New 536

[mondaro]

Hello, I plan on adding another 536 to my growing Uniden family of scanners, I have back up micro cards I learned to have a back up card always on standby the hard way last week.

My question can I throw a back up card in the scanner when I first get it or do I need to go through the steps and update the firmware.

Also does it make a difference if the back up cards are 4GB or 8GB as the local stores do not carry the 4GB cards any longer.

Thank You.

Tony M.

 

[DSC45]

4GB Micro SD Cards

I found Amazon.com to be a good sorce for micro sd cards. Usually arrive within 4 days. Here's an example. I use the 4GB card myself, only because that's the way Uniden ships the radios. I've had no sd card failures with (2) 536's and a HP-1 (E). ('Knock on wood' ha ha)

 

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Updating Firmware & Setup

Can't answer that question with any certainty, but going through the brief setup gives you piece of mind the radio is functioning as it should, before programing. I've read on this forum that one or two members had to send their receivers back for repair on its arrival.

 

[ofd8001]

My question can I throw a back up card in the scanner when I first get it or do I need to go through the steps and update the firmware.

No - the back-up card needs to have the many of the same files on it as does the primary card. Me, I'd use the SD Formatter utility to re-format the new/back up card. Then I'd use Windows File Explorer to copy the contents of the original card to the back-up card.

Also does it make a difference if the back up cards are 4GB or 8GB as the local stores do not carry the 4GB cards any longer.

Card size doesn't matter, noting the maximum supported card size is 32GB.

You have a lot of potential flexibility that I'd like to mention as a "next consideration".

What I do is this. I have four separate profiles I use depending upon circumstances. Each profile is on its own SD card. One profile is for my home scanner, another is for my car scanner while in my home area, another for my car scanner while travelling and the fourth is for my car scanner while at my travel destination. As applicable, I'll swap out the cards.

To make it easier to know which is which, my home scanner is 32GB, car local is 16 GB, car travel is 4 GB with car destination being 8 GB.

My profiles are different as things I scan in the house are different than what I scan in the car with respect to Favorites Lists being active.

 

[SCPD]

4,8,16GB or 32GB as long the programming is done in the correct format for the scanner it will work,either being programmed through Sentinel or whatever software you use.
The firmware resides on the SD card so if you have one version on one card and another on another card it will just switch the firmwares when you switch the cards.I would recommend sticking to one firmware.

 

[jonwienke]

The firmware resides on the SD card so if you have one version on one card and another on another card it will just switch the firmwares when you switch the cards.I would recommend sticking to one firmware.

Nope. Firmware updates are copied to the card then transferred to the scanner's internal memory, then automatically deleted off the card. Switching cards won't switch firmware.

 

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Firmware; Internal or on SD Card

This is one of the most interesting and essential discussions regarding firmware that I've seen on the forum. So which is it? Stored internally on the scanner or written to the SD Card. Can we get clarification from the UPMan?

Thanks.

 

[fxdscon]

This is one of the most interesting and essential discussions regarding firmware that I've seen on the forum. So which is it? Stored internally on the scanner or written to the SD Card. Can we get clarification from the UPMan?

Thanks.

The working firmware is in the scanner, not on the SD card.

During the process of upgrading the firmware, the firmware file is downloaded to the SD card briefly through Sentinel, and as soon as the scanner re-boots the new firmware is loaded into the scanner from the SD card and the firmware file is then automatically deleted from the SD card.

NOTE..... If you have prepared a spare SD card from a card reader connected to the computer, including clearing user data AND updating the firmware (so that the firmware file is on the card), when you put that card in the scanner it will read and load that firmware file to the scanner since it is on the card.... even if it's an older firmware.

You can prepare a duplicate card from Sentinel in a card reader by clearing user data and then writing the database updates and your favorites lists to the card, but just skip the "update firmware" step so you won't have a firmware file on the spare card.... that way if the spare has been around a while and you have since updated the firmware on the scanner to something newer than was on the spare card when you made it, putting the spare card in the scanner won't revert to the older firmware.

Easiest to just copy a working card to another one to make a current spare. Neither the working card nor the spare will have a firmware file on it in that case.



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