Official BCD996T Prerelease Thread

[STiMULi]

Save the hassle and do a little soldering. Put the antenna on your rear deck (if you have one).

This is what I plan in using:

http://www.allsurplus.net/Axiom/

Here is the thread about it already in progress :

http://www.radioreference.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37174

 

[sac-emt]

When reading CA law, one must continue reading to the exceptions (there are usually exceptions).

26708 (a) California Vehicle Code reads:

26708.(a)

(1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.
(2) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied in or upon the vehicle which obstructs or reduces the driver's clear view through the windshield or side windows.
(3) This subdivision applies to a person driving a motor vehicle with the driver's clear vision through the windshield, or side or rear windows, obstructed by snow or ice.​

However, 26708 (b), (c), and (d) reads:

(b) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(1) Rearview mirrors.
(2) Adjustable nontransparent sunvisors which are mounted forward of the side windows and are not attached to the glass.
(3) Signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver, signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the rear window farthest removed from the driver, or signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest the driver.
(4) Side windows which are to the rear of the driver.
(5) Direction, destination, or termini signs upon a passenger common carrier motor vehicle or a schoolbus, if those signs do not interfere with the driver's clear view of approaching traffic.
(6) Rear window wiper motor.
(7) Rear trunk lid handle or hinges.
(8) The rear window or windows, when the motor vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on both the left- and right-hand sides of the vehicle that are so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle.
(9) A clear, transparent lens affixed to the side window opposite the driver on a vehicle greater than 80 inches in width and which occupies an area not exceeding 50 square inches of the lowest corner toward the rear of that window and which provides the driver with a wide-angle view through the lens.
(10) Sun screening devices meeting the requirements of Section 26708.2 installed on the side windows on either side of the vehicle's front seat, if the driver or a passenger in the front seat has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed physician and surgeon certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a medical condition, or has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed optometrist certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a visual condition. The devices authorized by this paragraph shall not be used during darkness.
(11) An electronic communication device affixed to the center uppermost portion of the interior of a windshield within an area that is not greater than 5 inches square, if the device provides either of the following:

(A) The capability for enforcement facilities of the Department of the California Highway Patrol to communicate with a vehicle equipped with the device.
(B) The capability for electronic toll and traffic management on public or private roads or facilities.
​

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the topmost portion of the windshield if the following conditions apply:

(1) The bottom edge of the material is at least 29 inches above the undepressed driver's seat when measured from a point 5 inches in front of the bottom of the backrest with the driver's seat in its rearmost and lowermost position with the vehicle on a level surface.
(2) The material is not red or amber in color.
(3) There is no opaque lettering on the material and any other lettering does not affect primary colors or distort vision through the windshield.
(4) The material does not reflect sunlight or headlight glare into the eyes of occupants of oncoming or following vehicles to any greater extent than the windshield without the material.
​

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat if the following conditions are met:

(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.
(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS-14 glazing, as specified in that federal standard.
(3) The material is designed and manufactured to enhance the ability of the existing window glass to block the sun's harmful ultraviolet A rays.
(4) The driver has in his or her possession, or within the vehicle, a certificate signed by the installing company certifying that the windows with the material installed meet the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the installing company and the material's manufacturer by full name and street address, or, if the material was installed by the vehicle owner, a certificate signed by the material's manufacturer certifying that the windows with the material installed according to manufacturer's instructions meets the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the material's manufacturer by full name and street address.
(5) If the material described in this subdivision tears or bubbles, or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed or replaced.​

Now I am not sure if there is a loophole here anywhere, but there it is.

You have that right - always read the exceptions!

I have learned that with the Fire Code, Building Code, Vehicle Code and all the others that I have dealt with here in California. It will always catch people who do not do enough thorough research.

 

[STiMULi]

When reading CA law, one must continue reading to the exceptions (there are usually exceptions).

26708 (a) California Vehicle Code reads:

26708.(a)

(1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.
(2) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied in or upon the vehicle which obstructs or reduces the driver's clear view through the windshield or side windows.
(3) This subdivision applies to a person driving a motor vehicle with the driver's clear vision through the windshield, or side or rear windows, obstructed by snow or ice.​

However, 26708 (b), (c), and (d) reads:

(b) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(1) Rearview mirrors.
(2) Adjustable nontransparent sunvisors which are mounted forward of the side windows and are not attached to the glass.
(3) Signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver, signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the rear window farthest removed from the driver, or signs, stickers, or other materials which are displayed in a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest the driver.
(4) Side windows which are to the rear of the driver.
(5) Direction, destination, or termini signs upon a passenger common carrier motor vehicle or a schoolbus, if those signs do not interfere with the driver's clear view of approaching traffic.
(6) Rear window wiper motor.
(7) Rear trunk lid handle or hinges.
(8) The rear window or windows, when the motor vehicle is equipped with outside mirrors on both the left- and right-hand sides of the vehicle that are so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle.
(9) A clear, transparent lens affixed to the side window opposite the driver on a vehicle greater than 80 inches in width and which occupies an area not exceeding 50 square inches of the lowest corner toward the rear of that window and which provides the driver with a wide-angle view through the lens.
(10) Sun screening devices meeting the requirements of Section 26708.2 installed on the side windows on either side of the vehicle's front seat, if the driver or a passenger in the front seat has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed physician and surgeon certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a medical condition, or has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed optometrist certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun due to a visual condition. The devices authorized by this paragraph shall not be used during darkness.
(11) An electronic communication device affixed to the center uppermost portion of the interior of a windshield within an area that is not greater than 5 inches square, if the device provides either of the following:

(A) The capability for enforcement facilities of the Department of the California Highway Patrol to communicate with a vehicle equipped with the device.
(B) The capability for electronic toll and traffic management on public or private roads or facilities.
​

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the topmost portion of the windshield if the following conditions apply:

(1) The bottom edge of the material is at least 29 inches above the undepressed driver's seat when measured from a point 5 inches in front of the bottom of the backrest with the driver's seat in its rearmost and lowermost position with the vehicle on a level surface.
(2) The material is not red or amber in color.
(3) There is no opaque lettering on the material and any other lettering does not affect primary colors or distort vision through the windshield.
(4) The material does not reflect sunlight or headlight glare into the eyes of occupants of oncoming or following vehicles to any greater extent than the windshield without the material.
​

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat if the following conditions are met:

(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.
(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS-14 glazing, as specified in that federal standard.
(3) The material is designed and manufactured to enhance the ability of the existing window glass to block the sun's harmful ultraviolet A rays.
(4) The driver has in his or her possession, or within the vehicle, a certificate signed by the installing company certifying that the windows with the material installed meet the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the installing company and the material's manufacturer by full name and street address, or, if the material was installed by the vehicle owner, a certificate signed by the material's manufacturer certifying that the windows with the material installed according to manufacturer's instructions meets the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the material's manufacturer by full name and street address.
(5) If the material described in this subdivision tears or bubbles, or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed or replaced.​

Now I am not sure if there is a loophole here anywhere, but there it is.

I had nothing else to add. I just thought that since this thread was about the BCD996T we should read more about the California Codes
26708 (a) (b) (c) (d) again.

 

[hotdjdave]

BCD996T GPS Device Attachment Vehicle Code Laws

I had nothing else to add. I just thought that since this thread was about the BCD996T we should read more about the California Codes 26708 (a) (b) (c) (d) again.

No problem. Although the CVC sections do have something to do with the BCD996T scanner. The laws pertain to the placement of the GPS device and/or its attachments that was mentioned that would work with the BCD996T. Of course, you knew that. :lol:

Garmin is warning GPS owners about using suction cups to hold antennas on windshield in Calif and Minn. Here is there statement:
"NOTICE TO DRIVERS IN CALIFORNIA AND MINNESOTA: State law prohibits drivers in California and Minnesota from using suction mounts on their windshields while operating motor vehicles. Other state or local laws may also prohibit drivers from using suction cups on their windshields. (See California Vehicle Code Section 26708(a); Minnesota Statutes 2005, Section 169.71)"

Read the Calif code it would probably prohibit a thru the glass antenna hooked to a scanner on front winshield.

 

[STiMULi]

FYI...

Even if you have read the PreLim Manual available at the Yahoo site and if you have an honest interest in the BCD996T, download the UASD file available on the UNIDEN site (both are linked in this thread) and read through the help file associated with it. It has alot of good information

 

[UPMan]

The first shipment has been loaded onto its container ship. ETA our facilities is before the end of the month (barring any transit delays).

 

[h8tdigitalradio]

I think I will do is what uniden should have done in the firstplace. I will be stiking one of these CW25-NAV's into my radio. An organized person would create a kit for the propose of an internal GPS on the 996. Now we talking.

Just FYI, my Garmin eTrex Lengend creates a birdie on 867.4375 MHz when placed within 6 inches of my BCD396T. Just something to consider before internal installation of GPS unit.

73

Dave AKA The Tripzter

 

[mikea7531]

The first shipment has been loaded onto its container ship. ETA our facilities is before the end of the month (barring any transit delays).

YAY! I can't wait to get my hands on the new BCD996T! This is going to be one awesome scanner, this will be replacing the pro-2096 that's in my car.

 

[wesct]

The first shipment has been loaded onto its container ship. ETA our facilities is before the end of the month (barring any transit delays).

any clue as to how many?

wesct

 

[STiMULi]

I guess it is time to put that order in now!

 

[UPMan]

any clue as to how many?

Can't answer that...but probably not nearly enough.

 

[yaesumofo]

I will answer for you. Fear not there will be plenty of BCD996T to go around.
There are between 1000 and 2000 units that are part of this first shipment. That is how many units will fit into a standard container. Believe me Uniden will not ship less than 1 whole 40 foot container FULL of radios.
A 40-foot container is 40-foot long, 8-foot wide and 8-foot tall (capacity approximately 2400 cubic feet).
A Boxed radio will take approximately 2 cubic foot, add a bit for cardboard and you can easily see that shipment that a whole container will be about 1000 units. If the initial order was larger then maybe 2 containers....2000 units.

Of Course if there is a real shortage (vs a created shortage. (a strategy used all the time by large electronic manufactures in order to maintain a heightened sense of demand thus keeping the initially high price...high.)) Uniden could always use DHL or FEDEX to airfreight a couple hundred in at a time.
This is done more often than you may think especially with smaller electronic products.

Yaesumofo

Can't answer that...but probably not nearly enough.

 

[UPMan]

Your logic is sound, but is based on incomplete information. We can always combine multiple models into a single container. Some models would kill us on inventory if we had to fill a container every time...

 

[yaesumofo]

Are you saying that Uniden is about to launch a new FLAGSHIP scanner into the US market with less than 1000 units?
We are not talking about those tiny little blister Pack 2 in a pak GMRS HT here. We are talking about a big 2 cubic foot box. 1000 units doesnt seem all that big a number.

This isn't every time. This is the first time and it is a major new product.

I think this may be one of those times where the company wants to keep the on hand stock low in order to keep the price high.
Also I don't see Uniden wanting to pay more per unit by having smaller production runs.
A run of less than 1000 units will certainly cost much more than a run of 1000 units.
Smaller numbers don't make sense.

On the other hand the initial order could well be 5000 units all built and stored in a warehouse in China or Taiwan. Then the radios can be sprinkled into the market slowly in order to maintain it's higher retail price longer.

It doesnt make sense from any point of view to ship smaller numbers of units.

The serial number on my 396 is in the 12XX range. I believe it was a first run radio because I had the faceplate problem. So maybe there were 1000-1500 radios in that batch of scanners. Why would the Base radio be any different? Is the market that much softer for base/mobile vs Ht's?
Paul please explain the marketing plan for the 996.

Yaesumofo

Your logic is sound, but is based on incomplete information. We can always combine multiple models into a single container. Some models would kill us on inventory if we had to fill a container every time...

 

[rfaricy]

And my 396 is something like 48xx ... and I still have the silk print faceplate problem. So I'm inclined to disagree.

 

[UPMan]

The volume of a master pack of BCD996T's (6 units) is about 1.5 cu ft.

 

[UPMan]

Now, on a scanner-related note, the PC protocol for the BCD996T is now available for free download from Uniden's web site.

 

[yaesumofo]

Sounds like Uniden can easily put many more radios in a container than I had calculated. It helps when you know the actual size of the box. A container can hold 9000 + scanners WOW great!! Then of course there is no need to have any kind of shortage. Right? With nearly 10,000 units there should not be a shortage for some time.
That is a good thing.
I think publishing the PC protocol for the BCD996T for the radio well before it's release is a fantastic move. Unidens support of the hobby is fantastic. Imagine how much more work it is to have to figure all that information out. ICOM may want to steal this page out of Unidens Play book. Seriously thanks. That information leads to good solid programs which enhance the usability of the radio. The control and programming of these new scanners has taken the listening hobby to whole other level. Now please give us a dual receiver radio next.
I look forward to the 996. I don't know if I will ever be able to really enjoy the gps features of this radio, but I will certainly interface it to a computer and use the heck out of those features.
Yaesumofo
I asked before I will try again. Paul do you think there is enough room to stick a gps receiver inside the 996. I get the feeling the unit may need to be mounted in a can before mounting inside the radio. Is this viable?

The volume of a master pack of BCD996T's (6 units) is about 1.5 cu ft.

 

[pboy]

Audio Option Question

UPMan:

The BCD996T has a new option not found on the BCD396T.

It is an audio option in the channel menu to select analog, digital, or both.

Is this an attempt to minimize digital "motor-boating" or totally unrelated?

Thank you.

 

[yaesumofo]

I am inclined to agree with you since learning that the quantity of 396's in that first shippment was larger than I had thought it was.
I wonder how wide spread that problem was. My radio Number 12XX and yours at 48XX
Man that is a lot of radios.
I bet many did not get sent in for repair.
Yaesumofo

And my 396 is something like 48xx ... and I still have the silk print faceplate problem. So I'm inclined to disagree.