BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Background firmware update without permission or knowledge

[radioroo]

I got my BCD436HP yesterday and love it. I used it all day and noticed the startup screen typo "Barecat". Quality control aside, it was amusing. Last night I plugged the radio into my laptop to charge and went to bed. This morning I got up, started the radio up and the typo has been corrected to "Bearcat".

To my knowledge this can only happen if the radio connected to the internet and downloaded data. I did not authorize the radio to connect to my internet and download data or do anything else other than plug the cable in and hit YES for charging.

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[JamesO]

I got my BCD436HP yesterday and love it. I used it all day and noticed the startup screen typo "Barecat". Quality control aside, it was amusing. Last night I plugged the radio into my laptop to charge and went to bed. This morning I got up, started the radio up and the typo has been corrected to "Bearcat".

To my knowledge this can only happen if the radio connected to the internet and downloaded data. I did not authorize the radio to connect to my internet and download data or do anything else other than plug the cable in and hit YES for charging.

Has anyone else noticed this?[/QUOTE

The radio does not have the ability to "connect" to the Internet. Firmware must be downloaded by the BCDx36HP Sentinel software program, then installed from the Sentinel software.

I am assuming what happened was the firmware was "pushed" to the radio from Sentinel and then when you turned the radio off and back on the new firmware was launched/installed.

I only updated one radio, so I do not recall the full process, however, I do not think the Sentinel software or radio have the ability to automatically update the Firmware.

In the Sentinel software you will see the Update Tab and there are 2 options, update the Master Database and Update Firmware. The Sentinel software does not appear to even be able to check for firmware updates unless the scanner is connected to the computer and the scanner is configured to communicate with the computer.

 

[radioroo]

The thing is I didn't have sentinel installed. All I did was plug the radio into the usb port and hit YES for charge. When I returned to boot up the radio the next day the spelling error had been fixed.

 

[Jay911]

It doesn't work that way. The data on that splash screen is stored in the configuration files that are read or written by Sentinel. That's the only way they can be changed (at least in this case). When you are charging the radio, the power is off, and none of the data on the card is accessible. Essentially in that case, the USB port is only providing 5 volts of power to the radio - nothing else.

It's possible that the radio had the typo in its original settings and the Sentinel installation's version was corrected, and when you wrote to the scanner, the typo was 'fixed'. The only way that text is changed is either from writing to the scanner from Sentinel, or directly editing the data file on the SD card. Charging cannot alter data on the card at all.

Firmware updates themselves are only applied after you explicitly connect the radio in Mass Storage Mode to your computer, run Sentinel, and check for firmware updates. A file is copied to the SD card and when the radio is next powered up, it will go through the firmware update - which is very noticeable as it takes several minutes to complete, then reboots the radio.

 

[phask]

It doesn't work that way. The data on that splash screen is stored in the configuration files that are read or written by Sentinel. That's the only way they can be changed (at least in this case). When you are charging the radio, the power is off, and none of the data on the card is accessible. Essentially in that case, the USB port is only providing 5 volts of power to the radio - nothing else.

It's possible that the radio had the typo in its original settings and the Sentinel installation's version was corrected, and when you wrote to the scanner, the typo was 'fixed'. The only way that text is changed is either from writing to the scanner from Sentinel, or directly editing the data file on the SD card. Charging cannot alter data on the card at all.

Firmware updates themselves are only applied after you explicitly connect the radio in Mass Storage Mode to your computer, run Sentinel, and check for firmware updates. A file is copied to the SD card and when the radio is next powered up, it will go through the firmware update - which is very noticeable as it takes several minutes to complete, then reboots the radio.

But he said he does not have Sentinel installed. I'd love to read from this one and see the profile

 

[LIScanner101]

Maybe someone snuck into your house while you were asleep and updated your firmware? Sorry, couldn't resist :lol: ...

Seriously, what everyone else told you thus far is 100% accurate, merely charging your scanner doesn't allow any data to be sent to it, so this remains a mystery.

 

[wtp]

so

you are suggesting a bare cat burglar ? from bearcat even ?

 

[PYuknis]

Global Warming.

 

[davidzimmerman]

the UP man did it lol

 

[radioroo]

It doesn't work that way. The data on that splash screen is stored in the configuration files that are read or written by Sentinel. That's the only way they can be changed (at least in this case). When you are charging the radio, the power is off, and none of the data on the card is accessible. Essentially in that case, the USB port is only providing 5 volts of power to the radio - nothing else.

It's possible that the radio had the typo in its original settings and the Sentinel installation's version was corrected, and when you wrote to the scanner, the typo was 'fixed'. The only way that text is changed is either from writing to the scanner from Sentinel, or directly editing the data file on the SD card. Charging cannot alter data on the card at all.

Firmware updates themselves are only applied after you explicitly connect the radio in Mass Storage Mode to your computer, run Sentinel, and check for firmware updates. A file is copied to the SD card and when the radio is next powered up, it will go through the firmware update - which is very noticeable as it takes several minutes to complete, then reboots the radio.

I appreciate the explanation but I must clarify that when this happened I had not yet installed Sentinel and had never used it in my life before. There was not and never had been any scanner software installed on my computer. The typo was there all day yesterday until I connected it to my computer to charge. I can't figure out how on Earth the typo fixed itself.

 

[PYuknis]

Sounds like your funky electronic weird thing resolved by ON/OFF switch.

 

[radioroo]

Yeah it's weird but I'd still love to know if anyone else had the same phenomena or how it happened.

 

[JamesO]

The Barecat issue is really not that important.

So what is the firmware version in your scanner if in fact you have never installed the Sentinel software??

If the scanner has the factory firmware load, then it should be version 1.1.01.

Then there was version 1.02.07 and the latest version is 1.03.00.

If you have 1.1.01 there are a number of missing features and the scanner should really be updated to 1.03.00.

If the scanner has 1.03.00, then someone has updated the firmware before you received it.

 

[radioroo]

I didn't say the typo was important. What's important (to me) is how the incorrect spelling corrected itself just by being plugged into a computer (without any scanner software having ever been installed) and left to charge.

I bought the scanner used and it was already running 1.03.

 

[JamesO]

Dyslexia or a phantom ghost unless there was some global reset of the scanner.

The firmware does not control the start up splash screen anyway now that I think of it.

Not sure why you are hesitant to install the Sentinel software and use it?? Although it can be a PITA at times, it does have the Master Database Update capability.

Sentienl is needed in order to update the master database to get the most out of the scanner and will allow the scanner to be programmed from a computer.

I just looked closer at my 436HP and it is a "Barecat". I never bothered to attempt to update the Sentinel software to correct it.

Since the backlight is not on during the splash screen, never really pay the boot screen ia lot of attention, although I was aware of the "Barecat" as I also have a 536HP as well.