Display dimming issues

Wondering what percentage of 536 users experience display dimming issues...still trying to decide between 536 and 996p2.as well..been reading a lot of positive responses on the audio quality of the p2 as well

I've seen quite a few posts on the display issues. The 996 series is the best scanner ever made.

When I owned the 996XT scanner it was the best scanner I ever had I wish I still had it over the 536HP which I have now. I wish Uniden would come out with a press release advising on what they are planning to do to fix the Dim issue on the 536HP.

N4CYA said:

When I owned the 996XT scanner it was the best scanner I ever had I wish I still had it over the 536HP which I have now. I wish Uniden would come out with a press release advising on what they are planning to do to fix the Dim issue on the 536HP.

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A press release? That'l be the day. They don't seem to be too good at making announcements, even when a new model is released. The retailers always seem to beat them to it. I believe the HP-2, BCD996P2 and BCD325P2 were reported on this site before an announcement from Uniden. Of course their last big release announcement was the x46s and look how well they turned out. Ho Chi Minh's revenge.

My guess is all of the 536 radios have the dimming screen issue if they have been used long enough for it to manifest. This probably is

A. The reason you are not hearing from Uniden on a solution.

B. The reason if a solution does come about, it will not be covered by warranty.

Mark
536/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/
396XT/PSR800/PRO668/PRO652

At this point, if I were trying to decide between the 536 and the 996p2, it would be obvious. Nobody has yet reported that the 996p2 has any problems that have not been addressed in a firmware update.

On the other hand, the 536 has lots of reported problems, many not addressed at all.

I own both, and am very sorry now that I dropped over $500 on the 536 when I currently cannot even use it because the screen is unreadable.

The 996p2 on the other hand, is working well and seems to be a solid radio, like the 996xt.

Mark
536/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/
396XT/PSR800/PRO668/PRO652

... my x36's are now expensive doorstops due to unreadable displays not to mention poor digital sound compared to GRE's (with p-25 adjustments, remote speaker and update fix)... I'm amazed at the silence from upman as to a solution, not just because of the damage done to us but to the future reputation of the company...

There most likely not going to fix it. Look how many have been effected and each day as users use there 436/536 more develop the problem. The worst part is I know several users who already have sent in their radios for dimming issues just to have them returned and develop the same problem again.


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Looks like the 996p2 it is...i`m currently scanning with a 668,and love it so far,it was an upgrade from a pro- 135 i bought years ago and it works perfectly in my rural location...i also love the fact that their is so many experienced people on this site,full of good information...now if i could just be a little more patient waiting on my call sign,i`d be good to go...Thanks Guys for all the honest replies !

Purchase Confusion

I am in the same situation, trying to decide which scanner to buy. Regarding 996p2 vs 536. What differences are there between the two? Will the 99s rcv phase 2? What is the advantage of 536 vs 996p2 other than 536 is "latest & "greatest"", and maybe not so greatest? I was also considering the GRE scanner but I dont like the lack of the keyboard. Thx...

Ive also been looking at the ws 1095...i like the keyboardless input...and programming , and interface is exactly the same as my 668..its very intuitive for me,simple to program...but i think im goin with the 996p2

Advantages of the 536 is the recording/playback capabilities, US and Canada complete database. WiFi connectivity, to name three.

I had a 536 but moved on to a 996P2 when it came out. I just like the 996 platform better. I don't care much for waiting for the SD card to load on the 536.

Thank you eddie8965 and mciupa for quick response. I looked at 996p2 and only thing that i see is evidently it will not do zip code entry for local frequencies. I can handle that I guess. On the other hand, there seems to be a lot of issues with the 536. I need to depend on this radio to work as intended, especially for the price being paid. UPMAN, where are you? We know you have bosses telling you what you can say, but Unidens consuming public sure needs some reassurance regarding what to expect as repairs or replacement for the x36 radios. Thank you all for the assistance and thank you UPMAN for all that you are trying to do to help us.
Dale....

Commbud
The advantage of using the zip code is cool in the beginning but as anyone will tell you, you will very seldom use it unless you travel with the radio. Once you understand either of the radios you will most likely program what you want to hear anyway.

As far as the 996p2 or the 536HP. Even though I have both scanners my recommendation is for the 996p2. If you read the forums Uniden has acknowledge the 536 RTC battery issue but they haven't said a thing on the LED dimming problem. I also know for a fact several users have already sent there 536 back in for repair for the dimming problem only to have it happen again a few months later. This tells me they don't have a fix and may never have one. Imagine if they had to repair ALL the 436/536 LED light displays. The headphone repair campaign was rough enough, this would be way worse.

The 996p2 is based on the XT series which is a proven scanner. Learn to program it and you will love it. You will love the fact the display is bright and the font are large. You also saved yourself a few bucks in the process.

Also keep in mind, if Uniden EVER fixes the 436/536 issues than you can pick up a new one at a lower price as prices drop over time. If you have to have zip code also look at the HomePatrol 2.

I really like the features of the 536, but this display is barely readable. We all need a bit of clarity from the manufacturer on how to handle this issue.

Thank you for the informaiton, zip code programming is not a necessity, scanner that will continue to function as it should is an issue. Just not so sure I can depend on the 536, what a shame....

Yes, a real SHAME.

marksmith said:

.................On the other hand, the 536 has lots of reported problems, many not addressed at all...........

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Having had and used the 536 for the past several weeks, and reviewing the information here in the forums, I don't think I would go so far as to say the 536 has "lots" of problems. At this point, there are three main issues that users are facing:

1) some users have reported a problem with the real time clock (RTC) keeping time when the unit is not connected to power for periods of time,

2) users are reporting that the displays are dimming and becoming unusable, particularly on units which are beyond the 1 year warranty period,

3) all the features which have been promised have yet to be delivered.

While I agree that these issues are serious, I don't really quantify these as "lots" of problems. In fact, the 536 works exceptionally well I am not sorry that I purchased the unit at all. I realize that at some point in the future, I may be faced with having to return the unit for item (2) listed above, but I needed a unit for base operation which was capable of Phase 2 reception. I have also used the unit in a mobile environment and it performs very well.

In terms of Phase 2 (and to some lesser degree, Phase 1) decoding, there will always be some "issues" with reception, but those are more dependent on location and signal strength, along with various tweaks to the decoding algorithms.

So I didn't want folks here to get the impression that the BCD536HP is a problem-ridden machine was "lots" of issues, but I will agree that Uniden needs to do a better job in addressing those that I have mentioned.

A $500 to $600 "flagship" radio shouldn't have even that many issues - not to mention that some defects haven't even yet been acknowledged by Uniden and also after more than a year and a half they still haven't delivered everything that was promised (and we paid for) in November of 2013.... yes, 2013.

troymail said:

A $500 to $600 "flagship" radio shouldn't have even that many issues - not to mention that some defects haven't even yet been acknowledged by Uniden and also after more than a year and a half they still haven't delivered everything that was promised (and we paid for) in November of 2013.... yes, 2013.

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I agree 1000%--- it would be wonderful to have zero problems, but that's usually not the way the world works. The original headphone issue should have been caught by Uniden before the first batch of units went out the door, but to their chagrin, they missed it and ended up with a bit of a repair debacle. The RTC and "dimming" issues appeared later on in the game, so now it's more a case of how well these problems get handled. And the features that should have been ready a year+ ago--- well that speaks for itself.

The point I was trying to make it that while there are some issues, I have not found there to be " lots of reported problems", as one poster mentioned here. Some, yes--- lots, no.