BCD 436

[stingray327]

How do you get the light to come on when there is a transmission? At one point the light was always coming on whenever there was a transmission. Now it doesn't come on unless I push the light button?
Also how do I get that adjustment back where I can select the different colors? I saw the feature before but now it seems to have hidden itself just as the scanner used to light up interface when receiving a signal.

 

[W6KRU]

How do you get the light to come on when there is a transmission? At one point the light was always coming on whenever there was a transmission. Now it doesn't come on unless I push the light button?

Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual


Also how do I get that adjustment back where I can select the different colors? I saw the feature before but now it seems to have hidden itself just as the scanner used to light up interface when receiving a signal.

Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual

I think those links answer your questions. You should bookmark that manual.

 

[stingray327]

I think those links answer your questions. You should bookmark that manual.

This is the same as the manual that came with unit?

 

[W6KRU]

This is the same as the manual that came with unit?

No. Marks Easier to Read Manual: Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual

 

[Jay911]

The 'Easier to Read Manual' is very handy, even for veteran users. Plus the fact that it's web based makes it searchable.

To answer your questions more directly - set the backlight to come on with the squelch by going, on the radio, to MENU>Display Options>Set Backlight>Set Mode>Squelch. In that menu you have four options, "Off", "5 Seconds", "10 Seconds", and "Open Squelch". I have mine set to "Open Squelch" and that's probably what you want. However, what it does is keep the light on ONLY during open squelch. That is to say, when the transmission ends, the light immediately goes out. The other two options turn the light on when squelch opens for only that period of time - so if you set it for 5 seconds and have a 7 second long transmission, the display goes dark for the last 2 seconds. I would have liked to have seen the "Open Squelch" option stay lit up for open squelch PLUS the value of Delay for that particular channel, but that's just me.

The backlight cannot change color - it's always white. You may be thinking of the x96 line (396/996) which had multicolor backlights, or you could be thinking of the colored LED on the edge of the 436's speaker grille. That colored LED is configured in the Alert settings of each individual channel.

 

[stingray327]

The 'Easier to Read Manual' is very handy, even for veteran users. Plus the fact that it's web based makes it searchable.

To answer your questions more directly - set the backlight to come on with the squelch by going, on the radio, to MENU>Display Options>Set Backlight>Set Mode>Squelch. In that menu you have four options, "Off", "5 Seconds", "10 Seconds", and "Open Squelch". I have mine set to "Open Squelch" and that's probably what you want. However, what it does is keep the light on ONLY during open squelch. That is to say, when the transmission ends, the light immediately goes out. The other two options turn the light on when squelch opens for only that period of time - so if you set it for 5 seconds and have a 7 second long transmission, the display goes dark for the last 2 seconds. I would have liked to have seen the "Open Squelch" option stay lit up for open squelch PLUS the value of Delay for that particular channel, but that's just me.

The backlight cannot change color - it's always white. You may be thinking of the x96 line (396/996) which had multicolor backlights, or you could be thinking of the colored LED on the edge of the 436's speaker grille. That colored LED is configured in the Alert settings of each individual channel.

UPDATE: Ok great it now lights up when there is a transmission. The light stays on for a long time. I have it set for 10 seconds but I get so much traffic it doesn't get a chance to shut down. Perhaps I could change that setting to a lower time?

Thank you very much!.......
I have gone through the motions on this 436 a few dozen times so I know what you are referring to with the open squelch (whatever an open squelch is) I will reset it to open and see if that resolves that. At one point I did erase all user options and whatever the other choice was to start from scratch. Maybe because of that I wiped out that light feature?
I suspect this feature will drain the batteries quicker but I like the feature when a transmission comes up I can identify what it is.
You are correct on that light near the bottom of scanner near speaker. It gives you a choice of colors that can be used but again the function feature doesn't work now like it did in the beginning. If there was some way to duplicate whatever I did to get to that option where the colored light blinked as I don't get that anymore for whatever it is for. I am not sure if this feature is necessary or another enhancement to the scanner.
This is all new to me as I came from the days you did not have to use a computer with a scanner. In fact I haven't even gone to that step yet of uploading Sentinial program on this computer. I don't want to mess things up further. I am just trying to learn this scanner as it is before I take further steps ahead.