Uniden's New Product Called Home Patrol

[eorange]

Zip Code?

Regarding zip code...many times I enter my zip code on some web site (for a search, whatever), and:

- sometimes it figures out my exact city, correctly
- sometimes it's a neighboring city (good enough for weather, etc)
- sometimes it's dumbed down to "Cleveland".

I wonder how this unit finds the correct city for a zip code? Especially since it controls what you'll be hearing?

 

[eorange]

From the Facebook page:

Less than 3 minutes from power up to scanning your area

Wha...? Every time you turn it on?

 

[thewenk]

From the Facebook page:

Less than 3 minutes from power up to scanning your area

Wha...? Every time you turn it on?

No, it's not everytime you turn it on. I believe it is the time to start receiving in a new area with no previous programming in the scanner.

Dave

 

[Viper43]

From the Facebook page:

Less than 3 minutes from power up to scanning your area

Wha...? Every time you turn it on?

No, thats the first time you turn it on.

V

 

[ProScan]

Regarding zip code...many times I enter my zip code on some web site (for a search, whatever), and:

- sometimes it figures out my exact city, correctly
- sometimes it's a neighboring city (good enough for weather, etc)
- sometimes it's dumbed down to "Cleveland".

That's a design issue with the web site. Intentionally or not. Maybe a weather site finds the nearest major city.

I wonder how this unit finds the correct city for a zip code? Especially since it controls what you'll be hearing?

Lookup table.

 

[Comint]

b) Encourage RR to expand to cover more of the world's areas.

Hmmm. I though they already did.

Radioreference has dB admins for Australia, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Panama, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, and I thought France, although I couldn't find anything definite on the latter.

--
Comint

 

[UPMan]

Not my video (still trying to get decent audio out of a compressed version), but here is one from National Communication's Norm Schrein: YouTube - HomePatrol.wmv

 

[KC5AJP]

where did you order that radiosquirrel

Where did I order what?

 

[nova1010]

Looks pretty good from what I've seen so far and it even covers Canada,far better than the Pro-107 I had what a bugger that was to program for my area.

 

[eorange]

Lookup table.

Not the design (I guessed as much) - but the content? How is the information structured?

For example, my zip code encompasses more than 1 agency. What if I just wanted the agency that belongs to my city, and not the other city?

Does it support the Zip code + 4 code?

 

[wa8pyr]

Has it been confirmed that it is or is not "locked down"? I read the entire thread but if it's in there for certain I missed it.

If it does not have the ability to add or delete items that would certainly exclude a large number of people from purchasing the unit, me for one.

You can set up your own Favorites file using the included software. I've done this already and it was pretty easy, although it's currently limited to what's available from the internal database files. Additionally, software providers like Butel will certainly market a solution for this radio which gives you greater control over what is programmed into your favorites file so you can tweak it to your heart's content.

However, out of the box, this radio will fill a niche that has been rather empty, and that is a radio that's easy enough for the average consumer to use. Remember crystal scanners? All you had to do was ask the guy at RadioShack for the crystals for your area, plug them in, and you were off and running. The HomePatrol aims to get people back to that kind of simplicity without knowing anything about frequencies, talkgroups, CTCSS, DCS, NAC, control channels and the like.

 

[wa8pyr]

Allegedly overheard at an open house:
Customer: "Please give me more channels"
Manufacturer: "OK, but we need to use this thing called dynamic memory architechture to make it work properly"
Customer: "Please make the scanners easier for me to program I am not a rocket scientist"
Manufacturer: "Sure, check this new thing out- it almost programs itself"
Customer: "You made it too easy, now I can't look smart by programming it myself when my (perceived) friends can't do it without my help"
Manufacturer: "I'm confused"
Customer: "Can you please also paint it black so it looks like a two way radio instead of a scanner? That will make the chicks dig me."
Manufacturer: "WTF"

That's a perfectly phrased example of how silly our hobby community can be. They ask for something, and then complain when they get it.

On a serious note, I'm buying at least one- maybe two for myself. I'm probably also buying a dozen for work since it costs me a great deal less than providing extra real radios just so officers can scan more than 15 channels.

Same here. This thing could be just the ticket for interop comm trucks, mobile command posts and the like, as a general monitoring tool that can be up and running within 2 minutes of arriving on the scene, anywhere you're needed.

 

[ProScan]

Not the design (I guessed as much) - but the content? How is the information structured?

For example, my zip code encompasses more than 1 agency. What if I just wanted the agency that belongs to my city, and not the other city?

Does it support the Zip code + 4 code?

This sounds more like a Home Patrol question which is different then your original question. You may have to wait until the info comes in from someone with first hand knowledge.

I'm sure Uniden has that all worked out.

 

[GregFromOregon]

One topic I see being brought up is price, just a though I had, people are paying $400+ for topshelf radar detectors, $600-$1000 for topshelf GPS units, and $500+ for the newest, latest, greatest phone. When we are up to $400+ for upper end scanners, this thing being in the $500+ range is right in line with where it should be. Will non "joe scanner" (sorry Joe) type people buy it? Thats a gamble that Uniden is taking, not us. Sure, you can get a free phone with your 2yr plan, a $80 radar detector, a $120 GPS, or a $100 scanner. I could have bought a $79 camera but I spent $500 for one that had features I wanted. This thing will sell, just my thought.

 

[texasemt13]

This might be the first true Uniden product I buy (besides cordless phones)...

I consider myself one of the die-hard techy scanner users (that loves to program it all himself), but this looks like a nice addition. I've always had friends ask me to program scanners for them to use (then they end up indefinitely borrowing them). This looks like a great scanner to loan people for purposes of introducing to the hobby and as a "catch-all" travel scanner for my friends travelling...

 

[RadioDaze]

Regarding Price Point

I'm going out on a limb and suggesting that this scanner has a lower manufacturing cost than Uniden's current digital line. They are taking the whole front panel button/lcd system, rotary selector knob, etc., and handing it off to a single touch screen - technology borrowed (rather, licensed) from existing GPS UI technology.

Avid hobbyist "Joe Scanner" will pay more for a scanner than "John Q. Maybewannascanner" and is accustomed to price points like $499.00 or $549.99. But to get the larger public's attention it probably needs to be closer to the $349.99 price point. I'm betting that price will be attainable, even with P25 licensing, patent licensing, etc., with the lowered build cost. The "Joe Scanners" might perceive the price to be reasonable when all is said and done. I think Uniden is well aware that they can't attract the target market of this scanner with the higher price points.

Remember also that this will need to compete head-to-head with GRE's database-loaded offering, at such time as they introduce their digital version.

 

[Viper43]

RadioDaze" I highly doubt they could sell it for $350, the display alone isn't cheap, then you add in developement and testing to what you already mentioned. It's is a whole new platform and complete redesign of the scanner as we know it. The R&D costs need to be recouped so I see it in the $500-$550 range easily.
As for competing with GRE, it will be some time before they can come up with something to compete with Uniden, and Uniden has a healthy jump on them from the looks of things. I doubt that Uniden is too concerned at the moment.

 

[Jay911]

Not the design (I guessed as much) - but the content? How is the information structured?

For example, my zip code encompasses more than 1 agency. What if I just wanted the agency that belongs to my city, and not the other city?

Does it support the Zip code + 4 code?

The other thing I didn't see mentioned is - does it only pull down fire/police/EMS, or everything the DB has, or some arbitrary mix of tags? Some of the most useful channels to have in my locale include the roads crews, public works, and parks/conservation officers. A scanner which only downloads public safety channels (as I expect this one does from the "Home Patrol" moniker) wouldn't get that stuff.

 

[GlacierClipper]

Will not work for Zip Codes such as 09033, which is a military community in Schweinfurt, Germany.

 

[h8tdigitalradio]

The other thing I didn't see mentioned is - does it only pull down fire/police/EMS, or everything the DB has, or some arbitrary mix of tags?

The "pull down" is everything in the RRDB that is "Geo Tagged", Conventional or Trunked Fire/EMS, Law Enforcement, Forestry, Businesses, RailRoads, ARTCC, Public Works, etc. It is up to "Bob" to decide what he wants to monitor. You can check off or on what you want to monitor. There is no 12 or 16 Character Limit (scanner limitation), there is a Full Description of the System, Group, and Channel, and an Avatar.

The Welcome Screen has 8 lines of Text, and with a good character range.

73

Dave AKA The Tripzter