[Scan-DC] BCD436HP / BCD536HP

[Andrew Clegg]

The first half of that video is painful to watch. The actors are really bad. 
(Mable? Really? Her name is Mable?)

Why can't Uniden build GPS into these scanners, like every little smart 
phone has? I'd pay extra for an integrated GPS. By the time you add an 
external GPS with cable, serial-to-USB adapter, power cable for the GPS, 
power cable for the scanner, and audio cable (or headphone cable) so you can 
actually hear the scanner over the road noise, you've got cables and 
assorted junk running everywhere in the car. These new scanners will still 
have this problem.

The HP1 and the 436HP should have integrated Bluetooth audio, too, so you 
can stream the audio directly to your car's audio system or a Bluetooth 
earpiece. I wonder if that's possible with the 536, or do you have to have 
the iPhone app to stream audio to your phone (not directly to a Bluetooth 
audio device)?

On the HP1, why can't you delete all the audio files at once? Why are the 
audio files sorted oldest to newest? If you have a lot of old audio files on 
the scanner (which you usually do, because you can't delete them all at 
once), you have to page through tons of old directories to get to the ones 
you just recorded. I hope the new scanners implement this better.

Good to see Close Call is now included in the 436/536. I really miss that on 
my HP1.

I wish the HP1 made a lot better use of the full color screen. The signal 
strength meter is light gray for signal strength bars that aren't lit, and 
white for ones that are. Really? A full-color screen, and they use light 
gray and white as their two distinguishing colors on the signal strength 
meter? The meter should turn red for one or two bars, yellow for three, and 
green when all four bars are lit. This should be implemented in a firmware 
upgrade (if it hasn't already).

Overall, I'm glad Uniden continues to innovate. I'm not sure if these new 
ones will have enough improvements to entice me to buy one. I'll wait until 
a statistically significant number of user reviews is in.

And my usual soap box: I suspect the glut of streaming scanner feeds will 
cause most public safety communications to go encrypted over the next few 
years. Combined with the dreadful audio quality of digital systems (at least 
as received on consumer scanners), these issues are driving a lot of people 
away from the hobby (including me, slowly).

Andy

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Alan Henney" <alan at henney.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 1:45 AM
To: "Scan DC" <Scan-DC at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Scan-DC] BCD436HP / BCD536HP

>
> What are the thoughts about the new Uniden scanner announced this weekend?
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGPEEGw5NzE&feature=share
>
> Interesting remarks in the comments section.  Pretty harsh on Uniden.
>
> No DMR (MOTOTRBO)!
>
> Does anybody in the D.C. area have a beta unit yet?
>
> Can you please advise how it compares with the GRE PSR-800 on PG's system?
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