Remote Display Other Than RH-96?

[HarryWilly]

Does anyone know of a display only (besides the beardisplay/bearcontrol) for the BCT15. I have tried to contact the developer of the bearcontrol items, and so far have been unsuccessful. It would increase my install options, because I am moving my BCT-15 out of its current location, and I can't seem to fit my RH-96 anywhere (no it can't go where the 15 is now, that is why I am moving it). Thanks for your help

 

[bctrl1]

Shortly after the RH-96 became available I stopped development on all of the remote heads. I've found very few people interested in building one when a 'plug-n-play' solution is available. Actually, very few people were interested even before the RH-96 was announced.

The only versions that I ever officially released were the BC895/898/BC780 remote and the 246t display. The documentation for these are fairly complete, and I know of a few that have been running for about 4 years now. So if you have one of these scanners, you are all set.

Unfortunately I took a different approach with the BCT-15 which required some different hardware. The main board was re-designed slightly for the volume/squelch controls and a daughter board was installed in the radio. The daughterboard was required to allow power control over the serial connection (which uniden failed to provide when the radio came out). I never created schematics for either, and the entire thing is buried behind the dash of my truck now.

If you are really interested I can send you the .hex file and provide the pinout of the controller, but thats about all of the documentation that I have.

 

[HarryWilly]

Thank so much for the information.

I sent (I assume you) an e-mail via your website a couple weeks ago... not really sure how that went out.

I basically decided I want to do this after some of the installs I saw done with it. I don't really need control other than volume, which would be easy enough to make it's own controller for, but I wanted to design a way just to display alpha-tag I needed nothing more. I unfortunately do not have the space for a remote head... I own the RH-96, and I have mixed feelings on it, kind of feel like the design was not all it could be, but I have to give Uniden credit for making an affordable solution to a problem most people complained about. Other than your solution all I ever saw was ScannerMaster's $1000 remote head your BC780/796 solution. My opinion - not worth the money, I know other people feel differently.

Again, I really wanted was the display. I was wondering if because the 246 uses the same interface, that bear-display would work with a BCT15. I didn't keep my hopes up because I am sure for it to be the same, the 246T would have to allow the remote head.

I do appreciate your documentation, the amount of which cannot be properly displayed on a forum. It is very clear, and I was on my way to having a board printed until I realized the limitations.

I guess from your explanation modification of the actual radio is required.. something I do not want to risk the equipment on. I would be more than happy to go find a BC780, but I want to be able to upgrade in the future, which is ideally what I want to do.

So in conclusion... I take it the project isn't really all that practical. Judging by the release of the BCD396XT, and the super super low prices of the RH-96 now (~$115), there is no point in redesigning an interface that could be obsolete very soon. What I basically hoped for was simply an LCD I could mount in a box, run a wire to a mother board in another box that would act as a translator from DMA scanners that support the RH-96, to the LCD itself, but I guess the understand of the protocols isn't there. Again, I would get a radio like the 780 now, but the issue is I do want to upgrade to digital at some point (when more than state police are using it), but for now I don't have the reason to invest in the technology (unless I decide to get into APCO25/D-STAR/etc on Ham bands).

Then again... might not be a bad idea because the cost of building your interface and picking up a second hand 246T isn't that bad, and I could more discretely integrate into the car.

Thanks again for the information... wasn't sure if you were on the board or not, but glad to get a definitive answer from the source

 

[torontokris]

Why will the interface be obsolete? the 396xt uses the same interface.. however some of its functions will be different. Not sure if there will be a replacement head or just a firmware upgrade for it

Correct at $115 its not cost effective to build a whole other remote head.

on a side note they should have made the remote head a bit thinner.. its pretty big

 

[HarryWilly]

What I meant by that was the 246T uses slightly different interface than the newer stuff and because it is likely to be replaced, if I were to upgrade to something digital, I would be unable to because as it stands right now, all the products bctrl1 has so graciously made and thoroughly documented would be useless... now if the networks I listen to (I don't really like listening to police bands all that much except for the local one because they get dispatched to medical/fire calls before us :evil were to go digital, then I would be unhappy, but as long as they stay the same it is okay.

As you probably noticed the RH-96 just recycles stock BCT15/BCD996T parts and ads the stuff to make it remote head and the back cover... I actually have a perfect place I wanted to put it, but the remote head is too thick. by an amount the I cannot measure without a machinist's set of extremely accurate gauges (man that is annoying). I do not want to grind it or anything cause it is still in more or less mint condition.

The point of the price is that we should expect something new soon from Uniden. They traditionally don't lower MSRPs then pass along the discount to vendors unless they are planning on discontinuing updating a product soon. Then again, they may have just started being more reasonable...