Motorola APCO25 exclusivity gone???

[Mike Alpha]

With the Uniden APCO25 scanner now approved by the FCC, how will this affect the exclusive, second hand Motorola APCO25 market for those who want to monitor and not transmit?

I've noticed that a few regulars on this board are "selling up" - is this to pre-empt the eventual price fall and drop in demand for APCO25 capable radios?

Or will the Motorola name and reputation continue to prop up the market?

Cheers
Mike

[Pj]

The APCO25 standard is just a standard, and not an exclusive product for any manufacture. Yes there are different digital formats out there, but APCO25 sets a standard digital radios from different manufactures to work together.

Besides, the AVERAGE scanner user isnt going to shell out over $500 for the scanner. Most markets maybe have one system that is transmitting with the apco25 standard. A bit pricey just to listen to one agency. Besides, if digial comms takes off in a few years like they hope it has (remember, digital comms started to appear around 1994, if not earilier) the scanner will also come down in price.

As a side note, if a dept decides to transmit ENCRYPTED while in the digital mode, your still out of luck. Transmitting ENCYPTED in the digital mode does NOT degrade voice quality as does analog encryption does.

[Josh]

The APCO25 standard is just a standard, and not an exclusive product for any manufacture. Yes there are different digital formats out there, but APCO25 sets a standard digital radios from different manufactures to work together.

Besides, the AVERAGE scanner user isnt going to shell out over $500 for the scanner. Most markets maybe have one system that is transmitting with the apco25 standard. A bit pricey just to listen to one agency. Besides, if digial comms takes off in a few years like they hope it has (remember, digital comms started to appear around 1994, if not earilier) the scanner will also come down in price.

As a side note, if a dept decides to transmit ENCRYPTED while in the digital mode, your still out of luck. Transmitting ENCYPTED in the digital mode does NOT degrade voice quality as does analog encryption does.

A couple points. The Digital scanner will cost $600 or so. My 'digital scanner' cost $1k I still think I got a good deal.

You state that there might be only one entity using APCO25 digital. Well, maybe the Detroit area is where the digital scanner craze will take off. Few PDs are in analog here.

Most of the communities in Western Wayne Co- are digital. The eastern "downriver" half of Wayne Co. is digital. Detroit PD is currently analog UHF, but will soon (one tower is already up and running) be going digital. Statewide the State Police is all digital.

That leaves what to listen to? Windsor PD Canada, the Wayne Co. Sheriff, Detroit PD.

It had been over a year since my community switched to digital (Downriver Mutual Aid system) and I was pretty unhappy about it- there was nothing to listen to on the radio anymore (except for my original draw to scanners and radios: railroad comms- as a hobby).

-Josh

[ASTRO_25]

Some other things to consider.

There are three types of individuals that purchase Motorola equipment for their use, and in this example specifically APCO-25 equipment.

1. The scanner listener that will pay any price (within reason) to continue to be able to monitor their local public safety agencies. They predominantly own scanners but have purchased an APCO-25 capable radio to monitor their local public safety agency only. There are very few of these, the simple fact is it takes a lot of technical knowledge, patience, money, and beer to learn how to get the radios programmed, and make it all work w/o getting into trouble.

2. The scanner listener / hobbyist that wants to "take it to the next level", expects superior performance from their radios. "Scanners aren't good enough for me." These folks buy Motorola and other "real world" radios for monitoring capabilities - mobile or base.

3. The public safety official that needs to have a real world personal radio.

This introduction of the Bearcat digital scanners will for the most part eliminate the #1's of the world - and there are very few as it is. But, #2's and #3's will always want (and need) the real world Motorola radios. STX's still sell for 200+ on ebay, MTX, MTS's are still going strong. Spectras still pull a pretty penny, even though those are analog only and a simple trunktracker scanner provides better features, scan lists etc. An analog Smartzone 800 MHz MTS-2000 can get a good bit of money.

We saw supply and demand when LAPD went APCO-25 ---- UHF ASTRO's abounded on ebay - but the market got flooded, and many aren't satisfied with 15 ch scan lists and such programming inflexibility. But, a good UHF ASTRO still commands 1K. Folks have also become more discriminatory, avoiding hacked and bad condition radios.

So, in my humble opinion, the demand for the radios won't change --much--. There will always be the photographer that just thinks he/she looks cool with an ASTRO or XTS - regardless of features / functionality.

Me... I wouldn't be caught dead with a trunktracker on my belt!