BCD536HP Mobile Install Issues

[DaveIN]

Did you just swap 996's for 536's with the same cable? (just a curious question).

What gauge of wire, if not the original supplied cable? You did try cig lighter, you mentioned. Is it exactly the same results?

Does the display dim at all when initially turned on? Any popping sounds from the speakers at all, during or after startup?

I've been using mine via cigar lighter port with no problem, but I turn mine on after starting the car.

 

[wise871]

Been running mine in my Tahoe without a single hiccup. Then again I'm not running that many radios. Sorry don't have any ideas. I am using the same DC power cable that came with my 996XT. Saved me from having to rerun the wire. Besides there the same gage and fuse.

 

[DisasterGuy]

Given the cautions in the manual, this is not surprising. Probably best to turn the scanners off before shutting down the vehicle, and turning them on after the vehicle is running again and voltage stabilized.

From page 2 of the owner's manual:

Power Disconnection Caution
IMPORTANT: Always turn the scanner off before disconnecting external power. Some settings are saved only as the scanner is powering down.

From page 11:

If the scanner loses power (as when you turn off your car’s ignition with the scanners power switch on), it can corrupt the microSD card. To ensure that does not happen, turn off the scanner before turning the car’s ignition off.

This is a major design issue in my mind. I was considering moving to these to upgrade the 785Ds that we have in our fleet but having to remember to turn them on and off will not fly in a fleet application. If there is a stability issue they should be designed with an ignition sense circuit.


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[wise871]

I can't see the 536 being the best choice for fleet usage. For the fact that it has to write to the SD Card each time it powers down is not practical. The XT are better suited for fleet usage due to larger text, no SD Card, more functional controls via one handed operation, on board memory, din sleeve, instant on-and-off, etc. What happens if a SD card gets corrupted in the field? The radio is down until reloaded.

The 536 is more suited for regular users, road trips, single install. If you need Phase II for your fleet then the 436 might suite your needs but then they might have a tendency of walking off or being broken in the field.

Sorry you invested so much right off the bat on the 536 for your fleet but it wasn't really a good decision based on we already new about the scanner before it's released. Plus what you paid you could have gotten several more 996XT.

 

[dispatcher812]

Given the cautions in the manual, this is not surprising. Probably best to turn the scanners off before shutting down the vehicle, and turning them on after the vehicle is running again and voltage stabilized.

From page 2 of the owner's manual:

Power Disconnection Caution
IMPORTANT: Always turn the scanner off before disconnecting external power. Some settings are saved only as the scanner is powering down.

From page 11:

If the scanner loses power (as when you turn off your car’s ignition with the scanners power switch on), it can corrupt the microSD card. To ensure that does not happen, turn off the scanner before turning the car’s ignition off.

This stinks. I hate having to turn more stuff on after I turn the truck on. Thats why I wired my current scanner, low band radio and emergency lights to a source that comes on with the ignition.

 

[cg]

Did you try turning off every radio but one and see what happens when you start the vehicle? I would put a meter on the circuit and see what happens to the voltage. You need to figure out what level the radio shuts off at and make a circuit that can maintain that voltage. The battery in my truck is getting weaker as my scanners (three 996XTs) now shut off when the vehicle starts.
Uniden has always advocated shutting off the scanners prior to starting a vehicle. I have never done it and never killed a radio though.

chris

chris

 

[motorman105]

I always connect my mobile scanners directly to the battery

 

[woody_46]

Ideally it would be better if the clock could be shut off by menu and reading/writing from the card disabled for these situations. Having it read from memory instead and clock off in these situations would be better I think.

Keep in mind the OP is a professional installer so it's not the installations. I'm not sure if there will be a fix for the issues. JMHO.

 

[DisasterGuy]

Again, all this could be easily solved with an ignition sense circuit that could power the radio down and up allowing for proper shutdown and boot.


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[wise871]

This is a major design issue in my mind. I was considering moving to these to upgrade the 785Ds that we have in our fleet but having to remember to turn them on and off will not fly in a fleet application. If there is a stability issue they should be designed with an ignition sense circuit.

Ideally it would be better if the clock could be shut off by menu and reading/writing from the card disabled for these situations. Having it read from memory instead and clock off in these situations would be better I think.
Keep in mind the OP is a professional installer so it's not the installations. I'm not sure if there will be a fix for the issues. JMHO.

I have no questions about the intsallers professional install. I just think it's a matter of it being a new design that hasn't gotten into the hands of many user yet and to invest that amount of money in that many radios at once can turn around and bite you later. I'm sure many of you have seen it before were a company buys now and fix later to meet the needs it was initially purchased for. I'm retired Military and this is a daily occurrence.

The suggestions being made about disable this and firmware that is good for UPMan list of suggestions but when it comes down too it your most likely not going to see the changes being suggested unless it's a major design flaw. Maybe in the next release. That being said, it uses an SD Card and we know how that technology works. If the radio could have just used onboard memory like the XT or GRE scanners than I'm sure they would have but the PSR-800 and the new Uniden use SD Cards for a reason, mainly for recording, discovery mode etc, but the database for sure.

 

[DisasterGuy]

Wise, I was speaking in the sense of this being a design flaw / oversight. Mobile electronics that require a boot and shutdown cycle should be designed taking this into account (ie my comment about the ignition sense circuit). Adding it in the design would have cost pennies and saved a lot of headaches for Uniden support.

I had been holding off replacing the 785's in our fleet until the 536 hit the street however knowing this we will hold off as this isn't a practical design for mobile environment. Hopefully Uniden will learn from this and include an ignition sense pin in their next model.


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[woody_46]

I agree with your post Dan and was only bringing up "what ifs". The installer has run into unforeseen obstacles and I feel for him and his customers. I hope they find a workaround.

 

[wise871]

Mobile electronics that require a boot and shutdown cycle should be designed taking this into account (ie my comment about the ignition sense circuit). Adding it in the design would have cost pennies and saved a lot of headaches for Uniden support.

I agree with you 100%

I agree with your post Dan and was only bringing up "what ifs". The installer has run into unforeseen obstacles and I feel for him and his customers. I hope they find a workaround.

I also hope he gets it worked out. I'm interested in what he comes up with for a fix.

 

[DisasterGuy]

Not that I would go through the hassle to do so on a new radio however this may benefit the OP. I will assume that these use a combo switch kit on the volume POT for power cycling. If so it shouldn't take much to pull the pins on the switch kit and add either a relay or transistor in series tied for ignition sense. This would solve the issue by allowing the radio to be wired to constant power and allowing the radio to power cycle with the ignition or battery master.

I haven't seen a service manual or schematic on the 536 to be able to recommend any components.


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[productionguy85]

Here is an example: 10 Astro Spectra 800Mhz P-25 Phase-I radios, 1 PRO-197 Scanner

Being that they all the same band and Phase 1, Have you never heard of the SCAN function? Yes, that's right, you can scan upto 16 channels on a single Motorola radio.

 

[woody_46]

Not trying to be a jerk here but the 536 was designed and advertised for mobile use. These issues show a serious flaw that needs fixing somehow. They should work "out of the box" I would think.

BTW I have a 436 on order.

 

[krokus]

All DB & firmware updated as in UPMans post. The BCD536's replaced BCD996's, and the 996's have never had an issue. This is happening in 4 different wreckers who all have 2 batteries. The scanners work great, most with external speakers, some with internal speaker, but as soon as you start the vehicles, they ALL look like they are receiving (stop on scanning channels), but no audio comes out of the speakers. Direct wire to battery, ign sense wired, or cig wired. After this happens, you can turn them off, then back on, and they work fine. We just finished a 5th wrecker with 4 BCD536's in it 10 mins ago, and this 5th one is doing the same thing.

You did not state what type of channel the radios are locking up on. Is it an actual channel, and if so, what band? Or are they locking on the same trunked system and/or talkgroup?

Is it the same memory location, regardless of the channel/system/talkgroup?

Does the lock up happen on whatever the scanner is on, when the ignition is started?

Just trying to help spot any patterns.

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[wise871]

Not trying to be a jerk here but the 536 was designed and advertised for mobile use. These issues show a serious flaw that needs fixing somehow. They should work "out of the box" I would think.



BTW I have a 436 on order.

You are correct Woody. No one will disagree with you on that. I have one installed in my vehicle as we speak. But it's more user friendly for a daily driver install than a fleet install were you have multiple radios installed. As a single install it's easy to remember to shut off the scanner when you get out. If you have several radios of different types and you still have to remember to let the scanner write to SDCard then that becomes a problem. Some of the suggestion mentioned are good ideas.

 

[LIScanner101]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't cdcomm say he REPLACED a whole bunch of 996's that did NOT exhibit this symptom?

If that is the case, then Uniden could potentially lose this HUGE user of scanners as a customer. He cannot use the 536HP where he used to use 996's.

How do you feel about that, Uniden?

 

[mikewazowski]

Gentlemen, let's keep the thread on topic.

Please keep in mind that this seems to be isolated to one user. Hopefully UPMan and the user can figure out what's happening without the distraction of a lot of side conversations.

Thanks.