and I can't read the display on the BCT15 at all during the day. It's too dim and dark. The green on the other hand, can be read perfectly.

Thanks for the heads up.
 

Uplink

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Oh my God, UNIDEN ROCKS!!! Thanks!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I am hoping the face stays black (no silver), and Green display would be cool. That wil be great for using the 396T in the car too.
 

garys

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If we get a vote, Green seems to be the favorite. However, I can see some great uses for this. I doubt I'll want one for my 996T as it's permanently mounted in my truck and I have enough room.

However, I also have a 396 that I take on trips. Sometimes, we'll use my wife's car because it gets better mileage and we can put three or four people in it. Using the the 396 as a mobile is frankly a PITA. Being able to use the RH and have the same functionality as the 996T is definitely worth the money.

Same for using the 396 at work. I can see setting this up and using the RH to control it.

Sign me up!

Gary
 
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