New Functions for the BCDx36 Scanners

The BCDx36HP Series is inclusive of the handheld BCD436HP and the desktop/mobile BCD536HP. The series is a fusion of the Uniden Dynamic Memory Architecture of previous series' melding with the HP series. It's most prevalent feature from the fusion is the series now contains the Radio Reference Data Base (RRDB) on a SD card. The SD card also contains the programming software Sentinel (Uniden software), which is best software written by Uniden ever in their scanner line up, it free to download by any and all interested user, making it no longer necessary to purchase a Premium RadioReference.com subscription or expensive BUTEL software. Along with a standardized USB Mini-B port on both, with the semi-proprietary square port from prior BCD scanners on the BCD436HP for GPS, and a standard Serial port on the rear of the BCD536HP. This brings the Uniden up-to-date with its direct competitors the GRE PSR-800 and its sibling Whistler WS1080 & 1088 and Radio Shack Pro-668. The old 2 file layer system of the DMA architecture with System & Groups has been revamped to include a new file system above Systems making it a 3 layer file system FaVorites, Systems, Departments. As you can see Groups has gone bye bye in-favor of the HP series nomenclature on groups to be called DEPARTSMENTs; by the way not the only nomenclature to be changed, the centuries old LOCKOUT / L/O is now AVOID via the HP series. Also as previously noted, the use of USER-changeable SD cards, with the price of SD seemingly decreasing by half every year,it makes sense, but also makes the scanner more prone; to memory or data corruption, but Uniden no longer has to shell out the big bucks for Non-Volatile memory . Of particular note users are currently have what's called in the computer world as "File Limit", they are issues related to the amount of files to be saved, before a larger card is filled i.e 5Gb of a 16Gb card with between 55k and 65k files written before the BCDx36HP begin to show signs that the data may be corrupt and the scanner reboots itself. Better news, is the fact with the SD is you can Replay your listen sessions up-to 240 seconds clips and instantaneously Replay all that's captured, or you can Record all transmission until you move them to a Computer to play back, or in the scanner itself you can individually select which transmission you what to listen too, they are sorted by time and date stamping. There isn't any dead air time in the Recorded files unless there was an open carrier but with one caveat you can NOT use the instantaneous "Replay" while "Record"ing