BCD536HP Scanner stops receiving randomly

[jwdima]

I've had a BCD536HP for about 16 months now. I have noticed that after the unit has been on for a while, I no longer get any hits at all. I am in an area with mostly conventional systems. It acts like it is still scanning but gets no hits. Cycling the power on clears the issue and I instantly get traffic. This is random. The longest it scanned before "blacking out" was 5 days. Happens every 1-2 days now. I searched this forum and saw someone with the identical problem with a BCD436HP.

BCD436HP: - Stops receiving

I have tried sever different SD cards, no difference. Also, this is my second 536. The first one would NOT receive anything new out of the box. I returned it, but have this issue. I leave unit running all the time. My other scanners run non-stop without issue. I still have a Bearcat 210 that is still working to this day, running non-stop. Sounds like there is an unresolved issue in the BCDx86HP models. Anyone else have this issue? What makes it difficult is the fact that it is random. It does seem to be happening more frequently now, but I'll be as frustrated as hell if I send it in for repair and they don't find anything only to have it manifest again when it's returned. Thoughts ? Thank You! Wayne

 

[tvengr]

My first thought would be the SD card also. Since it seems to function for a period of time before failing, I would suspect a heat related problem. One thing you could try is to heat the scanner with a hair dryer to see if it dies quicker. If it does, that would indicate a heat related solder connection or component failure. Do the frequencies stop on the display and there is no audio or does it just scan continuously without stopping? If is just a loss of audio, you may have dirty contacts on the headphone jack. If that is the case, insert and remove an earpiece or headphones numerous times to clean the contacts. If you are running on external power, you may have problems with the wall wart. A bad antenna could also be the culprit. If you feel brave, you could remove the covers from the scanner and reseat cables inside.

 

[jwdima]

My first thought would be the SD card also. Since it seems to function for a period of time before failing, I would suspect a heat related problem. One thing you could try is to heat the scanner with a hair dryer to see if it dies quicker. If it does, that would indicate a heat related solder connection or component failure. Do the frequencies stop on the display and there is no audio or does it just scan continuously without stopping? If is just a loss of audio, you may have dirty contacts on the headphone jack. If that is the case, insert and remove an earpiece or headphones numerous times to clean the contacts. If you are running on external power, you may have problems with the wall wart. A bad antenna could also be the culprit. If you feel brave, you could remove the covers from the scanner and reseat cables inside.

I'm ruling out the SD card, have tried 4 or 5 different ones. The frequencies don't stop scanning, it just stops receiving. Not the audio jack, because the audio isn't received via the proscan software either. Doubt its' a problem with the power adapter and have tried 2 antennas with it. Like I said, turning it off/on fixes it albeit temporarily, so if it was heat related, turning it off/on shouldn't fix it as the components would still be hot. Never had the unit open, am reluctant to open and reseat the cables, but if you saw the link I posted, I'm not alone in this phenomenon
Just wish it would flat out die so I could get it repaired. Wayne

 

[dispatch235]

I had this problem with my 436 I noticed after programming it and leaving the cord connected...I noticed after a while I wasn't receiving agencies on my 436 that were being received by another scanner. Resent the programming to the 436 and worked fine for a bit then went deaf again.
So I just unhooked it and sat it on the desk and lo and behold it was receiving again... and has worked fine since as long as I unhook the programming cord. I was using Sentinel for the programming, I tried using it with ProScan to program it, with same results leaving it connected after programming.
Seems the computer being connected causes some kind of interference with it, though I know others leave their radios connected with no problem. My 536 however it doesn't seem to bother.
For me it's not really a problem as I don't use any programs for virtual control or logging, etc. so I just unhook the cord when i'm finished updating the radio.

 

[buddrousa]

I have 7 536's running 24/7 with no issues I have only heard of this issue on the sds200 and then it only takes a reboot to fix.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I have 7 536's running 24/7 with no issues

Never ceases to amaze me every time you report this I'm down to only one 536HP running 24/7 connected to Proscan (had 2 previously, sold 1). No issues for me either

 

[buddrousa]

I have no children and just spend my money on things I want just a side note I have 22 Desktops running at home and 6 handhelds in the car.

 

[Ubbe]

Not the audio jack, because the audio isn't received via the proscan software either.

There seems to be several reports that a connected Proscan software can be the cause. Try without any cable connected for a week.
If the scanner works after a week then report the problem to Proscan.

/Ubbe

 

[garys]

I had this problem with the 536HP in my truck a few years ago. After months trying to diagnose it, the problem turned out to be a temperature related component failure. I sent it back to Uniden and they replaced the component.

It was frustrating because it was intermittent, but eventually got consistent enough that i was able to figure it out.

 

[jwdima]

I had this problem with my 436 I noticed after programming it and leaving the cord connected...I noticed after a while I wasn't receiving agencies on my 436 that were being received by another scanner. Resent the programming to the 436 and worked fine for a bit then went deaf again.
So I just unhooked it and sat it on the desk and lo and behold it was receiving again... and has worked fine since as long as I unhook the programming cord. I was using Sentinel for the programming, I tried using it with ProScan to program it, with same results leaving it connected after programming.
Seems the computer being connected causes some kind of interference with it, though I know others leave their radios connected with no problem. My 536 however it doesn't seem to bother.
For me it's not really a problem as I don't use any programs for virtual control or logging, etc. so I just unhook the cord when i'm finished updating the radio.

The programming cord isn't in the mix. I pop the SD card out of the 536 and bring it to my pc where Sentinel updates it. I have performed "Clear User Data" on all the SD cards I've tried. I always make sure to turn off the 536 before removing the card and ejecting media from Windows before returning the SD back to the 536.

 

[tvengr]

I had this problem with the 536HP in my truck a few years ago. After months trying to diagnose it, the problem turned out to be a temperature related component failure. I sent it back to Uniden and they replaced the component.
It was frustrating because it was intermittent, but eventually got consistent enough that i was able to figure it out.

There is nothing worse than an intermittent problem. You never know for certain if you have it fixed. At the TV station, we had a saying, "It always works in the shop!"

 

[garys]

Yep. Same thing if you have an intermittent problem with your car or truck. Bring to the dealer, it doesn't do it. Get a mile down the road, the problem comes back.

There is nothing worse than an intermittent problem. You never know for certain if you have it fixed. At the TV station, we had a saying, "It always works in the shop!"

 

[tvengr]

Yep. Same thing if you have an intermittent problem with your car or truck. Bring to the dealer, it doesn't do it. Get a mile down the road, the problem comes back.

I had a color monitor which was constantly being bought to the shop for the chroma phase being off. I could never find any problem. I finally looked at it in the live truck. If you opened and closed the cover on top of the equipment rack, the color changed. The rack was magnetized.

 

[garys]

Sometimes it's just the dumbest think you could possibly think of. Which is why you don't think of it until you discover it by accident. Then it's a "Why didn't I think of that before." moment.

 

[jwdima]

I had this problem with the 536HP in my truck a few years ago. After months trying to diagnose it, the problem turned out to be a temperature related component failure. I sent it back to Uniden and they replaced the component.

It was frustrating because it was intermittent, but eventually got consistent enough that i was able to figure it out.

Well, it's out of warranty now, even though it first appeared a few months into owning it, I hoped it would go away but it never did, and I didn't want to be without it so soon after purchase. I guess I'll just have to wait until it totally s**ts the bed before sending it in for repair.

 

[hiegtx]

Yep. Same thing if you have an intermittent problem with your car or truck. Bring to the dealer, it doesn't do it. Get a mile down the road, the problem comes back.

In my younger days, I worked as a tech for an automobile dealer. And, quite often we could not duplicate what the owner was complaining about. I had one customer that returned several times, complaining about a wind noise. My shop foreman took a couple of test drives with me, same result-no trouble found. Customer was not happy. He said the noise bugged him when he was driving 110mph. At that point, we told him we were not going to spend time trying to find something at that speed. I can imagine the reaction I would have received if pulled over, and telling the officer we were trying to find a problem at that speed.

 

[tvengr]

I guess I'll just have to wait until it totally s**ts the bed before sending it in for repair.

Maybe, it will run OK if you keep a fan blowing on it.

 

[Ubbe]

Take the covers off and try a hair blower on it to heat it up to see if it instantly fails. Then a freeze spray at different sections of the circuit board to see if starts working again. I would manually set it to a NOAA weather channel or a systems control channel or similar that always have a carrier to also see if it's a digital or analog problem.

/Ubbe