BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Stops receiving

[kdpainter]

Hi guys. My first post on this forum. I have had my BCD436HP for about a week. My last scanner was a Pro-43 from the 90's! I have been away from the hobby for a long time. Jumping back in with both feet!

Overall, I really love this scanner (so much I just ordered a 536 today). I have the DMR upgrade so latest firmware from the last time I checked. I have noticed that after the unit has been on for quite a while, I no longer get any hits at all. I am in an area with mostly conventional systems. Cycling the power on the unit
clears the issue. It acts like it is still scanning but no hits. I cycle the power and instantly get tons of traffic. I am thinking the radio crashed in a zombie fashion.

I have been able to program the unit with P25 systems and DMR.

Has anybody seen anything like this?
Regards,
Kelly

 

[W8RMH]

It may be a SD card issue. Perform a 'Clear User Data' and reprogram. If that doesn't clear it up I would try another SD card.

 

[buddrousa]

Welcome to the RR forum as stated above SD cards cause several problems with both Uniden and Whistler scanners. Letting the batteries die and the scanners not saving the data before a power loss will cause the SD cards to have problems. It is also a good idea to make and keep a spare SD card for an emergency backup.

 

[kdpainter]

Thanks for the replies. I wouldn't have suspected the SD card especially since cycling the power corrects the issue. I would think that if the card were corrupted, it would still be corrupted after a reboot.

I have one of the newer Samsung EVO 32GB cards installed. I have more cards so I will take a look at the card. Thanks!

 

[ofd8001]

I've seen scanners stop receiving as the battery charge dwindles. More pronounced on digital/trunked systems.

 

[greggk]

If you like the 436, you will LOVE the 536. I just got my 536, and whoaaaa...what a scanner. You sound like you have it all together. Consider buying from a place like Amazon with a no hassles return policy within 1 month. Just my 2 cents worth. Greg

 

[kdpainter]

Thanks for the advice.
@ofd8001: It isn't batteries getting low. I was running it with ARC536 Pro using the virtual control panel. I like that because it logs hits. So it was being powered from the computer. It was still scanning but went a long time without getting any hits at all. So I rebooted it and instantly started getting a lot of traffic. I have seen it happen on batteries too. Very strange.

@greggk: Yep. Bought both from Amazon. 536 arrives tomorrow! I turn my paychecks directly over to Amazon, unfortunately. I also got a BC20 speaker but that is backordered. I know I will have to buy the DMR upgrade for this radio as well but I already bought ARC536 so that was the final decision maker for me. Also, the siren app sounds cool although it doesn't seem like Uniden is working on that anymore since the app hasn't been updated since May of 2015. Still, if I can get audio over my phone on my wifi network, that will be useful.

A question. Do you know if there is a cheaper GPS that works with the x36 radios? I am pretty sure I can put something together with a uBlox module but if somebody has one that is less clunky than the Uniden one. I would like to try location based scanning.

 

[kdpainter]

Just following up. I got my 536 today. It is awesome, just like the 436. I bought the DMR upgrade for it as well.

The 536 seems to be more sensitive than the 436 which is understandable given the size constraints of the 436. I am able to pick up a distant CHP dispatch that the 436 can't using the same antenna. That isn't a criticism, these are very nice radios - I love them both. I love how Sentinal set them up to be exactly the same with the favorite lists I had set up on the 436. Even the quick keys came over. Very nice!

I got the siren app going and I think it works great. I think I will find that feature useful. Not sure why the reviewers on iTunes have dumped on it so much.

I have had both running simultaneously and so far have not seen any issues with no reception that caused me to start this thread. I am beginning to wonder if what I saw has something to do with being connected to ARC536? Time will tell and that isn't a dig on ARC536 either. I can work around that if there is an issue. These are fantastic radios and I recommend getting ARC536.