ScannerMaster 'RH200' prototype at Hamvention

[dispatcher812]

No, unfortunately there is no simple way to do that. I would connect the radio to the ignition to turn off with the vehicle, worked great with my old RH-96 setup back in the day.

With a radio that has a turn knob to turn the unit on and off this works but I noticed last night with my SDS 100, it went off when I turned the ignition off but did not come back on when I restarted the car.

 

[Ubbe]

I'll like to see the other end of the Cat 5 cable. I suspect that a breakout box is invloved with audio, micro USB, and mini USB connectors.

And you can pull the speaker cable from the scanner to use the scanners own speaker or plug in a bigger external ones, as that RH200 speaker must sound awful when its of that micro size it needs to be to fit inside the box. I hope they add a bluetooth transmitter inside that box so you can use earphones, or you can always connect your own directly at the scanner and make a power solution for it, perhaps it will fit in the break out box if you strip the BT of it's connectors and take it out of its shell.

The break out box, that also powers the RH200, supports two scanners and the one that you control are selected from the RH200 touch display. He called the cable cat5 but it's not a network cable and just a RJ45 modular connector with a real thin multiwire cable used.

Those selector knobs looks like the one from a 436 and are probably the click types as well to be dual functions, the same as the scanners own knobs. Hopefully one of them are configured to be defaulted as the selector knob/function to quickly continue scan and the other has a volume/squelch function.

/Ubbe

 

[Ubbe]

Can the actual radio be powered off and on from the control head?

I asked that very question when I saw this on Saturday and his response was 'yes'.

It would require the scanner to be powered from the breakout box but the RH200, and any 12v to 5v converters in the design, would still take some power in its sleep mode. But portable scanners that you power on/off from the keypad does the same without draining its batteries.

Maybe ScannerMaster can use the ignition sense from the vehicle and do some timed function you can set in the RH200 configurations to power off the whole thing, immediately, after 5 minutes, 1 hour or never. And have a selection to power on automatically from ignition after 5 sec, to not do that while the engine are being started.

/Ubbe

 

[Dewey]

Paint me skeptical of being able to truly power off a mobile scanner with the remote head. Aren't the mobile scanner's "click" of off and on physical connections opposed to the off/on "logic" of the portable scanner's momentary push button? In other words, if the power is removed from a portable scanner (batteries removed or power cut when no batteries are inserted) while it is still turned on, it will always default to off when power is reapplied or batteries are reinserted, but if the power is removed from a mobile scanner, it will default to it's last state, off or on, since that is a physical connection. I don't pretend to know everything and I don't know if I've ever stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, but I would think to truly be able to power off a mobile scanner from a remote head would require the actual scanner's switch to remained turned off, and a parallel external jack that can make that physical connection.

 

[garys]

It seems to be very well done. I remember that Rich put a lot of money and effort into the remote head for the BC78x and 796D scanners, but I think that the price point ended up being outside of what people were willing or able to spend.

I hope this remote is more successful, but again price will come factor in.

With how little room there is in a lot of modern vehicles it's almost a requirement for a remote head in vehicles.

 

[ofd8001]

Paint me skeptical of being able to truly power off a mobile scanner with the remote head.

Whether or not a scanner can be powered from the remote isn't critical to me. I would be no worse off than I am now. I've pretty much trained myself to open the console lid where my scanner is mounted, to power down the scanner if I make changes. (Which is what I got to do now to access the scanner to make the changes.)

My "thing" would be cost. I'm sure they won't drive the price too high for profit purposes and cost themselves sales.

 

[garys]

It's a delicate balance between not charging too much and not making enough to make it worth continuing production. Even though I have my SDS200 installed in the lower console of my truck, I'd likely move the scanner somewhere and use the head.

I can also see using this along with my SDS100 in a rental car on a trip.

I also note that Uniden should have done this, but at that's a moot point now.

Whether or not a scanner can be powered from the remote isn't critical to me. I would be no worse off than I am now. I've pretty much trained myself to open the console lid where my scanner is mounted, to power down the scanner if I make changes. (Which is what I got to do now to access the scanner to make the changes.)

My "thing" would be cost. I'm sure they won't drive the price too high for profit purposes and cost themselves sales.

 

[Ubbe]

Paint me skeptical of being able to truly power off a mobile scanner with the remote head. Aren't the mobile scanner's "click" of off and on physical connections opposed to the off/on "logic" of the portable scanner's momentary push button?

If the breakout box has a relay or a semiconductor switch and a scanner are powered from that box, then the remote head can disconnect the scanners power. You then also have control over on/off of the scanner so that the breakout box can keep the scanner running when you are parked and waiting and first after one hour, or whatever you configure, it will switch off the scanner if you forgot to do that when you came home.

I bought several 12V to 5V USB $10 converters from Ebay for powering dashcams that switch itself off when it detects that the car battery has gone down to 12,4V to not drain the battery too much that would make it impossible to start the car. That could be a simple thing to add in a breakout box that are connected to continuous 12V that then have a risk of draining the battery if a car are not used for a couple of weeks.

/Ubbe

 

[Dewey]

If the breakout box has a relay or a semiconductor switch and a scanner are powered from that box, then the remote head can disconnect the scanners power. You then also have control over on/off of the scanner so that the breakout box can keep the scanner running when you are parked and waiting and first after one hour, or whatever you configure, it will switch off the scanner if you forgot to do that when you came home.

I bought several 12V to 5V USB $10 converters from Ebay for powering dashcams that switch itself off when it detects that the car battery has gone down to 12,4V to not drain the battery too much that would make it impossible to start the car. That could be a simple thing to add in a breakout box that are connected to continuous 12V that then have a risk of draining the battery if a car are not used for a couple of weeks.

/Ubbe

I get all of that, but it's not about the power, it's about a clean shutdown. If the scanner does not already contain logic to allow it to receive an external signal for a shutdown, simply cutting or applying power is not the answer. How will a mobile unit that's turned on at the off/on knob know to shutdown, and how will a portable unit that's currently powered off know to power on from the remote head? Also, cutting the power externally on either the mobile or portable without shutting down the physical scanner is not going to allow it to perform the needed shutdown housekeeping tasks. Don't get me wrong, I really like what I see and will buy one if the price is right, but I just don't see where they will allow the scanner to power on/off like a true remote head that is wired to do so.

 

[Ubbe]

simply cutting or applying power is not the answer.

Why not? It will power up the next time in the exact same state as it started up prior to that. I see that as the preferred mode, that the changes you have made in avoids and selected scan lists are ignored and you get the scanner reset to how it was when you powered on the scanner.

The procedure would be to power on, set the scanlists and other settings as you want them and then power off/on the scanner from its own volume control. From there on it will always power up in that clean state without any changes you might have done while driving around and you don't need to manually set everything back in proper order again for the next drive.

/Ubbe

 

[cg]

As long as you don't use the recording function. I recall reading that the chances of corrupting the SD card are greater if recording at the time of power loss.

 

[garys]

I've never used the record function, however my 536 would often corrupt cards. I've never had that problem with the SDS 200 even. Both were wired the same way.

 

[ProScan]

I get all of that, but it's not about the power, it's about a clean shutdown. If the scanner does not already contain logic to allow it to receive an external signal for a shutdown, simply cutting or applying power is not the answer.

The SDSx00 and BCDx36HP scanners already have the logic to do a clean shutdown. The RH200 needs to send the MSM,0 command. The scanner will show "Writing to SD Card" before going into Mass Storage mode then power can be removed.

 

[Dewey]

The SDSx00 and BCDx36HP scanners already have the logic to do a clean shutdown. The RH200 needs to send the MSM,0 command. The scanner will show "Writing to SD Card" before going into Mass Storage mode then power can be removed.

Now that is the answer I was looking for ... +infinity !

 

[garys]

Perhaps a silly question, but can it be turned on remotely?

The SDSx00 and BCDx36HP scanners already have the logic to do a clean shutdown. The RH200 needs to send the MSM,0 command. The scanner will show "Writing to SD Card" before going into Mass Storage mode then power can be removed.

 

[ProScan]

Perhaps a silly question, but can it be turned on remotely?

I haven't seen a command that will do it unless Uniden has a secret command. But if it's off then the scanner has no way to receive a command to turn it on.

Perhaps if Uniden builds into the breakout box, a DC power in with a switched out or make it an option.

 

[garys]

Not being an electronics engineer I'm just guessing, but I'd think that there would be a way to have a sort of standby mode. Sort of how like my TV has enough power to turn on when I use my remote.

Of course that adds both cost and complexity for something that Uniden probably didn't anticipate doing.

I haven't seen a command that will do it unless Uniden has a secret command. But if it's off then the scanner has no way to receive a command to turn it on.

Perhaps if Uniden builds into the breakout box, a DC power in with a switched out or make it an option.

 

[Dewey]

Why not? It will power up the next time in the exact same state as it started up prior to that. I see that as the preferred mode, that the changes you have made in avoids and selected scan lists are ignored and you get the scanner reset to how it was when you powered on the scanner.

The procedure would be to power on, set the scanlists and other settings as you want them and then power off/on the scanner from its own volume control. From there on it will always power up in that clean state without any changes you might have done while driving around and you don't need to manually set everything back in proper order again for the next drive.

/Ubbe

 

[KK4JUG]

those two knobs at rh200 logo look absolutely hideous , i hope for actual production run they will clean that up, looks like something a kid put together in arts & crafts class , otherwise im in

If that's the worst thing about the unit, I wouldn't have a problem. If ugly was so important, I probably wouldn't be around.

 

[garys]

Since the production units will have a speaker there, it's will be a moot point.

If that's the worst thing about the unit, I wouldn't have a problem. If ugly was so important, I probably wouldn't be around.