Uniden BCD 436 HP Charge Will Not Hold

[demonracer2youtube]

Hello all,

A few days ago my scanner died in the middle of the day when it typically can hold a charge from morning to the evening, so i figured it was time to get new batteries. after installing the new batteries, again the next day the radio died after only maybe 4 hours of use. I have not touched any settings on the radio and the charge time is set to the max and it always gets to a full charge before use. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thank you!

Mark

 

[hiegtx]

Hello all,

A few days ago my scanner died in the middle of the day when it typically can hold a charge from morning to the evening, so i figured it was time to get new batteries. after installing the new batteries, again the next day the radio died after only maybe 4 hours of use. I have not touched any settings on the radio and the charge time is set to the max and it always gets to a full charge before use. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thank you!

Mark

The charger circuit in the scanner is not a "smart" charger, it goes by time set only. It charges at a low enough rate that the batteries, even if already charged, would not overheat to a critical degree (assuming no battery defects). Since the batteries are connected in series, there is no way to ensure that each battery receives a full charge.

For longer battery run time, as well as battery life, you are better off using an external charger, one that can charge any combination of batteries, and that is a 'smart' charger that will not overcharge. There have been numerous threads on the subject.

That being said, which batteries are you using? Brand & capacity? I usethe Eneloop Pro batteries, which are a high capacity, and also low self discharge. Charged externally (I have multiple sets), I get 5 to six hours use in a high traffic metro area, so the scanner is stopping on something most of the time. If I take a regional trip (which I do at least once a month) into a more rural area, where radio traffic is much less common, the same batteries will last 10 or more hours.

I would also note that, with new batteries, it can take several charge/discharge cycles to reach their maximum capacity.

 

[demonracer2youtube]

Everything makes sense about the method of charging but other than a hardware malfunction, what would cause the unit to die faster being used in the same area, same hours, monitoring the Same channels with not one but two sets of different batteries out of the blue. Just does not make sense to me.

Mark

 

[KK4JUG]

Consider a separate charger. I (and a lot of others here) use the Maha MH-C9000. There are other good chargers out there, too. The MH-C900 is a multi-function charger that will care for your batteries. In some cases, it can revive old batteries. It's worth the money. Also, always use quality batteries, too. Do a search here and learn more about the charger.

 

[demonracer2youtube]

I will look into it, thank you. But again I've had no issues for my needs over the past year so I'm not sure what caused the change the past few days.

Mark

 

[buddrousa]

This is a copy and paste from UPMAN in Oct 2014.
Using the scanner, it takes about 12-14 hours to fully charge fully discharged batteries.
This is for the factory 436 batteries with the scanner turned off it only charges while the scanner is turned off.

 

[troymail]

I echo what Steve and others have already said (and asked) --

- use an external charger with at least two sets of batteries (one in use, one in the external charger)

- Eneloops I've found are very good at both holding charge and long life; there are different 'models' of these - Eneloop Pro 2550mAh the black ones are the best

Steve asked but I didn't see a response -- what type/brand/capacity (mAh) batteries were you using and what are you using now? I've seen a wide range of mAh ratings on rechargables - price can be indicative of lower ratings hence the lower cost

 

[marksmith]

Get a real charger.

Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others

 

[hiegtx]

This is a copy and paste from UPMAN in Oct 2014.
Using the scanner, it takes about 12-14 hours to fully charge fully discharged batteries.
This is for the factory 436 batteries with the scanner turned off it only charges while the scanner is turned off.

Thanks, Bud

I forgot to mention the "only charges when off".

 

[greggk]

FWIW, I use an OPUS 4 slot charger that takes different battery sizes at the same time and has numerous charge/discharge and conditioning functions. I also use Eneloop Batteries. The OP has not responded to the battery question, but I understand his dismay; what once worked no longer does. I'm curious as to what type of "new" batteries he bought. Greg.

(only 187 left)

 

[W4EMS]

To answer your question why now after a year, most likely you have one (or possibly more) batteries that have died and thus the circuit cannot reach operating voltage.
How to determine? As mentioned above the best solution is the MAHA charger which will properly charge your batteries and if one is bad it will show that too. Even with the Eneloop batteries occasionally one dies and no longer takes a charge. So you replace it on move on. But MAHA can often revitalize a "lazy" battery and get several more cycles. Would start with trying some new regular AA batteries to be sure radio battery circuit is ok.