BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Uniden is missing signals on p25 video link

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

I am having a bad time with my new 436. It's missing what my WS1040 is hearing. I posted a video. If anyone can figure out what the problem is please let me know. I would like to keep the 436 but it is just not working out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPd3KxA7XYo&feature=youtu.be

Drumbum · Dec 1, 2016

Mine does the same, my 396T always catches conversation on Va stars system, sometimes the 436 misses the entire conversation

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

JamesO · Dec 1, 2016

My first guess is a programming and/or a scan list issue.

Really hard to tell from the video, but it appears the Uniden may be scanning a larger number of Systems/Talkgoups?

Better if you could put the scanners closer together can narrow in on the displays a bit more.

You may want to post your config file for someone to look at.

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

They are scanning the same talk groups. If anything the Whistler is scanning more. I haven't put everything in the Uniden yet, I only had it going since last weekend. If its a programming issue what did I do wrong? It's scanning everything, it just does a poor job on stopping on transmissions. They are both receiving only 1 site. Even if I turn off all my conventional systems and lock onto the site with a hold, the Uniden still is late or skips over entire transmissions. I can see the tower out my window, It's five miles away on a mountain top.

troymail · Dec 1, 2016

Typically, the first pitfall everyone encounters with the Uniden x36 radios is the (stupid) default SERVice Type settings... many are disabled by default. My next thought is simply simulcast issues.... see: http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-tech-support/343292-finding-system-details.html

tglendye · Dec 1, 2016

Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but I think the 436 & 536 just scan slower. It seems like the 436 is eventually getting around to what the Whistler picks up first. Do you have the same towers programmed into both scanners? I don't have a Whistler (but I do have GRE and RS scanners), but it seems the Uniden's scan speed is slower. I wish this would be addressed in a firmware update.

As for Virginia STARS, I scan that as well. My issue with STARS is the TG's seem to switch towers- at least in my area. For example: Culpeper 2 is not affiliated with Rawley Springs, Bear Den or the Harrisonburg site, all of the time. It's difficult know which site to pick to scan on STARS. In my vehicle, I scan 3 separate towers (with a Pro-197) to make sure I get the local stuff from STARS- on my 436, I stick to one because of the scan speed- if I scan STARS at all.

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

Slow scanning is my feeling as well. This is not simulcast. I have only the service settings in my favorites active and full database scanning off. It's worse using just the zip code and not favorites. In the video both scanners are listening to the same site, scanning the p25 site, frs, and ham. Nothing else. I wanted to do the video as how I normally operate my scanners. The Whistler has a few repeaters in ham that I did not put in the Uniden as they weren't in the database and I haven't got around to adding them. I could turn off the conv. systems but it still acts the same. If there is some setting that will cause missing signals some of the time let me know. I have tried auto, manual with different settings, and default, makes no difference. As far a slow scanning most of the time the Uniden just misses the first .5 to 2 sec. but sometimes it ignores the whole transmission but picks it up on the next one. You can see that in the video at 40 seconds. If it is a firmware problem, I will hold on to the scanner in hopes of a fix.

troymail · Dec 1, 2016

sprite1741 said:
It's worse using just the zip code and not favorites.

Oh yeah - complete concur. This (along with a Siren app and able to listen from anywhere) were huge in the pre-release sales pitch years ago. I tried zip code the first day and never went there again. But it's fine if you just don't care what you hear as long as you hear something... :lol:

most of the time the Uniden just misses the first .5 to 2 sec. but sometimes it ignores the whole transmission but picks it up on the next one.

Yup - the GRE/Whistler radios are much better/faster at detecting and opening up on active channels.

If it is a firmware problem, I will hold on to the scanner in hopes of a fix.

I don't think Uniden sees a problem - at least not one they will be solving. It's been that way since day 1.

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

Thanks for the help, I will keep it a few weeks, just in case of some fix. I just wanted to give it a chance. I like it, except the internal speaker, but it's just not doing it's job.

IAmSixNine · Dec 1, 2016

I would start out by having both scan the system only.
Then if both work well add maybe Ham, then slowly add frs or what ever else. I agree with others as it seems to be scanning slower. Watch the signal meters in both and you can see the difference.

Nasby · Dec 1, 2016

This is just a common characteristic with most Uniden scanners.

They often totally skip over or completely miss a transmission.

I can put my PSR500 next to my 436HP and/or 396XT with the exact same programming and antenna and the 436 will consistently miss about 20% of the traffic that the PSR receives.

It's something we owners have learned to live with.

However, my 436 definitely outperforms my PSR in receiving distant/weak 700/800 Mhz P25 systems.

UPMan · Dec 1, 2016

I cannot see the displays well enough in the video to tell anything useful.

ChrisABQ · Dec 1, 2016

I'm surprised with the recent digital reception firmware update that nobody has suggested this yet, make sure you have the 1.11.20 update and try setting Digital Threshold to Manual and Level to 8. See if it makes any difference. If not, play around with the Level #'s a bit.

greggk · Dec 1, 2016

Look at the "hold" time for each system you scan. The hold time is how long the radio scans a particular system before it goes to the next one. I was having what seemed to be slow times as well until I went in and looked at the hold time; they were set to 2 seconds. Setting to ZERO works well. Hold time is not the same as "delay".

As someone else here mentioned, you should have both radios scanning exactly the same thing.

FWIW.

Greg

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

All hold times at 0. I thought that too days ago. I have tried every setting I can find. Latest firmware in both. Auto, default or manual do not help. Here is another video closer to the display. In this video it skipped right over the system at first and didn't stop. I only have a Logitech web cam and its hard to get set up for this but here goes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVFOfXS2RBI&feature=youtu.be

UPMan · Dec 1, 2016

During that video, the BCD436HP was scanning other things when the first transmission occurred. Both scanners are not scanning the same thing at the same time (actually pretty much impossible to have with two different models...or even two of the same model).

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

Thank you. So it's scan speed then. I had it out yesterday and it was no fun. The state police were chatting car to car and I was missing some of the replies. It was terrible, I could hear both guys, but some of the back and forth was missing. I have heard them do that many times before with the Whistler and my GRE and never had an issue.

JoeyC · Dec 1, 2016

Its not scan speed. Nasby up above nailed it. I have OLD Unidens (and GRE scanners) that run rings around the x36 line of scanners when it comes to reliably decoding and even opening squelch for P25 audio.

UPMan · Dec 1, 2016

Without knowing how they are programmed, it is impossible to really evaluate something like this.

It should not have anything to do with scan speed, though. Trunked systems aren't "scanned" in the sense of the scanner checking a bunch of individual frequencies sequentially. The scanner sits on the active control channel for 1-2 seconds and compares each channel grant to the channels you have programmed for that system. There is plenty of time between channel grants for the scanner to check for a match (it actually is sitting twiddling its virtual thumbs waiting for the next channel grant to occur).

When the two scanners happened to be on the same system at the same time and the channel became active, both scanners hit virtually simultaneously.

In my testing when I have programmed systems into the two models and scanned, about 50% of the time they both hit simultaneously, 25% of the time the G/W hit first and 25% of the time the U hit first. Which one hit first purely depended on what they happened to be scanning at the time.

sprite1741 · Dec 1, 2016

JoeyC said:
Its not scan speed. Nasby up above nailed it. I have OLD Unidens (and GRE scanners) that run rings around the x36 line of scanners when it comes to reliably decoding and even opening squelch for P25 audio.

Interesting. Well the 436 won't work for me. I don't like missing things then scratching my head wondering what is going on. I checked the scan speed on the 436 and like 80 ch. per sec and the whistler is 50 according to the manuals. I didn't expect all this trouble. Thanks to all.

BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Uniden is missing signals on p25 video link

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