Rebooting?

[y84media]

Mine just started rebooting. Maybe Unidentifiable will take a look at it, I'm shipping it back to get the clock issue fixed.

 

[troymail]

I sense that Uniden (Unidentifiable) either doesn't see this as a problem or has it on their list to fix but at the bottom. Probably in the same place as the issue where user interaction (button presses) seem to be "low priority" to the CPU of these radios. Both of these issues seem to be tied to poor SD card management - particularly when the SD card gets closer to 30,000 recordings (which by the way is also usually less than 2 Gb on my 16 or 32 Gb card). It doesn't matter what brand or card I use - this just happens between 26-30k recordings. I can power it back up, start recording (manually!!!!!) again, and a short time later, it reboots again. After I remove the recordings, the reboots stop.

Maybe something that could help would be to not begin and end recordings (and backlighting) so abruptly. This causes many, many more recordings than is really necessary - a huge number that are like 1-2 seconds. The (probably associated) backlighting issue drives me crazy -- when something is received for a very short duration, the backlight goes out so quickly, many times I can see what it was by just looking over during the delay timeout - the screen is already dark.

 

[garys]

It's a bad SD card. Every report of random rebooting has been traced back to a bad SD card. If Uniden tests it with their SD card, they won't find the problem. They generally discourage people from sending in the SD cards when units are sent for the RTC fix, so if you do include it, make sure to note that.

Mine just started rebooting. Maybe Unidentifiable will take a look at it, I'm shipping it back to get the clock issue fixed.

 

[buddrousa]

As has been reported many times here before it is a fat 32 limitation not a scanner Issue. Who stores over 32,000 pictures on a sd card.

 

[troymail]

As has been reported many times here before it is a fat 32 limitation not a scanner Issue. Who stores over 32,000 pictures on a sd card.

Not sure where this falsehood comes from - I have a WS1095 SD card - FAT32 formatted - had at least 100,000 recordings on it at one point - just checked - it currently contains more than 85,000 recordings (plus configuration and other files) on it.

It IS a Uniden scanner issue.

 

[buddrousa]

In order to overcome the volume size limit of FAT16, while at the same time allowing DOS real mode code to handle the format, Microsoft designed a new version of the file system, FAT32, which supported an increased number of possible clusters, but could reuse most of the existing code, so that the conventional memory footprint was increased by less than 5 KiB under DOS.[39] Cluster values are represented by 32-bit numbers, of which 28 bits are used to hold the cluster number. The boot sector uses a 32-bit field for the sector count, limiting the FAT32 volume size to 2 TiB for a sector size of 512 bytes and 16 TiB for a sector size of 4,096 bytes.[40][41] FAT32 was introduced with MS-DOS 7.1 / Windows 95 OSR2 in 1996, although reformatting was needed to use it, and DriveSpace 3 (the version that came with Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows 98) never supported it. Windows 98 introduced a utility to convert existing hard disks from FAT16 to FAT32 without loss of data. In the Windows NT line, native support for FAT32 arrived in Windows 2000. A free FAT32 driver for Windows NT 4.0 was available from Winternals, a company later acquired by Microsoft. The acquisition of the driver from official sources is no longer possible. Since 1998, Caldera's dynamically loadable DRFAT32 driver could be used to enable FAT32 support in DR-DOS.[42][43] The first version of DR-DOS to natively support FAT32 and LBA access was OEM DR-DOS 7.04 in 1999. That same year IMS introduced native FAT32 support with REAL/32 7.90, and IBM 4690 OS added FAT32 support with version 2.[44] Ahead Software provided another dynamically loadable FAT32.EXE driver for DR-DOS 7.03 with Nero Burning ROM in 2004. IBM PC DOS introduced native FAT32 support with OEM PC DOS 7.10 in 2003.

The maximum possible size for a file on a FAT32 volume is 4 GiB minus 1 byte or 4,294,967,295 (232 − 1) bytes. This limit is a consequence of the file length entry in the directory table and would also affect huge FAT16 partitions with a sufficient sector size.[1] Large video files, DVD images and databases often exceed this limit.

As with previous file systems, the design of the FAT32 file system does not include direct built-in support for long filenames, but FAT32 volumes can optionally hold VFAT long filenames in addition to short filenames in exactly the same way as VFAT long filenames have been optionally implemented for FAT12 and FAT16 volumes.

Two partition types have been reserved for FAT32 partitions, 0x0B and 0x0C. The latter type is also named FAT32X in order to indicate usage of LBA disk access instead of CHS.[42][43][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] On such partitions, CHS-related geometry entries, namely the CHS sector addresses in the MBR as well as the number of sectors per track and the number of heads in the EBPB record, may contain no or misleading values and should not be used.[45][51][52]

Here is the source.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Table

FAT32 Systems and 2GB File Size Limit
FAT12 FAT32
Max File Size 32 MB 2GB
Max # of Files 4,077 65,517
Max Filename Size 8.3 or 255 characters when using LFNs
Max Volume Size 32MB 2GB 4GB with some implementation

 

[troymail]

In order to overcome the volume size limit of FAT16, while at the same time allowing DOS real mode code to handle the format, Microsoft designed a new version of the file system, FAT32, which supported an increased number of possible clusters, but could reuse most of the existing code, so that the conventional memory footprint was increased by less than 5 KiB under DOS.[39] Cluster values are represented by 32-bit numbers, of which 28 bits are used to hold the cluster number. The boot sector uses a 32-bit field for the sector count, limiting the FAT32 volume size to 2 TiB for a sector size of 512 bytes and 16 TiB for a sector size of 4,096 bytes.[40][41] FAT32 was introduced with MS-DOS 7.1 / Windows 95 OSR2 in 1996, although reformatting was needed to use it, and DriveSpace 3 (the version that came with Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows 98) never supported it. Windows 98 introduced a utility to convert existing hard disks from FAT16 to FAT32 without loss of data. In the Windows NT line, native support for FAT32 arrived in Windows 2000. A free FAT32 driver for Windows NT 4.0 was available from Winternals, a company later acquired by Microsoft. The acquisition of the driver from official sources is no longer possible. Since 1998, Caldera's dynamically loadable DRFAT32 driver could be used to enable FAT32 support in DR-DOS.[42][43] The first version of DR-DOS to natively support FAT32 and LBA access was OEM DR-DOS 7.04 in 1999. That same year IMS introduced native FAT32 support with REAL/32 7.90, and IBM 4690 OS added FAT32 support with version 2.[44] Ahead Software provided another dynamically loadable FAT32.EXE driver for DR-DOS 7.03 with Nero Burning ROM in 2004. IBM PC DOS introduced native FAT32 support with OEM PC DOS 7.10 in 2003.

The maximum possible size for a file on a FAT32 volume is 4 GiB minus 1 byte or 4,294,967,295 (232 − 1) bytes. This limit is a consequence of the file length entry in the directory table and would also affect huge FAT16 partitions with a sufficient sector size.[1] Large video files, DVD images and databases often exceed this limit.

As with previous file systems, the design of the FAT32 file system does not include direct built-in support for long filenames, but FAT32 volumes can optionally hold VFAT long filenames in addition to short filenames in exactly the same way as VFAT long filenames have been optionally implemented for FAT12 and FAT16 volumes.

Two partition types have been reserved for FAT32 partitions, 0x0B and 0x0C. The latter type is also named FAT32X in order to indicate usage of LBA disk access instead of CHS.[42][43][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] On such partitions, CHS-related geometry entries, namely the CHS sector addresses in the MBR as well as the number of sectors per track and the number of heads in the EBPB record, may contain no or misleading values and should not be used.[45][51][52]

Here is the source.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Table

FAT32 Systems and 2GB File Size Limit
FAT12 FAT32
Max File Size 32 MB 2GB
Max # of Files 4,077 65,517
Max Filename Size 8.3 or 255 characters when using LFNs
Max Volume Size 32MB 2GB 4GB with some implementation

Thank you for pointing me to your source. Here is what it says:

 

[buddrousa]

Troy I have had the same problem with the GRE/WHISTLER and UNIDEN scanners that I have had with CCTV cameras and SD cards for storage. The same answer comes up every time 65,000 file limit with fat32.

 

[GrandpaFrank]

Ive had the same issue and I tied it back to the number of recordings on the scanner, usually after 2gb the scanner starts to freak out and will reboot without warning, which really sucks being in Los Angeles and recording you hit 2gb pretty fast with all the traffic, even if you are locked to 1 division. Many times I have went back to listen to a major incident that unfolded while I was at work, only to find that the scanner stopped recording 3 days ago and hit it's 2.5gb data limit on a 32gb sandisk card. Glad I bought the WS1095, it s still going after 6gb of recording. Is there a way to make the scanner record upon startup?

 

[troymail]

Reboot issue and lost GPS location info - yet another issue

Took a short (2 1/2 hour) road trip yesterday. Actually, out and back with the visit was an all day event. As always, my 436 has been running 24/7 (all my radios are 24/7/365 and recording). Apparently, the 436 had collected quiet a few recordings but you can't tell how much is on the card without connecting or pulling the card to look. During the trip, the 436 keep crashing and rebooting - I'll bet it was 10 times over the entire day. Very frustrating.

When the radio crashes and reboots, it forgets most "on the fly" settings since the last power up to including of course temporary lockouts.

But yesterday, I learned it also loses location information as well. Normally, the radio remembers the last GPS coordinates when you unplug it. However, yesterday, when I arrived at my destination, the radio wasn't "hearing" anything ("why is this radio so quiet all of the sudden?")...

Turns out, the radio had rebooted on the walk inside and I didn't hear the beep...so, with the GPS now disconnected, the radio thought I was still in at home - no wonder I couldn't hear anything.... had to punch in the local zip code to start listening again... all related to YET another issue that Uniden refuses to admit is a problem. It's been reported for a couple of years now - and nothing.

EDIT: and of course, this SD card/crash issue is also closely associate with the horrible responsiveness of the user interaction with keypresses...

 

[jonwienke]

The solution is simple, get a faster and better memory card. That's pretty well known.

 

[troymail]

The solution is simple, get a faster and better memory card. That's pretty well known.

Nope - every type of card I use cause this starting with the original card that came in the radio

 

[jonwienke]

I've never had that problem with either of mine.

 

[SOFA_KING]

I have been having the same issues with both the 436 and 536, just like Bud and Troy. Same exact thing. Very unsatisfactory operation!

So I had a spare SanDisk Ultra Extreme Plus 32 GB class V30 U3 UHS-I sitting around from a recent Best Buy sale purchase and decided to put it in my 536. THE SAME D@MN THING still happens, and I also noticed choppy audio recordings on playback. Now this card is about as fast as they get, and from a top quality company. IT'S NOT THE CARD. So, what good does a larger card do? No good!

Yet my TRX-2 running a standard SanDisk Ultra Class 10 now has a total of (since yesterday morning) 113,976 recordings with absolutely no issues or resets. The thing has been recording non-stop since July 2015. This proves it CAN be done, and Uniden screwed up (again).

I don't know what is wrong with Uniden, I just know something is wrong when we continue to have issues like this. We see NO corrective action, and it leaves (many loyalists) customers feeling let down.

To Uniden:

Get off your high horse and give the customer what they expect...working scanners with good features that work as they should. The lack of action, and "UPpity" attitude displayed here and elsewhere, is truly disheartening.

Phil

 

[troymail]

I've never had that problem with either of mine.

Yeah, well.... that doesn't do much to help me (or others reporting the same issues)....

Now, if Uniden (Paul or otherwise) wants to provide me with the nomenclature/part number for an SD card that will both

(a) not cause my radio to crash once an hour when it gets around 30k recordings on it and

(b) doesn't cause the key presses to make me try and push my finger all the way through the radio to make them take,

I'd be more than happy to give it a try.

But I doubt that information is coming....

 

[jonwienke]

I don't let my card get cluttered with that many recordings.

That may be why I don't have crashing/rebooting issues, or laggy response to keypresses.

 

[troymail]

I don't let my card get cluttered with that many recordings.

That may be why I don't have crashing/rebooting issues, or laggy response to keypresses.

Yup - I believe that would be the reason you don't have these problems and our experiences are not the same.

I have many radios that are recording and don't make it a habit to clear the SD cards on a daily or otherwise regular basis.

It doesn't really help that the x36 radios are "all or nothing" recording unlike my other radios where I can pick and choice which talkgroups and channels to record (i.e. just the wildcard/new finds).

EDIT: BTW - those 30k recordings typically only take up about 2Gb of disk so anyone wasting money on 8Gb or larger disks for these radios are just wasting their money.

 

[buddrousa]

Troy I have not noticed this with the Unidens like I have with the Whistlers on the boot times for the larger cards. But that is a different story.

 

[jonwienke]

EDIT: BTW - those 30k recordings typically only take up about 2Gb of disk so anyone wasting money on 8Gb or larger disks for these radios are just wasting their money.

Nope.

If you have Replay enabled, files are constantly being written and deleted on the card. A larger card means that the wear on the card is being spread around among a larger pool of unallocated sectors, which means the card will last proportionally longer.

 

[wm8s]

"My thing that's not like your thing also doesn't do that thing that your thing does" posts aside, my 536 also running the latest firmware and also using a high-quality SD card also becomes practically unresponsive to user input when the # of recordings gets high --- I've never counted --- and it also eventually starts repeatedly crashing/rebooting. Fortunately, the workaround is easy (even if frustrating) --- we just have to move user recordings off of the card as soon as we notice the sluggishness.