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Firmware · 2022-07-13

Uniden BCD536HP main firmware 1.28.16

Verified — manufacturer file

Download zip (2.1 MB) Manufacturer's page ↗

Fixes newer-production BCD536HP units that could not decode digital signals between 171.2250 and 173.9875 MHz. Uniden posted this file in June 2024 as a downgrade path for owners who wanted to return from 1.28.17.

Read before installing. Superseded by 1.28.17 (2024-06-12) and 1.28.24 (2025-03-24), both delivered only through Sentinel. Copy only one firmware file to the card at a time.
Product
BCD536HP main firmware
Version
1.28.16
Released
2022-07-13
Runs on
BCD536HP (file copied to the microSD card)
Applies to
Uniden BCD536HP / BCD436HP
Zip SHA-256
350cd2dbf8e1b08afe799fb8a4e4f754238ddf711ca0a1d199d67261c05bef3f

Contents

FileSizeSHA-256
BCD536HP_V1_28_16.zip2.1 MBec1b478ec6bda82897d4e0177341a1c66d02091ba95189eff7587c924dcb8f1c
README.txtThese instructions
SHA256SUMSChecksums of the files above

Instructions

The complete README.txt included in the zip:

Uniden BCD536HP main firmware 1.28.16
=====================================

WHAT THIS IS
------------
Uniden BCD536HP main firmware 1.28.16. Fixes newer-production BCD536HP units
that could not decode digital signals between 171.2250 and 173.9875 MHz.
Uniden posted this file in June 2024 as a downgrade path for owners who wanted
to return from 1.28.17.

Uniden's change log dates 1.28.16 to 13 July 2022: "Fixed an issue where the
new radio hardware could not decode digital communications in the frequency
range of 171.2250 - 173.9875MHz." The previous release, 1.28.14 (25 June
2021), was a housekeeping update for revised hardware with no functional
change from 1.26.00. The next, 1.28.17 (12 June 2024), fixed several NXDN
decoding problems and the P25 Phase 2 NAC and Unit ID displays.

Uniden attached this zip to its BCD536HP firmware page on 13 June 2024 with a
Readme that begins "To downgrade to 1.28.16", i.e. as a way back for owners
who had problems with the June 2024 release.

APPLIES TO
----------
The Uniden BCD536HP only. The file is model-specific: do not copy it to a
BCD436HP, whose firmware file carries its own model name. Both current and
revised hardware: Uniden's notes name no hardware revision that must not use
it.

BEFORE STARTING
---------------
- A Windows PC and the scanner's USB cable in the front mini-USB port (or a
  microSD card reader).
- External power connected (AC adapter or vehicle power).
- A backup of the whole microSD card and of the Favorites Lists.
- The normal way to update is Sentinel (UPDATE > Update Firmware), which
  installs the newest release, 1.28.24. Use this file only to return to
  1.28.16 on purpose.

CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
- BCD536HP_V1_28_16.zip (2,164,564 bytes), the unmodified Uniden
  file. SHA-256:
  ec1b478ec6bda82897d4e0177341a1c66d02091ba95189eff7587c924dcb8f1c
  It contains:
    BCD536HP_V1_28_16.bin  (2,162,688 bytes, dated 2024-06-13)
    Readme BCD536HP V1_28_16.txt  (2,052 bytes, dated 2024-06-13)
- README.txt, this file.
- SHA256SUMS, SHA-256 checksums of the files in this zip.

INSTALLATION
------------
1. Connect external power and back up the microSD card (copy its whole
   contents to the PC); also save the Favorites Lists in Sentinel.
2. Turn the scanner on and connect it to the PC with the USB cable. The screen
   shows "USB Cable Detected / Select USB mode"; press E to choose Mass
   Storage. The screen then shows "USB Mass Storage".
3. In Windows Explorer, open the removable disk labelled BCDx36HP, then the
   "firmware" folder inside it. It already holds two .dat files
   (CitiTable_V00_00.dat and ZipTable_V00_00.dat). Do not touch them.
4. Copy the one firmware .bin file from this zip into the "firmware" folder.
   Never put two main-firmware files there at the same time.
5. Disconnect the USB cable and cycle the power. The update starts on its own.
   Do not turn the scanner off until it finishes.
6. When the update completes the scanner deletes the .bin file from the
   "firmware" folder.

Steps 2 to 6 follow the Readme text Uniden ships inside its 1.28.14 and
1.28.16 downgrade zips, and the scanner step on Uniden's BCD536HP Wi-Fi Test
page ("copy it to the FIRMWARE directory on your scanner. Unplug the USB
cable"). The same steps work with the card in a PC card reader: copy the file
to the card's BCDx36HP\firmware folder, put the card back, and power on.

VERIFYING
---------
On the scanner, go to Menu > Settings > See Scanner Information > Firmware
Version. The screen shows the installed firmware version, the serial number
(ESN) and a checksum. It should read 1.28.16.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
-----------------------
- If the update does not start, check that only one main-firmware .bin file is
  in the "firmware" folder; Uniden's notes say that with more than one file
  the update will not start or will not load correctly.
- If the two .dat files in the "firmware" folder were deleted, the scanner
  will not start properly. Sentinel's Clear User Data restores them but erases
  all user data on the card; restore Favorites Lists afterwards with Scanner >
  Write to Scanner.
- If the card is corrupted, format it with the SD Association's SD Memory Card
  Formatter, run Clear User Data in Sentinel (tick Display all drives), then
  Update Firmware.
- Cutting power while the card is being written can corrupt it. Keep external
  power connected for the whole update.
- Uniden's firmware page warns: "ONLY use Sentinel to upgrade firmware. Some
  users have rendered their scanners non-functional using other update
  methods." A manual file copy is at the user's own risk; Uniden's own
  downgrade notes say it accepts no responsibility for damage.

DOWNGRADING
-----------
This file is itself Uniden's downgrade package. To move forward again, run
Sentinel's UPDATE > Update Firmware, which installs the newest release.

PROVENANCE
----------
- File: BCD536HP_V1_28_16.zip
- Downloaded from:
  https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate/BCD536HP_V1_28_16.zip
- Retrieved: 2026-09-18
- Official page:
  https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate
- Status: verified (the file was served by Uniden's own server and is
  byte-for-byte unmodified)

MORE INFORMATION
----------------
- BCD536HP Upgrades & Firmware (vol. 5):
  https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-bcd536hp/vol-5/
- BCD436HP/BCD536HP Owner's Manual in the Reference Library:
  https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/library/uniden-bcd536hp-owners-manual/
- All BCD536HP documents:
  https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/library?node=scanners/uniden-bcd536hp
- Uniden BCD536HP firmware change log:
  https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate
- Uniden BCD436HP firmware change log:
  https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD436HPFirmwareUpdate

Other versions of BCD536HP main firmware

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