Firmware / Siren update...

[number6]

I sincerely hope I'm posting the following in the right place, as I have already been 'moderated' twice for incorrect post placement, neither of which occurrences were on purposes\. Here goes.

Hoping for two major revisions in the firmware for the way Close Call works. The first is the ability to save CC hits for later review, as they go away when the radio is turned off, and you can't very well plug up to your computer while it's on and searching (can you?). Rhetorical question: why oh why was it thought not necessary or desirable to be able to save CC hits after the radio is turned off?

Second, provide the ability to record CC hits. Unless I'm doing something very wrong, which is quite likely with a radio of the 436/536's complexity, this is currently not possible.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

One of those I might be able to help with. Press "E" when getting one and it saves it into a newly created "Close Call" favorite list. Said list sticks around too.

The recording thing is another matter. Good idea though.

 

[number6]

One of those I might be able to help with. Press "E" when getting one and it saves it into a newly created "Close Call" favorite list. Said list sticks around too.

The recording thing is another matter. Good idea though.

Can this be done *after* the hit has come and gone, e.g., when hits are reviewed later? For example, many CC hits are very short-duration, a matter of seconds, then the transmitter gets out of range and I may have a day to wait until it comes back around and transmits again. Therefore, it's nigh impossible to be at the scanner when the transmission occurs, so while following your procedure is probably perfectly good, doing it while the transmitter is keyed is highly unlikely. If I can add the hit to the CC list later (as long as I don't turn the radio off, of course), that'd be a fine solution. Now I get to feel stupid (grin) for not having gotten this by reading both manuals--the factory-supplied one and the easier-to-read one. Thanks again for the tip. I'll try it both ways, as I'll be sitting in arm's reach of the radio for most of the morning today.

 

[Ghstwolf62]

I haven't been able to figure out a way to do that although that doesn't mean anything. There might be such a way that I don't know about. I keep the radio on the desk in front of me so I have easy access. I have DND on so it brings up a screen saying close call hit found. It stays up at least for a bit until I hit any key which then shows what it is. That might give you a bit more delay.

I tried putting things in off replay and got nowhere. There is so much to learn. every time I think I'm getting a handle on things something else pops up.

 

[AZScanner]

How DO you review the CC hits on the x36's? I stumbled across it once a while back but I can't remember what I did and I cant' seem to find the option now. I could read the manual I suppose, but where's the adventure in that?

-AZ

 

[number6]

March 31 and 1Q2014 are rapidly coming to a close, and not one syllable about Siren have I seen. Or am I just looking in the wrong places? Redirection to a source for better news on this topic greatly appreciated.

 

[shonc182]

March 31 and 1Q2014 are rapidly coming to a close, and not one syllable about Siren have I seen. Or am I just looking in the wrong places? Redirection to a source for better news on this topic greatly appreciated.

Buried here: http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-tavern/288135-catching-up-hard-do.html

Not much of an update imo....maybe by end of Q2?

 

[AK4FD]

Agreed! I was just looking at that today on the Uniden website. I asked them a question 3 weeks ago and not a reply from their Customer Service yet about it... And their customer service doesn't have a phone # strictly website FAQ Contact Us stuff...

 

[fxdscon]

And their customer service doesn't have a phone # strictly website FAQ Contact Us stuff...

Customer service phone number shown on the Uniden website:

1.800.297.1023

Contactus - B2C Static Page at Uniden

 

[AK4FD]

Customer service phone number shown on the Uniden website:

1.800.297.1023

Contactus - B2C Static Page at Uniden

That's actually for Technical Support; and I've called that wanting to ask a question about the new BCD536HP I bought and it's a revolving door, couldn't ever get anyone on the phone to talk to just endless "press 1, press 2"

 

[fxdscon]

That's actually for Technical Support; and I've called that wanting to ask a question about the new BCD536HP I bought and it's a revolving door, couldn't ever get anyone on the phone to talk to just endless "press 1, press 2"

OK... good to know, they must have it labeled incorrectly.

Why not just ask your question here?

.

 

[number6]

OK, it's now past the end of 1Q2014, and as far as I know as of 16:00UTC today, no Siren and nothing new from Uniden. UPMan, you're our go-to person on this one. Dozens, scores of us have kept quiet and been patient. The promised deadline, if for nothing else but information, has come and gone, and the silence is deafening. WHAT'S GOING ON???

 

[ofd8001]

Upman provided some good insight a couple of days ago in the thread below:

http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-tavern/288135-catching-up-hard-do.html

Paraphrased: "Next week . . . hopefully getting the beta iPhone app from our developers."

It's probably worth noting that we got hints of the new scanner back last summer and they got into our hands around six months later. While the wait was agonizing, eventually we got what we wanted.

It sounds to me that the app's appearance won't be as long as it has been.

 

[number6]

What, another forum to have to sift through? This will make three now. Talk about wild goose-chases!

Upman provided some good insight a couple of days ago in the thread below:

http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-tavern/288135-catching-up-hard-do.html

Paraphrased: "Next week . . . hopefully getting the beta iPhone app from our developers."

It's probably worth noting that we got hints of the new scanner back last summer and they got into our hands around six months later. While the wait was agonizing, eventually we got what we wanted.

It sounds to me that the app's appearance won't be as long as it has been.

 

[number6]

Please pardon if this message is in the wrong place, and if someone would move it to the right place and tag me as to where that would be, I'd appreciate it greatly.

Until the BCD536HP firmware allows for permanent storage of Close Call hits, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I am trying to pick up a local transmitter using the CC-only feature, and I've gotten a few hits which I'd like to review and possibly add to a department at some point. My problem is twofold: One, I'm totally blind so I don't have access to the display except by proxy (that is, having someone else read it who's not familiar with scanner radios at all). What' I'd dearly love to be able to do is to plug the USB cable into the radio and download the radio's current status to a Favorites List, but I don't know how plugging the USB cable in will upset the running of the firmware, potentially zapping my CC hits which have taken me two days to collect, so I'll get somebody to operate the radio nd tell me what they see. My second problem is, the instructions for getting to this "Close Call Hits" department are a little vague to me. Pres DEPT once, scroll to the "Close Call Hits" department, then press DEPT twice to hold on it? Then what? How do I tell the person who'll be reading it to me how to scroll the hit list? And finally, after I get the information off the display through this person, how do I get the radio scanning again? Press DEPT to resume scanning? Truth to tell, if I get the freqs the way I described, I can just turn the thing off, go into Sentinel, do what I have to do, then re-load the radio and forgetaboutit.

And if you want to know how a blind person deals with all of this stuff, I'd be happy to entertain your questions off-list. This is why I'm waiting with baited breath for Siren, because iPads talk, while scanners don't.

Thanks in advance.

 

[number6]

Did you ever get your question answered? I looked for it and haven't found it either, but that doesn't mean anything. And I've read through both the supplied manual and the easier-to-read one available from Mark's Scanners (Mark's Scanners). There some mumbo-jumbo in there about scrolling through departments until you find one called "Close Call Hits," but even though I *know* I have hits because I heard them come in, that department doesn't show up in the list of departments on my 536. Then there's a paragraph--a sentence, really--in the easier-to-read manual that says "Hits with scan" is a system that stores up to ten Close Call hits which you can review until you turn off the power by pressing SYSTEM and selecting that system, but then it starts talking about departments again, so I'm as in the dark about this as you are.

How DO you review the CC hits on the x36's? I stumbled across it once a while back but I can't remember what I did and I cant' seem to find the option now. I could read the manual I suppose, but where's the adventure in that?

-AZ

 

[AK4FD]

So, I decided to give Uniden a call since the website STILL says the Siren app to be released in 1Q-2014... Well, it's now into the 2Q and I was hoping to get an update... I was greeted by a Customer Service Rep that didn't seem to thrilled with answering the phone to begin with... So I explained to him how I bought the BCD536HP months ago and have anxiously awaited the Siren app's release so I can use the scanner and it's full functionality, after all I spent $730 on it! All I was told was the usual same fluff that ppl are told when they have no clue as to the answer or don't care; typical "All I can say is things got delayed and when it is released it will be announced on our website"! I'm very disappointed at how Uniden has handled themselves with this matter. At least have your PR ppl put an update or something on the website since it's passed 1Q and we are ALL waiting anxiously for the App's release... Anywho, I wish I had an update with more info for everyone but unfortunately nobody has a clue what's going on with the app. At least be honest and say production was held up or there was a problem with the app developer or SOMETHING...

-- David

 

[ofd8001]

The following was posted by the Uniden Product Manager on 4/9:

http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-software-discussion/288828-siren-app-update.html

The salient information is copied and pasted below:

"We've progressed to 1.0.2 in beta, and have a very nice looking app coming. That's the good news. The bad news is that there have been some pretty major pains with getting the WiFi module to work reliably with the app. This seems to have been traced down to something that can be resolved with a firmware update to the module, but the module vendor is studying. They hope to resolve this within 30 days.

30 Days!!!

Not too happy about this. But, we are trying to see if we can resolve it through other means while we await that update. If we can, then we'll have the app out much sooner...but I cannot promise a date at this point, only that it will get released.

Much of the delay is due to not being aware of the magnitude of bugs in the dongle (which we essentially got from a supplier as is) until we had some app code written to actually use with the dongle. Kind of a chicken/egg situation (or is it egg/chicken?). Determining that the problem was dongle related vs. coding on our end was a non-trivial process of elimination. If not for that roadblock, the app would be completed for Apple devices by now and likely substantially close to completion for the Android platform, as well."

 

[mrkelso]

So, I decided to give Uniden a call since the website STILL says the Siren app to be released in 1Q-2014... Well, it's now into the 2Q and I was hoping to get an update... I was greeted by a Customer Service Rep that didn't seem to thrilled with answering the phone to begin with... So I explained to him how I bought the BCD536HP months ago and have anxiously awaited the Siren app's release so I can use the scanner and it's full functionality, after all I spent $730 on it! All I was told was the usual same fluff that ppl are told when they have no clue as to the answer or don't care; typical "All I can say is things got delayed and when it is released it will be announced on our website"! I'm very disappointed at how Uniden has handled themselves with this matter. At least have your PR ppl put an update or something on the website since it's passed 1Q and we are ALL waiting anxiously for the App's release... Anywho, I wish I had an update with more info for everyone but unfortunately nobody has a clue what's going on with the app. At least be honest and say production was held up or there was a problem with the app developer or SOMETHING...

-- David

Umm Upman already updated us about what is going on with the app. http://forums.radioreference.com/uniden-software-discussion/288828-siren-app-update.html

 

[jdobbs2001]

So, I decided to give Uniden a call since the website STILL says the Siren app to be released in 1Q-2014... Well, it's now into the 2Q and I was hoping to get an update... I was greeted by a Customer Service Rep that didn't seem to thrilled with answering the phone to begin with... So I explained to him how I bought the BCD536HP months ago and have anxiously awaited the Siren app's release so I can use the scanner and it's full functionality, after all I spent $730 on it! All I was told was the usual same fluff that ppl are told when they have no clue as to the answer or don't care; typical "All I can say is things got delayed and when it is released it will be announced on our website"! I'm very disappointed at how Uniden has handled themselves with this matter. At least have your PR ppl put an update or something on the website since it's passed 1Q and we are ALL waiting anxiously for the App's release... Anywho, I wish I had an update with more info for everyone but unfortunately nobody has a clue what's going on with the app. At least be honest and say production was held up or there was a problem with the app developer or SOMETHING...

-- David

Why did you buy a radio that did not have the feature you wanted?