BCD436HP/BCD536HP: BATTERY ERROR

Major issue with this radio this morning...just started doing this. Late last night I plugged it in to charge, went thru the yes/no, it read 'normal charging' on the readout after plugging it in to AC adapter/surge. Got up this morning and went to switch on the scanner and the readout said 'battery error'...so I unplugged it to turn it on, dead in the water. Replugged it and it went thru the motions, read 'normal charging', but one minute later went to 'battery error'...I switched the batteries around making sure they were seated securely and tried it again. No change. I tried switching outlets on the AC surge protector, no change. I tried plugging directly into USB outlet on the surge protector, no change. Tried plugging USB directly into computer, no change. Took the brand new Duracells out of the radio and put in the backup pair I purchased with the radio. Tried all charging configurations. Got the same error after one minute of 'normal charging' it reverts to 'battery error' and will not charge. I might have a defective radio here. I cannot charge my radio for some reason.

Anybody know a cure for this bug, or do I need to call the doctor??

Thanks,

JD
kf4anc

You've got a bad cell. Sometimes recoverable in an external charger, but general fix is to replace with new batteries.

UPDATE: Talked to Uniden rep on phone...first question they asked was - did I charge the batteries 15 hrs straight upon receiving the scanner? Well, like a kid on Christmas morning, I popped the batteries in and fired up the radio just to see how well the zip code location-based scanning worked, fiddled with the scanner for maybe 20 minutes, then plugged it in to charge. It did NOT read 'charge complete' the next morning after being plugged in for about 17 hrs...but I unplugged it and started trying to figure this thing out. It only ran for about six hrs and went dead...since then I have ran the radio plugged into an AC/USB adapter except for the few times unplugging it and then plugging it into PC to write from Sentinel...since getting the 'battery error' readout I had tried every charging configuration and replacing and reseating the batteries with no results...the ONLY thing I hadn't tried is a new set of batteries. Luckily, I had bought a set of AA rechargeable replacement batteries with the radio.

Voila! Problem solved. Uniden rep tells me that they have no control over how long batteries have been sitting and it is not uncommon for bad batteries to arrive with the radio. So, now radio readout says 'normal charging' and I am not about to power it up until tomorrow morning when it reads completely charged. Tons of radios I have bought over the years and this is the first time I have ever rec'd a bad set of AA rechargeable batteries. What a relief to know it had nothing to do with charging circuitry in the radio Buyer be warned! By the serial, Uniden rep was able to tell me that this scanner had been stocked for about seven months at Scanner Master. BUT, the batteries included with the scanner could have been sitting for up to TWO years before arriving at Uniden packaging plant. Just an FYI here...

You got it, UPMan, thanks

First post I stated I put in backup pair and got same error, not correct. It was not the new AAs purchased with scanner, it was AAs from another radio that, after checking at that time, are dead. My mistake.

JD

Some things you may want to consider:

There has been a lot of discussion in the forums over the years about charging batteries in the scanner vs using an external charger. Many people have adopted the philosophy that it is much safer to keep an extra set (at least) of batteries and charge them in an external charger so you minimize the risk to a $500 scanner should there be a problem during the charging cycle in the scanner. I generally charge my batteries in and external charger.

Another issue I've dealt with is the discharge rate of normal NiMH batteries. My 436 spends most of its time connected to external power (either in the car or often at home). I found that even after just a few days from a charge, standard NiMH batteries will lose much of their charge, and should I need or choose to run my 436 on batteries alone, the battery run time can be much shorter than I'd like/expect.

For the last few months I've been using Low Self-discharge NiMH batteries (specifically FlePow 2300mAh batteries via Amazon). I have found that even though they have a lower capacity than the Powerex 2500/2700mAh batteries I'd been using before, as I use my scanner, I've found the LSD NiMH batteries have more effective capacity. (Every few weeks or so I'll swap out a set of LSD batteries and charge them externally.)

Just my 2 cents,

Ted

I'll see your two cents, as I've had the same experience in all respects. (but using a different brand of LSD cells).

Thanks, Ted! That is something to consider. Headed over to Amazon as we speak