2002 International CES Show Update Page

Show Dates are from January 7 - 11, 2002

Day #1 January 7, 2002

Your Reporter is Norm Schrein (Mr. Scanner)



Left: Graphic from the Uniden Sales Meeting
Right: John Lloyd, MC of the Uniden Sales Meeting



Left: Set up at the Winter CES Show in Las Vegas, NV
Right: The historic Las Vegas Strip on a January morning


LAS VEGAS (NV) January 7, 2002. Tomorrow morning at 10:00 am local time thousands of electronics enthusiasts, both professional and non, will decend on this desert town to view the latest gagets. Today we had a chance to tour the setup at the Las Vegas Convention Center and attend the Closed Door Uniden sales meeting.

It was at this meeting that Uniden introduced its two newest scanner additions, the BC785D base/mobile scanning radio and the BC250D hand-held scanner. Both of these radios will be capable of receiving the APCO 25 digital format radio transmissions, a type of radio transmission used by many public safety agencies across the United States.

The radios will be capable of receiving analog conventional and trunked radio systems as well as APCO 25 conventional and trunked systems. Each scanner will have a suggested retail price of $350.00 and will be available late in 2002.

Although the scanners will be capable of receiving the APCO 25 digital transmissions, they will not do so right out of the box. Those wanting to receive the digital segment (as compared to analog, which the scanners will do right out of the box) will need to purchase the Bearcat APCO 25 digital card -- the BCi25D. Cost of the card will be just over $300.00.

Therefore a person buying a digital capable scanner would not need to get into the expense of digital unless it was needed for his area. Then it would be a matter of purchasing and inserting the digital card. The card can be easily installed by the consumer.

Uniden will also be displaying its new e-Scanner software. This software will allow the consumer to take a frequency file (similar to the county frequency lists and custom research offered on the bearcat1.com site) and program their scanner with the use of a home computer.

There will be a "free" version of the software which will give the consumer the ability to program in conventional frequencies into the BC895XLT, BC780XLT, BC245XLT and the SC200 Sportscat scanner. The price of the full version program was not revealed, but it will allow the end user to edit the names and frequencies as well as program in trunked radio systems.

Crews are busy at work at this large electronics show and just about anyone involved in the consumer electronics business will be attending, including Uniden, Cobra, Maxon, Midland, Microsoft, Sony, Panasonic and many others.

Be sure to check this page daily from January 7th through the 11th for more updates and photos from the winter Consumer Electronics Show.


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