BCD436HP/536HP Legal, Safety & Warranty Notes

Summary: The important legal, safety, FCC and warranty information from the Uniden BCD436HP/BCD536HP manual, in plain English.

Scanning Legally

It’s legal to listen to almost every transmission the scanner can receive under US rules, but never intentionally listen to:

• Telephone conversations (cellular, cordless or other private telephone transmissions)
• Pager transmissions
• Scrambled or encrypted transmissions

Under the US Electronic Communications Privacy Act, intentionally listening to, using or divulging such conversations without a party’s consent can bring fines and possible imprisonment. The scanner can’t receive cellular frequencies or decode scrambled transmissions. Don’t open the case to modify it – doing so, or using the scanner in ways the manual doesn’t describe, could invalidate your warranty and, in the US, your FCC authorisation. Mobile and portable use can be unlawful or need a permit in some places, so check local law. It’s also illegal in many places to interfere with public safety officials by going to an incident scene without authorisation. In Canada a radio licence must be obtained before possessing or using the scanner.

If you’re outside North America, check your own country’s law, and remember the built-in database covers only the US and Canada.

General Precautions

• Earphones: use only a 32-ohm stereo headset. The output is mono but you hear it in both ears. Set the volume low before plugging in.
• Liquids: the scanner isn’t waterproof; keep it from rain and moisture.
• Power: always switch off before disconnecting external power. Turn the BCD536HP off before turning a vehicle’s ignition off, to avoid corrupting the microSD card.
• Vehicle installation: avoid airbag deployment zones and check what’s behind any surface you drill.
• Class-D warning (BCD536HP): never connect the Ext. SP or headphone jack to an external Class-D amplifier, or connect audio lines to a power supply and ground.
• Batteries (BCD436HP): never charge non-rechargeable batteries.

FCC and Industry Canada Notes

The equipment complies with the limits for a Class B digital device under Part 15 of the FCC Rules. If it interferes with radio or television, try reorienting or moving the antenna, increasing the separation, using a different outlet circuit, or asking a dealer or technician. The Wi-Fi antenna (BCD536HP) must be installed at least 7.8 inches (20 cm) from all persons and not operated with any other antenna or transmitter. The device also complies with Industry Canada licence-exempt RSS standards. Changes not approved by Uniden could void your authority to operate it. A French version of the manual is available from Uniden.

Patent Notice

The AMBE+2 voice coding technology in the scanner is protected by intellectual property rights of Digital Voice Systems, Inc., and is licensed solely for use within this equipment; users may not attempt to extract, remove, decompile or reverse engineer it.

Warranty

A one-year limited warranty applies to the original retail owner, with proof of purchase required. It’s invalid if the product is damaged or poorly maintained, modified, improperly installed, repaired by anyone other than an authorised Uniden service centre, used with non-Uniden equipment as part of a system, or installed or programmed other than as the guide describes. The warranty is void outside the United States. Warranty service is handled by Uniden America Corporation in Flower Mound, Texas; see uniden.com for current details.

About the Source Manual

This section is a condensed, reorganised guide based on Uniden’s BCD436HP/BCD536HP owner’s manual (2024 edition, copyright Uniden America Corporation). HomePatrol, Uniden, TrunkTracker and Close Call are trademarks of their respective owners; microSD is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. Your scanner’s display and menus may differ slightly with firmware version.