Received my SDS100 a few weeks ago & it was preforming great, excellent reception w/o missing virtually any transmissions. Took it on a trip to another area & setup the local FD's using the zip code search feature & got excellent performance. Came back home, turned back on my FL list for my local area, now it's hit & miss reception. Signal strength bars all over the place while the scanner sits in one spot, missing transmissions (as compared to my G5,) seems like it lost it's great sensitivity. All I did was remove the antenna, pack in the suitcase & use the nationwide database. Could have removing & reinstalling the antenna somehow damaged the connector? I'm getting fair reception, but not great like before but had already switched to a 700 MHz antenna using the enclosed bnc adapter after I received the scanner. Thought it may be the antenna so switched back to the standard antenna supplied with the unit & no change in the now less than great reception. Any suggestions please?
SDS100/SDS200: Went from fantastic to mediocre
- Thread starter bdp278
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Did you fly and was the suitcase in the baggage hold? Not sure if an unpressurized hold would affect it.
You Know Reading thru some of the Other Posts on how Hot the Antenna area Gets & the Unit Itself --1 Says it was so Hot it made him Curse a Bit--Im Just Throwing this Out There Can it be that These Units are Getting so Hot Around the Antenna Connector the Heat is Causing a Solder Meltdow and Connector Movement to the Breaking Point Internally Off the PC Board ???
I'm more inclined to believe there is some issue w/ the antenna connector, a cold solder joint would cause enough resistance to damp a signal coming thru the antenna. Also the heat dissipation could be causing a yet to be discovered issue w/ the antenna connection area. Probably time to send to the repair facility while still under warranties.
JamesO
Member
Was the scanner used in close proximity of any transmitters?
LOL. One would hope so since 63/37 solder alloy goes liquidus at 361 degrees F. Ouch.
This may or not be related because I'm not sure how far of a trip you took, but did you put back in the zip code for your area when you returned home? I see that you mentioned you used the ZIP code on the trip when you got there and just wondered if maybe you had some entries that were going off of the zip code you left from when you got back home? Like I said, I don't know but that thought popped in my head as I was reading the original post...
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Liquidus
WoW..I had to Google that....Never heard that word before..I'm impressed..lol
Glad to see you Know Exactly What Solder the Manufacturer Used--lol--it was Just Something to Toss Out There-You Never Really Know what might happen especially with hi heat build up---there could have been a bad solder joint from day 1 and the twist of the antenna well pop goes the connector--i read some weird things that happened to radios and such on here
I've been inside several SDS100s, and they don't use any exotic low-temp solder--it appears to be a fairly standard tin-based alloy with a melting point in excess of 300C.
Also, the antenna connector isn't going to pop a solder joint from installing and removing an antenna. It's secured to a metal reinforcing bracket that also secures the scroll knob, and is secured to the circuit board with multiple screws:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!ApJIS-l4xqPtgvQM4uCDKs_1ZZhynw
Also, the antenna connector isn't going to pop a solder joint from installing and removing an antenna. It's secured to a metal reinforcing bracket that also secures the scroll knob, and is secured to the circuit board with multiple screws:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!ApJIS-l4xqPtgvQM4uCDKs_1ZZhynw
What is that smegma around the rotary encoder?
troymail
Silent Key
Obviously, check your programming really well is the place to start - including service types, quick keys, zip code, range, etc.
I took a trip to New Orleans and then on a cruise a few years back. When I returned to land in N.O., the radio was receiving very poorly (or so I thought). I fought with it and fought with it and then finally realized that I had made changes to the service types during the cruise.
Of course, it might be none of that... the radio could have been damaged in some way - hardware, other nearby transmitters, etc. Or it could be location and/or changes in environment (weather, leaves on the trees, etc.).
Of course, there is also the possibility that initially, it seemed like everything was great but over time, as you monitored and listened more closely, the reception wasn't as good as first thought (that also happened to me in the early days of the 436/536).
I took a trip to New Orleans and then on a cruise a few years back. When I returned to land in N.O., the radio was receiving very poorly (or so I thought). I fought with it and fought with it and then finally realized that I had made changes to the service types during the cruise.
Of course, it might be none of that... the radio could have been damaged in some way - hardware, other nearby transmitters, etc. Or it could be location and/or changes in environment (weather, leaves on the trees, etc.).
Of course, there is also the possibility that initially, it seemed like everything was great but over time, as you monitored and listened more closely, the reception wasn't as good as first thought (that also happened to me in the early days of the 436/536).
I thought of a programming issue, so I reloaded from my Sentinal program just to make sure I was using the same programming as previous. Was also packed within clothes in my suitcase, so it was cushioned and did not fly, just drove. Troymail I know it was performing much better before the trip, as I positioned it on my table next to my recliner, which totally killed the 436, and it kept up w/ my G5, I was totally amazed. Now, still works better than the 436 in that same spot on my table, but definitely misses more calls. Seems like it's constantly trying to lock in the data channels, gets there, catches a few calls, then my G5 is chattering & the SDS100 is silent. The signal strength bars used to show a constant 5 bars all the time, now shows 1-2 bars while scanning, then pops to 5 bars when as call comes thru. Perhaps something changed w/ the sites themselves.
troymail
Silent Key
Yes - very interesting... so many possibilities.
Have you tried different locations inside your house - and maybe walk outside and see if that makes a difference?
Curious - which system/sites are we talking about and where are you in relation to those sites?
What is the weather in your area currently? I only ask because I have some "fringe" reception of local non-simulcast sites in my area that is heavily affected by heavy rain....
Have you tried different locations inside your house - and maybe walk outside and see if that makes a difference?
Curious - which system/sites are we talking about and where are you in relation to those sites?
What is the weather in your area currently? I only ask because I have some "fringe" reception of local non-simulcast sites in my area that is heavily affected by heavy rain....
300C?? Typical lead-free solders (which would be used in the SDS100) don't even have a melting point that high. 217C-240C is the typical melting range for a lead-free solder. Do you have other information?
That's very possible. Are you certain your SDS100 is scanning the same towers as your Unication?
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What's with all the caps?
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