SDS 100 display question

[Tim-B]

In one of the promo videos for the SDS100 where it is monitoring the Maryland FIRST system the display goes black a couple of times during the video and two seconds later comes back on with a beep beep beep. The blackout of the display is immediately preceeded by an LED light just above the display coming on then quickly going off. What is happening here? Is that just a battery save feature? If so can it be turned off?

 

[UPMan]

You can set the display backlight to be on with squelch, keypress, etc then timeout. It is an option.

 

[Tim-B]

Okay cool, thanks. I am anxiously awaiting the sentinel software so I can roll up my sleeves and get busy.

 

[Voyager]

And the LED above is the Alert LED (same function as in recent Uniden models).

 

[CanesFan95]

Can you make the LED be on solid green when receiving audio like a hammy HT and can you make the backlight/display stay on permanently and not go black?

 

[jonwienke]

You can do both of those with the 436, so likely yes.

 

[WX4JCW]

The led on the x36 models does not stay lit during the entire transmission


Sent from my iPhone 8 using Tapatalk Pro
Jason WX4JCW
Unication G4, BCD536HP

 

[jonwienke]

The led on the x36 models does not stay lit during the entire transmission

...due to a patent issue, so that's not going to change.

 

[CanesFan95]

A patent issue?

 

[WX4JCW]

A patent issue?

I believe whistler actually filed and received a patent on it, but the could color the screen I bet


Sent from my iPhone 8 using Tapatalk Pro
Jason WX4JCW
Unication G4, BCD536HP

 

[Voyager]

I believe whistler actually filed and received a patent on it, but the could color the screen I bet

That's my understanding as well, and the screen color possibility has been discussed elsewhere.

If anyone happens to know the patent number, I am interested in what it actually protects. I believe it's only the multi-color alert light for the duration of the channel activity (hence Uniden can as has added a timed light).

 

[pinballwiz86]

...due to a patent issue, so that's not going to change.

That's lame. I think there should be a firmware option for someone to "enable" the stay-on light on a Uniden scanner which will legally circumvent the GRE patent.

 

[Voyager]

That's lame. I think there should be a firmware option for someone to "enable" the stay-on light on a Uniden scanner which will legally circumvent the GRE patent.

Have you seen the patent? How do you know what will circumvent it unless you know exactly what it says?

Even a user option to enable a violative option is a violation.

 

[CanesFan95]

Dang, dog. I can't believe such a stupid thing can be patented. And the Whistler / GREs don't even do it right cos the light stays on after the carrier drops off.

 

[Voyager]

Anything can be patented if you can prove it's unique.

Sticky Notes are patented and paper and glue have been around for several years. ;->

 

[jonwienke]

https://abovethelaw.com/2017/10/8-of-my-favorite-stupid-patents/
One of them is for a method of swinging on a swing

 

[Citywide173]

That's lame. I think there should be a firmware option for someone to "enable" the stay-on light on a Uniden scanner which will legally circumvent the GRE patent.

Based on the patent, a user option to allow the light to stay on during the carrier and drop off when it finishes would DEFINITELY be an infringement.

United States Patent: 9949328

Dang, dog. I can't believe such a stupid thing can be patented. And the Whistler / GREs don't even do it right cos the light stays on after the carrier drops off.

I'm sure the people that did the research, design and, most importantly, invested the money to develop it feel diffetently.

 

[Voyager]

Thanks for the link. It's much more "involved" than I thought. It looks like they tried to cover any possible workaround.

One obvious workaround: use something other than an LED.

Or use something that is not phase dimmed.

Just two I see offhand.

Better yet (actually, I'm going to withhold this one and suggest it privately to UPMan)

You can definitely tell an attorney was involved (but that's the only way to do it these days).

 

[UPMan]

Close, but not quite. 1) That is a different GRE (their patents are filed as "General Research of Electronics" and can be found thusly: https://patents.google.com/?assigne...ssignee:(General+Research+Of+Electronics,+Inc.)), and 2) It has nothing to do with a method to turn on an alert LED during open squelch (it is a method to use a pulse-width-modulated waveform to provide for variable LED dimming). And, even if it were a squelch-activated LED patent, there is clearly prior art to the "invention" (as this patent was filed in 2017 which is more than a decade after the first use of such an indicator).

 

[Voyager]

I thought it was a little recent, but I figured maybe it took that long to get approval. I know some patent applications can drag on for years.

This is an interesting one...

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5937338A/en?assignee=General+Research+Of+Electronics%2c+Inc.&oq=assigneeGeneral+Research+Of+Electronics%2c+Inc&page=2