BCD436HP/BCD536HP: Deafness?

[plaws]

I *may* have found my source of months of frustration. I think the receiver may be deaf. I programmed in 162.400, which is my local weather channel and even with the squelch zeroed .. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .... nothing.

This is after trying all the local trunked and conventional systems.

All this time I thought it was programming error ... but maybe not.

Anyone else have a radio that has gone deaf? Is this common?

OTOH, is it possible that the CPU is goofed up and not actually tuning the the RF section? I see that there is a 2+9+MANUAL (sorry, DEPT) master reset. I'll see if that does anything.


Edit: three-finger salute did nothing

 

[SCPD]

you sure?

I *may* have found my source of months of frustration. I think the receiver may be deaf. I programmed in 162.400, which is my local weather channel and even with the squelch zeroed .. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .... nothing.

This is after trying all the local trunked and conventional systems.

All this time I thought it was programming error ... but maybe not.

Anyone else have a radio that has gone deaf? Is this common?

OTOH, is it possible that the CPU is goofed up and not actually tuning the the RF section? I see that there is a 2+9+MANUAL (sorry, DEPT) master reset. I'll see if that does anything.

Sure the Attenuator isnt on?Have you tried another antenna?

 

[plaws]

Sure the Attenuator isnt on?Have you tried another antenna?

First thing I checked, but it would have had to been some master attenuator for all possible modes since I did a quick entry of 162.400 and got nothing.

I can't recall if I sold the RS 800 MHz ant I had with my BCD396XT but I'll see if that's around. I think I have an HT antenna with an SMA if not.

 

[iMONITOR]

The supplied antenna for the BCD436HP is horrible for VHF. If I had to guess, it's optimized for the 850MHz band, as that is about 75% of the market's targeted use.

For VHF/UHF bands, try something like the Diamond SRH77CA.

Diamond RH77CA Amateur HT Antenna

 

[plaws]

Well, I didn't sell it with the 'XT and swapping the stock antenna for the RS 800 unit made no difference whatsoever.

Any other reset tricks -- or keyboard tricks in general -- for the 'x36HPs? 2+9+DEPT didn't deleted my FLs and turned on the beep but not much else.

 

[iMONITOR]

Well, I didn't sell it with the 'XT and swapping the stock antenna for the RS 800 unit made no difference whatsoever.

Any other reset tricks -- or keyboard tricks in general -- for the 'x36HPs? 2+9+DEPT didn't deleted my FLs and turned on the beep but not much else.

Once again, just like the stock antenna, the RS 800 antenna is a very poor choice for VHF. It too is optimized for the 850MHz band.

Unfortunately there are no magic tricks to make the BCD436HP a good VHF receiver.

 

[plaws]

Once again, just like the stock antenna, the RS 800 antenna is a very poor choice for VHF. It too is optimized for the 850MHz band.

Unfortunately there are no magic tricks to make the BCD436HP a good VHF receiver.

Too bad you posted before reading the thread. This is not an antenna problem.

The radio is deaf, not a poor performer. I have not yet dragged out an HT to see if it picks up *anything* like, say, a ham HT a foot away, but I'm guessing it won't. I'm less than 5 miles from one of the state trunking system transmitters that I got full strength on my 'XT.

My only thought short of mailing it to Uniden is that there is some CPU state that prevents it from actually tuning the receiver at all, which would explain it better than something being wrong with the RF section. I bought the radio several months ago and, honestly, I can't remember if I ever received anything on it. I take it to work and pull it out occasionally and set it on the local systems, but if I didn't hear anything, I probably chalked it up as a slow day.

 

[Voyager]

I *may* have found my source of months of frustration. I think the receiver may be deaf. I programmed in 162.400, which is my local weather channel and even with the squelch zeroed .. shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .... nothing.

This is after trying all the local trunked and conventional systems.

All this time I thought it was programming error ... but maybe not.

Anyone else have a radio that has gone deaf? Is this common?

OTOH, is it possible that the CPU is goofed up and not actually tuning the the RF section? I see that there is a 2+9+MANUAL (sorry, DEPT) master reset. I'll see if that does anything.


Edit: three-finger salute did nothing

Have you had it near any strong transmitters (such as an HT on your belt with the scanner beside it)?

Have you (or someone else) dropped it?

 

[Boatanchor]

Have a look here:

http://forums.radioreference.com/un...st-had-come-out-eventually-5.html#post2264697

The BCD436HP does seem to have problems in the sensitivity department in certain areas.
The VHF high band is one of those areas, but it is not as bad as the 500Mhz band, where my radio didn't even meet Uniden's specified sensitivity figures.

The other problem is that even when the squelch is set to 2 (minimum closing setting), the scanner requires a relatively strong (almost fully quieting) signal to open it. I have a feeling Uniden adjusted the mute settings during one of the few firmware updates because of complaints about slow mute closing.

Regardless, my 396XT hears many more signals on these bands than the 436HP (with the stock and aftermarket antennas).

 

[jonwienke]

Correction: YOUR BCD436HP has sensitivity issues. That is not the same thing as all BCD436HP having sensitivity issues. Not everyone is having such issues. The most likely issues are a nearby transmitter such as a cell tower overloading the OP's receiver and desensing it, or something broken if taking it to another location doesn't solve the problem.

I can receive 5 or 6 WX stations with my 436, so I doubt my radio has sensitivity issues,.

 

[Boatanchor]

Correction: YOUR BCD436HP has sensitivity issues. That is not the same thing as all BCD436HP having sensitivity issues. Not everyone is having such issues. The most likely issues are a nearby transmitter such as a cell tower overloading the OP's receiver and desensing it, or something broken if taking it to another location doesn't solve the problem.

I can receive 5 or 6 WX stations with my 436, so I doubt my radio has sensitivity issues,.

Well, OK then.

My 436HP is relatively deaf on certain bands and my 436HP has a squelch that refuses to open until about -112dBm, even on the lowest setting.

And yes, just because my radio exhibits these qualities, does not mean they are all the same.

The other people experiencing sensitivity issues with the 436HP must have the same Friday afternoon build

 

[plaws]

Have you had it near any strong transmitters (such as an HT on your belt with the scanner beside it)?

Have you (or someone else) dropped it?

I haven't worn a radio on my belt since I was a Paramedic many years ago! And I just went to test with my HT and the battery was dead. Even though I'm trustee of the local repeaters, I almost never get on so it's unlikely that it was a strong transmitter nearby. Not impossible but not likely.

Dropped it? I don't think so, but it rides in my knapsack so that's certainly possible ... but I've been carrying scanners in my knapsack since my BC3000XLT was new and have never had a problem. I'd hate to think it was that fra-gee-lay ...

 

[jonwienke]

Repeaters aren't the only transmitters that can can cause desense. Cell towers, TV tower, trunked system transmitter broadcasting continuously on control channel can all cause issues if too close. Go on a road trip while scanning the WX channels, and see if the scanner is always deaf, or only in certain areas.

 

[plaws]

Regardless, my 396XT hears many more signals on these bands than the 436HP (with the stock and aftermarket antennas).

Thanks, BA. This is more than just a few dB of deafness, I'm afraid. We may have a snow day tomorrow and if we do, I'll be calling Uniden.

I happen to have a Pro-652 that I'm programming for a friend (I should charge for this - it's like the 3rd or 4th time ...) and it has no problems receiving whatever -- NWS, the trunk system 3.5 miles away ...

 

[W6KRU]

Thanks, BA. This is more than just a few dB of deafness, I'm afraid. We may have a snow day tomorrow and if we do, I'll be calling Uniden.

I suspect that will be a frustrating call. If you can't get a meaningful answer here, you're not going to get one from the Uniden service reps. All they can tell you is to send it in.

 

[UPMan]

I concur, it sounds like a repair issue. I'd skip the call and start at:

Repair

 

[plaws]

I suspect that will be a frustrating call. If you can't get a meaningful answer here, you're not going to get one from the Uniden service reps. All they can tell you is to send it in.

That's what I'm expecting so I won't be surprised.

BA - I also saw the stuff about the squelch so before someone says "you know, the squelch is dodgy" I tried to receive the NWS with the squelch at zero.

I was an early adopter with the BDC396T and '396XT and didn't regret the purchases. The BCD436HP? Not so much. :-(

OTOH, this Pro-652 is kind of interesting. The only (non-xtal) RS scanner I've ever had was a Pro-2050 ... which was a Uniden so this 652 is a whole 'nother thing.

*Almost* makes me want to see what their (well, Whistler's) handhelds are like.

 

[plaws]

I concur, it sounds like a repair issue. I'd skip the call and start at:

Repair

That's the plan (we did get a snow day). Even keying up my HT 5 feet away didn't make any difference.

Apropos of nothing, the S/N ends with 3045.

 

[SCPD]

Try rolling the firmware back to 1.02.03 http://www.openuniden.com/files/firmwares/
if that flops send it back for repair

 

[plaws]

Try rolling the firmware back to 1.02.03 Index of /files/firmwares
if that flops send it back for repair

Mine never had that but with the uSD card issues I've had, I've reloaded whatever is current (1.03?) at least once.

*After* I got home from the USPS I thought about exactly that, though: I should have tried reloading the firmware. The radio did all the logic stuff fine, just no RF ... as if the CPU was running the code but was not taking to the RF section and telling it where to tune.