BCD436HP Latest Firmware Version

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bushpusher

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under setting i see information which tells me the Uniden firmware version, where can i find out what the latest version is.
And for the Sentinel database update i know it's released every Monday but i an going to guess there must be a way to tell if any updates where
done in Sentinel or Radio Reference for my area in the last couple months .
 

Hit_Factor

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in sentinel run update firmware. Then look on your scanner to see what's installed. It will be the latest.

You need to check the RR web page for the county you monitor. Changes will be listed there. There is a color coding scheme for the map, to give visual cues.
 

hexagon_keyhole

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looks like 37 changes on May 5th 2020

Since Uniden's Sentinel is updated weekly, it (already) would have been captured by the latest update. The HPDB, or "Home Patrol Database" is derived from the Radio Reference Library. Make sure that you update the Home Patrol Database on your PC first, and then when you click "Write to Scanner" this will update the HPDB on the microSD card in the scanner. Make sure you heed the warnings Sentinel gives you when it says there's a mismatch between what the computer has, or what the scanner has for your Favorites list.
 

bushpusher

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I just bought the BCD436HP about 2 weeks ago and from what i see in the scanner the last update was done in April
so i need to get the update done .
Now i am just a little confused i thought to update the scanners Sentinel database on the sd card all i did was log in to
sentinel go to the top tab update and click on update master database and follow the directions and done .
not sure what you mean by update the Home Patrol Database on your PC first and then when you click write to scanner
I do have the latest version of the sentinel on my pc if that's what you mean down loaded it a few days ago so i could look around and try to get familiar with it (that will take some time)
 

mr10pt

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On your RR home page you should be able to set counties to follow. Any changes would be highlighted in green (24 hrs) or yellow (past week). That's how it works for me as a Premium, not sure as a member.
 

fxdscon

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I just bought the BCD436HP about 2 weeks ago and from what i see in the scanner the last update was done in April
so i need to get the update done .
Now i am just a little confused i thought to update the scanners Sentinel database on the sd card all i did was log in to
sentinel go to the top tab update and click on update master database and follow the directions and done .
not sure what you mean by update the Home Patrol Database on your PC first and then when you click write to scanner

Your BCD436HP owner's manual has clear, step by step instructions for updating the database and firmware on page 16.

.
 

mr10pt

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On your RR home page you should be able to set counties to follow. Any changes would be highlighted in green (24 hrs) or yellow (past week). That's how it works for me as a Premium, not sure as a member.
Got confused about DB v/s firmware
 

hexagon_keyhole

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I just bought the BCD436HP about 2 weeks ago and from what i see in the scanner the last update was done in April
so i need to get the update done .
Now i am just a little confused i thought to update the scanners Sentinel database on the sd card all i did was log in to
sentinel go to the top tab update and click on update master database and follow the directions and done .
not sure what you mean by update the Home Patrol Database on your PC first and then when you click write to scanner
I do have the latest version of the sentinel on my pc if that's what you mean down loaded it a few days ago so i could look around and try to get familiar with it (that will take some time)


Sentinel does two things.
1) Updates the firmware on your BCD436HP. As of today's writing, the most current version is 1.26, released 04/20/2019.
2) Updates the HPDB on your BCD436HP. You download the updates first to your computer (Update HPDB), make your adjustments to your favorites list, etc on your computer. Then, you "Write To Scanner", this sends the favorites that you created/modified/updated and then it sends any HPDB updates.

The key thing is to look on the lower left hand corner of Sentinel to see what version of the HPDB that you have and simply performing the update if it's not the most recent. You want to work with the up-to-date data.

To check the HPDB on your Scanner, it's under Menu, Manage Full Database, and then select Information. It will show you the "dB Version." This is what is "onboard" that allows you to use the nationwide zipcode feature and any favorites that are made manually with the scanner.

The highly touted BCDX36HP Sentinel Easier To Read Manual is a good resource.
 

bushpusher

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Rochester NH
I did Update The Master HPDB. i had to redo my settings for the back lite and key beep is that normal time stayed correct
 

fxdscon

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I did Update The Master HPDB. i had to redo my settings for the back lite and key beep is that normal time stayed correct

Whenever ever you make changes through the scanner's menu system, write from the scanner to Sentinel first, then when you write from Sentinel back to the scanner, those changes will stay.
 

bushpusher

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I believe i only did a update so it would have been from Sentinel writing to the scanner
one other question when the write to scanner page comes up there was 2 boxes at the bottom
one about favorites and the other about force update should i have checked either one
i do not have a favorites list made up as of yet
 

hexagon_keyhole

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I believe i only did a update so it would have been from Sentinel writing to the scanner
one other question when the write to scanner page comes up there was 2 boxes at the bottom
one about favorites and the other about force update should i have checked either one
i do not have a favorites list made up as of yet

"Erase Favorites List on Scanner"
Useful if you want the Favorites List on your Computer to be the authoritative favorites list, as long as you are comfortable with overwriting any tweaks and adjustments that were made directly on the scanner (and may not have been backed up to the computer). This also suppresses the write warnings about a mismatch between the computer and the scanner.

"Force Write Full Database"
This will cause the Database to be re-written in full. I don't think the force write is necessary if you are just pulling updates through Sentinel and doing a regular write; when I check on my scanner the "db Version" is always up to date and I haven't checked the box for Force Write. Doesn't hurt to do this once in a while I suppose, but the incremental/delta updates seem to happen just fine without Force Write.
 

hiegtx

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hexagon_keyhole is correct. The regular weekly updates, if you use Sentinel to update the scanner, keep the database on the scanner's SD card up to date.

I've never found a need to use "force write", but that might be appropriate if something seems to indicate to you that the database on the scanner is, somehow, corrupted.
 
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