DEAF BCT15x .. I have 3 of them .. anybody else?

[torontokris]

Anybody else having problems with BCT15X's that all of a sudden are DEAF / stop receiving any signals?
Any idea of the actual problem/parts that need replacing? Receiver overloaded? Some fuse or amplifier?

Even super strong local towers or weather channels that come in with no antenna on a regular radio wont even show up as a signal on the BCT15x that have this problem.

I have 3 right now that are under a year old (yes they will be sent back for warranty work).
Also heard about 2 other people locally having the same problem.

Hasnt happened to any of my 996XT's and ive probably had about 10 times as many 996 as 15's


Overall ive had GREAT luck with Uniden scanners, and 3 is a SMALL amount compared to how many I handle. But seems weird how many 15's are developing this problem.

 

[ffemt601]

Are you using them in proximity of a transmitter?

 

[SCPD]

I have had mine for about a year and haven't had any problems. Knock on wood

 

[maalox]

you did not use any headphones my 996t went deaf when i was using headphones..

 

[datainmotion]

you did not use any headphones my 996t went deaf when i was using headphones..

While I'm sure Kris has tried that, you bring up an excellent point - that has been the bane of many a scanner user for decades - the dreaded Spk Out port going.

 

[SCPD]

Just curious, Why would the headphone jack go out in the first place.

 

[krokus]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.973 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

Just curious, Why would the headphone jack go out in the first place.

It has switching built-in to the jack. The contacts could go bad, for a number of reasons.

 

[torontokris]

the bct15x Im referring to can still emit sound (static etc) if squelch is turned down, however it wont RECEIVE any signal (no bars no control channels nothing).

I havent had a single problem with headphone jack locking in but I normally dont use the headphones.

ffemt601 had a good question and no they were not near a transmitter persay however I guess on my travels I probably pass a few stong trunking towers and multiple cell/pager towers (as anybody who uses thus scanner mobile would).

That was my first thought as well (close to any transmitter).

A good friend of mine said he also had a bct15x go in for repair for the same no reception problem and the paper on the radios return said "overloaded resistors".

 

[IDCowboy1]

I haven't had any issues with mine, it works really well and I'm very pleased with it. Only issue I have is from intermod due to my yahoo ham neighbor who loves to splatter half the VHF(130-150) band. It might be something as simple as the center pin on the BNC antenna connector has become corroded or there's a cold solder joint between the pin and the circuit card. If you are hearing squelch then most of the receiver circuits are working(RF converted to IF then audio detected and shipped out to speaker)A good visual inspection and contact cleaning will cure about half the problems with electronic equipment.

 

[rbm]

Open the case and take a look at the short coax that's attached to the inside of the antenna connector.
(I should have taken photos when I was doing my repairs, but I didn't think of it at the time)

Over the years, I've had two radios where the center conductor of that coax was bent so close to the ground part of the connector that it was shorting the signal to ground. (A resistance check from the center conductor to ground measured zero ohms.)
Easy enough to check.

Rich

Quote: "Even super strong local towers or weather channels that come in with no antenna on a regular radio wont even show up as a signal on the BCT15x that have this problem."
That was EXACTLY my indication.