Uniden BC-GPSK Do I still need it...Others Experiences..

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I Picked up the UNIDEN GPS kit..

Used it for a bit,But did not really get a benefit from having it hooked up..I still found myself hand selecting the systems as I traveled from state to state...So after about 300miles it was disconnected.

Its been installed in my truck now for several months. Unused...I see Its no longer made or offered by Uniden..and EBAY has some pretty high prices for it.In the range of 180 Bucks....

Now Im at a mental grind here,,,Is the asked price just inflated,Or are there other people that would want it,Or should I keep this thing Im not using just because its not made anymore..

Just seems wacky that they could ask that kind of price for it...Hard to tell what things are actually worth these days.
 

bama9999

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Since it's no longer made or offered by Uniden, anyone know of a good, reasonably priced alternative? I need one to use with my 536 when mobile.

If it were me and I was never going to use it anymore, I'd probably offer it for sale. Otherwise, if I thought there was a decent chance I might change my mind and use it again later, then of course I'd choose to hang onto it.
 

ofd8001

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I'd be interested in hearing Upman's "take" on this. I saw these are "Out of Stock" on the Uniden site as compared to "Discontinued". I recall him making a few posts a couple of months ago about these units and how they connect with the x36 scanners.

For my experience, I've got one in my truck and it seems to do what I'd like it to. It's been used with a 996T, 996XT and now 536.
 

JamesO

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Why someone would list one for $180 on ebay is just stupid or someone that does not search.

Amazon.com: Uniden BC-GPSK Serial GPS Receiver for Scanner and Marine Products: GPS & Navigation

For some reason Uniden's site almost always show everything out of stock??

Here is an alternative, but you will need the small GPS serial cable that connects to the scanner. Not sure the BC-GPSK includes this cable or not?

I have found the Gamin 18X serial unit on ebay from time to time around $40 or slightly less. Just BE CAREFUL as there are many Garmin 18X units with different interfaces, from USB, Serial and pigtail.
 
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Its not just at UNIDEN , scannermaster and a few others show out of stock/discontinued status.

Im curious why UNIDEN would discontinue the unit if the X36 series radios have the option?
 

dispatcher812

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Maybe it is just out of stock due to the demand of the GPS kit when the scanner came out. I have one and us it all the time when driving in state. I love it. I have it set so that it turns the state police troops on and off as pass through the respective troop areas. I am hoping to take it on a trip to North Carolina this summer.
 

UPMan

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We were just out of stock. More coming in late this week/early next week.
 
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If it were me and I was never going to use it anymore, I'd probably offer it for sale. Otherwise, if I thought there was a decent chance I might change my mind and use it again later, then of course I'd choose to hang onto it.


Sometimes listening to the voice in my head becomes a lil one sided..After more thought Im figuring I may need more adjustment time to let the radio and GPS do the job for me.Im long used to making rolling adjustments by hand,So maybe I need to put a finer tweak on my 996XT and let the Uniden gear
drive in that respect..
After reading BAMA & OFD's comments Im thinking that the GPSK should stay,Only considered getting rid of it because lately Im on a kick of getting rid of things Im not using..

Thanks for the replies..
 

bama9999

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I think you'll be glad you held on to it, especially if you ever do any longer road trips.

Thanks for that reply, Paul. Glad to hear that they are going to continue to be available. While it's not terribly difficult to store locations for a trip ahead of time in the scanner, and select them manually, having a GPS do it for you automatically just seems like the only way to go!
 

AC0RV

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You may need to just adjust the range of gps points. Thats what I seem to have. I am still too,
 

bama9999

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Only considered getting rid of it because lately Im on a kick of getting rid of things Im not using.

I've done that many times as well with various things, like radios, musical instruments, etc... and almost without exception, I have wound up regretting doing so.
 

mikepdx

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Great product for travelers. Good to know there are more in the works.


I'm a dyed in the wool scannerista from way back.
I used to carry my box of carefully selected crystals and a pair of needle nosed
pliers, and make quick stops along a long route to swap frequencies
to the new jurisdiction(s) I just drove into.
My scanner only held 10 channels. Regency ACT-10-L/H/U

What a pain.
Tho, I didn't really think so at the time.
I just thought that was just the state of the art...and it was! LOL
 
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ofd8001

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If I was going on a trip somewhere and had to choose between having a GPS unit for my scanner, or cruise control, I'd give up the cruise control.

These things make scanning while traveling a fun experience.

Unfortunately I'm at "philosophical odds" with the RR powers on what range settings should be for geographic entities such as cities. The database has the range set for the political boundaries (more or less). My preference would be that they are set for probable reception area. So to accommodate my scanning preferences, I have editing work to do before making a trip.
 

JamesO

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GPS is a great feature, BUT the Master Database needs work to make things clear when traveling.

I travel up and down the Northeast corridor and have found the lack of a state designator in the description a BIG problem. There are all sorts of Burroughs and small towns that I have no idea where they are located and it is impossible to determine what state you are monitoring.

I wish others would also push for standardized state designator int he descriptions that show up in the database and on the scanner display.

This should not be to hard and would make locking out a System much easier when driving and knowing what state the system is located in that you are hearing.
 

JohnSC

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It seems to me GPS capability is at the heart of what this generation of radios is all about. The radio ties together the Internet database, satellite positioning, location based scanning and, at some point, Wi-Fi connectivity. This is what attracted me on the radio after years of using GRE radios.

I took the GPS to the beach with a 436 and it worked as advertised. There was a problem with one tower that I couldn't figure out, but that may have been a problem with the tower because otherwise the GPS worked fine.

I loaded an FL with a system for every county and the radio switched between them seamlessly. I set the antenna on the dash, adjusted the baud to 9600, turned on location for each system and reduced my range to zero to reduce spillover from neighboring counties. Worked like a champ.

The database worked pretty darn well for me, but we have a lot of serious listeners in the state and Brian is all over this stuff. It takes a little thought to map out a route for scanning, but I was primarily interested in traffic and tuned my FL for those agencies likely to have vehicles along my path. It was lot of fun noodling it out, and there was a wealth of information here.

One thing I should have done was ask for input from locals along the path. Lot of smart folks on here who could have helped me with the small town speed traps and the areas to avoid traffic-wise. There's a lot of resource here and I could have been a little smarter about seeking it out. One thing for sure, most folks here love to help you. I make this drive every year, so my FL will get better with each trip. And I can share it and compare notes with others.

Only you can answer whether you need it. Might depend on how much you travel. There is a safety consideration with fumbling with buttons on a radio at Interstate speeds, especially if there are others in the vehicle. That was a big factor for me with my granddaughter in the car.
 
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UPMan

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Same as my previous update. They should clear QC and be in stock later today or early next week.
 

n7vdr

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is this plug and play for both the hp-1 and 536 with no extra cables to buy?
 

jonwienke

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The 436HP requires an adapter cable which IS included with the GPS receiver.

The 536HP and other mobile/desktop scanners do not require the adapter cable.

I ordered mine from Amazon last week and got it Saturday. AFAIK they are still in stock.
 
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