BCD436HP Post Release

[lawman210]

Is the channel digital or analog?

If digital, do both scanners have the same "wait times" and no others things going on like one is recording but the other is not?

If digital do both scanner have "digital only" selected or is one set for "Auto" for type of modulation?

What ever the channel is; try the same experiment with the other type of modulation, i.e. if it is analog try doing the same thing with a digital channel and see if you get the same results.

This sort of thing is something I usually do with my scanner (comparing one to another and different antennas) but I just got my 436 yesterday and am still in learning mode.

Looks like Jay911 beat me to it while I was still typing.

I will have to check all the settings tomorrow. I am not short about wait times etc. Probably the default settings because I haven't learned how to manipulate that stuff yet

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[wesct]

I stayed away from Scanner Master after I saw they were charging for shipping. I'm glad I went they way I did ordering from someone else who sent it out within 24 hours.

Greg

WOW, trying to make a profit....I guess no here can make a living.

Profit margin on this radio is low, but you already knew that, didn't you.

On topic: I had a 436 go into a loop when plugging the usb cable. The solution was to use the re-set function 2, 9, dept/site keys while turning on the radio. Problem solved.

 

[trunker]

There must be something fundamentally different about the 436, then, if you have to do that in more than one county. In the HP1 Sentinel, I just pick the first one alphabetically and make the changes there, and they're reflected throughout the entire database.

And these are the nationwide systems, like "Air Shows - USA", "Amateur Radio - CAN", "Amateur Radio - USA", etc.

I meant a simple checkbox to turn all nationwide systems off.

 

[Dewey]

There must be something fundamentally different about the 436, then, if you have to do that in more than one county. In the HP1 Sentinel, I just pick the first one alphabetically and make the changes there, and they're reflected throughout the entire database.

And these are the nationwide systems, like "Air Shows - USA", "Amateur Radio - CAN", "Amateur Radio - USA", etc.

Thanks again Jay. After all these years, I'm ashamed to say that the light has finally turned on in how the nationwides are stored in the scanner thanks to your explanation. However, here's the bottom line... in the HP-1, I turn off all the nationwide systems once. From that point on, they stay off regardless of how many database updates that I do. In the 436, I have to go into the radio and turn off each nationwide (A BUNCH) every time I update the database.

 

[wallyp]

Have gone thru setup and while getting familiar with it I clicked on the analyze menu item and it said "not available" What have I done wrong?

 

[whsbuss]

Got my 436 today from Hamstation and am thrilled with it so far. One question - I'm wondering what backlight mode people would recommend? I would like it so the backlight turns on when there is a transmission received. It would seem setting Squelch to "OPEN" under the backlight settings would do the trick, but the backlight seems to disappear as soon as the squelch is broken on P-25 transmissions. Otherwise I've just been keeping the Backlight set to Infinite, which would seem to be a battery drainer.

Well this is a bummer. P25 works fine on the HP-1 where the display stays lit/bright. I hope Uniden can address this in a firmware update.

 

[NHdave]

Have gone thru setup and while getting familiar with it I clicked on the analyze menu item and it said "not available" What have I done wrong?

The same thing everyone else that has posted that same question has done wrong, not searching the forums and finding that it's not available yet, will be enabled in a future firmware update.

 

[NJParamedic]

I've read before that it is not recommended to charge batteries IN the unit via USB. What do you guys think about it and why would/wouldn't it be advisable?

 

[OFDM]

I've read before that it is not recommended to charge batteries IN the unit via USB. What do you guys think about it and why would/wouldn't it be advisable?

So someone somewhere said don't do it, did they say why and what bad thing happens if you do?

Perhaps I'm out on left field on this one but I really don't care about proper battery charging. The convenience of charging them in the radio trumps the remote possibility this reduced the battery life slightly and 2 years down the road I have to spend $7 on 3 new rechargeable batteries.

ME

 

[NHdave]

I've read before that it is not recommended to charge batteries IN the unit via USB. What do you guys think about it and why would/wouldn't it be advisable?

Because the scanner uses a timed charger and it can't detect a full charge, so it may over charge or under charge, some people prefer a stand alone charger to get the most out of their batteries.

 

[NJParamedic]

So someone somewhere said don't do it, did they say why and what bad thing happens if you do?

Perhaps I'm out on left field on this one but I really don't care about proper battery charging. The convenience of charging them in the radio trumps the remote possibility this reduced the battery life slightly and 2 years down the road I have to spend $7 on 3 new rechargeable batteries.

ME

I don't think it was because the battery life diminishing through time. Rather that it can potentially damage the radio. I didn't understand it either, but it was a whole thread about it that I can't find now.

I charge the batteries in my BC125AT that way because it's just a $150 scanner worse case scenario. I just wanted to be sure now that I am expecting a $500 scanner.

 

[03msc]

I've read before that it is not recommended to charge batteries IN the unit via USB. What do you guys think about it and why would/wouldn't it be advisable?

So someone somewhere said don't do it, did they say why and what bad thing happens if you do?

Perhaps I'm out on left field on this one but I really don't care about proper battery charging. The convenience of charging them in the radio trumps the remote possibility this reduced the battery life slightly and 2 years down the road I have to spend $7 on 3 new rechargeable batteries.

ME

First off, and even UPMan has said this, charging the batteries in the scanner will not properly charge them to their full capacity because they are charged in series and not individually, as would be ideal.

Secondly, if something fails in the charging it would mean you lose a $500 scanner as opposed to a $40 charger - better to protect the scanner and charge externally, right?

Does this mean you have to? No. The capability is there to charge in the scanner. If you accept the risk that you might fry your scanner and have a $500 paperweight then that's fine. I don't believe anyone has said you can't, just several are pretty strongly against it for these reasons.

It is true you will get a little better battery life if you charge them outside the scanner in a quality charger that charges each battery individually. But yes, the scanner will charge them when it is powered off (and off only).

I used to have a naive and flippant attitude of "big deal" about it until I read more stories of guys waking up to a melted and fried scanner due to a circuit failure or whatever.

It's your choice. But to suggest that all could happen is a slightly shorter battery life is not the whole picture.

 

[OFDM]

I don't think it was because the battery life diminishing through time. Rather that it can potentially damage the radio. I didn't understand it either, but it was a whole thread about it that I can't find now.

I charge the batteries in my BC125AT that way because it's just a $150 scanner worse case scenario. I just wanted to be sure now that I am expecting a $500 scanner.

I understand trying to protect the investment.

Each persons situation is different, I don't care about 75% or 85% charged and until someones radio is actually damaged, the convince out ways the risks (for me) at this point.

But yeah, if you want to closely monitor battery charge and have sets and sets of backup batts, then an external charger and a set of batteries you swap out is the way to go.

 

[OFDM]

I used to have a naive and flippant attitude of "big deal" about it until I read more stories of guys waking up to a melted and fried scanner due to a circuit failure or whatever.

I missed the thread about someone melting their BCD436HP..

 

[NJParamedic]

Because the scanner uses a timed charger and it can't detect a full charge, so it may over charge or under charge, some people prefer a stand alone charger to get the most out of their batteries.

First off, and even UPMan has said this, charging the batteries in the scanner will not properly charge them to their full capacity because they are charged in series and not individually, as would be ideal.

Secondly, if something fails in the charging it would mean you lose a $500 scanner as opposed to a $40 charger - better to protect the scanner and charge externally, right?

Does this mean you have to? No. The capability is there to charge in the scanner. If you accept the risk that you might fry your scanner and have a $500 paperweight then that's fine. I don't believe anyone has said you can't, just several are pretty strongly against it for these reasons.

It is true you will get a little better battery life if you charge them outside the scanner in a quality charger that charges each battery individually. But yes, the scanner will charge them when it is powered off (and off only).

I used to have a naive and flippant attitude of "big deal" about it until I read more stories of guys waking up to a melted and fried scanner due to a circuit failure or whatever.

It's your choice. But to suggest that all could happen is a slightly shorter battery life is not the whole picture.

Thanks for the responses. I have a better safe than sorry atitude about things, I think I will take the battery charger approach.

 

[03msc]

I missed the thread about someone melting their BCD436HP..

I don't believe I said there is a thread about someone melting their 436. There are threads in various places about the topic in general, however.

If you want to risk it, go ahead. No one has said you can't. And please quit posting for the sake of trolling the thread with a naive 'I don't care" attitude. We get it. You don't care and you will charge the batteries in the scanner. That is fine and your choice. If $500 is nothing to you and you can just go out and buy another one if you are one of the unlucky ones whose scanner fries then that's great. Go for it.

We've beat this to death now so it's time to move on...

 

[RickSuthers]

I got a bad one BCD436HP

I received my 436 from Hamstation on Wednesday (Man is he fast!)- however, when I plugged it into my Windows 7 computer to update the firmware, I got an error message on saying the card needed to be formatted. Well, I had another SD card so I gave that a try by formatting, then clearing user data, then updating the data, etc. All worked great. I took the device in the field on Thursday... bring it home to update some favs - and sure enough now this card won't read. I try on a Windows 8 machine and it says there is something wrong with the device, etc (Windows 8 error). So I swap cables, swap cards and this just repeats.

2 diff cards
2 diff cables

Same results. Now I have to figure out how to exchange this with Hamstation (my project today).

 

[mrkelso]

The Ham Station Strikes again

Just showed up at my front door.

 

[NJParamedic]

Just showed up at my front door.

Jealous!

 

[mohawk_14616]

I ordered mine wed and it's on the truck for delivery today. Got mine from Hamstation too. I did notice he is in Illinois but my radio came right from Irving Texas. He must just drop ship them right from uniden.

Whatever, I'm so excited I can't stand it.