[Boatanchors] Re: Boatanchors] Some Scanner History, Gentlemen, Do You Know?

[peter markavage]

"Bearcat" was a product line name not a Company name. I'll assume you
really mean "Uniden".  There is nothing on the RELM or Uniden press
releases that indicate that the Uniden  consumer scanner line is moving
to RELM. I can't see why they would. There's more money to be made in the
business and industrial arenas.

Your quote - "For those who want to know what the heck RELM is, I am told
it stands for Regency Electronic Land and Mobile."
Not true, see the text below.

Most of the following information was pulled directly off the web.
   
The original Bearcat scanner line was manufactured by Electra Company, a
division of Masco Corp of Indiana. In the mid 1980s, Uniden, a Japanese
company, bought out the Bearcat scanner line and Uniden's first Bearcat
scanner was the BC800XLT model. The following info is 3 years old: The
re-incorporated Electra Corporation sells crystals, antennas, power
cords, owner's manuals ($11 ea) for some older (pre-Uniden) Bearcat
scanners. Electra Corporation is located at 11915 E. Washington St.,
Cumberland, IN 46229. Phone 317-894-3229, email: electra at tcon.net

Regency Electronics was the brainchild of former RCA employees, Joe
Weaver and John Pies. The parent company, Industrial Development
Engineering Associates (I.D.E.A), was incorporated in 1947.

The name RELM comes from Regency's real name - Regency Electronics
Manufacturing and they were a consumer electronics manufacturer.   Part
of Regency's product line was scanner radios,and the "M" series was the
first synthesized scanner that would cover the amateur 6 meter band
(50-54mhz).   When they decided to get into the commercial 2-way radio
("Land Mobile") market they used the RELM name.   RELM later bought
Bendix-King and Uniden, both of which still exist as separate brand
names.

>From one of RELM's manuals: "You may remember us as Symmetrics, or
Wilson, or as Regency Land Mobile".

RELM Wireless Corporation, a 55-year-old public company, designs and
manufactures wireless communications products, principally two-way land
mobile radios, sold to two market segments. These segments consist of, 1)
the government and public safety market, which includes fire, rescue, law
enforcement and emergency medical personnel as well as the military and
various agencies of the federal, state, and local government and, 2) the
business, industrial and commercial market, which includes railroads,
schools, churches, hotels, construction companies, taxicab companies and
airlines. Our products are offered under three brand names; BK Radio,
Uniden PRC, and RELM Communications. BK Radio-branded products serve the
government and public safety market, while Uniden PRC & RELM
Communications-branded products serve the business and industrial
markets.


Pete, wa2cwa

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 11:52:58 -0500 "Duane B. Fischer, W8DBF"
<dfischer at usol.com> writes:
> 
>         
> I have heard some rumors from the usual sources with questionable 
> reliability,
> (grin), that Bearcat may be purchased by RELM. Now about sixteen 
> years ago
> Regency, who became RELM, sold their line of scanners to Bearcat. Or 
> so the tale
> is told. Has anyone heard anything about a pending 
> transaction?        
>         
> there is also a rumor that pops up from time to time that Radio 
> Shack purchses
> their scanners from Bearcat/Uniden. Does anyone know if this ever 
> was, or is
> still, true? If not, who does make the RS scanners?        
>         
> For those who want to know what the heck RELM is, I am told it 
> stands for
> 'Regency Electronic Land and Mobile.        
>         
> As long as I am posting this, do any of you happen to have a Bearcat 
> #2 or #3
> eight channel scanner loaded up with crystals that you would like to 
> sell? I
> would also consider the RELM model 106 ten channel crystal 
> controlled scanner, I
> think it was the last crystal controlled unit they 
> made.                
>         
> Thanks!        
>         
> Duane W8DBF