Scanner Screen: Free Open Source Software for Uniden Scanners

[Vonskie]

My BCD536HP disconnected 5 o'clock this morning when it received its first AM modulated call. I have swapped cables and ports with other scanners and tried different speeds and reprogrammed the firmware but doesn't help. There's some strange things happening that it sometimes responds with the wrong modulation and can't keep a serial connection for 12 hours. It does also disconnects its WiFi from time to time so some sort of communication bug in the 536.

ScannerScreen_U.exe

drive.google.com

/Ubbe

I found this from a post in 2014 when I first started working on the program

• Mar 19, 2014

Currently the 536 USB serial interface is buggy on the scanner firmware. And it will drop to mass storage mode. Some users are using the GPS port on the back of the scanner for remote control and programs such as this. I have a 436 and it never drops to mass storage mode from serial although I have to restart the scanner to get serial mode working at times another bug with scanner firmware.

Give uniden time and I am sure they will iron out the bugs.

 

[KevinC]

Give uniden time and I am sure they will iron out the bugs.

10 years later and it's still buggy.

 

[Vonskie]

• Mar 21, 2014

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• #429

There's still lots of devices that require serial in the networking world especially. That's why serial is still important. Some devices have embedded web pages, but when all else fails, connecting via serial is the only thing that works. I have my 536 plugged in to the rear serial via a USB-to-Serial adapter and haven't had any disconnecting or mass storage problems here.

 

[Vonskie]

My BCD536HP disconnected 5 o'clock this morning when it received its first AM modulated call. I have swapped cables and ports with other scanners and tried different speeds and reprogrammed the firmware but doesn't help. There's some strange things happening that it sometimes responds with the wrong modulation and can't keep a serial connection for 12 hours. It does also disconnects its WiFi from time to time so some sort of communication bug in the 536.

ScannerScreen_U.exe

drive.google.com

/Ubbe

Here is a post from one of my users back in 2014

• Mar 21, 2014

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• Add bookmark
• #429

There's still lots of devices that require serial in the networking world especially. That's why serial is still important. Some devices have embedded web pages, but when all else fails, connecting via serial is the only thing that works. I have my 536 plugged in to the rear serial via a USB-to-Serial adapter and haven't had any disconnecting or mass storage problems here.

 

[Vonskie]

New version 2.668
Hp536 has reliablity bugs with usb interface to serial and people have to use the one on the back with a null modem adaptor and the default baud rate for that port is 4800 so added 4800 to the drop down rate.

 

[Vonskie]

Doesn't work on SDS series over LAN. Only 396/996/436/536

will work with sds over over usb to serial

 

[Vonskie]

If I can find out the api for WiFi I will add that as well. Just need to find the reference manual

 

[Vonskie]

10 years later and it's still buggy.

I ran into this issue back in 2014 and almost forgot about it

 

[ProScan]

If I can find out the api for WiFi I will add that as well. Just need to find the reference manual

Here is the source code for the RH-536HP program which uses the scanner Wi-Fi.
See the very last link, named RH-536HP_mkII_code_v0_02_12.zip in this link

https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/Unidenman4/BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate

Direct link:

https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate/RH-536HP_mkII_code_v0_02_12.zip

{edit}
See this post too

Wifi UDP Control Documentation

Is there any documentation on the UDP protocol (control and view) for the 536 over Wifi? Proscan has it implemented nicely, however I'm interested in developing a custom client application. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

forums.radioreference.com

Another

https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/SDS200FirmwareUpdate/SDS200_Virtual_Serial_on_Network_Specification_V1_00.pdf

 

[ProScan]

Currently the 536 USB serial interface is buggy on the scanner firmware. And it will drop to mass storage mode.

I have not heard of this before. My program supports the BCD536HP USB serial and I would have heard it a zillion times.

 

[Ubbe]

The BC346XT doesn't like that RMT MODEL command and responds with ERR. It is the same generation as BCT15. I changed to send a plain text MDL command and seem to work with all Uniden scanners. Are there some special reason to use RMT with checksum added other than a more secure way to send commands?

/Ubbe

 

[Ubbe]

Can you swap the SD card? As you know, they can cause strange problems.
You may want to try the rear DB-9 port along with a null modem adapter or cable to see if it makes a difference.
The scanner WiFi problems could be attributed to interference or weak signals. Sometimes, relocating the WiFi dongle will clear it up.

I can see a possible connection between SD card access and using the USB port at the same time and instead using the rear port could fix that issue. I will try the rear port.

/Ubbe

 

[Vonskie]

The BC346XT doesn't like that RMT MODEL command and responds with ERR. It is the same generation as BCT15. I changed to send a plain text MDL command and seem to work with all Uniden scanners. Are there some special reason to use RMT with checksum added other than a more secure way to send commands?

/Ubbe

Thanks for this find just changed it to MDL

 

[Vonskie]

version 2.669 fixed model num in older scanners

 

[Ubbe]

version 2.669 fixed model num in older scanners

I was wrong about all scanners accepts a MDL command. The HP1 are special and still needs the RMT way of getting the model name.

/Ubbe

 

[Vonskie]

I have not heard of this before. My program supports the BCD536HP USB serial and I would have heard it a zillion times.

Interesting. For some reason I have always had problems with the 536 not sure why. I had on guy tell me he had the problem with other programs as well. Interesting that you experience is different. I connect to the com port and stay connected and poll it every 500 ms.

I was wrong about all scanners accepts a MDL command. The HP1 are special and still needs the RMT way of getting the model name.

/Ubbe

thanks for the info will fix tonight

 

[Vonskie]

Version 2.670 Uses RMT for hp-1-2 and MDL for others also slowed polling rate down to 1 second

 

[Vonskie]

the 436 and 536 has a partial rmt command set for example model so its a mixed bag on what works with what scanners. Normally I have to go with the most compatible commands. As I do not know all the differences. All I have is a 436 so my testing is limited to that.
When I put in support for the hp-1 I had to build a seperate program just for testing the input and output and one of my users back then ran it on his computer. Once I got it working I then built it into the program. I started this in about 2014 then sort of forgot about it. As I lost the latest windows source code, so I rebuilt it from the latest mac version when I started posting stuff to github again.
Each time users have given me some great ideas for the simple program and I have incorporated. So the credit goes to them. I enjoy programming as a hobby.

 

[Vonskie]

New version 2.671 turned on lcl scaling

 

[Vonskie]

The BC346XT doesn't like that RMT MODEL command and responds with ERR. It is the same generation as BCT15. I changed to send a plain text MDL command and seem to work with all Uniden scanners. Are there some special reason to use RMT with checksum added other than a more secure way to send commands?

/Ubbe

Thinking about adding a control panel pop up where you could press a button and send commands to scanner such as channel hold and in hold. Nothing complex just the simple commands. What command would you like that would be easy to implement. And handy to have?