BCD160DN/BCD260DN: Is this a new Uniden model? BCD260DN

[Bote]

And I have a directory on my computer with 21 Uniden firmware files going back 12 years. I win!

2012.02.29 01:55 597 BC125AT.bcvup
2021.01.22 21:15 581,676 BC125AT_V1_06_05.scn
2016.01.05 11:36 1,017 BC246T.bcvup
2015.09.03 11:26 628,178 BC246T_V2_60.scn
2013.01.07 09:56 698 BC346XT.bcvup
2015.09.03 11:25 1,308,716 BC346XT_V1_05_00.scn
2015.03.16 01:17 822 BCD325P2.bcvup
2015.03.13 13:36 849 BCD325P2.bcvup_Beta
2021.01.30 14:48 1,130,496 BCD325P2_V1_07_07.bin
2019.03.30 21:50 1,130,496 BCD325P2_V1_08_01.bin
2013.01.07 09:55 706 BCD396XT.bcvup
2013.01.04 20:00 1,881,686 BCD396XT_V1_11_01.scn
2021.03.11 11:46 853 BCD996P2.bcvup
2015.03.13 13:36 743 BCD996P2.bcvup_2nd
2019.03.30 21:50 1,130,496 BCD996P2_V1_08_01.bin
2013.01.07 09:56 706 BCD996XT.bcvup
2013.01.28 12:17 1,882,538 BCD996XT_V1_07_03.scn
2013.01.30 12:54 696 BCT15.bcvup
2013.01.30 12:55 2,449,452 BCT15_V1_06_00.scn
2013.01.07 09:56 696 BCT15X.bcvup
2020.09.23 12:33 1,454,124 BCT15X_V1_06_03.scn
21 File(s) 13,586,241 bytes

 

[fxdscon]

Wonderful.

What they don't tell you there is that you *do not* need to go find the actual firmware file, the updater does that internally. Had I known that I could've saved some time.

Yes, they do tell you.

They fully describe the process of how the updater downloads the firmware file and installs it on your scanner....

Owner's manual, page 64 ---> UPDATE FIRMWARE USING PC

 

[blackbelter]

Unlike Sentinel x36 which offers the scanner programing and updates under the same roof , the 160/260 DN programing and firmware updating are in two different files .

 

[blackbelter]

Please delete . Duplicate .

 

[blackbelter]

Applying the latest FW to my 160DN made no noticeable operational improvements.

 

[bearcatrp]

Think it only covered stuff not being displayed

 

[Remon]

Is the BCD160DN supposed to let through audible encrypted DMR?

There's currently a temporary Capacity+ network setup at a nearby festival. They use RC4 encryption, also called Enhanced Privacy on the Motorola radio's they're using.

The scanner shows CAP on the display. Shouldn't it be ENC?

Is there a setting that I've overlooked or is locking out these frequencies my only option here?

Side note: they also use RAS. Maybe that's the reason the scanner letting through the garbled voice?

 

[phase_lock]

The other night my BC260DN quit picking up anything until I powered it off and powered it back on. First time I've ever had to power cycle a scanner.

Just got my new 260 set up yesterday and this happened to me twice last night. Both times I was using the 2M Ham service search. Both times I switched over to the weather scan and received nothing, just a "click-click-click" like it was trying to acquire a signal but unsuccessful. Once I cycled the power everything was good.

It looks like several folks have mentioned this issue for both the 160 and 260. Is there any further definitive info on what is causing this? I'm in a rural area, so not a strong RF environment.

Otherwise, the 260 seems fantastic and perfect for my needs (analog and conventional DMR & NXDN). It appears to be at least as sensitive as my 15X, and I love the segmented service searches. I hate to return it, but I'm afraid to keep it if this is going to be a continual issue.

 

[Bote]

They can't fix it if they don't know it's broken. But I don't know what feedback mechanism they provide for bug reports? It likely can be fixed in firmware, so it's worth reporting so that you get value out of the scanner.

 

[dispatch235]

Just got my new 260 set up yesterday and this happened to me twice last night. Both times I was using the 2M Ham service search. Both times I switched over to the weather scan and received nothing, just a "click-click-click" like it was trying to acquire a signal but unsuccessful. Once I cycled the power everything was good.

It looks like several folks have mentioned this issue for both the 160 and 260. Is there any further definitive info on what is causing this? I'm in a rural area, so not a strong RF environment.

Otherwise, the 260 seems fantastic and perfect for my needs (analog and conventional DMR & NXDN). It appears to be at least as sensitive as my 15X, and I love the segmented service searches. I hate to return it, but I'm afraid to keep it if this is going to be a continual issue.

Oddly enough I've had this happen with a BC15x, usually after the electric goes off and comes back on within a couple seconds. Turning it off and back on seems to correct the issue and the radio works fine until the next electric "glitch". I bought my 260 to use in place of the 15x and haven't had it exhibit this behavior yet myself. I tried duplication what you had experienced with no problems on my 260 as of yet.

 

[Bote]

Oddly enough I've had this happen with a BC15x, usually after the electric goes off and comes back on within a couple seconds.

This sounds very much like a power glitch glitched the scanner, which comes as no surprise. I can believe any Uniden scanner would behave similarly.

Anything that has a computer should be protected by an uninterruptible power supply. You can't believe how many problems that will solve without you even knowing it.

 

[bearcatrp]

I use only my external USB battery pack to power mine. No issues here.

 

[Remon]

I noticed my BCD160DN had a hard time to receive simplex (pulsating) DMR signals during scan, where my Anytone didn't had any problem.

Should I change the "digital wait time" from 400 ms (default) to 30 ms (DMR TDMA) or doesn't this matter when the channel is set to digital only?

 

[blackbelter]

Same experience with my 160 DN , as my dedicated DMR radio catches many stations during a search .

 

[Remon]

Also only with simplex DMR (pulse) or with repeater signals (steady) as well?

There's not much DMR activity over here but I was pretty disappointed I only heard a couple of conversations during a festival this weekend on the Uniden (5 battery swaps worth of attempts to listen) while my Anytone 878 was busy all the time..

It was not a matter of signal strength. I tried 3 antennas on the Uniden. I was out in the open with the radio users 100 yards away from me. On the Anytone I heard them a mile away on a very short stubby..

I programmed the used frequencies as digital only in the BCD160DN with the corresponding Color Codes. So technically the "digital wait time" shouldn't matter. Since the festival is over and I don't have much opportunities to receive DMR, I programmed a bunch of commonly used frequencies as digital only with the "digital wait time" to 0, hoping it's a bug in the scanner. Maybe it is waiting 0.4 seconds, while DMR pulses are 0.03 seconds in duration.

Something else I can try is setting the squelch to zero and only scan digital frequencies. Maybe the squelch is too slow? Should the user selected squelch level under the hood be applied to digital only channels?

 

[Ubbe]

the "digital wait time" shouldn't matter.

Something else I can try is setting the squelch to zero and only scan digital frequencies.

Digital wait time are just a timed audio mute function, to spare your ears from hearing the digital data, and not related to the digital decode performance. If possible set as much as possible to search mode, like the color codes, as it then doesn't matter if the scanner false detect a CC to something else. As soon as you lock a variable to a fixed value it could give more problems as it then might think that what it decodes doesn't match the fixed value that have been set and skips the call.

You can set squelch to 0 if you only scan channels that have been set as digital or a CTCSS/DCS tone, but scan rate will be something like 3ch/s.

The digital decode are only done if the squelch are open. If if it closes due to interference or similar it will stop to decode the signal until the squelch opens again.

/Ubbe

 

[phase_lock]

Bote and dispatch235, thanks very much for your thoughts and feedback. There definitely was not an on/off power glitch, though I suppose there could have been an quick voltage dip. I've never had this happen with my 15X.

 

[JCar24]

Could anybody tell me if, while using band scope, you can quick save a frequency to a channel by pressing "E"? On the 325p2 the gps menu comes up up when pressing "E". On the sds100, while using waterfall, pressing "E" gives you the option to quick save.

 

[Remon]

No quick save in band scope mode.

 

[kitchent]

I have been thinking about the new scanners the 160 and 260, what do you all think about the current price? will it fit some of your needs?

I bought one , then unable update or make changes . Comports closed