BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Urgent help needed

[schlickenmeyer]

Hi, all. I'm a total newb. I live in North Mpls, and we are in near riot conditions.
I picked up a BCD436HP, and need to find a quick start guide to get this thing doing what I need.
I need the local police P25, and if I can throw on a couple others like local fire, EMS, and such great. But I can't have this thing scanning the planet. I need to have it fast and focused.
We just had 5 shot at the protests a few hours ago, likely by white power types.
I really appreciate your help.

 

[Voyager]

Easiest thing is to enter your zip code and let it load the local systems, then if there is one you want to scan immediately just hold on that System be pressing the System button while you are scanning it. Make sure the Service Types you want to hear are enabled.

 

[kb8rvp]

BCD436HP: Urgent help needed

The first thing you can do it use the zip code programming:

Press the menu button on the side of the scanner.
Scroll with the knob on top to "set your location"
Press down on the knob to select
Select "Enter your location" by pressing the knob again then one more time for USA
Enter your zip code and press the E/Yes button on the keypad.

Then you can select service types:
Menu
Select Service Types
Scroll then press the knob to for service types on or off
When done keep pressing the menu button to back all the way out and go back to scanning.

You may want to update the database of information your scanner uses to program with the zip code programming:

I would download the Sentinel programming software from Uniden at the following link:
http://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD536HP/BCDx36HP_Sentinel_Version_1_05_00.zip
Then you can download the software to install Once installed you can download the latest database information into the scanner by using the Update option inside the software. You would click on update and then select "Update Master HPDP. Just make sure you plug the scanner into your computer and press the E/Yes button to connect in update mode so your computer can take to the scanner. You can also download and install firmware updates as they are released from Uniden.

Mike

 

[schlickenmeyer]

Thanks. I tried the zip code, and even set the range to just a few miles and it was still picking up tons of unneeded stuff.
I tried close call, but got mostly FM radio stations with music only my teenage daughter likes

I will try the software next.

 

[ofd8001]

You'll probably be most interested in hearing the Minneapolis N/S site and Minneapolis Police Talkgroups/Channels 2 and 4.

The Avoid button is used to turn off the things that you are not interested is hearing when they come up.

 

[schlickenmeyer]

There was too much to avoid. I just couldnt keep up and it kept missing local transmissions while searching a thousand other things..
I finally got ARC536PRO and other than no easy batch deleting I could figure out I got this thing narrowed to what I need fairly fast. Well written for the most part, need to play with both more.

Thanks for all the tips, hard to be a beginner with an advanced item like this. Ham pal was impressed by what it could do, but knew it would not be fun to learn.

 

[drdispatch]

Thanks. I tried the zip code, and even set the range to just a few miles and it was still picking up tons of unneeded stuff.
I tried close call, but got mostly FM radio stations with music only my teenage daughter likes

I will try the software next.

The Sentinel software should already be in the SD card in the scanner.
As far as range goes, most frequencies/sites in the database have locations and ranges already entered. If the ranges of sites are set at 20 miles, and you set your scanner's range to 20 miles, you will pick up sites 40 miles away (theoretically). You may have to experiment, but reduce your range setting to 5, 2, 1, or even 0 miles, & you may find that you are getting only the sites you want. If you are still receiving sites farther away that you don't want to monitor, you will have to "Avoid" them.

 

[Flywheel17]

Put in your zip code.
Set range to 5 miles - make sure you save it by pressing down on the volume knob or hitting yes.
hit function on the side top then zip/services.
turn everything off except law dispatch, law talk, law tac for starters
you may then want to activate things like interop, media, multi, federal, and military.

For your situation, two scanners would be ideal because there is a lot going on.

MAKE SURE Close call is OFF or at least on DND if you want to pick up some GMRS, etc. Even then, there are better ways of doing that (like using the OTHER services and then shutting off things like cb, etc) We can do that later if you want.

Make sure weather is off so it is not interrupting transmissions.

Good luck!

 

[Voyager]

And if there is a Department you don't want to monitor, you can AVOID the entire Department by pressing the DEPT key then AVOID twice.

Much easier than Avoiding individual Channels.

 

[ofd8001]

You may find the attached to be somewhat helpful. It is what I use for Minneapolis and East Grand Forks trips. (It is geared toward fire since I'm a fire guy). Favorites List Quick Key is 81.

 

[marksmith]

Install the Sentinel software that is on the radio SD card or via download, and then open the database, go specifically to the state and county involved, locate exactly what you want to listen to, right click append to favorites list, name it, and when you have appended exactly what you want to listen to and nothing else, exit the favorites list which will save.

Edit the profile to turn off the main database and turn on and download the favorites list you just made.

Hook up the radio and copy to the scanner. You might want to update the database before you do all this, but it's probably ok as is.

Now you will be scanning exactly those things you selected and nothing else.

Scanning the main database is crazy. Way too much stuff.

Mark
WS1095/536/436/996P2/HP1e/HP2e/996XT/325P2/396XT/PRO668/PSR800/PRO652

 

[UPMan]

Alternate method: Scan the full dB with your location entered. AVOID channels/departments/systems you don't want to listen to. Within an hour or so (or shorter), you'll have pretty much avoided everything out of interest. In the menu, "Add Current Channels" to a Favorites List. You now have a FL that has only what you want to hear (and it is easy to bring that into Sentinel and pare it down some more, if desired). It can be difficult to crawl throIugh the database and find channels of interest if you are not already familiar with the systems.