Older Firmware Revisions?

With the release of the newer firmware for the 536, before I upgrade, as mine is currently working perfectly (Actually is on my online stream) It is at FW Rev. 1.10.02 and if for some reason I want to go back to it, is there anywhere I can d/l it? There once was a user in here who had a site that had all firmware revisions but alas it is no longer available when I try to go to the bookmark that I saved on the site.

As right now, the firmware only allows for more types, re the NXDN release that is of no use to me, DMR maybe, but with the scanner on the stream I can only do the one.

I really didn't want to update it until the WiFi option became better, but I guess DMR and such are higher priority than actually getting it to be what was advertised on the box almost what 2 years or more later?

Upgrade. There are numerous bug fixes you're missing with firmware that out of date.

jonwienke said:

Upgrade. There are numerous bug fixes you're missing with firmware that out of date.

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Well the old saying goes "If it ain't broke don't mess with it"....

I know there have been "fixes" in later releases but right now I get perfect decode on the P25 system I listen to (helps to have a professional antenna mounted on telephone pole running RG8 wire that was used to xmit on a UHF radio) So over the last revisions, I see nothing that will benefit me in terms of better receive/decode quality than what I am getting right now. I also paid for ProScan after I worked with Bob to come up with different lockout files so that I could use the web server to listen to everything and the source server to send the stream online and stay within the TOS. I can listen with however many computers/tablets/phones that I want to anywhere. I just don't have the nice display that the Siren App gives and that is what ticks me off as we are getting all these other formats, DMR, ProVoice and now NXDN but nothing on the status of the app and what the scanner was designed for in the first place. There has been others whom have posted about asking for an update on that part of it and until there is a reason to do the update to the scanner, if it is app related, then I guess I will just stay with what I got as I don't even think analyze parts have been touched in newer versions, but I could be wrong on that as I forget what has been changed in the revisions now.

There are numerous fixes that improve P25 reception and decode. There is no good reason not to update.

One reason to upgrade is that handling of patches is finally fixed. If you are monitoring any talkgroup involved in the patch, you will now hear all patched traffic.

Well maybe I will do the update or maybe not... I used to do them when they came out but then some were saying that this didn't work or that didn't work right and mine was working fine so I just bypassed doing the update. As I said before, if it pertained to Siren working I would probably do it, but this whole experience with the wifi debacle and now no updates to the app in over a year, makes me not want to update it as I already have ways to listen on the go and I am not limited to Uniden and their servers.

I checked now and that russian guy Maksim still have all the firmwares on googledrive.
It's safe to try the newest FW just to see if you like it or not.

/Ubbe

Look through the forum threads. There is zero indication that the new firmware broke anything, and a lot of reports of improved digital decode for P25 and DMR. And several longstanding issues have been resolved, particularly patch tracking.

I probably have to go back a couple of revisions, the one before the current one had some type of issue I do not remember now. I did the upgrade to the latest FW and activated NXDN and now I get the same problem someone else mentioned. Suddenly the audio on a DMR frequency goes up like the volume was turned up to max. As soon as I turned down one step, from 10 to 9, it went back to normal again.

DMR one frequency conversations on slot1 are sometimes displayed as slot2 and if the TG was avoided on slot1 it now goes active as the scanner thinks it is on slot2. As soon as I turn the knob to continue scanning, and the system is on hold, it skips the conversation as it decodes it properly as slot1. Uniden thinks that there are systems that have different users with the same TG number on different slots on the same frequency, so the avoid are only valid on one slot and not for the frequency and creates negative side effects when the decode process goes bad, as it sometimes happen with a BCD536HP (and never with a Whistler TRX). I beleive Uniden have DMR problem with sites that use Hytera basestations that the scanner indicates having full signal strenght and no biterrors but still decodes bogus TG numbers.

I probably have to wait for a SDS100 to get a Uniden that works 100% with DMR channels.

/Ubbe

Ubbe said:

Uniden thinks that there are systems that have different users with the same TG number on different slots on the same frequency,

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Because some systems are in fact configured that way.

so the avoid are only valid on one slot and not for the frequency and creates negative side effects when the decode process goes bad, as it sometimes happen with a BCD536HP (and never with a Whistler TRX).

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Timeslot only applies when you specify a timeslot in the talkgroup programming. If you program the talkgroup with timeslot "ANY" (which you should, given the conditions you describe) an avoid on that talkgroup applies, regardless of which slot it happens to be broadcast on. If you program separate talkgroup entries for each slot (e.g. an entry for talkgroup XXX, slot 1, and another entry for tallkgroup XXX slot 2), then you will have the problem you describe.

rjdj2000 said:

Well maybe I will do the update or maybe not... I used to do them when they came out but then some were saying that this didn't work or that didn't work right and mine was working fine so I just bypassed doing the update. As I said before, if it pertained to Siren working I would probably do it, but this whole experience with the wifi debacle and now no updates to the app in over a year, makes me not want to update it as I already have ways to listen on the go and I am not limited to Uniden and their servers.

Click to expand...

The last previously applied firmware file (applied through Sentinel, as opposed to the download & copy to the card process that was used for the multiple DMR beta firmware releases) should have been stored by Sentinel on your PC.

For my Windows 7 (64 bit) PC, that is under C:\ProgramData\Uniden\BCDx36HP_Sentinel\Updater. On my PC, the last firmware applied via Sentinel for the 536HP was BCD536HP_V1_11_15.bin. I updated one of my 436HP's last night, so that one is showing BCD436HP_V1_14_00.bin

Save that last 536 firmware file to some other folder on your PC, then update your 536HP via Sentinel. If, after trying the new firmware, you want to revert back to your previous version. then copy the file you saved earlier to the firmware folder of the scanners memory card, after you connect the scanner to the PC and choose mass storage mode.

hiegtx said:

The last previously applied firmware file (applied through Sentinel, as opposed to the download & copy to the card process that was used for the multiple DMR beta firmware releases) should have been stored by Sentinel on your PC.

For my Windows 7 (64 bit) PC, that is under C:\ProgramData\Uniden\BCDx36HP_Sentinel\Updater. On my PC, the last firmware applied via Sentinel for the 536HP was BCD536HP_V1_11_15.bin. I updated one of my 436HP's last night, so that one is showing BCD436HP_V1_14_00.bin

Save that last 536 firmware file to some other folder on your PC, then update your 536HP via Sentinel. If, after trying the new firmware, you want to revert back to your previous version. then copy the file you saved earlier to the firmware folder of the scanners memory card, after you connect the scanner to the PC and choose mass storage mode.

Click to expand...

Well just looked there and nothing. I knew it probably wouldn't be there due to the fact that I am on a different computer and it is probably on the old one I took out. Will have to fire it back up someday to see if it is there or I might check the SD card just to see if the old file is still there somewhere. At any rate, guess it can't hurt to update it so will see... Thanks for the info though... Will keep that in mind to keep a backup of them.

rjdj2000 said:

Well just looked there and nothing. I knew it probably wouldn't be there due to the fact that I am on a different computer and it is probably on the old one I took out. Will have to fire it back up someday to see if it is there or I might check the SD card just to see if the old file is still there somewhere. At any rate, guess it can't hurt to update it so will see... Thanks for the info though... Will keep that in mind to keep a backup of them.

Click to expand...

Just checked my archive file. I started saving copies of firmware updates when we got into the DMR firmware of the week scenario. I do have a copy of V1-10-02 for the 536HP. PM me your email address if you need it.

Thanks hiegtx... I will if need be... Right now I had to update some TG info on my system and I just did the update so will see how it goes. So far it seems to be doing ok but the system hasn't been real busy either so can't really compare it at the moment.

jonwienke said:

an avoid on that talkgroup applies, regardless of which slot it happens to be broadcast on.

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It doesn't work that way with DMR One Frequency systems. As someone has requested Uniden to support a system somewhere that uses the same TG for different operations depending of which slot it is on (idiotic design by the system operator) the avoid you do only apply to the current slot its on. The avoid is saved together with the slot info, to be able to still monitor the same TG on the other slot.

It's sounds wacky and crazy and there must have been some big mistake made when someone put that DMR system up. That guy probably looked at the old analog system that used the same CTCSS tone for two frequencies and read up on talkgroups and probably found an explanation that talkgroups could be seen as different CTCSS tones on the same analog frequency and he also have been tought that DMR have slot 1 and 2 that are comparable to two analog frequencies. He then copied as much as possible from the analog system into the DMR system as the users wanted it to work exactly as before but with the extra performance from digital speech.

/Ubbe

Ubbe said:

It doesn't work that way with DMR One Frequency systems.

Click to expand...

It does if slot is set to "any" in the talkgroup programming. And the talkgroup ID is only programmed onice in the system.

Ubbe said:

It doesn't work that way with DMR One Frequency systems. As someone has requested Uniden to support a system somewhere that uses the same TG for different operations depending of which slot it is on (idiotic design by the system operator) the avoid you do only apply to the current slot its on.

Click to expand...

Actually, it's a unique way to 'hide' certain users from scanner nuts by using slot 1 for a large user and slot 2 for one you want to keep private (same TG). Most will lock out the large user not realizing they are locking out the other user, too.

I can't say that's the reason why in all cases, but my area has users on the same TG on different slots.

The solution is to do what Jon posted.

There is no room to complain about things not working correctly when your own programming is wrong.

As for "idiotic design by the system operator", I've seen that A LOT! It's funny listening to a competitor who programmed one radio to slot 1 TG 2 and another is on slot 2 TG 1 and they are trying to figure out why their radios can't talk to each other.