As most here are going to tell you - the "scratching clicking noise" is almost certainly not related to the firmware being corrupted.
Start with a fresh SD card. Properly format it and use Sentinel's clear user data function to initialize the card. Check functionality. If you are damn lucky, this will be it.
Other wise, chances are, you radio is going on a trip to Uniden......
The scanners CPU clock pulse is only heard when the radio is stuck in whatever malfunction is happening that will not allow it to receive and I have to turn the volume up almost all the way to hear it so not really a big deal since when it is functioning normally it is not heard.. I have reformatted and re initialized the original micro SD card several times and also tried a couple of 16gig cards that are spares for my HD camera.. The scanners firmware most likely does not reside on the SD card with the scan data so without the reflash function built into the Sentinel software or available to do it low level then it will be getting boxed up for a trip.. I guess I will call Tech support in the morning if no other things are suggested here that I have not tried.. 73
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Any time that any of the SD card type scanners start doing strange things, always suspect and eliminate the SD card as the problem first. In a very large amount of instances, the SD card turns out to be the problem.
There is no hidden menu item for forcing reinstall of firmware.
I did try reinitializing the SD card and tried others so it is either firmware corruption or a hardware failure..
another thing to get is a battery backup, even a small one would help.
Got that covered since it is connected to a 420a 52v battery bank that runs an Outback Radian inverter pushing 120vac into a TripLite 50a 12.8vdc switching power supply.. I am an Amateur radio General class operator with years of experience with electronics including board level component troubleshooting.. Yes a backup power supply even if it is an 8 amp gel cell and a trickle charger to be able to hear what is going on when the power goes off is an excellent idea..
Were those power events anything to do with lightning strikes?
No , just wind storm causing the commercial power to fluctuate in voltage and frequency while my Outback Radian inverter was in grid share.. Normally I go isolated during bad weather and the system normally can compensate even if I don't but there must have been something with a high current draw running during the fluctuations.. The TripLite power supply also has fairly large filtering and spike protection and I run a multiband patch antenna that is inside the house.. So a spike would be the least likely and a voltage dip during a crash reboot would seem the most likely.. I can get it to hear the NWS 162.550 broadcast just fine once in a while but nothing P25..
You might also try to do a Weather Scan just to see what happens. Those are simple analog frequencies that make good diagnostic tests. If you do not receive at least one its time to think about sending it to Uniden.
Yes I get a NWS broadcast but I have to play with the power switch and plug to get that to happen which was what I was doing to get the P25 Ohio MARCS system when this all started a few weeks ago.. When I do get NWS 162.550 it it is full scale and clear in its robotic voice.. Tried several antennas all with same results.. From experience and gut instinct I can be pretty sure it is a higher probability that the firmware is corrupted and the low end being a memory controller/board memory or the CPU.. I have a signal generator that goes to 230mhz but nothing to chirp at 800mhz to test the receivers front end up there.. But it seems to have issues everywhere so.....
I did figure out how to reset the firmware but still no function.. I will be on the phone with tech. support in the morning..
