That only works once you know where the power button is. The two physical buttons on the side more resemble power buttons than does the keypad-like real power button on the unit.
Help me help you
- Thread starter JoeBearcat
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ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
To follow up on Don's comment re the manuals - they should be put in the TWiki. In addition it needs a serious amount of reorganization to be centered on the scanners, and not have scattered tips all over the place and have multiple topics on the same page. The organization of this TWiki is, simply put, beyond horrible.
For an example, this page has several topics that should be broken into several linked pages. This is so as the topic grows, the page won't become overly busy and more difficult to find a specific narrow item
This page also has programming instructions for DMR systems, but completely misses Hytera types (which we know are something of a problem to get working anyway). In addition it is also missing a definition and link for DSD+ (keep in mind that newcomers are highly unlikely to know what you are talking about with this). NXDN programming is also completely missing. The FAQ is out of date....you get the idea.
We have numerous user guides and definitions in our wiki, and you can link to whatever you find useful.
Publishing paper manuals is so passe these days - a wiki is much easier to expand, and absolutely no publishing and distribution costs.
Mike
For an example, this page has several topics that should be broken into several linked pages. This is so as the topic grows, the page won't become overly busy and more difficult to find a specific narrow item
This page also has programming instructions for DMR systems, but completely misses Hytera types (which we know are something of a problem to get working anyway). In addition it is also missing a definition and link for DSD+ (keep in mind that newcomers are highly unlikely to know what you are talking about with this). NXDN programming is also completely missing. The FAQ is out of date....you get the idea.
We have numerous user guides and definitions in our wiki, and you can link to whatever you find useful.
Publishing paper manuals is so passe these days - a wiki is much easier to expand, and absolutely no publishing and distribution costs.
Mike
I downloaded a PDF long before I bought my SDS-100s and read it "cover to cover". I also installed Sentinel and built my Favorites list. Upon receiving the radio there were still a lot of issues I didn't know as they were not covered in the manual.
The online places I found weren't much better. I know most people don't read manuals and it seems that's made them less important in the eyes of manufacturers. I know a lot of people would rather watch a video. While we might not need paper, we still need the documentation. Especially in advance of a purchase, I'm not going to surf for the info. I expect it to be provided from the originator of the product.
Well, sort of. They said they couldn't take payment over the phone, so I sent in the payment info by certified mail, which showed they received it. I had to send a second letter certified which they finally processed. So no, the breakdown wasn't on my end.
MStep
Member
What a mess. All contributing to unnecessary delays and additional costs to the consumer. I'm still waiting to hear back about my suggestion for an "across the board, no questions asked" three year warranty coverage on any of the SDS series.
In terms of paper manuals, I am a big fan of providing a comprehensive manual with this type of product, especially these being the "flagship" series. I agree that the Internet has spoiled us all into sometimes obtaining quick and easy fixes, albeit at the cost of time spent trying to cross reference everyone's information for all the posts and videos available from different sources.
They way many professional companies deal with this is that they issue a printed manual (usually in a 3-ring 8.5 x 11" binder format). If any material has the be changed after publication, they usually have an updated page on their site which shows the new page to be printed by the consumer on his/her end to be inserted into the binder to replace the old page.
This is not warranted for a 59.95 radio, but for a "flagship" product, the accompanying manual was a poor addition. Folks familiar with the 436/536 series could muddle through, but for those less familiar with the previous products, it likely added and created more question that it answered.
Hi sure would be great if we could enter a Bank name on the BC125AT! 🤞
This may have been mentioned previously, and I overlooked it. If so, apologies for the duplication.
For portable database scanners, such as the BCD436HP & SDS100, i would hope that the next handheld model, whenever that happens, will have a more traditional socket for the SD card. The current usage, with essentially a metal cage to hold the card in place, can be frustrating to get a replacement card in place & secured properly. I would hope that consideration be given to instead use a socket for the card, whether accessible after removing the batteries (as in the HP-1 & HP-2), or on the side of the scanner, perhaps covered by the battery compartment cover, which is what Whistler uses on their TRX-1.
For portable database scanners, such as the BCD436HP & SDS100, i would hope that the next handheld model, whenever that happens, will have a more traditional socket for the SD card. The current usage, with essentially a metal cage to hold the card in place, can be frustrating to get a replacement card in place & secured properly. I would hope that consideration be given to instead use a socket for the card, whether accessible after removing the batteries (as in the HP-1 & HP-2), or on the side of the scanner, perhaps covered by the battery compartment cover, which is what Whistler uses on their TRX-1.
I don't swap out my SDS 100's SD cards often, but when I do I use a pencil eraser to slide the latch. Another little trick I use in regards to my SDS 200's / HP 536's is to use the tip of pen to press in to eject/replace it. I position it in the SD card slot, then push it in carefully when I replace them. I use this method because the record function is on all the time on all of them and swap out the SD cards approximately every week.
Yep. Where possible, unless replacing a failed card, where reformatting CPR does not help, I generally do not pull the cards out of my SDS100 or the 436HPs. I can pull the card if needed, but the thin metal cage can be easily bent, causing replacement & reseating to be more time consuming than desired.
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
Same here, i never take them out due to fragility and difficulty seating them correctly. I bought an external card reader ($10 eBay) but I use it for other things not any scanners. I guess I am too worried about corrupting the cards with repetitious handling. Much safer, IMO, to plug the scanner in via usb without touching the card. I've had some issues with sd cards in the past, especially in my Icom R8600, just enough to realize how fragile they actually are.
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I also frequently swap out SD cards in my SDS200 for recordings and programming cards for others etc. I bought a micro SD card extension cable and mounted it with double sided foam tape just over the front edge of a lower shelf on the desk. The card slot end of the extension cable feels much more sturdy than the card slot in the scanner. The finger push area is curved and cut deeper than the card slot on the scanner so it's much easier to push on the card with just your finger, and has a more positive lock/unlock feel to it. It puts the wear on a $5 cable that takes 2 minutes to replace rather than having to send the scanner back to Uniden for a worn out or broken card slot.
………. 
samcken
Member
Joe - I thought I had come across messages about this before, and a search and quick scanning of all the posts revealed nothing to me, but it's been a handful of decades and then some. To me the volume control of the 200 is too sensitive. There's no physical stop on the pot, so I assume there is software involved somewhere. I'd like to think a simple scaling fix would be easy with no affect on anything else but who knows. Sometimes 1 "click" increases volume by 1, sometimes it takes 2 clicks. I'm sitting by my scanner and just now 1 click increased volume by 2. I use an external speaker and a change in volume by 1 is certainly noticeable. A minor detail that I don't know how to classify, but it would be nice.
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That sounds like a dirty pot. The only time it may take multiple clicks is when you are at 0.
(and no - I do not know why there are extra clicks below 0)
536 was acting similar except on squelch. Opened it up and sprayed contact cleaner into what seemed to be openings in the pot and after a couple rounds, turning the knob gently a few times in between it is responding normally again. Make sure to remove power then perform the sprays in a well ventilated area and avoid the fumes. It only takes a brief spray but good to be health safe.
I've noticed that within the usual, volume range I normally use that the detents for each click are not near as definitive as they were when new. If I turn the volume way up past, the normal max setting the detent click are distinct and easily felt again. I assume it's wear on the detents I'm not sure if it's nylon or metal detents. I might try a light bit of Caig Deoxit spray cleaner on my control.
I'm pretty sure, my 200 has a physical stop on volume control your pot may have gone bad I'll recheck mine to make sure.
Yep, there is a physical stop on my volume control pot.
I thought it was a digital encoder.
There is, a definite stop on mine maybe, mine is the faulty pot LOL!
Change zipcode and they change the range to 10 miles regardless of what we put in previously.
LCN finder, as we know it can take a loooong time, have the capability if it found some, but not all, for us to interrupt it and give what it has found.
LCN finder, when it finishes, give a summary of the frequencies and their LCN's.
LCN finder, as we know it can take a loooong time, have the capability if it found some, but not all, for us to interrupt it and give what it has found.
LCN finder, when it finishes, give a summary of the frequencies and their LCN's.
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