BCD536HP stops receiving after random periods.

[jwdima]

I've had a BCD536HP for about 4 months now. I have noticed that after the unit has been on for a while, I no longer get any hits at all. I am in an area with mostly conventional systems. It acts like it is still scanning but gets no hits. Cycling the power on the unit clears the issue and I instantly get traffic. This is random. The longest it scanned before "blacking out" was 5 days. Last time was 1 day. I searched this forum and saw someone with the identical problem with a BCD436HP.
See this link: BCD436HP: - Stops receiving

I have tried sever different SD cards, none makes any difference. Also, this is my second 536. The first one would NOT receive anything new out of the box. I returned it, but am now having this issue. Please don't tell me that I shouldn't leave the unit running all the time, that is just a band-aid. All my previous scanners ran pretty much non-stop without issue. Heck, I still have a backup Bearcat 210 that is still working to this day, running pretty much non-stop. Sounds like there is an unresolved issue between these two models. The unit is still under warranty, but if it is a design flaw it don't want to send it in for repair if it CAN'T be repaired. Thanks! Wayne

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Hi & welcome to the RR forums:
I once owned two (now just one) 536HP that I kept running (mostly) nonstop. Never encountered the issue you outlined though so there's definitely something amiss. Those who are more electronic-component savvy may chime in with suggestions but it may need to be sent to Uniden for repair

 

[tvengr]

It sounds to me that you may have a heat related failure. Electronic components can fail as they heat up. They can also develop leakage currents that set up a time constant that will shut down a circuit after a period of time. Recycling the power would reset the time constant. I ran into a module in an audio console that was missing a resistor. It caused a voltage to slowly charge up and eventually turn off the amp. Since the scanner is still under warranty, I would send it in for repair. Include a note taped to the scanner with all of the details related to the failure.

 

[jwdima]

It sounds to me that you may have a heat related failure. Electronic components can fail as they heat up. They can also develop leakage currents that set up a time constant that will shut down a circuit after a period of time. Recycling the power would reset the time constant. I ran into a module in an audio console that was missing a resistor. It caused a voltage to slowly charge up and eventually turn off the amp. Since the scanner is still under warranty, I would send it in for repair. Include a note taped to the scanner with all of the details related to the failure.

Interesting, but it sounds plausible. Not sure how long a repair takes, but I guess I'm putting the old ones back in service. Thanks !

 

[Icanhearit]

I'm not sure I have the same case and reason with BCD436HP but chime in anyway.

I use the 436 mostly with the simulcast digital channels. In one of my room (with weaker signals), the 436HP may work fine and randomly get silent after variable time (not always). Wrapping my hands around antenna base to the scanner body typically wakes it up (and continue) to speak until repeat the same symptom (sometimes soon). The very soon may be misleading as during the period, the weather condition remain the same that may somehow makes the signal quality low. Maybe this weaker signal room makes all tower equality weak and thus cause multipath issue too.

However this never happens in my other room with good reception (perhaps this room has one tower signal way better than the rest not cause simulcast multipath issue)).

Since I use BC125AT for extended analogue monitoring (nothing beat it), I cannot say if the same symptom happens to the 436 on analogue channels. I never experience one at least during the limited use.

Since you say it is mostly (instead of exclusively) conventional channel, could you separate digital and conventional into different favorite lists, and enable them one at a time? it helps to to check
1) if this happens only on digital FL monitoring and
2) if your hand can wake it up. If so this is more likely a 536HP simulcast limitation (or software bug as it should not remain silent), in which case sending to Uniden may useless.
HTH.

P.S., Out of topic, in this better reception room, the 436HP is superb and better than the SDS100 on P25 , better sound (436 speaker, even earphone jack is more pleasant), cleaner sound (without hiss), no cut off, and perhaps due to faster scan, appear picking up more conversations across channels than the crawling SDS100.