BCD436HP/BCD536HP: New Owner of 436

bigbud42010 · Jan 22, 2016

Hi everybody next Monday after the storm i plan on ordering a new Uniden bcd436hp from ham radio outlet in Virginia it's actually on sale for $399.95 and goes back up to $499.95 on 2-1-16 I called and asked them if it's NEW and he seemed very sincere and honest about it being NEW all original not used and i'm hoping i'm making a good choice/decision that's why i'm here asking i've heard about the screen issues and the (RTC) real time clock issues but i don't care i want it for the PROVOICE update.
I already own a RS Pro-164/106/197 and a GRE PSR-410 I love all of them but i really like the 436 and it's features. I'm wondering am i making a good choice??

Thanks for the Info

Buds

frazpo · Jan 22, 2016

The 436 complaints seem to have subsided on the forum. I purchased a used one that was only a month old at the time and have had no issues with it. That purchase was about 2 months ago.
I wouldn't second guess your purchase, most are pleased with the 436. Enjoy!

bigbud42010 · Jan 22, 2016

I want to buy mine brand new so i can register it and do the provoice upgrade i don't want to take the risk of buying a used radio and not be able to register it to do the upgrade!!
I programmed a 436 yesterday for a friend and i loved everything about it the look, the feel, EVERYTHING!!
I can't wait until i get mine i'm get antsy just talking about it. LOL

Thanks for the info frazpo
Buds

UPMan · Jan 22, 2016

Buying a used item would not prevent you from buying/applying the upgrade. Buy, if you pay the price for a new item I agree that you should get a new item.

bigbud42010 · Jan 22, 2016

Ok thanks UPMan i appreciate the info do you know if ham radio outlet has the newer and updated radios that have the (RTC) fixed and the screen issue fixed if not it's no BIG deal i'm still buying it for the PROVOICE upgrade

KD8USW · Jan 22, 2016

Just FYI....in my experience HRO has about the best customer service of any retail operations, that would be the first place I would personally go to purchase a new radio. I'm waiting on a used HP-1 to be delivered, almost pulled the trigger on a new radio from HRO, that sale they have until the end of the month is pretty good.

bigbud42010 said:
Ok thanks UPMan i appreciate the info do you know if ham radio outlet has the newer and updated radios that have the (RTC) fixed and the screen issue fixed if not it's no BIG deal i'm still buying it for the PROVOICE upgrade

frazpo · Jan 22, 2016

bigbud42010 said:
I want to buy mine brand new so i can register it and do the provoice upgrade i don't want to take the risk of buying a used radio and not be able to register it to do the upgrade!!
I programmed a 436 yesterday for a friend and i loved everything about it the look, the feel, EVERYTHING!!
I can't wait until i get mine i'm get antsy just talking about it. LOL

Thanks for the info frazpo
Buds

No problem. I am always hesitant of buying used but this scenario I wasn't worried about. I knew it hadn't been used much and was only a month old. My point was that it was only a couple months old from the factory and it wasn't indicating any of the known issues. Clock and screen are fine.

rwier · Jan 22, 2016

KD8USW said:
J " ....in my experience HRO has about the best customer service of any retail operations ,,, "

I am lucky to have one located about two miles from home. Two old guys with white hair, and man, do they know a lot about a lot.

buddrousa · Jan 22, 2016

Speaking in person with a knowledgeable person is always the best. That was why I used to drive to Evansville to buy from Jeff. Now I have the internet and my electronic education to look up things before I buy.

1075 · Jan 22, 2016

I ordered my 436 from Amazon just after Christmas and was lucky enough to get it for $389, just before the price went up. So far I like it very much, the reception is better than my 396t. IMO the manual is very poor, and programming is FAR from intuitive, but I spent several months on these forums and on YouTube watching tutorials.

I feel that Uniden could drastically improve customer satisfaction by producing and publishing step-by-step instructional videos covering every aspect of how to program and take advantage of the many capabilities of the BCDx36HP radios.

To sum it up from my perspective, it's a great radio with pretty amazing capabilities that are extremely unintuitive with a manual that is fragmented and downright confusing in many areas, especially to those, like myself, who have no experience programming scanners.

We are fortunate that UPman frequents these forums and lends his support as often as he does.

buddrousa · Jan 22, 2016

You have to remember the old joke that the manual was written by a man with an engineering degree.

bigbud42010 · Jan 22, 2016

Thanks everybody I appreciate the help and info too bad I live 7 hours away too far to drive or I would

W8RMH · Jan 22, 2016

The sale price may be the clearing out of the older problem units.

bigbud42010 · Jan 24, 2016

I think I might get a updated/newer radio I order it in the morning and I'm so antsy I can't stand it. But with being 7 hours away and them using USP ground I think I might get it Wednesday or Thursday I'm hoping.

Scanner_Rider · Jan 25, 2016

My time to upgrade from my RadioShack Pro-82 is quickly approaching for me also and I an seriously considering the BCD436HP hand held as my new home and mobile scanner as every agency in my county except the Sheriff and state patrol have 700mhz range of the P25 setup starting about 18 months ago.

My trouble is that I don't monitor more than eight or nine of the agencies in my area , don't understand this recording and time stamp stuff and now within $100 of being able to order the handheld 436 am wondering about a few things that the page at scanner master couldn't answer for me between some ambiguity of the posted specifications and the fact I still use a low cost 56k dial up despite having been given this Win 8.1 PC as boot in a used pick up truck sale so I can't view the videos.

From what I understand , the rollout of the 436HP by entering your zip code, it finds all agencies in range.

Where I live I am on a mail route of a city 9 miles away , in the fire district of a town 2 1/2 miles away and under the Sheriff's jurisdiction as I live in no city only the county.

Would I enter my actual zip code or the town zip code only 2 miles away?

Can the handheld unit now operate as a base unit as it charges or does it still have to be turned off as it charges?

If I order from scanner master and give them the agency names, can they program it so it receives my S.O and state patrol still using VHF and 4 bordering police and fire departments dispatches and tones that have switched to the 700mhz?

K2KOH · Jan 25, 2016

A quikc video of my BCD436 on the Rockland County NY Phase 2 System. Radio has one hell of a receiver!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auB8JeoAOg0

sparklehorse · Jan 25, 2016

Scanner_Rider said:
My time to upgrade from my RadioShack Pro-82 is quickly approaching for me also and I an seriously considering the BCD436HP hand held as my new home and mobile scanner as every agency in my county except the Sheriff and state patrol have 700mhz range of the P25 setup starting about 18 months ago.

My trouble is that I don't monitor more than eight or nine of the agencies in my area , don't understand this recording and time stamp stuff and now within $100 of being able to order the handheld 436 am wondering about a few things that the page at scanner master couldn't answer for me between some ambiguity of the posted specifications and the fact I still use a low cost 56k dial up despite having been given this Win 8.1 PC as boot in a used pick up truck sale so I can't view the videos.

From what I understand , the rollout of the 436HP by entering your zip code, it finds all agencies in range.

Where I live I am on a mail route of a city 9 miles away , in the fire district of a town 2 1/2 miles away and under the Sheriff's jurisdiction as I live in no city only the county.

Would I enter my actual zip code or the town zip code only 2 miles away?

Can the handheld unit now operate as a base unit as it charges or does it still have to be turned off as it charges?

If I order from scanner master and give them the agency names, can they program it so it receives my S.O and state patrol still using VHF and 4 bordering police and fire departments dispatches and tones that have switched to the 700mhz?

Use your Zip Code. The radio knows where the center of each zip code is located, and bases its scan selections on that location. If the center of your Zip code is within a few miles of your home that is plenty accurate. You can always bump up the range on your scanner if you're not picking up a neighboring county or something. The 436 can not be operated while it is charging. However, I don't recommend you charge your batteries in the scanner anyway. Do yourself a huge favor and get a smart charger like a La Crossse BC1000, or Maha MH-C9000. Get a spare set of good AA rechargeable cells like Eneloops, charge your cells in the charger, not the radio, and keep a spare set charged up and ready to go. Your cells will last longer, and you will be a lot happier. As far as having Scannermaster program your scanner, why not save yourself that cash and learn to program it yourself? That way when things change in your area, and they will, you won't have to keep sending the radio back to them for another update of your programming. Plus, you can set the radio up exactly as you want. The Sentinel software is free, and the database it uses, which is the RR database, is updated every week. I'm not sure how well it works with 56k dial up though.
.

Isaac-1 · Jan 26, 2016

One more follow up, in addition to the quick start method of entering your zip code you can also enter your exact longitude and latitude and the 436HP will center its range radius search around your actual location. You still will want to have access to a high speed internet connection to update the radio database, update firmware, etc. from time to time as these things could take many hours to download on dial up. However consider many places offer free wifi these days and you can buy a manufactures refurbished Windows 7 notebook computer with a fresh windows install on it for under $100 on ebay, or a used one without a fresh windows install for under $50 (many with questionable batteries).

BCD436HP/BCD536HP: New Owner of 436

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