Uniden SDS Scanner Mac Software Research

[RadioScannerSA]

Hi All,

I've worked on a simple Mac OS software that allows me to read in my favorites list, easily rename them, edit the departments/frequencies etc... from my SDS100. But it should work on the 200 too.

I keep seeing that everyone on Mac is busy installing Windows Mirror and then installing the available Sentinal software. That's a huge hassle, and I'm a tech guy and I still find that hard to figure out!

So, I'm asking, if I were to release my software for Mac users, anyone here would be interested in trying it out?
I've kept it very simple, but, what features would you deem necessary for you to want to use it over installing Windows mirror?
Full disclosure, it takes time to build, so I will probably put a price tag on it eventually, but I'd love to gauge interest!

Thanks!

 

[buddrousa]

Just a point you may not have thought of.
1. Will it be supported on several versions of the OS?
2. Will it be supported on several different browers?
These are a few things to think about because you will be flooded with complaints and request.
But it does sound like a good idea as long as you have the time to support it.

 

[weyforthr]

I am interested in what you are pursuing.

My SDS200 is programmed via a Windows 7 laptop with either Proscan (great) or Sentinel (ok). I could do the same thing from macOS using Parallels/Windows, but right now I prefer to use the laptop for non-critical applications. It would be nice to ditch Windows entirely, but I know that is not likely.

There are many things to consider. but don't let that stop you.

 

[bearcatrp]

Also consider, intel chips vs M series chips. I think the OS is different on each. I would try it out.

 

[bradenmikael]

I’d love to try it out. Let me know.

 

[N9JIG]

"bearcatrp raises a good point, while all new Macs are M-Series Apple Silicon, older ones with Intel chips are still plentiful so there will be a need to support both.

If you plan on supporting the SDS series consider making it work on the 436 and 536 as they all use the same Sentinel version. For that reason whatever you do for one should work on the others.

I don't think it will be easy to do the database and firmware updates without access to the API's however, so users will likely still need Windows to do those updates,

 

[ProScan]

I don't think it will be easy to do the database and firmware updates without access to the API's however, so users will likely still need Windows to do those updates,

I think the database and firmware updates are more of a legal issue. Using Wireshark or another sniffer, you can see that FTP is used to access homepatrol.com. User and password are in the clear. Perhaps if Uniden allows us read-only access to the FTP server or better yet, post the database and firmware on a webpage!

 

[Ct_Pirate]

Wait what? Mac? OH YES!!!!!!!!! I'd be totally interested.

 

[jtwalker]

You do realize the reason there is no Mac software for programming scanners is that there is no profit to be made, right? You take the small audience of scanner owners and then reduce that by number of those that use Mac and then try to get what is left to purchase your software.

Not trashing Mac, just my view as to why you can’t find this unicorn.

 

[buddrousa]

That and users want something for nothing

 

[jtwalker]

That and users want something for nothing

Does Freescan run on Mac? 🤣

 

[buddrousa]

Not without some type of emulation software and a lot of work to get the USB Ports to work correct from what I have read others write about.

 

[bearcatrp]

This is free now for mac users....

VMware Fusion Pro 13 Now Freely Available for Personal Use

VMware has announced that its Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro virtualization software is now free for personal use. For those unfamiliar with Fusion,...

www.macrumors.com

 

[marcotor]

VMWare has been free for quite some time, the issue being then you need a Windows license. And if running a newer Mac, the ARM version of Windows. Microsoft has done a fabulous job getting most x86 software working in x86 emulation mode on ARM, but it's hit or miss with a lot of serial/USB related stuff. Then users complain they can't get their Virtual Machine to properly connect to a 45-year-old protocol to program their 25-year-old radios.

Given the development tools provided by Apple, it's not difficult to compile a binary for both M-Series and Intel Macs. The hard part is coding it The even harder part is supporting demanding users who complain endlessly about how it doesn't work.

 

[ProScan]

So, I'm asking, if I were to release my software for Mac users, anyone here would be interested in trying it out?

"If you buil;d it, they will come" as the saying goes.

I've kept it very simple, but, what features would you deem necessary for you to want to use it over installing Windows mirror?

At a minimum, the profile and RRDB import.