Uniden: Construction suggestions for future handheld...

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oregontreehugger

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I know Paul and Uniden keep track of the forums here, so I figured this was as good a place as any for a couple of suggestions on a future handheld.

Please make something bigger. The BR330T and BCD396T are a nice size factor, as is the BC246T and its siblings. And they are pretty solid.

But... something akin to the old Relm HS200. That thing was great -- interior metal-shielded guts, loud audio, and tough construction (sans the battery door). I still kick myself daily for having gotten rid of it.

I'd love to see a Uniden that not only technically functions well, but one that is loud and built tough. Maybe we can't have Motorola-type construction (probably too much $$$), but close would be nice. Something weather-resistant would be great, too.

I would have no problem ponying up the cash for a more rugged and loud handheld in a larger size factor.

Thanks for listening! :)
 

DaveIN

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Please, no more bricks, GRE is still trying to break that mold without compromising speaker audio.

If the next Uniden handheld includes GPS, I can see it being a little larger, but it would make sense.
 

oregontreehugger

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Good point... it would be nice to have an offering in the small factor as well as in a larger factor.
 

KI4LIV

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For me the thing I'd like to see the most is just better speaker audio. Something a little more... "Beefy"

As close to commercial radio quality audio output. I would sacrafice size for a better speaker!
 

SCPD

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Dubbin said:
But we fought so hard to get these smaller radios...

I totally agree .. I dont want something that reminds me of a brick to carry around. The 246 / 396 etc radios are just fine. Please no more huge scanners of the past ...
 

1075

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The smaller size was one of the deciding factors when I bought my 396. I'm all for sturdier, but would prefer the smaller size.

My biggest beef with the 396 right now is P25 decoding. It is especially noticable for me on the Howard County MD system.
 

red8

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uniden: construction suggestions for future handheld

1075 said:
The smaller size was one of the deciding factors when I bought my 396. I'm all for sturdier, but would prefer the smaller size.

My biggest beef with the 396 right now is P25 decoding. It is especially noticable for me on the Howard County MD system.
In some ways I agree with you as far as the construction. In a way
the design reminds as a miniature Motorola STX radio but without
that big battery on the bottom. When I was Communication
Coordinator for the Parish Jail in Baton Rouge, I had an STX radio
issued to me that was tuned to 800 Mhz. Now they're of the Astro
P25 system that some of the talk group id's are digital and others
are annolog.
red8
 

commscanaus

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Love my (U)BCD396T but....

That pathetic rotary selector/pushbutton thingy on the top panel feels like it is about to fall off or fail completely. The only real moving part and it has the effect of making the radio seem like a cheap 'n' nasty FM clock radio. Has anyone had problems with it? Mine gets used constantly- as I am sure everyone elses does too. My FT-50R Yaesu has a similar selector knob and it has a much tighter action even after 10 years of solid use.

The battery cover is also somewhat of a let down- I do not like to charge batteries in the scanner- preferring to use an external conditioning unit. Must say I am concerned the battery cover will wear out with the constant changing of batteries.

I find the (U)BCD396T's size is perfect- great for use when cycling- and suits car use without getting in the way of instruments etc... My PRO96 is far better at decoding P25- but is just too big to be easily portable.

Overall the construction is not too bad- I would rate it at about a 6 out of 10.
1 being a cheap nasty blister pack radio and 10 being a Motorola Saber!

Having been a scanner owner since 1986- the 396T is the best all round radio I have ever used!

Commscanaus
 
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Gilligan

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More Batteries - My 246T always goes dead at just the wrong time. I would much rather have an extra 1/2 inch of height to compensate for 2 more AA batteries in parallel with the other 2 if it lasted twice as long. Just supply two spacers for those who only want to use 2 batteries. This would even be so for scanners like the 396T w/ 3 AAs. Many handhelds have had 6 batteries.

Better Belt Clip - The cheap plastic isn't cutting it for the 246T. Althought the 396T clip seems perfect for many uses. If it's going to be a traditional belt clip, how about a higher-quality kind like Motorola uses? But I think the 396T style is just right these days.

More Channels - More often thought of as a software issue, more channels should be a hardware issue. With memory as cheap as it is, what's holding us back from having a handheld w/ 50,000 channels instead of 5,000? Even the processors are improving by leaps and bounds, so they should be able to handle the increase in memory.

BNC Connector - I don't have a 396T but I wouldn't want an SMA connector on a scanner.

Better Rubber Keys - I know the Menu key on the side of my 246T is starting to have issues. And then the front keys are wearing their labels off.

Discriminator Out Jack - I know this has been mentioned along w/ many software-related issues but it is a hardware issue. We need a discriminator output jack along with the earphone jack. Maybe even an updated data jack that includes (along with the normal data) audio and discriminator output, to make it easier for computer logging and control.

USB Port - I know this one is way out there but I would like to see scanners with a USB port on the top or side that you could plug a flash drive into. The scanner would have to be able to handle basic data or file transfer to the drive but just imagine the possibilities. You could fit an incredible amount of freq info on that flash drive (multiple states) and just load/unload as you please. And USB could be the solution to the previous suggestion about combining data/audio/discriminator.
 

Napalm

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Batteries - two or four, not three please (re: Gilligan's suggestion - just carry spares in your pocket).

Belt clip: Moto style metal one for the win.

BNC connector? Why not a TNC? :) Best of both worlds.
 

Gilligan

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Napalm said:
Batteries - two or four, not three please (re: Gilligan's suggestion - just carry spares in your pocket).
I agree on an even number due to convenience, but we need more than two for battery life. And who wants to carry around spare batteries. The scanner is small enough to just compensate, plus the hassle of having to change them out (always at just the wrong time, too).

Napalm said:
BNC connector? Why not a TNC? :) Best of both worlds.
BNC is probably the MOST common kind of connector, especially for handheld scanner antennas.
 
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