BCT15X: BCT15X Powering on and off spontaneously

[Yuba_City_Fire]

Good morning all. I am using a BCT15X to broadcast my feed. The hardware is new (less than 6 months). All of a sudden, the scanner itself powers down and back up in a vicious cycle. As soon as it powers up and starts to scan, it powers down again. I am hoping the power cord is bad? Has anyone else run into this issue before?

TIA

 

[w2lie]

Have you checked your power supply?

 

[Yuba_City_Fire]

The transformer is plugged into a power strip. No other equipment is having the same issue. That was my original thought of the power transformer/plug being faulty.

 

[w2lie]

Did you try another power adapter? (Wall wart). I’ve heard of those failing in the past and radios will exhibit the same issue you are seeing.

 

[wtp]

what w2lie is saying is that just because the voltage is there, it might now be putting out enough current.

 

[GROL]

Does it go on and off if you wiggle the plug at the scanner a bit? Could be bad plug on the power supply and maybe a loose socket on the scanner. This radio comes with a cigarette lighter cord. Maybe try that in the car or other source with a 12 volt lighter socket. If it works fine then the power supply is the issue..

 

[JoeBearcat]

Tip: The 3-pin power connection is more robust than the coaxial power jack.

 

[freqseeker]

Tip: The 3-pin power connection is more robust than the coaxial power jack.

I run all of my scanners from the 3 pin connector. I use Anderson Powerpoles with West Mountain Radio Rigrunners. It makes it easy to switch between power supplies and backup battery for power outages. It's a little spendy at first but very convenient once setup. My amateur radios are set up the same way.

 

[Yuba_City_Fire]

So I ordered a new power supply. The issue remained. I went back in to check an hour or so later and it seemed to be working ok. When I opened the ProScan app on my computer it started having the issue again. I unplugged the USB connection between the scanner and computer and the problem went away. It has been working for 12 hours now without any issues. If I plug the USB back into the front of the scanner, the issue returns. I can broadcast the feed with just the aux cable for audio, but the data will not come across. ProScan bug? Bad data cable?

 

[a417]

Bad data cable?

diagnosis by subsitution.

 

[Yuba_City_Fire]

diagnosis by subsitution.

That is my plan unless someone else knows of a known bug/issue. Already bought a new power adapter trying to eliminate possibilities

 

[a417]

That is my plan unless someone else knows of a known bug/issue. Already bought a new power adapter trying to eliminate possibilities

I was speaking specifically about the cable, independant of the new power adaptor you just bought.

 

[Yuba_City_Fire]

I was speaking specifically about the cable, independant of the new power adaptor you just bought.

Yes I understood your reply. I was hoping to avoid purchasing different components as part of my troubleshooting if a member was familiar with a known issue.

Regardless, the issue remained even with the data cable unplugged and simply running the new power cable and 1/8" audio cable. I have brought in an older BCT15X from home and hooked it up. The problem seems to be isolated to the scanner itself. I have sent Uniden a tech support request. Too much time has passed for an Amazon return/exchange so I shall see what Uniden has to say.

Thanks for the help, folks.

YCFD