Official BCD996T Prerelease Thread

[epbernstein]

Ah, you're right. I'm getting ahead of myself, as we've only announced three:

• BCD996T
• BC340CRS
• BC370CRS

Announcement for the 4th isn't until CES.

Oh you tease, you...

 

[MysticalOS]

Multi-Site Specifics?

Many people use old PC's to dedicate to their scanner, and it's MUCH easier to add a serial converter to a USB port than add a USB port to an old box.

Just use a USB cable that has serial on end of it. You can get one real cheap at radioshack. In fact I just keep it attached to the uniden scanner cable. So it's already practically plug and play like USB is meant to be. Just put one end into scanner and other into USB and it's ready to go.


Another question on multi-site trunking not quote addressed on wiki pages is. Will it actually listen to multiple sites simultaneously, or alternate between them within one system just to save memory of doing it in multiple programed systems? In other words, if site 1 is broadcasting talkgroup A and site 2 is broadcasting talkgroup B, will the scanner show A and B active because it's monitoring both sites at once. Or is it still switching between two sites and still only going to get one or the other out of A and B? My guess is, it's probably not simultaneous since that would require ability to monitor two CC at once which would probably require two receivers. So assuming for now it's switching sites. How would that be done? Every X amount of seconds? Or possibly when signal drops below X amount of bars it finds the strongest signal? Or perhaps user function wise, still functioning as independent systems with user ability to assign quick keys to each site? They are just programed in one memory spot to share talkgroups and just hop sites on different quick-keys? Perhaps all of the above (a person can dream).

 

[rdale]

You would need two receivers to monitor two transmitters at once. This does not.

 

[safetyobc]

The Icom R20 can monitor two at once. Not trunking but... If I am not mistaken (and I could be) but I think the R20 can scan one set of freqs and hold on another or scan two sets at the same time.

From the Icom website

2 for 1, Dualwatch receive
Until the IC-R20, the capability of monitoring two frequencies required two radios. Whether you need to monitor local public safety, air traffc control, or at the track listening to two drivers, even the play by play from both the local TV and radio station is possible!

http://www.icomamerica.com/products/receivers/r20/

 

[MysticalOS]

You would need two receivers to monitor two transmitters at once. This does not.

which i figure to be case. which just brings me to wonder specifically what the feature will be for then, aside from saving memory. Exactly how it works. Like my mentioned possibilities above.

 

[rdale]

It saves a ton of memory and (more importantly) programming hassle... I have 5 towers all set up, so anytime I change one I have to cut-n-paste multiple times to change the others.

 

[Schnoor1648]

GPS Compatible with BCD996T

I am getting a little closer to buying a GPS unit. I have looked at numerous posts here and the WIKI, but I still cannot determine how to make sure that whatever GPS unit I buy will be compatible with the forthcoming BCD996T.

 

[oregontreehugger]

I've got a Garmin eTrex series model. They come with a true serial cable to GPS interface. Should be pretty simple to plug the GPS cable into the back of the 996 and use the front port for programming.

Some GPS units are now coming with USB cable. Not sure how these will fare. Or if Uniden will change something before production. All of this is just preliminary for now.

 

[UPMan]

The scanner will work with any GPS that outputs standard NMEA sentences and uses a RS232 serial (not USB) cable. I've been using it with a Garmin ETREX Legend.

 

[Schnoor1648]

So, does that mean that this http://www.garmin.com/manuals/StreetPilot2730_OwnersManual.pdf will NOT be compatible because it has a USB connection?

 

[rdale]

Per UPMan's post:

"The scanner will work with any GPS that outputs standard NMEA sentences and uses a RS232 serial (not USB) cable."

 

[UPMan]

Since that unit has only a USB connector, no it will not work.

USB clients require a PC running a USB host. It is very rare even for two USB client devices to be able to communicate (the only exception I know of is the PictBridge system built into some color printers that let you connect a PictBridge compatible camera directly to the printer), and I've never seen a USB client that can connect to a non-USB client at all. Even if the scanner used USB to communicate to the PC, it would need to use a serial connection for this application.

 

[bonus1331]

Bcd396t

Tried using search function on thsi topic and came up with nothing.
Will we be able to clone between the 996 and the 396?

 

[UPMan]

Not directly. Once the UASD's get updated you should be able to save one to the PC, then load into the other. Note that there are some features that won't xfer, though (and I'm not quite sure how they'll be handled, yet). For example, in the 996 each system can have multiple sites. In the 396 each system is single-site only. If you save with the 996 and load into the 396 it will likely only load the 1st site into the 396.

Of course, things like latitude/longitude of the system and other 996-specific features won't xfer, either.

 

[safetyobc]

Hey Paul,

How about firmware updating the 396 to have multiple site capabilities! Then they would xfer!!!!

Just a dream!

 

[fireant]

I really like that idea!!!! How about it UPMan???

fireant

 

[DaveIN]

Hey Paul,

How about firmware updating the 396 to have multiple site capabilities! Then they would xfer!!!!

Just a dream!

That would be cool! It could even save dynamic memory in theroy...

Too bad you couldn't clone the 996 from any Uniden dynamic memory generation scanner, but the UASD method should work ok also.

 

[hotdjdave]

Public Safety Scanner

When visiting the Uniden web site, a picture of the 996 appears in the icon for "Public Safety" scanners (along with "Sport," Handheld," "Base," and "Trunk Tracker" where the BCD396 is), but when you select it, the BC898T is the only available scanner. See: http://www.uniden.com/products/index.cfm?cat=scanners

It appears that this scanning receiver is targeted as a "Public Safety" model.

One feature I would like to see in the 996 is an automatic mute when my built in car cell phone rings. I have this on my car radio and it would be nice to mute the scanner when on the phone as well.

What would be more important is if the unit would mute when a communications radio is keyed up (transmit on a mobile radio), like the Uniden MR-8100 did (a true public safety scanning receiver). This would be a very useful feature on a "Public Safety" scanner.

BTW, not only police have communicaitons radios in their vehicle/shack. Many HAM operators, CB operators, SAR teams, volunteers, media, fire/rescue/ambulance teams, rangers, military personnel, event coordinators, security and alarm response agents, and many other mobile radio users (business, government, GMRS, FRS, Nextel, etc.) use scanners too.

 

[hotdjdave]

Alpha-Numberic Charactors too Small in the LCD Diplay

I looked at the alphanumerics on the LCD of the prototype picure of the BCD996T and those numbers and letters look pretty small for a base/mobile unit. I had to actually move my head closer to my 17" computer monitor to see the small characters (and I am myopic - near sighted).

Imagine trying to look at that LCD screen mounted in your vehicle about two feet away from where you are sitting. Maybe there could be optional viewing modes, one that displays the normal mode (the one shown in the BCD996T link below) and one that just the alpha-tag or frequency in large letters/numbers (as in the one shown in the MR8100 link below).

See the picture of the BCD996T here: http://www.radioreference.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Bcd996t_100505.gif or here (slightly larger): http://www.rigpix.com/bearcat/bcd996t.htm

See a picture of the large 1" display of a Uniden MR-8100 Public Safety Scanner (now that display can really be seen - used both alpha and numeric): http://www.rigpix.com/bearcat/mr8100.htm

 

[BoxAlarm187]

As an owner of a MR-8100A, I don't think that there's really any comparison between it and the 996T. I can't say I disagree with your suggestion to add the "large screen option," but keep in mind that the 996T prototype is a computer mock-up, and doesn't necessairly indicate what the production models will look like.