X36 "huge, tremendous, fantastic feature addition"?

[mancow]

Today tomorrow or tomorrow tomorrow?

 

[SOFA_KING]

I'd be looking for some kind of real information tomorrow. Until then, speculation rules, dudes!

Primarily, real optimism vies over informational certitude, eternally.

I might just have to take the day off from work today.

(chanting) Death Throes! Death Throes! Death Throes!...

P

 

[wise871]

All I can say is this is going to be good.


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[Jay911]

I might just have to take the day off from work today.

(chanting) Death Throes! Death Throes! Death Throes!...

P

I predict there will be heads asploding across the continent today... and quite a few people who called the radios "garbage" and "a mistake" (and sold them off so they could buy the "obviously superior" Whistler radios) to be wishing they could eat their words. I have at least one in mind (relatively) locally

BTW, if you look at the thread title you referenced, it's death "throws". I can only envision the grim reaper tossing his scythe at people...

 

[buddrousa]

Jay all I can know is we get a new feature for our scanners and that is a good thing because good things are getting even better.

 

[br0adband]

Looks like it's been announced, more or less:

http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-forums/324065-provoice-scanning-near.html

I don't think we even have any ProVoice usage here in Las Vegas, and I've never even come across such a system in all my travels so, I sure hope somebody considers this a valuable addition considering the additional expense to make use of it.

EDIT:
After a quick search it appears that there is indeed one system here in Nevada that has it: the Nevada Test and Training Range aka Groom Lake aka Area 51 (and even that one is transitioning to P25 at some point) so it's absolutely assured that such a system would be encrypted absolutely so there goes that idea.

Guess it's time someone updated the RR wiki page for EDACS ProVoice systems to point out that yes indeed it'll soon be possible to monitor such systems:

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/EDACS_Provoice

 

[Jay911]

Looks like it's been announced, more or less:

http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-forums/324065-provoice-scanning-near.html

I don't think we even have any ProVoice usage here in Las Vegas, and I've never even come across such a system in all my travels so, I sure hope somebody considers this a valuable addition considering the additional expense to make use of it.

You've never encountered a system with Provoice digital?

I can think of at least two within a couple of hours' drive of me (maybe not in today's blizzard conditions here, more like six hours). And several that are a little more further afield.

I'm just wishing I had some popcorn for watching the people who said "THERE WILL NEVER BE A PROVOICE SCANNER NOPE NADA" go into conniption fits, along with the people who went apoplectic when DSD managed to decode PV a while back. There are going to be more than a few.

Aaaaand cue the "OMFG I have to pay an extra $50 for something that's already in my scannerz" crowd, too.

 

[wise871]

So does this Provoice include Florida SLERS? Reason being I can monitor Okaloosa County with DSDPlus.


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[UPMan]

Yes, you'll be able to monitor all the unencrypted channels on SLERS (my understanding is that most of SLERS is encrypted, with a few areas of sunshine).

 

[seth21w]

How are they going to charge 50 dollars for a firmware update?

 

[br0adband]

You've never encountered a system with Provoice digital?

Not in my travels, nope, not one (even the one I mentioned which is right up the road so to speak from Las Vegas). I would have considered something like DMR or NXDN support to have been "huge," not ProVoice but that's just me. I suppose any improvements are welcome, I'm just not so sure about charging people for the additional capabilities after the fact that people already paid quite a sum of money for the X36 model scanners to begin with.

 

[Jay911]

How are they going to charge 50 dollars for a firmware update?

Same way the HP1 users got the Extreme Upgrade. $50 gets you a key to unlock features.

If you're in a place that doesn't have PV, don't buy the key. If you do want it, spend away.

This is a great idea I hoped they would implement ages ago. Different protocols can be installed (well, presumably technically they're all installed but just locked) depending on the end-user's preference.

I suspect the cost for the feature set has a direct correlation to the cost of licensing Provoice's codec.

 

[UPMan]

It will be essentially the same way the Extreme Upgrade is applied on the HomePatrol scanners. You purchase a key that is specific to the scanner you are upgrading (based on that scanners ESN). You then enter that key in the scanner's menu to unlock the capabilities.

 

[rcool101]

Same as Extreme Upgrade. You download the firmware and them pay for a key to unlock it. Although Extreme was already there.

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[VE3RADIO]

Just in time for the last few Provoice systems to shut down..

From all I have read EDACS is end of life by 2017,, most of the large cities are leaving it,,

http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/opsb/2014/04-28/item4.htm

I was hoping for TRBO..

Considering you can buy an actual Provoice radio for $15 .... I guess software cost has to be considered.

Ericsson Jaguar 700p Portable Radio 800MHz Edacs Provoice Scan Keypad | eBay

 

[seth21w]

Same way the HP1 users got the Extreme Upgrade. $50 gets you a key to unlock features.

If you're in a place that doesn't have PV, don't buy the key. If you do want it, spend away.

This is a great idea I hoped they would implement ages ago. Different protocols can be installed (well, presumably technically they're all installed but just locked) depending on the end-user's preference.

I suspect the cost for the feature set has a direct correlation to the cost of licensing Provoice's codec.

OK so say I want the feature that skips the usb serial prompt when I plug it in, are there going to be any further "regular " updates without spending 50 more dollars? I thought we were getting that today at least wtf!!!!

 

[Jay911]

Not in my travels, nope, not one (even the one I mentioned which is right up the road so to speak from Las Vegas). I would have considered something like DMR or NXDN support to have been "huge," not ProVoice but that's just me. I suppose any improvements are welcome, I'm just not so sure about charging people for the additional capabilities after the fact that people already paid quite a sum of money for the X36 model scanners to begin with.

Don't get me wrong - as much as my earlier reply identified several PV systems near "my area", it's rare that I would be in range of them - in other words, it's of little use to me, unless I travel to a place that has such a system in use. And if that happens, all I need to do is cough up the $50 and get the feature enabled. I would get more use out of DMR/NXDN myself as well. I would like to think that Provoice is just the start of offering multiple different protocols/codecs, and that others may be in the pipe.

As for why they're charging, like I said in an earlier post, and like others have said in the past, there's a cost involved in licensing the Provoice codec, and charging those who want it is surely Uniden's way of recouping that cost without driving the price of the radio up for everyone (including those who won't ever use it).

 

[wise871]

X36 "huge, tremendous, fantastic feature addition"?

Yes, you'll be able to monitor all the unencrypted channels on SLERS (my understanding is that most of SLERS is encrypted, with a few areas of sunshine).

In my area Okaloosa and Walton county Fire and County services are not encrypted. Will this update be able to follow control channels or will I need to know the LCN for each site like I do with DSD.


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[VE3RADIO]

I predict there will be heads asploding across the continent today... and quite a few people who called the radios "garbage" and "a mistake" (and sold them off so they could buy the "obviously superior" Whistler radios) to be wishing they could eat their words. I have at least one in mind (relatively) locally

BTW, if you look at the thread title you referenced, it's death "throws". I can only envision the grim reaper tossing his scythe at people...

Not to be a pest Jay but do you still think the heads will be asplodin...

 

[Jay911]

Just in time for the last few Provoice systems to shut down..

From all I have read EDACS is end of life by 2017,, most of the large cities are leaving it,,

EDACS is well on its way out. Maybe that's why Harris has agreed to license the codec to a scanner manufacturer - who knows?

Considering you can buy an actual Provoice radio for $15 .... I guess software cost has to be considered.

The original purchase price of that radio included the license (or didn't need it, since the radio is manufactured by the license holder, presumably).

OK so say I want the feature that skips the usb serial prompt when I plug it in, are there going to be any further "regular " updates without spending 50 more dollars? I thought we were getting that today at least wtf!!!!

Did you read UPMan's post in the Uniden forum (linked above by br0adband)?

When it is all ready, we'll publish a standard firmware update that includes several fixes including the "don't hang on boot when USB is connected" that we had intended for the last update, the ability to scan EDACS Extended Addressing systems, and the ability to enter a key to unlock ProVoice decoding.

The ProVoice capability will be a $50 upgrade, which almost covers our development and licensing costs.

The PV functionality costs $50. The firmware update itself is free ("standard").