BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Replay Mode Displays Incorrect UIDs, Offset by -1.

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connah

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Hi all. I am new to the forums so please forgive me if I have missed an existing thread on this topic and point me in the right direction.

I think I have discovered a bug in firmware version 1.11.31 (latest as of this posting). When replaying audio, be it recorded or buffered, the UID displayed for the currently speaking radio is offset by -1. That is, the UID displayed when someone is talking is the UID of the radio that spoke immediately BEFORE them. This problem is of course far easier to notice when you have UIDs saved and they've been named to match the person speaking. Steps to reproduce are below. Can anyone confirm if you can reproduce this issue?

Model: Uniden BCD436HP
Firmware Version: 1.11.31

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:
1) Power on scanner and select a Favorites List with frequent traffic and saved, named UIDs.
2) After a few units speak, press [Replay].
OBSERVE: When the first recorded unit begins to speak, its UID is correctly displayed. When the second recorded unit begins to speak, the UID continues to display the first speaker. When the third recording begins to play, it displays the UID of the second speaker and so on. From this point on, the displayed UID always reflects the PREVIOUS speaker.

NOTE: I have not discovered why yet, but sometimes, very RARELY, the UIDs of replayed audio will display correctly. If you do not experience the problem the first time you try to reproduce the steps, please just try again.
 

marksmith

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The radio only takes the UID of the first unit to PTT and if it gets the transmission pretty early it will give you the right UID from the CC.

If the transmission is caught after a few seconds, more than likely no UID will display.

If a second or third unit does PTT before the repeater or system has dropped the channel, the first UID will continue to be displayed.

If channel drops, and next transmission is caught early in CC handout to voice channel, then again, it will display correctly.

This is not particular to latest firmware. It is the same in this firmware for this radio as well as for every other radio that either Uniden or Whistler make.

The radios, unlike Unitrunker or the actual systems, do not continuously monitor CC for UID. Will only catch from CC at beginning of channel or TGID transmissions (not unit transmissions), and will hold that ID until the channel is released, regardless if 10 more units talk before the channel drops.

Since this is the way the actual live process works, the replay cannot be any more accurate.

536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
 

connah

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Thank you so much for the detailed reply! What I don't understand is that this issue crops up ONLY with recorded and replayed audio. When people are talking live, the UID is ALWAYS correctly displayed. That's why I have the feeling this is a bug with the way it is recorded. Thoughts?
 

marksmith

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Thank you so much for the detailed reply! What I don't understand is that this issue crops up ONLY with recorded and replayed audio. When people are talking live, the UID is ALWAYS correctly displayed. That's why I have the feeling this is a bug with the way it is recorded. Thoughts?
I think if you give it time you will see its not accurate live either.

It has to catch the UID from the control channel. If a second unit starts talking before the channel drops, the same UID of the first unit will continue to be displayed.

Actual systems continuously monitor the control channel for this info. The scanner does not.

I frankly have found that in my experience, the replay is basically as exact as live activity with regard to the UID, which is not very.

If you use Unitrunker or something that continuously monitors the CC, you will see the difference with what the radio is doing.

I log all the UID data in Unitrunker, enhance it with descriptions, and export that to Excel, reformat, then paste into Sentinel for upload to radio. Thousands of records at a time.

Do this for multiple Uniden radios, and also into EZSCAN for GRE and Whistler radios.

They all seem to use the same basis for reading the UID data, and it's OK if it catches the transmission right, but second or third units before channel drops never pick up. First one stays displayed. Sometimes no UID if it catches late in transmission.

536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
 

connah

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You're absolutely right, and I could have done a better job describing the problem; I apologize. I have noticed, on occasion, the live UID *momentarily* doesn't reflect correctly. Especially for very quick transmissions as you mentioned. But the live UID output and the recorded UID output is consistently starkly different. The recorded audio playback UID is ALWAYS wrong with very, very rare exceptions. Maybe 1 in 25 times it will be right. The live UID data is only wrong, I'd say 1 in 25 times. When live traffic is coming across, the UID almost ALWAYS matches the unit who is keying up. Recorded audio UID are ALWAYS off by exactly -1.

I understand there can be inconsistencies now and then, but these are very consistent, always reproduceable results.
 

marksmith

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Can't really speak for the recorded UID data on the 436. Although I have both 436/536, I have not paid any attention to recorded data in those.

Surprisingly though, as I regularly record on both HP1 and two HP2's, and initially was using the recording function in those radios to build UID database before going to Unitrunker and a dongle.

I found those radios to faithfully reproduce whatever was there live in terms of UID.

Good thing I didn't use the 436 from the sound of things.

I have about 10,000 UID'S programmed in the 436 and 536 for the local system and what I see live seems to be roughly the same as you indicate.

Just have not looked at the UID on these radios for recorded data.



536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
 

phask

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I do the same with an HP1. I've not seen one that was off, but I get quite a few that are no aidiono id and usually no noise ...

I've seen the same on replay on a 536, but checking on record It is the same as a HP1 - just fine.

I've never paid attantion to uid on replay on the HP1 or 2 - might need to check that.
 

Ubbe

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I first thought that my 536 started to false decode with the latest firmware, displaying ENC and DMR on air and marine channels and no sound but also no frequency information.
But it turns out it is only the playback of recordings that are messed up.

So it is defenitly some bugs in the recording/playback function in the latest FW release.

/Ubbe
 
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