BC246T Buttons Worn Off

[SCPD]

Am I the only one that has worn out the buttons on my 246T ?

I see alot of attention about the 396 silkscreen problems, but does anyone know if Uniden is going to address the problems with the 246T buttons sometime. Some of my friends are having the same problem but not as severe as mine, so I know this isnt an isolated problem.

Any input from others having this problem would be appreciated.

 

[pfish]

I have had a 246t for quite a while now. The buttons are still in excellent shape. The only problem I have with it is that the squelch has no effect. It is like it is fully closed all the time, no matter what it is set on. With it closed it makes it hard to pick up stuff. The only other option is to turn it all the way to where it is open and listen to the white noise until there is voice traffic.

Is your defect on the buttons themselves or on the plastic case (like the 396t's)?

 

[SCPD]

The buttons themselves.

 

[pfish]

That is very odd. None of mine are worn off at all, or even showing any sign of it. Do you use them very often?

 

[richster]

Am I the only one that has worn out the buttons on my 246T ?

I see alot of attention about the 396 silkscreen problems, but does anyone know if Uniden is going to address the problems with the 246T buttons sometime. Some of my friends are having the same problem but not as severe as mine, so I know this isnt an isolated problem.

Any input from others having this problem would be appreciated.

Hi Kevin,

No you are definately not the only one. The hold button on mine is completely gone, and the scan button is starting to fade. The buttons on mine would be much worse if it wasn't for ARC246.

I owned my 245XLT for 2 years before I noticed any wear, and have a Uniden cordless phone with 5 years of use with no wear on the keypad.

To say the least, I was definatley surprised seeing keypad wear so soon on my 246T.

Regards,
Richster.

 

[AndrewC75]

The following buttons are worn off so as to be completely unreadable on by BC246T:

Hold
1
2
3
Scan
L/O
<light>
E/Yes

And the following are BARELY identifiable:
0
No/.

ALL of my buttons are showing some wear.

I'll try to post pictures at some point.

 

[safetyobc]

My buttons are also worn, some almost completely gone. I asked this same question before but didn't get a response. I guess my $219 scanner will just be unreadable and resale value destroyed. Which really sucks! I also have the BCD396T with the ink gone from the face of it. Wow, what wonderful ink you have Uniden :roll: .

 

[SCPD]

If you look elsewhere in RR you will see about the issue with the 396 and what Uniden is doing about it. It is just above this item i believe. But as far as the 246 who knows.

I tried to send Uniden an email .. but it bounced back. But I have a phone number and will be calling them hopefully next week.

 

[scanfan03]

The buttons on my BC 246T are starting to wear off too.

 

[ICP963]

Am I the only one that has worn out the buttons on my 246T ?

I see alot of attention about the 396 silkscreen problems, but does anyone know if Uniden is going to address the problems with the 246T buttons sometime. Some of my friends are having the same problem but not as severe as mine, so I know this isnt an isolated problem.

Any input from others having this problem would be appreciated.

If your 246 is less than 1 year old then it should be covered under warranty, click the link below for Uniden's online repair form

http://www.uniden.com/repair/repairform1.cfm

Or call:
Customer Service 1-800-297-1023
Repair Department 1-800-235-3874

and they should be able to help.

 

[MaXGTS]

You'd think after so many, many years of making scanners, Uniden would have it down, but apparently they're still amateurs. What a shame.

 

[W4KRR]

You'd think after so many, many years of making scanners, Uniden would have it down, but apparently they're still amateurs. What a shame.

I think some people are just rough on their equipment. I've been into scanning for over 30 years, and have never had the print wear off the face or buttons on any radio I have ever owned.

A local ham radio store sells used equipment, including scanners, both base and hand helds. You wouldn't believe the condition of some of this equipment. Paint and ink worn off the face and keys; dirt, dust, grease, gunk in every crack and crevice. I wouldn't have some of this junk if you gave it to me. Some people apparently treat their radios like s***.

 

[hiegtx]

Uniden may have had a batch of bad ink on the 246's as well. I've had mine for over 8 months, with no signs of wear or deterioration on the keys or case lettering. Most of the programming has been done with a pc, but I would not exactly say I've treated it with kid gloves in regular usage. It's been shoved under or between the seats many a time to get it out of sight when I had to leave it in the truck.

 

[ILbandit]

I started a post about this a while back, The buttons on my 246 were wearing off after just a few months. The scan, and hold buttons are almost gone.

I know where the buttons are without looking, so it's not a huge issue with how the scanner works for me,I have always liked Uniden products, but I was kinda dissapointed in the quality of the keypad,

 

[safetyobc]

I am in no way rough on my scanners. I baby them around. I programmed both the 246 and 396 entirely with the PC. I use the Hold buttons on both to stop on a transmission, but who doesn't? I think Uniden has had some bad ink or something too. I'm just waiting to see what is going to happen with each model and hope they have it fixed on future models.

 

[SCPD]

Mine was one of the very first 246T's sold in North America, and maybe that is the reason.

It has nothing to do with rough treatment ... but rather poor design. I hope Uniden has fixed the design since then. I have a 780XLT sitting here and it is fine. I think Uniden should stick with the design they used with the 780's etc as the keys dont wear like the 246's.

Is it the end of the world .. no not at all as I only use maybe 4 keys anyways.

 

[b52hbuff]

My Hold key has about half the print left. The scan key is going next...

 

[fletch1]

my246t is no problem my396tsilksreening wore off in 2 weeks i called them and their mailing me a new face plate as we speak they just got them in call them

 

[ICP963]

my246t is no problem my396tsilksreening wore off in 2 weeks i called them and their mailing me a new face plate as we speak they just got them in call them

If they are mailing you a new faceplate that would be a MAJOR change from what has been posted elsewhere and on the uniden website. The process, as I understand it, is to email a link for you to print a FedEx label so you can ship your 396 to them so that they can replace the front caseing of the unit and then they FedEx it back to you. All no charge to you except the shiping time and an estimated 5 day turn around in shop.

I sent my 396 back to them on Monday using this process. I haven't heard anything else about a change since then.