Service search gone on BCD436HP :(

[del1964]

Service search gone on BCD436HP
. I was going to add some service search frequencies to my regular scanning only to find out it's no longer an option. Search with scan custom ranges yes.......but no service search like BCD396XT has. Media, CB, Public Safety, Railroad, etc etc etc

 

[UPMan]

For the most part, many of those services are included in the database as Nationwide systems.

 

[del1964]

That would be a nice simple firmware "fix" I'm hoping for

 

[NUGEN]

For those of you who didn't read the book, when you are scanning a particular system but all of the talk groups aren't registered there is still the "Search ID" feature that will scan frequencies for Wildcards. I listen to Phillys P25 and with this feature you can pick up the unregistered radios some of the undercover cops use. I only bring it up because at first I thought it was gone on these, not so.

Hit the FUNC and then the E button and it will put it into Search ID mode instead of Scan

 

[LIScanner101]

For those of you who didn't read the book, when you are scanning a particular system but all of the talk groups aren't registered there is still the "Search ID" feature that will scan frequencies for Wildcards. I listen to Phillys P25 and with this feature you can pick up the unregistered radios some of the undercover cops use. I only bring it up because at first I thought it was gone on these, not so.

Hit the FUNC and then the E button and it will put it into Search ID mode instead of Scan

I believe del1964 is referring to scanning for frequencies, not TGIDs.

 

[AndrewGS]

Add me in as one who would like a simple service search function.

 

[NUGEN]

I believe del1964 is referring to scanning for frequencies, not TGIDs.

Ya I'm well aware of that, I figured since we were on the topic of scanning stuff that isn't naturally programmed in I'd throw that in.

 

[kellykeeton]

why not just build it into custom scan ranges? its not like the "ranges" for the data your looking for are hidden.. in fact just googling old uniden scanners will show the range.. then enter them and tag them in the custom scan area. problem solved with current firmware. it accomplishes everything you want ..

3rd party software in fact just would put this data there for you.. I assume if you use butel software it would still do that.

 

[del1964]

I was referring to frequencies yes. Some services are multiple search ranges. Especially public service and HAM and Media and the one they called "Special" on BCD396XT

 

[kellykeeton]

Yea that is a bummer the split search section.. Special is still there I belive, but the loss of the HaM and Cb and FRS ... To UPMAN's point of having all this available in the database - it wouldn't be possible for HAM, And where the heck do you even begin to find FRS,CB

Yes this feature would be good if reinstated.

 

[SCPD]

436/536

Add me in as one who would like a simple service search function.

I'm not buying the 536 til they add that and fix all the other issues.How can you ditch your 996xt for no service search and no WACN data?

 

[SCPD]

Frs and cb

Yea that is a bummer the split search section.. Special is still there I belive, but the loss of the HaM and Cb and FRS ... To UPMAN's point of having all this available in the database - it wouldn't be possible for HAM, And where the heck do you even begin to find FRS,CB

Yes this feature would be good if reinstated.

FRS and Cb are in Nationwide, before a and z in states


ham is simplex frequencies,Amateur repeaters are by county but the database is not good enough ,so you need search!

 

[LIScanner101]

Everybody who keeps suggesting "workarounds" are missing the much bigger point of these kinds of threads, which is:

Why did Uniden remove this feature to begin with?

Did they poll the scanning public?

Draw straws?

Flip a coin?

Personally I LOVE service search for hunting down frequencies and I'm sorry this is not included.

 

[Gilligan]

We need a Service Search Discovery mode. Example: Suppose you wanted to start and maintain a master list of used channels (including PL/DPL/NAC) in use for your area. Yes, you could always run search and then dig back through your recordings, but that would take a lot of effort. Instead, you should be able to select Service Search Discovery. Then you could search those ranges like Railroads, Marine, and Special (useful for the cheap business handhelds in use everywhere) in Discovery mode and it would log everything for you. If, for example, you left your radio in discovery mode in a busy shopping center. For conventional discovery, you have to select one range only. If they had a Service Search Discovery, you could essentially "search" that entire range of specific frequencies (which would be a ton of tiny ranges of frequencies) but only hit the ones that are commonly used in those 54-channel business radios that most retailers use. Consider how the maritime band is split up as well. I understand not implementing CB radio, but even ham discovery could help you to map out active repeaters much more quickly than you could with a simple conventional discovery.

 

[Gilligan]

Everybody who keeps suggesting "workarounds" are missing the much bigger point of these kinds of threads, which is:

Why did Uniden remove this feature to begin with?

Personally I LOVE service search for hunting down frequencies and I'm sorry this is not included.

I completely agree with this. How hard would it be to re-implement?

 

[del1964]

Everybody who keeps suggesting "workarounds" are missing the much bigger point of these kinds of threads, which is:



Why did Uniden remove this feature to begin with?



Did they poll the scanning public?



Draw straws?



Flip a coin?



Personally I LOVE service search for hunting down frequencies and I'm sorry this is not included.

. Well freakin Said!!

 

[del1964]

We need a Service Search Discovery mode. Example: Suppose you wanted to start and maintain a master list of used channels (including PL/DPL/NAC) in use for your area. Yes, you could always run search and then dig back through your recordings, but that would take a lot of effort. Instead, you should be able to select Service Search Discovery. Then you could search those ranges like Railroads, Marine, and Special (useful for the cheap business handhelds in use everywhere) in Discovery mode and it would log everything for you. If, for example, you left your radio in discovery mode in a busy shopping center. For conventional discovery, you have to select one range only. If they had a Service Search Discovery, you could essentially "search" that entire range of specific frequencies (which would be a ton of tiny ranges of frequencies) but only hit the ones that are commonly used in those 54-channel business radios that most retailers use. Consider how the maritime band is split up as well. I understand not implementing CB radio, but even ham discovery could help you to map out active repeaters much more quickly than you could with a simple conventional discovery.

Wow. Well thought out and great idea. Just hope some other manufacturer doesn't come up with all these missing features and I have to buy one of them and sell my new BCD436HP. I LIKE UNIDEN. Just hope they're taking notes to make the best scanner(s) ever. Someone will come up with a comparison chart of features and somebody is going to have some splainin to do. (Lucy)

 

[NWcom21]

This feature is essential for the average user and needs to be included in the next firmware update. I cannot tell you how many times I found HAM contacts on unlisted frequencies using my 996xt to scan the HAM bands with this feature. If this feature does not come back I am returning my 436 and getting another 996xt again.

I understand what UPman is saying, but that's simply not good enough. If they want to say this radio is the best, they better back that up with all the capabilities that made the last generation enjoyable to use. If whistler has this feature on their new hardware I will upgrade to that instead of downgrading to older Uniden hardware.

I cannot understand why they chose to take one of the most ideal "scanner" functions out of their new scanner.

 

[pratzert]

Add me to the list of people who really liked the Service Search function.

I hope Uniden will add the functionality back somehow.

 

[Jay911]

The "service search" concept is unique to certain parts of the world where particular agencies are the only occupants of a particular chunk of spectrum. Having a "public safety" service search for example is of little use when public safety is spread across all bands between 140-144, 148-174, 406-430, and 700/800 MHz - with commercial users intermixed everywhere in between. The local police here are on 155 MHz; they are bookended by two different fire departments. A few steps up in the spectrum is a commercial user. My fire department is on 413 MHz. "Right next door", spectrum-wise, is a telemetry signal from an oil refinery.

The data you're looking for by using a service search is found, as someone else has said, in the "Nationwide Systems" part of the database, anyway: RadioReference.com - Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference Database