Besides my five year plea for a marine rf remote for the scheme of things, how about an easy firmware upgrade: allow macro triggers by/from the watch & listen buttons, and the picking up of the remote. Usually the last thing I do is dim the lights and set the remote down, I would like to trigger a conditional when the remote is picked up again to home into the last device I selected. If it can move a page it can trigger programming right? If it can illuminate the remote it can trigger programming right? (or not right?)

there is a wishlist thread going on the URC forum (assuming you have access)

i would like a marine remote as well 

URC has addressed this wish many times by replying that they have done market studies and they prove that the demand for this vs. cost and margin would not justify it. I happen to think that this kind of remote is VERY useful. At least a splash proof remote (kind of like how Sonos pads the old style remote with rubber) would be something at least. But I dont dare sell URC products to my clients who are outdoors, have LEDS in the bath area, or even have small terrors in the house (only if I am warned about them). They kind of need a more rugged design. I sell a lot of RTI U2s - cant imagine this not selling well to at least keep customers loyal to the brand.

We agree that it would be useful. Heck, many of us here at URC want one. We're convinced by data, however, that the product wouldn't sell enough to justify its development cost.

As for the ruggedness of the rest of our line, I can only say that build quality is probably the the number one reason dealers tell me they stick with us. I'm sorry that your experience hasn't been similar to what I'm hearing from everyone else.

Best regards,
Dale

I am disappointed to hear that URC still has not and will not be developing one. Apparently RTI has a different logic process or are willing to develop their market. I myself think it would be huge, and am flabbergasted that URC justifies all it's models w/o one of these in the mix. I agree that the quality/design for the cost is a factor for my choosing the brand (up to the 980 at least). Looks like I will be using the diamond blade and Waterpad route for the foreseeable future.

I heard somewhere that RTI only sells 500 of their weather proof remote/year....don't know if its true or not....

but how many of their dealers decided to go with RTI just so they had the option of selling one?  even if they don't sell enough of them to be profitable, you would think that being a one stop solution would appeal to more dealers and thus sell more remotes throughout the line.   just speculating...

Anyone following the trends knows that automation & entertainment electronics in outdoor spaces, home spas, and steam showers are all the rage, that is probably why RTI stepped up and brought out their 2nd generation model. I just cannot justify a 2nd rf base just for this purpose. Just give me a rubber mx900 with basic variables and rf triggers and I would be happy. Enough said see you in 2015.

No, I think the real question is how many come back because the case swells in the heat, breaks the watertight seal, retains moisture and ultimately is inoperable.

good to know.  does this happen on both models?

POSTSCRIPT_TO_MARINE_REMOTE_THREAD

CEA Names Mark of Excellence Winners
Winners announced Friday night at EHX Spring 2010 in Orlando, Fla.


Gold - RTI U2 Weather-Resistant Controller

COME ON URC CHECK YOUR ANAL YSiS

I'd say you should buy/sell the RTI U2!

I hear that.

I bet something from URC would be half the price, given no investment for an RF base would be required, and the user interface would remain in-theme.

Think I"ll try a Dolphin with a MAC1 unit for now, since I have the parts laying around.

Wait a minute - I never said anything about this being my general experience with URC - just a constructive cricism about some of the things i encounter. I will agree the build quality is pretty rugged on the MX-850 and maybe the 900, but quality is not the problem - its ruggedness. A remote can be extremely high in build quality and not be rugged and durable.

I sell more than 10-15 U2's a year and I am in NJ which is a relativly short outdoor season. It's not Buffalo, but it's a nice option to offer a client. Perhaps URC's research is a bit outdated? Now more than ever clients are owning outdoor TV's, boat systems, and backyards have just as much audio capability as anywhere else.

[Link: waterproofgear.net]