Has anyone's BC 246T fell? Mine did, it hit concrete, and it doesn't work anymore. It didn't hurt the case any (no scratches or anything), only the insides I guess. I am getting this one fixed, and I don't know if I should keep it, because I think my Pro-95 would have held up to the fall. It fell from about 3 feet from a shelf, I had a plastic tote under the shelf, it hit that before it hit the ground. The tote kind of broke the fall, but not enough. Has anyone else dropped and/or had their 246 fall and hit the ground and it still worked?
BC 246 durability
- Thread starter scanfan03
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Sometimes it just depends on how it lands.
scanfan03 said:
I guess I'm lucky, I've been scanning for 30+years, have owned many different hand held scanners, and have never dropped one. Well, up until a few months ago, when I dropped my Yaesu VX-5R onto a parking lot. It still worked afterword, though. I was lucky, the asphalt parking lot broke the fall. :lol:
Voyager said:
Yes, the scanner still functions, just no sound. I reset it (hold, 9, 2 + power) with still no luck. I then put in one frequency and set it with no tone, and turned the squelch all the way down, still no sound. Turned the volume control both all the way counter clockwise, and all the way clockwise.
W4KRR said:
Well I've dropped all of mine. My 92 has fallen a lot lately because I don't use it (I have/had my BC 246 which is now a paperweight) mobile. I just plug it in and it is really top heavy, but it hits carpet. My 95 has taken some falls on carpet. My 246 is the first scanner that has ever hit concrete. My MTX 8000 has hit concrete before, I had it in my back pocket, started running it fell out of my pocket.
I am thinking about getting a case for my 246! I don't know if it would have helped in this fall though. I think the 246 hit the concrete on the top (I had the RS 800 MHz antenna on it).
Sounds like the radio fell on the squelch knob and broke the control away from the solder pads on the PCB.
scanfan03 said:
The way you drop yours, I would suggest wrapping them in a queen sized mattress! :lol:
Seriously, a case will protect from bumps and scratches, but it may not help in a fall onto a concrete floor. Like Dubbin said, it's all in how it lands. Sometimes you get lucky.
peterp
Member
Dropped mine down some stairs, bounced nice and the batteries came flying out, but not a scratch and still working OK.
Really have to get it a nice soft spongey case. :lol:
That belt clip does not hold too well.
I've taken to passing my belt through the wrist strap as insurance for the times the radio tries to make a jump for freedom.
Really have to get it a nice soft spongey case. :lol:
That belt clip does not hold too well.
I've taken to passing my belt through the wrist strap as insurance for the times the radio tries to make a jump for freedom.
W4KRR said:
LOL :lol: I think I may need to put velcro on them, so that when I set them on the table and stuff it will stick!! Maybe I could sew a velcro patch on my shorts for added protection against them falling off! :idea: :lol:
UPMan said:
Yeah, but I don't want to open it (if it was my Pro-95, I would).
Update: I opened it and jiggled the soldier to the volume/squelch control. Now I can get the squelch open and the keybeep to sound. But I can't get a signal to come in.
Another Update: I opened it again, jiggled the soldier on the BNC connector, and viola now I get reception!! Thanks UPMan and everyone else who helped me figure this out!! Bearcatscanner.com offered to replace it if I pay shipping on the new one, should I do that?
Wow. Must have been the way it hit. Glad to hear you're back up and running As far as getting it replaced I'm surprised they'd offer to do that if it is user damaged (well, concrete damaged really). If it is now working ok I think I'd just carefully touch up the solder connections and keep it. If it appears something else might be wrong...ship away.
scanfan03 said:
scanfan03 said:
A new one for just the cost of shipping? I would go for that as long as you have the SW to reload the frequency data.
If you keep that one, did you just wiggle the connections or did you resolder them. If you didn't resolder them, you're likely to have the same problem reccur periodically.
I had a hunch it was the antenna connection too when you said you had squelch but no signal.
Joe M.
Voyager said:
I just wiggled them, but I will resolder them.
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