BCD536HP Post-Release Thread

[chuck_e7]

Re-Banded system not scanning

I loaded in Rockdale County GA. and it's listed as "re-banded" and RR show the band plan as custom with offsets. My 996XT has the same thing and hears them, but the 536 does not! using same antenna. Is this a bug?? anybody else see the re-banding simulcast problem?

 

[JimNS3K]

I have the updater working on my windows 7 computer but not my windows 8.1 laptop. What settings did you use for 8.1?

Thanks

Jim

 

[JimNS3K]

Got it fixed.

Jim

 

[lacadien72]

I have the updater working on my windows 7 computer but not my windows 8.1 laptop. What settings did you use for 8.1?

Thanks

Jim

I installed the drivers as administrator. Right-click on VCP_V1.3.1_Setup_x64.exe and select Run as Administrator.

I did the same to install the BC-WF1 Firmware Updater application. Right-click on Setup.exe and select Run as Administrator.

Note that it won't add an icon on the desktop. You run BCD536HP_Wifi_Updater.exe from:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Uniden\BC-WF1_FirmwareUpdater

 

[y84media]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep plugging away at it. I've reset my scanner 3 times now in frustration. Been at it all day, and I have nothing to show for my time. Little disappointed with Uniden on this one. Clear as mud with respect to programming the scanner. Looking forward to the Easier to Read manual to show up online. IMO more effort was needed with respect to educating people that come from the XT series on just how to navigate this new scanner.



At least it looks nice as a paper weight on my radio desk next to my Kenwood TS 590.

I know it's frustrating, this is my first Uniden, moving from Radio Shack (bank) scanners. It's taken me a few times to figure it out, so what I did was follow along with UpMan's 2nd video on using Sentinel.

Once I figured out a little bit on how to just get my own favorites to scan, and cut 98% of the stuff I don't want to hear out, I was able to enjoy this scanner a lot more. It's going to take me a while to figure out the favorite lists & how to properly organize with systems, depts, etc.

What I have figured out, I now have the color coding working, red Police, blue Fire, and yellow EMS, etc...which is nice. Especially when I'm listening at bedtime and have the display turned off. I can at least see the glow of the led ring to help tell me what I'm hearing. It would be nice if there were a more variable control over the backlight more than the 3 levels. Just barely turn it on so that in a pitch black room "low" isn't lighting the whole room up, like it does. Wife has to sleep with zero lights, which kind of ruins my listening at night.

Once I get it connected to a better antenna I'll really be able to play with Close Call, excited about what I'll find with that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jeffrogerson]

I know it's frustrating, this is my first Uniden, moving from Radio Shack (bank) scanners. It's taken me a few times to figure it out, so what I did was follow along with UpMan's 2nd video on using Sentinel.

Once I figured out a little bit on how to just get my own favorites to scan, and cut 98% of the stuff I don't want to hear out, I was able to enjoy this scanner a lot more. It's going to take me a while to figure out the favorite lists & how to properly organize with systems, depts, etc.

What I have figured out, I now have the color coding working, red Police, blue Fire, and yellow EMS, etc...which is nice. Especially when I'm listening at bedtime and have the display turned off. I can at least see the glow of the led ring to help tell me what I'm hearing. It would be nice if there were a more variable control over the backlight more than the 3 levels. Just barely turn it on so that in a pitch black room "low" isn't lighting the whole room up, like it does. Wife has to sleep with zero lights, which kind of ruins my listening at night.

Once I get it connected to a better antenna I'll really be able to play with Close Call, excited about what I'll find with that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks. The ole brain finally came around and figured out the programming. Some videos posted by a fellow forum user, and Upman were of great assistance.

Have hit a snag however, as the 536 is unable to decode my local fire dept....yet my 996XT can. Not sure why, as the thread I created relating to this issue was deleted.

 

[davenlr]

I just ordered mine, and the comments here are not reassuring.
If I use the zip code method, is there then an easy way to pull up all the services with the sentinal software and just disable all the stuff I dont want to listen to and save it back as a favorite?

Ive watched several of the sentinal programming videos, and they were rather intimidating.

 

[NHdave]

Once you start using Sentinel it gets easier, it's very easy to do what you just described.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[davenlr]

Once you start using Sentinel it gets easier, it's very easy to do what you just described.

Thanks. That is reassuring.

 

[jeffrykeen]

Just pre-ordered the ARC536PRO software from Butel. It will be available soon. Can't wait

 

[RF23]

I just ordered mine, and the comments here are not reassuring.
If I use the zip code method, is there then an easy way to pull up all the services with the sentinal software and just disable all the stuff I dont want to listen to and save it back as a favorite?

Ive watched several of the sentinal programming videos, and they were rather intimidating.

You can look at Sentinel and see how it has been programmed by entering your Zip Code. I spent days doing something similar with my 396T (downloaded the programming from RR) and then used how FreeScan had programmed my scanner to learn (in little steps) how to do it myself. Of course I also used the owners manual and looked at the posts on RR.

Look at the manual and find how to make a "Favorite List" you do not need to put anything in it.

Then while in Sentinel look at the files that were downloaded by entering your Zip Code and Right click on any you would like to put into your empty favorite's folder. When you right click you will get a menu and one of the choices is "append to Favorites" , click on that and it will ask you which favorites list you want to append to and chose the one you want.

Now you should have a lot of stuff in your Favorite's folder. Click on the "Yellow Star with a Pencil" button at the top of the page and it will put you into Edit Mode so you can delete or avoid all you want in your Favorites List and unlike the Main Database it will not be lost every week when you update the database.

Hope this will get you started, just take things one at a time and not try to do all of it at once. You may find fairly quickly it can be fun.

 

[davenlr]

Thanks. That sounds quite do-able. Matter of fact, I just did it, and it worked quite well. Looking forward to getting the scanner this week.

 

[Seymourmtn]

Don't panic

I just ordered mine, and the comments here are not reassuring.
If I use the zip code method, is there then an easy way to pull up all the services with the sentinal software and just disable all the stuff I dont want to listen to and save it back as a favorite?

Ive watched several of the sentinal programming videos, and they were rather intimidating.

Get your scanner and okay with it.
I did my Zip first, then used RR to pull what I wanted, into favorite lists and the drilled down and modified.
Goidelic learning experience.

 

[litemike1000]

Siren App

Follow the steps here:
BCD536HP < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

I did it without any issues, on my laptop with Windows 8.1. Once you applied the firmware to the dongle, you should be able to configure it on the scanner (Menu => Wi-Fi Setup). But you won't be able to use WiFi because the WiFi Siren app is not available yet.

Any one know when siren app will be available for iPhone? Haven't seen any posts.

 

[KE4ZNR]

Any one know when siren app will be available for iPhone? Haven't seen any posts.

Folks: Please read the FAQ Sticky thread:
http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-scanners/283228-uniden-bcd436-536hp-faq-read-1st.html
It answers most questions that have been asked over, and over, and over again.
That was the whole purpose of creating that thread.
Thanks!
Marshall KE4ZNR

 

[sf340b]

Well men, I was actually able to load a favorites list and start listening. That says a lot as the last time I did this it was a simple crystal installation or enter the frequency and press save kind of ordeal.

The sound of dispatch is crystal clear and I am convinced this unit will do what I need.

However, the units responding to dispatch are garbled and unreadable.

May I have some help in determining what I have failed to set correctly?

Thanks.

And thanks Uniden.

 

[troymail]

Did a road trip today... PSR800 and 536 side by side....

1. There is definitely something not right with the lock/sync at the start of the digital decode. Clearly there is a delay from when the PSR800 opens with voice until the time that the 536 starts talking. However, there are times where the 536 is stopped on and displaying the correct talkgroup and there is no sound. Eventually, if the conversation goes on long enough, the 536 unmutes but sometimes it doesn't.

2. The 536 appears to be "tweaked" for P25 and is not performing all that well over all on Motorola systems - more specifically on Motorola digital voice.

3. I found more recordings after the roadtrip where the talkgroup was found via ID SEARCH and the "Comments" field is showing TGID:xxxx. Two issues repeating:
-- this label should be showing up as the talkgroup name (Title) and not just in the comments
-- there are many times where the "TGID:xxxx" is apparently not being cleared and is then incorrectly stored in the Comment field of the next active talkgroup recording (along with the correct Title / talkgroup value).

 

[doctordave]

I loaded in Rockdale County GA. and it's listed as "re-banded" and RR show the band plan as custom with offsets. My 996XT has the same thing and hears them, but the 536 does not! using same antenna. Is this a bug?? anybody else see the re-banding simulcast problem?

Interesting. I've downloaded a number of rebanded MD systems from the database and they are tracking properly....without any special custom table tweaks by me. I presume you truly downloaded the data for your system creation - and didn't enter in the data from scratch?

 

[DaveIN]

All of my EDACS and P25 systems have been rebanded. All are tracking fine here.

 

[doctordave]

Programming just the known control channel frequencies for true P25 trunked systems ( to improve tracking efficiency ) shouldn't be an issue..... but I'm curious if anyone has done this with Motorola Type II digital systems and had any performance troubles? I'm going to try removing the non-control channels for some Type II systems and see if any adverse consequences are noted.