Uniden BCD436HP main firmware 1.28.14
=====================================

WHAT THIS IS
------------
Uniden BCD436HP main firmware 1.28.14. A housekeeping release to accommodate
revised BCD436HP hardware, with no functional change from 1.26.00. Uniden
posted the file in June 2024 as a downgrade path for owners returning from
1.28.15.

Uniden's BCD436HP change log dates 1.28.14 to 25 June 2021: "Housekeeping
update to accommodate revised hardware - No functional change from 1.26.00."
The next release, 1.28.15 (12 June 2024), fixed several NXDN decoding problems
and the P25 Phase 2 NAC and Unit ID displays. Note that the BCD436HP change
log has no 1.28.16; the 171-174 MHz fix published as BCD536HP 1.28.16 has no
separate BCD436HP entry.

Uniden attached this zip to its BCD436HP firmware page on 13 June 2024 with a
Readme that begins "To downgrade to 1.28.14", i.e. as a way back for owners
who had problems with the June 2024 release.

APPLIES TO
----------
The Uniden BCD436HP only. The file is model-specific: do not copy it to a
BCD536HP, 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, or charged batteries
  plus USB 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
  1.28.14 on purpose.

CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
--------------------
- BCD436HP_V1_28_14.zip (2,164,564 bytes), the unmodified Uniden
  file. SHA-256:
  4da27179b805ee2c90745ba0ee416e381c737348c84fa072178ab56029bd66a7
  It contains:
    BCD436HP_V1_28_14.bin  (2,162,688 bytes, dated 2024-06-13)
    Readme BCD436HP V1_28_14.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 1.28.14.

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: BCD436HP_V1_28_14.zip
- Downloaded from:
  https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/BCD436HPFirmwareUpdate/BCD436HP_V1_28_14.zip
- Retrieved: 2026-09-18
- Official page:
  https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/BCD436HPFirmwareUpdate
- 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
