X36 "huge, tremendous, fantastic feature addition"?

[Steve2003]

I view this as Uniden's test-run for adding support for additional digital voice formats. My guess is they added ProVoice first since they already had code written for EDACS trunking.

If they add support for other digital voice formats I would guess they need to roll out new trunking protocols as well. Anyone notice the other threads a while back about adding TRBO, NXDN, DMR, etc to the RR DB? Could be a sign of things to come...

 

[VE3RADIO]

I hope Uniden Scanner division goes belly up soon. It would be for the greater good at this point.

Tired and exhausted hearing from UPman about old retiring technology that is being R & D and being release as a huge release from Uniden.

This is a horrible stab in our throats at this point. OMG. I just do not know what to really say at this point

I dont agree.. I am critical of Uniden.. but having one less supplier for our hobby needs would not be a good thing.. at least they are still pushing out product.. otherwise the hobby would be all but dead... I don't think Whistler does a lot of R&D.. (I could be wrong)

 

[slicerwizard]

You've never encountered a system with Provoice digital?

I can think of at least two within a couple of hours' drive of me

And in that two hour drive radius, there are how many radio systems in total? A few hundred? And probably at least half of them (aka every NXDN and DMR system) still can't be touched by a Uniden scanner. But two obsolete, nearly EOL ones now can be!

I wonder what words would be used to describe a TRBO upgrade?

"Vaporware"


But seriously folks, this announcement is excellent news. It shows that we'll have scanners decoding NXDN and DMR shortly before those modes go EOL!

 

[15plus1]

Let me tell you something - .

Wow !!!!! Really ??!!!!

 

[jcardani]

Before Steve's post I was in the too little too late camp. But I can see this as the first in a series modulation format additions to the X36 line. Correct me if I'm wrong but DMR (Trbo) should be able to be added easily because TDMA (P25 Phase II) and AMBE vocoder (also for Phase II) are already present. And adding plain old DMR would not be a patent or IP infringement, if it was Connect Systems and Tytera would not be able to bring their 2-way radios to production. Even following trunked Capacity Plus or Connect Plus systems would not be much of an issue because you can effectively do it conventionally by scanning through the frequency/slot combinations with a pre-determined talk group scan list. However the busier or larger the system is the less effective the process will be, but the developers should be able to tweak the hang time needed to scan all of the frequencies quickly. Therefore real Cap+ or Con+ trunk following, which is proprietary, may not even be necessary.

So there is some hope for the future!

Joe

I view this as Uniden's test-run for adding support for additional digital voice formats. My guess is they added ProVoice first since they already had code written for EDACS trunking.

If they add support for other digital voice formats I would guess they need to roll out new trunking protocols as well. Anyone notice the other threads a while back about adding TRBO, NXDN, DMR, etc to the RR DB? Could be a sign of things to come...

 

[DocDaddy]

Well crap... I was hoping for the Android Siren App.

 

[Jay911]

So what we got? PV cities by Population..really only the top 5 I would consider major cities..

San Antonio - 2 million
Ottawa - 1.5 million
Edmonton - 1.2 Million
Oklahoma City 1 million
Albuquerque ??

Aurora Colorado.. (did they go away from this yet?)
Terre Haute Indiana..

State of Florida?

I think some of the suburbs around Vancouver are using it also..with ESK..

UPMAN.. will this support ESK system?

Vancouver (region), Edmonton, and Lethbridge are the three I know about west of Ontario. St John's/Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland is another. Vancouver is building their replacement (P25) system now, the public safety crews in Edmonton and Lethbridge are expected to migrate to the provincial P25 system within 6-12 months (though that may leave public works etc on the EDACS systems), and Newfoundland has been rolling out its provincewide P25 for years now but leaving the Avalon for last as far as I know.

It's difficult to deny that Provoice (and EDACS) is on its way out, but as another poster said, I believe this is a stepping stone to having other protocols available in the future.

As for ESK: Most of the scanners out there now handle ESK. I would suspect that won't change with just a new voice codec.

 

[coolderb]

Will there be an option for HP-2 owners to add Provoice firmware?

 

[jcardani]

Two additional points.

I hope that sales of this upgrade does not affect the R&D for any future protocol additions since Provoice would be a limited market.

And since Provoice is proprietary, did Uniden license the technology, work around the patent/IP (e.g. how Greg Know and Terry Brennan independently patent their own methods for Motorola and EDACS trunking when the first trunk trackers came to market), or did the patent finally expire?

 

[Jay911]

And since Provoice is proprietary, did Uniden license the technology, work around the patent/IP (e.g. how Greg Know and Terry Brennan independently patent their own methods for Motorola and EDACS trunking when the first trunk trackers came to market), or did the patent finally expire?

UPMan stated in one of his posts that the $50 fee for the PV feature "almost covers" their licensing and related costs.

 

[garys]

If I lived in an area that used Pro Voice, I'd be excited. As it is, the only real user in my area is the transit authority and their police are on UHF and the State Police Motorola trunk system. They don't even use it at all. At least as far as I know.

The other area I'd use it in is Mobile Alabama, but the city and county are building a P25 Phase II trunk system, so I don't know that investing $50.00 is worth it for me.

Personally, and I'm speaking just for me, I'd much rather Uniden had finished building the Android Siren App. That's something that a lot of 536 users would be very excited to have.

DMR, of course, would have been a home run.

Let me tell you something - for me personally this is a HUGE announcement and fulfills something that I have waited for for over 15 years.

To be able to carry a nice portable scanner around with me and monitor my local agency is something I haven't been able to do here in San Antonio for a long long time.

Here is a youtube video of the 436 in action on the San Antonio EDACS ProVoice system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BHEyPT2AdY&

By the way, San Antonio, TX is the 7th largest city in the United States and is exclusively on ProVoice for everything. Uniden will sell a ton of scanners down here.

 

[VE3RADIO]

Vancouver (region), Edmonton, and Lethbridge are the three I know about west of Ontario. St John's/Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland is another. Vancouver is building their replacement (P25) system now, the public safety crews in Edmonton and Lethbridge are expected to migrate to the provincial P25 system within 6-12 months (though that may leave public works etc on the EDACS systems), and Newfoundland has been rolling out its provincewide P25 for years now but leaving the Avalon for last as far as I know.

It's difficult to deny that Provoice (and EDACS) is on its way out, but as another poster said, I believe this is a stepping stone to having other protocols available in the future.

As for ESK: Most of the scanners out there now handle ESK. I would suspect that won't change with just a new voice codec.

Yeah I knew Vancouver had some in the suburbs.. city itself is not tho right?

If its a stepping stone great.. but why not invest the time and effort in to what is really wanted.. marketing wise it would have made a worlds of difference in the attitude towards uniden.

 

[jcardani]

Then it looks like they paid Harris for the license. Maybe they can build a relationship with Harris and license how to properly handle patches on Harris P25 systems.

 

[marcotor]

I hope Uniden Scanner division goes belly up soon. It would be for the greater good at this point.

I am certain the people who would be left jobless would disagree with your assessment/wish for many to suddenly be without work.

 

[Voyager]

If I were exploring a "pay/upgrade" path, I would start with something small, too. If it is successful, you may see much more. But to jump in head first with DMR or NXDN might be overwhelming for a first attempt.

Interesting to see the haters are still hating. They just can't be happy for those who are benefiting, nor can they see the glass as half full. #predictable

I wonder just how much Whistler stock does FB own???

@ marcotor: He doesn't care as long as it's not his job and as long as it hurts Uniden. His license plate probably reads "UNI H8R"

 

[KE4ZNR]

I hope Uniden Scanner division goes belly up soon. It would be for the greater good at this point.

Tired and exhausted hearing from UPman about old retiring technology that is being R & D and being release as a huge release from Uniden.

This is a horrible stab in our throats at this point. OMG. I just do not know what to really say at this point

How about you not say anything at this point?
I mean seriously all you ever do is whine and whine in each and every post.
It is obvious that your only reason for being here is to troll the forums.
If you hate Uniden so much then don't visit the Uniden forums and take your
incessant whining elsewhere.
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[VE3RADIO]

If I were exploring a "pay/upgrade" path, I would start with something small, too. If it is successful, you may see much more. But to jump in head first with DMR or NXDN might be overwhelming for a first attempt.

Interesting to see the haters are still hating. They just can't be happy for those who are benefiting, nor can they see the glass as half full. #predictable

I wonder just how much Whistler stock does FB own???

@ marcotor: He doesn't care as long as it's not his job and as long as it hurts Uniden. His license plate probably reads "UNI H8R"

Hedging your bets against a 20 year old technology with only a handful of users left wouldn't be the way to go.. the extreme upgrade already has proven the pay upgrade methodology.

 

[mancow]

If I were exploring a "pay/upgrade" path, I would start with something small, too. If it is successful, you may see much more. But to jump in head first with DMR or NXDN might be overwhelming for a first attempt.

Interesting to see the haters are still hating. They just can't be happy for those who are benefiting, nor can they see the glass as half full. #predictable

I wonder just how much Whistler stock does FB own???

Disagreement isn't hating. Of course, I too would be ecstatic if I were benefiting from it and also had the opportunity to play with the new toys before anyone else.

I don't see why it's so difficult to understand the lack of enthusiasm by the rest (majority) of us users who were hoping for something useful. As for me personally, I'm done with new purchases from any manufacturer. One can only use so many P25 rigs. It's like being a HAM but the only thing produced are AM radios when the rest of the world is using SSB phone. We are all clamoring for SSB and a new feature is released only to find out it's a spark gap mode.

If I were to buy anything now it would be a V2 Airspy. I don't like being tied to a PC but you have to go where the water takes you.

 

[VE3RADIO]

Disagreement isn't hating. Of course, I too would be ecstatic if I were benefiting from it and also had the opportunity to play with the new toys before anyone else.

I don't see why it's so difficult to understand the lack of enthusiasm by the rest (majority) of us users who were hoping for something useful. As for me personally, I'm done with new purchases from any manufacturer. One can only use so many P25 rigs. It's like being a HAM but the only thing produced are AM radios when the rest of the world is using SSB phone. We are all clamoring for SSB and new feature is released only to find out it's a spark gap mode.

Well said.

 

[troymail]

Simple question, what about the Android App, completing Analyzer functions and the Uniden server that would allow a more user friendly remote access?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes -- this is what I was expecting given the silence over the last few months -- I was hoping it meant that they were hard at work finally completing what was originally promised....

ProVoice? Sunsetting EDACS capability? Pay more for it? I'm sure some will be happy and willing to shell out more $$$ but I have no use for it. Must have been a result of what we call in my line of work "low hanging fruit".

For me - alot of hype ("huge, tremendous, fantastic feature addition") and nothing to show for it... what a tease. Between this and the 11/16/14 fancy video sales pitch, I'm now certain not to care much about these 'coming soon' announcements....