BCD536HP New Owner Confusion

[RandyKuff]

WOW!!! Now that be gouging!!!!

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

You will need to upgrade the scanner from Uniden and pay the going rate. Once the scanner is capable of monitoring NXDN you can program the NXDN system. But if you are doing it manually you may have some difficulty because although you are tech savvy, it’s your first time tackling a scanner. It’s been said a steep learning curve comes with the radio and it’s true for the most part, some do ok, some need help. But the expertise is here for all your questions so before you pay to have it programmed, give it a shot yourself. Others will be logging in and I defer to them as I’ve had no experience with NXDN systems. Good luck going forward. (Your comment about missing your work friends rang true with me… the same thing happened to me when I retired!)

Thx for your reply Bill! Yep I used to program the analog with no problems. My co worker from our admin building is actually who programmed the p25 ones for me. He is the one who programs all of our bus radios and handhelds so with his help I'm sure we can tackle it! Im glad to hear I am normal I just want to still be a part of all the chaos that if you have listenend to school bus traffic can be very entertaining!! Oh and someone called me he on the posts,, I am a lady bus driver!!! Thanks again. Beth

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

Absolutely you can program it yourself. If the frequency(ies) is (are) known to the Radioreference database you can import it (them) directly into Uniden Sentinel then upload the programming into the scanner. See the Uniden Sentinel easier to read manual here for more info. Welcome to the RR forums & congrats on your retirement from a fellow school district employee (IT guy)

Hi John, thanks so much for the reply. I am going to dl the sentinel today. Yes I do know the frequencies (which someone posted here as well, thanks to them!) There are 3. Thanks for all you do, good IT guys are a blessing! Beth

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

The NXDN key is $50 from Uniden... Not $75...

Create an account and register your scanner here...

myUniden - Customer Product Registration and Support Area

You can then purchase the key there... And they will email it to you...

View attachment 125364

Thank u for this link! Yes I did go to the Uniden site and saw it was $75 there. This will hurt lots less! Beth

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

I found a FCC License for Wa-Nee Community Schools (WPIA994). It is conventional NXDN with 3 frequencies.
452.250
461.675
463.225
There should be no problem programming it yourself. Here is the link to Uniden Sentinel, free programming software provided by Uniden for your scanner. BCDx36HPSentinel < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

Thank you for the link! Yes we do have 3 frequencies. It is appreciated!!! Beth

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

Yeah, I know that... He dosn't have the key yet... He's inquiring if he needs it... For NXDN...
I don't know where he see's Uniden selling it for $75... That sounds like third party price gouging to me...

If Uniden has to change the mainboard they reflash your original ESN into it... They did that with my 436 when it went in for the repair campaign...

Hi Randy, thanks for the help! Oh btw I am a lady ex bus driver! HAHA. I think I was on Uniden site when I saw the $75. I just went to look for it and now I can't find it. Beth

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

It's probably worth buying a NXDN key for your BCD536HP scanner and getting to know the free Sentinel software, I actually prefer it to the third party software I bought for this scanner. It can be a steep learning curve, but then it clicks, and it's all plain sailing from then on.

I didn't program the school bus talk groups in the local radio system here on my scanner for the longest time thinking they would be boring and uninteresting.

Then I did, and it's like listening to a military operation in full swing with all the drivers coordinating with the dispatcher to get the kids safely to school with all the attendent shenanigans that occur, both student and traffic/bus related etc.😯😁

Oh yes. If you want a morning or afternoon of entertainment just listen to the bus radio traffic! It will be especially fun since I know all the players including the person who took my route. It definitely is a well orchestrated and beautiful thing to see/hear!! I will miss it greatly. Beth (Lady Ex Bus Driver)

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

I found a FCC License for Wa-Nee Community Schools (WPIA994). It is conventional NXDN with 3 frequencies.
452.250
461.675
463.225
There should be no problem programming it yourself. Here is the link to Uniden Sentinel, free programming software provided by Uniden for your scanner. BCDx36HPSentinel < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

Thank u so much for the link!! Beth

 

[n1chu]

Thx for your reply Bill! Yep I used to program the analog with no problems. My co worker from our admin building is actually who programmed the p25 ones for me. He is the one who programs all of our bus radios and handhelds so with his help I'm sure we can tackle it! Im glad to hear I am normal I just want to still be a part of all the chaos that if you have listenend to school bus traffic can be very entertaining!! Oh and someone called me he on the posts,, I am a lady bus driver!!! Thanks again. Beth

👍

 

[tvengr]

Thank u so much for the link!! Beth

Once you install Sentinel, go to the Tools tab and select BCDx36HP as the Target Model. Sentinel will display the settings applicable for your scanner.

 

[Brubakewnbret2022]

I want to thank EVERYONE for the help!!!! We actually did it!! To who did all the work and made the files for us thank you! The only issue I have now is that it seems to scan slowly. When we were testing it sometimes we couldn't hear our school radio since the scanner was busy scanning the PD channels. I think there are too many of them. We thought about trying to determine the frequencie for the PD channels with the closest towers but we didn't know how to do that. All in all I am all set! If it is prime time for the school buses I will just push the avoid button for PD so that I only get the buses. That will work I think? Or is it better to push the hold button for my buses? Thanks again!!! Beth

 

[dwh367]

Yep, and one off the top of my head is Bearcat Warehouse...
You look at that site and think your looking at a Uniden web page... NOT!

Not that BW is a bad place to purchase from... Not saying that at all...
All them places will gouge on stuff like that though...
Especially progamming your SD card for you...

Uniden is doing their own gouging. They're wanting $59 for a 8GB card

 

[RandyKuff]

Yeah, they all price gouge on extra's..,.
But at least Uniden is a lot cheaper on the licsense key's than the third party resellers are...
But then again who knows how much Uniden has to pay for the licsense fee for the key's...
Or should I say how much they mark it up...

 

[hiegtx]

Uniden is doing their own gouging. They're wanting $59 for a 8GB card

Uniden (the manufacturer) does not offer pre-programmed memory cards. However, several of the third party dealers, such as Bearcat Warehouse & ScannerMaster do sell these. Bearcat's webpage prominently features the Uniden name, as if it is a Uniden site, but it is really Bearcat Warehouse, not Uniden.

For the Uniden database scanners (HP-1, HP-2, 436HP, 536HP, SDS100, & SDS200), all the dealer is goindg to do is simply append your county of choice onto a card. You can do that yourself very easily, and at a much lower expense, even if you order an extra card from Amazon or other sources. Don't pay for programming these. Spend a little time on the forums, and look at some of the many YouTube videos on how to do this, and save yourself quite a bit of money.

 

[n1chu]

It’s not so much gouging as it is “convenience”, one-stop-shopping… much like a stand-alone convenience store or at a gas station, where the prices can be higher but the convenience of stopping at a closer neighborhood store outweighs dealing with traffic, saving time.

 

[Ubbe]

But then again who knows how much Uniden has to pay for the licsense fee for the key's...
Or should I say how much they mark it up...

Upman once mentioned that Uniden do not make any profit on the license fees. They have created firmware in the scanner to handle the keys, made a registration function on their webpage and have to report to the license holder how many licenses they have sold in each period, all that have taken time and money to do. A couple of years ago I looked into the DMR fees and it looked to be some $25 per license.

If I at my work made an online order from a company, like a SD card, and then sold that to a customer with no profit I had to mark it up 40% to not create a loss to my company, and that was with almost zero effort from my side and no storage or inventory handling or registration as a new part number and so on.

/Ubbe