BCD436HP/BCD536HP Firmware Upgrade Wish List

[fourthhorseman]

Individual P25 Sites cannot be assigned with NACs..multi site systems where separate sites use different NACs a new system needs to be created to use a new NAC,for each site.

Also..what are the possibilities of displaying the UID when receiving P25 conv channels?...Now the only way to display the UID info is to program P25 conv as1 freq trunk channels..

 

[Boatanchor]

Also..what are the possibilities of displaying the UID when receiving P25 conv channels?...Now the only way to display the UID info is to program P25 conv as1 freq trunk channels..

Definately +1 for this feature.

In firmware updates for all Uniden's digital scanners including the x96XT.

 

[fourthhorseman]

To add to that thought, On P25 Conv, The ability to tag said UID's would also be a great feature...

The PSR800 will show IDs , but they cannot be alphatagged because the frequencies are entered like a regular conventional channel..There was/is no field to enter them so the P25 freq can be linked..

UPMAN..Its probably a tall order,,but its a feature almost all of us would find useful and be thankful for!

Thanks!

 

[wise871]

To add to that thought, On P25 Conv, The ability to tag said UID's would also be a great feature...

The PSR800 will show IDs , but they cannot be alphatagged because the frequencies are entered like a regular conventional channel..There was/is no field to enter them so the P25 freq can be linked..

UPMAN..Its probably a tall order,,but its a feature almost all of us would find useful and be thankful for!

Thanks!

If I remember correctly you would need a MDC decoder to be able to tag UID on a conventional frequency. I believe this is hardware and not something you can update via firmware.

 

[fourthhorseman]

Were talking about P25-Conventional RID/UID..(Not Analog) the radios already decode it,its just the factor of being able to see it without having to set them up as 1 freq trunks and being able to then tag them..

Not analog conv, digital P25..I dont expect to be able to tag the UID's but seeing them without using the 1 freq trunk trick would be nice..Like I said,the PSR800 series dose it..X36's should be able to do it too..

 

[Stealthguy05]

Also maybe tweaking the responsiveness of the UID/RID on Phase II transmissions. Almost acts like the old Motorola Type 2 system with the only time the ID comes up is the first unit to transmit on that frequency. If the dispatch or another unit keys up before the frequency is released, it still shows the ID of the first unit to talk.

 

[fez302]

uniden-future-designs

It would also be nice if I didn't have to find an extra usb port to dedicate for charging the unit. As if I didn't have enough plugged into them already.

 

[Gilligan]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned or not but I'd like to see more recording duration times available for Discovery Modes. 10 minutes (600 seconds) isn't enough time when you're doing long-term discovery away from your scanner or when there isn't much activity and you wouldn't be missing out on other stuff while it's recording more than 10 minutes of activity. We should see options there for 20, 30, 60 minutes and Infinite. Suppose you just wanted to leave your radio up in a place of high elevation running discovery mode for like a week or two -- 10 minutes isn't enough. You can run out of that easily in a day's normal activity on the radio.

 

[Jay911]

I think the idea is you should be able to figure out what a channel/talkgroup is used for with 10 minutes' worth of audio. No?

 

[Gilligan]

I think the idea is you should be able to figure out what a channel/talkgroup is used for with 10 minutes' worth of audio. No?

No, I've been monitoring several talkgroups on different systems as well as conventional channels for months of audio and due to the nature of their communications have not yet been able to identify the users -- and I'm very good at identifying users provided that I have enough audio to make a 100% determination.

Think about this for a minute -- If you're trying to ID a fire department, you shouldn't have much trouble since you're going to have geographical locations to reference. Or even some businesses may be able to be quickly determined by cross-referencing a frequency, location and FCC callsign. But how about if you have a larger business with 4 or 5 channels and you're trying to determine the specific usage of each one? Or if you have a business that you know what they do (HVAC, plumbing, etc) but they only use their first names and there are several providers covering the broad territories they work in. Sometimes it can be very difficult to determine who a business user (especially construction & utilities) even after listening for weeks...

 

[Gilligan]

The other thought is that people are going to say, "Just leave it recording..." Well Discovery mode sorts all the talkgroups and frequencies out and playing back recordings from that length of time would be a nightmare...

 

[minh6710]

x36 Wishlist

To echo what some users said, it would be nice if the alert LED light stayed on for the duration of the entire transmission, each time, every time. I have both the 436 and 536 scanner and when I have them both going, from across the room it would be helpful to know which one is receiving and for how long. Also, when playing back recordings the current time and date is shown on the display. Why not display the time and date of the recording? That would be very useful.

For the 436 I realize there is limited room on top of the radio to place both a volume and select button. I often find myself needing to adjust the volume more than changing the channel. The only way the knob will function as volume without pushing down on it is if the keys are locked. But then I have to unlock it to change channels or to use the replay function. How about giving users an option in the menu to reverse the push+turn to scroll though channels instead? Hopefully the next generation or portable scanners will have dedicated volume and select knobs. Uniden could also incorporate a long volume knob inside a shorter select knob to save space.

Side by side, the 436 displays more information than the 536 on the screen, despite being narrower but taller. In both radios, the unit ID is near / at the bottom in very small text. The ability to edit, store and display unit ID's is one of the best features I've found in these radios. I am a very visual guy and hearing a call come out and knowing what unit is going to what is extremely helpful. When they later key up after being onsite, they don't always identify themselves. Seeing the unit ID allows me to "tie" them into a certain scene. This is especially helpful when there is something going on and in the rapidly unfolding events they don't take the time to give their unit numbers. What I would like to see is a larger unit ID for my aging eyes or the ability to customize the fonts to display larger text or to remove unwanted information. I don't need to see the talk group ID (TGID) or service type so this could free up some room. I don't really need to see the system information for that matter either. Even the RH-536HP mkll program on the computer shows the unit ID in tiny print at the bottom while the system, department and channels usurp huge boxes in the middle of the screen.

Overall, for my uses these are fantastic scanners, the best I have ever owned. I have been in the hobby since I was in high school and these scanners are by far the best in terms of features, sensitivity and usability. Gone are the days of hand programming each frequency and talk group. This has made it much easier for me to enjoy listening to what I want regardless of where I am at. I can't say how much I love them and I look forward to what the next generation Uniden has to offer.

 

[torontokris]

I agree with lots of your points... its strange why the 536 doesnt show the current Tower but the 436 does.
Its a nice feature for me to see which tower the talkgroup is coming off

Also would be nice in the future to see a patched talkgroup SRC and DST... much like a Unit ID.. to see a patch like Fire 1 (SRC) Fire 2 (DST)

Side by side, the 436 displays more information than the 536 on the screen, despite being narrower but taller. In both radios, the unit ID is near / at the bottom in very small text.

 

[minh6710]

Torontokris, the 536 does show the site when you're using the RH-536HP mkll computer program. In order to do this you need to have the wifi enabled and the computer connected to the same network.

Another thing I'd like to add after using the 536 for a while (I got the 436 first) is that the select knob feels mushy in comparison to the tactile and audible clackiness of the 436 select knob. I suppose I'm more used to the 436 and the 536 knob feels imprecise as a result i.e. I overrun the channel I want to switch to.

Unrelated, but I have a pair of Radio Shack 800 antennas and the Laird EXE 806 sma (antenna farm) and Laird EXE 821 BNC (scanner master). I am evaluating them non scientifically but haven't determined which one is the clear winner yet. They both perform similarly and very well. I only listen to 800. I do notice that one will receive a transmission where the other one doesn't and vice versa on the same channel but that may also have something to do with the scanner as well. The Laird sma version does look cleaner on the 436 albeit it is taller by an inch or so.

 

[garys]

I agree with lots of your points... its strange why the 536 doesnt show the current Tower but the 436 does.
Its a nice feature for me to see which tower the talkgroup is coming off

Also would be nice in the future to see a patched talkgroup SRC and DST... much like a Unit ID.. to see a patch like Fire 1 (SRC) Fire 2 (DST)

Screen real estate is why the site isn't displayed on the 536. I that's covered in the wifi update thread. I'd like to see an option for a toggling display on the 536, but I anticipate that happening.

 

[minh6710]

Screen real estate is why the site isn't displayed on the 536. I that's covered in the wifi update thread. I'd like to see an option for a toggling display on the 536, but I anticipate that happening.

Can firmware updates do as much as some people think they can do? If this is true, it leaves room and potential for lots of improvements. For instance, I agree with what others have mentioned about plugging in an external charger. It'll ask if it's a mass storage device or serial port. I've plugged in not thinking about it and been dismayed to come back later to find it still hanging and waiting for me to make the selection hours later. There should be a timer where it should revert to a certain mode after a specified amount of time has elapsed, such as 10 seconds. Likewise, when I've replayed a conversation and gotten distracted it will hang there forever asking to replay again yes/no until I make my selection. I hope nuances like this can and will easily be implemented in future firmware updates.

Unrelated to firmware, I would like to see the prospect of more battery life in future versions of hand held scanners. I would be willing to live with a slightly larger form factor for an additional AA battery, bringing it up to a total of four. Three AA batteries is a little cumbersome especially when they are sold or used mainly in pairs. I use Eneloops which are arguably the best batteries on the market. I've even bought several sets of Eneloop Pros (black 2550 mAH) and rarely, if ever, make it to the claimed 8 hours on a single set of batteries. It's more like 5 or 6 hours for me. That is a severe shortcoming to me. I also would be ok with the radio being slightly bigger to accommodate a separate select and volume knob on top. I know it's possible because some GRE / Radio Shack scanners have that feature. Built-in GPS (or an ability to tie into your existing smart phone's GPS) and bluetooth would be nice to have as well. I realize it's about compromises and some sacrifices have to be made. The fact that people want an easy to use scanner that has a large feature set, is compact, sensitive to all bands, built like a tank, has lots of bells and whistles, long battery life, large retina color display, waterproof, wifi, etc etc that won't break the bank is a tall if not impossible order.

 

[Gilligan]

I'd like to be able to change the default settings for things like Discovery Mode and Tone-Out. That way when you're adding a new setup, it would automatically add the settings you want. Even a duplicate function would help...

 

[minh6710]

I notice on the 436 on site hold mode, once selected which site you want it stays locked on. It's rock solid. On the 536 if I hit replay, hold a channel, go into the menu it loses the selected site and goes to the first one in the list - Anderson, Indiana on the SAFE-T system. Then I have to scroll through all the sites again to get the one I want. The 436 does not have this problem. Annoying. The 436 and 536 program the same and have the same interface but they are not the same. Hopefully a firmware update will fix this.

 

[DrIQ]

Charging vs. Powered operation (436)

I was used to having my 245 plugged into AC power while at my desk. I would unplug from power and use internal battery when I was moving around.
From that standpoint I could see the benefit of a firmware change set up more choices for power options: When plugged into a wall wart the radio would default to using the power from the wart to scan and would keep the batteries out of the loop i.e. no charging or discharging. If the radio were shut down while still being plugged into the wall wart the batteries would charge as needed.
Battery life (seems short) has me more into battery management rather than scanning.

 

[Minus1]

Some visual indication that you are recording — the three "REC" letters on the display is not obvious enough. Attaching an alert colour and steady/flash combination would work nicely, having a unique flash pattern would be even better (intermittent red for example).
And as someone else mentioned, being able to record everything on selected channels — as you could on the BCT15X.