BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Uniden GPS - Do I have a defective unit?

[troymail]

Since getting my 436 and 536 back from repairs and I now can actually see/read the display, I decided to give myself a late Christmas/birthday present and picked up a Uniden BC-GPSK GPS.

On the first use of the GPS with the 436 - parked in my driveway, I set everything up and told the scanner to Auto Locaiton. The 436 responded with my approximate location of Anne Arundel, MD. Ok, that was correct.

The next morning, I plugged everything back in and told the radio to Auto Locate again and I started driving to work. 5 minutes later (??) the radio displayed it thought i was in Baltimore City -- not even close. So I pressed NO and it went along again for about another 4-5 minutes and finally figured out I was in Anne Arundel County. Unfortunately, I was at work by that point...

Today, I decided to take a road trip across several counties. Upon leaving, I selected Auto Locate and starting driving. I went probably 10 miles before the radio display "can't determine your location - try another method" or something to that affect. WTF?

I kicked it off again and eventually it determined I was in Anne Arundel County (again) -- just in time to drive into another county.

As I drove - and planning with the Range setting - I was hearing some of the system(s) activity I expected but not others (the WS1098 was also running and hearing things not being heard on the 436). I wasn't using the Full Database but rather a favorites list I created from the latest database. The favorites list contains all trunked systems and conventional frequencies for the county public safety agencies across my state (23 counties). Location control for the favorites list is enabled.

Upon reaching my planned turn around point, I stopped and tried to start over using the full database.

So, I turned everything off and started over. I was parked in Cecilton Maryland and sent the 436 and GPS off searching again. It's first location it reported I was at was Chester PA (not even close). I said NO and after a bit it said I was in New Castle DE (closer but still a big miss), then it said I was in Queen Anne MD (seems to be "gong around" me) - then it said Kent MD (closer but still wrong).

All of this really makes me wonder how well this combination of radio and GPS really works... clearly not well. Maybe I should have spent the extra for a Garmin...

Anyone else had similar experiences? Suggestions? I'm taking another road trip next weekend but at this point, I'm wondering if it is really worth trying this thing again (I'll just go back to my QKs).

 

[darunimal]

Did you see GPS located on the Scanning screen and did you push the Square Serial Port connector in far enough into the scanner to initialize it and also, did you change your baud rate down to 4800 in "Set Up GPS" then "Set Serial Port" settings. I know 2 different times I failed to push it in far enough, I thought I really was going to, break it off (while pushing harder).

The scanners' "Auto Locate" is a different animal all together, it's based on what transmission(s) its receiving most strongly, then it can compare it to the db.

 

[troymail]

Did you see GPS located on the Scanning screen and did you push the Square Serial Port connector in far enough to initialize it and change your baud rate down to 4800 in the GPS Port settings.

Yes and yes

 

[eaf1956]

If you have the GPS displayed the scanner has your location. The x36 line does not have the GPS display info like the 996 line did. In other words the Auto Locate doesn't take your GPS input to display your location.

 

[UPMan]

Quick test to validate that it is working. Put in 90210 (Beverly Hills) as a zip code and wait for the CA stuff to load. Then, plug in the powered GPS dongle and wait a few seconds. You should see it load MD stuff. Do not use the Auto Locate function if you have a GPS attached (fond as I am of the feature, for which I'm the named inventor, GPS does a much better job).

 

[troymail]

...the Auto Locate doesn't take your GPS input to display your location.

It does when you press Auto Locate.

Quick test to validate that it is working. Put in 90210 (Beverly Hills) as a zip code and wait for the CA stuff to load. Then, plug in the powered GPS dongle and wait a few seconds. You should see it load MD stuff. Do not use the Auto Locate function if you have a GPS attached (fond as I am of the feature, for which I'm the named inventor, GPS does a much better job).

I'll give this a try --- but I have to ask - what is the purpose of the menu option Auto Locate?

Also - I have many other favorites lists with many of the same systems but using various QKs to enable/disable things. None of those were ON during the drive - just the one FL with the entire state and no QKs set. I know there have been reported issues when the same systems are in different favorities lists. Would this have any effect or involvement in what I'm seeing? I would think not since those favoirties lists were not enabled.

 

[eaf1956]

My GPS attached to my 536 does Not show GPS data when you use Auto Locate. As a matter of fact it said "Unable to determine location please use another method" My understanding if Auto Locate uses the FULL DATABASE to determine location based upon signals received.

As far as FL's using a GPS attached they must all be enabled with location control enabled for the scanner to control them.

I am sure if UPMAN has anything contrary to that he is speak up and tell us how it is supposed to work.

 

[phask]

I'm sure Paul O can explain it better - it's HIS, but Auto locate uses what trunked systems it can receive and compares against the internal Db to determine.

Nothing at all to do with the GPS.

 

[mikewazowski]

That's the way I understood it as well. No GPS necessary for auto locate to function.

 

[UPMan]

Correct. Auto Locate does not use GPS at all.

Abstract


A communication system is disclosed that uses a received wireless signal combined with stored location data about the received signal to determine a location of the communication system or a component of the communication system. The communication system can include a receiver, a processor, and a memory. The processor is adapted to detect identification information in the received wireless signal, search the memory for identification data that matches the detected identification information, and retrieve location data associated with the matching identification information, thereby determining a general location or geographic region in which the receiver is located.

 

[troymail]

Ok - good to know.

I'll ignore the Auto Locate at this point. Still, there's something not quite right that I need to work through. As I was driving, I was hearing activity on the WS1098 and watching the 436 connected to the GPS scan right past local systems/sites that it should have stopped on.

A few times, I decide to try HOLD on a system/site but I was seeing "Unknown" / No TGID.... just made the whole thing more frustrating.

The radio did seem to be rotating systems/counties in and out as I drove so in some ways it did seem the GPS was working - I just wasn't hearing what I should have.

 

[UPMan]

1) Make sure all the service types that you are interested in are enabled.
2) If you are scanning from Favorites Lists, make sure they are set for Location Control.
3) If you are using the main dB, be sure you've updated it to the latest available.

Of the above, #1 is the most common culprit.

 

[troymail]

1) Make sure all the service types that you are interested in are enabled.
2) If you are scanning from Favorites Lists, make sure they are set for Location Control.
3) If you are using the main dB, be sure you've updated it to the latest available.

Of the above, #1 is the most common culprit.

All conditions listed above were done....

1. All services were enabled.

2. Created a new favorites list that included all systems/sites and conventional channels of interest in the entire state of Maryland. Location control was set to YES.

3. Favorites list was created today and Sentinel has the latest database.

 

[eaf1956]

I do miss being able to press the GPS button on the x96 series and getting Speed and elevation data.

 

[darunimal]

Troymail just send me the Favorite list in question, I'll plug it in mine and take a look, wish you would have come up-to the Alan Henney meeting in College Park, I could have shown you mine.

 

[Ensnared]

Auto Locate

Quick test to validate that it is working. Put in 90210 (Beverly Hills) as a zip code and wait for the CA stuff to load. Then, plug in the powered GPS dongle and wait a few seconds. You should see it load MD stuff. Do not use the Auto Locate function if you have a GPS attached (fond as I am of the feature, for which I'm the named inventor, GPS does a much better job).

I did not know this. I've always used the auto locate thinking it was locating the GPS puck in order to drive down the road. So, all I have to do is set it up and plug it into power?

 

[omrail]

I did not know this. I've always used the auto locate thinking it was locating the GPS puck in order to drive down the road. So, all I have to do is set it up and plug it into power?

Yes plug and play

 

[ofd8001]

I've always used the auto locate thinking it was locating the GPS puck in order to drive down the road.

Apples and Oranges. The GPS unit provides automatic continual feedback to the scanner for its current position.

The Auto Locate is a manual thing. My guess is that the scanner receives a signal from a site, goes to the database for the location of the site and assumes that is your location and sets the location accordingly.

 

[KB6KGX]

Quick test to validate that it is working. Put in 90210 (Beverly Hills) as a zip code and wait for the CA stuff to load. Then, plug in the powered GPS dongle and wait a few seconds. You should see it load MD stuff. Do not use the Auto Locate function if you have a GPS attached (fond as I am of the feature, for which I'm the named inventor, GPS does a much better job).

I tried the very same thing with mine. I’m in Los Angeles. I unplugged the power from the GPS. I punched in one of the zip codes for Chicago, and it loaded up all of the Chicago-area stuff. Naturally, I don’t hear anything. I then plugged the power back in and the radio immediately reset itself to my local area. That told me it’s working as it should.

 

[KB6KGX]

1) Make sure all the service types that you are interested in are enabled.
2) If you are scanning from Favorites Lists, make sure they are set for Location Control.
3) If you are using the main dB, be sure you've updated it to the latest available.

Of the above, #1 is the most common culprit.

For “Location Control”, do you have to enable that for each and every individual channel? Or is there way you can do one “group” enable of this which would save a great deal of time.