100 vs 200 in mobile environment

[BoxAlarm187]

Hey folks...

Looking for some first-person feedback from those who spend as much time in the car as I do and may have had a chance to use the 100 and/or 200 in a mobile application.

Background: I've been scanning since the late 1980's, and haven't owned a handheld scanner in 20+ years - I use base/mobile units in the car and in my shack. I've recently purchased a 2019 Durango, and while I could purchase a Havis console to replace the center console so I can drop in a SDS200 and a couple of XPR's, I'd like to explore the idea of using a SDS100 and saving some time and money.

What are others experiences with the SDS100 in the car - audio, GPS reliability, long-term power for hours-long trips, etc?

Thanks!

 

[RBMTS]

Hey there! Long time no talk to. I miss Virginia.

I have both. Hopefully these comments will help.

SDS200 Positives
Larger display - easier to read when glancing during driving.
Better audio (IMHO). The audio is louder and a bit deeper due to the larger speaker. It also seems to sound better if you connect via BT device and pushing audio through you vehicle stereo.
Easier keyboard to use when mobile.
If you plan to use GPS, the GPS antenna is a small box that you can easily velcro to the case or remote.
The only negative I would say is that the speaker is bottom firing so that can be a problem depending on how you mount it or set it on a seat.

SDS100 Positives
Much smaller and easily placed in holders (like a vent mount).
Easier to put into locations that make it easier to view and operate.
Unplug and carry it with you. Especially convenient if your car is parked outside in public places and you want to hide it.
Very convenient to use if you want to move from vehicle to vehicle (which is the main reason I purchased the 100).

SDS100 Negatives
The starndard GPS setup requires a separate antenna, a cable that attaches to the radio and power (or interface box on newer Uniden packages).
The option is to send it to a could of the members on the board here that can put an internal GPS in.
Lower audio and small speaker. A bit tinny (IMHO). It isn't the best for a noisy mobile environment.

Some people may take exception to my comments. Again these are just my opinions.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Hey there! Long time no talk to. I miss Virginia.

Great to hear from you as well. This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for, I really appreciate it.

 

[iMONITOR]

Simulcast was never a big problem at my home base and just about any P25 scanner does very well. Although I'll admit I finally gave in and bought a SDS200. Simulcast has always been a problem for my area while driving. I haven't put the SDS200 on the road because I have no where to mount it and I don't want to damage it. How does the SDS100 perform in problematic area while driving?

 

[hiegtx]

Simulcast was never a big problem at my home base and just about any P25 scanner does very well. Although I'll admit I finally gave in and bought a SDS200. Simulcast has always been a problem for my area while driving. I haven't put the SDS200 on the road because I have no where to mount it and I don't want to damage it. How does the SDS100 perform in problematic area while driving?

While I don't have simulcast issues at home (for the time being), I often do travel to and/or through areas where simulcast is an issue. The SDS100 has no problems in any of the areas I go, but if I also have my 436HP, it will have problems and miss some calls in the heavy simulcast locations. The 325P2 has more problems than the 436HP, and in my experience, the TRX-1 is worse than the 325P2. When I first received the SDS100, I made it a point to test it in areas locally where simulcast problems were most noted either down in the Texas forum, or on the local metro area scan group.

 

[IndyScan]

I've been using my SDS100 mobile quite a bit. Agree with everything thats been said thus far. The GPS setup is a little clumsy but it works. I ended up digging out one of my old GE mobile speakers I used with my Ham equipment back in the day & it makes a big difference. Using a powered speaker would probably work better & I'm going to try using either a BT Dongle or a line in cable to run it through the stereo (just for giggles).

Unfortunately my mounting options are slim so I've been using the cup-holder until I can get something 3D printed for testing. Vent Mounts don't work very well. They are vertical & at odd angles (Subaru). I have a lot of simulcasting in the area & it's never been an issue.

 

[ofd8001]

I'm not a fun of using a portable in a mobile environment, though financial considerations can be the deciding factor. The reception is degraded for remote systems, so an external antenna is needed. Then, road noise, especially at highway speeds is challenging, so an external speaker is helpful. By the time you add a charging cable and GPS cabling, that is a lot of wire spaghetti.

 

[trap5858]

I use the LIDO mounting bracket https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-009321 shown here in my car (Subaru Forester) and it works quite well, very sturdy and can be positioned for visibility

 

[IndyScan]

I'll check out the LIDO mount, thanks for this!

 

[trap5858]

They make a variety of adapters to hold different radios. It works very well and easy to install

 

[APX8000]

Get the 200 and the Havis console for the Durango and fill it up with toys. Don’t forgot to drill holes in the roof too. A coworker just got a brand new Durango for work and has an SDS-200 and APX8500 in it. Looks damn sexy in my opinion.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Get the 200 and the Havis console for the Durango and fill it up with toys. Don’t forgot to drill holes in the roof too.

I do some fleet management, so I've recently placed two SSV Durangos in service with full Havis consoles, the install was one of the cleanest I've done in quite some time. I just really like the OEM console, but I'm not so attached to it that I couldn't take it out.

 

[jonwienke]

The SDS200 has a larger display and more audio volume, but the SDS100 will fit in smaller spaces and has a battery backup to keep the scanner running when you start the vehicle. If your vehicle is noisy, the SDS200 is the best option. If space is at a premium, get thte SDS100. RF performance is pretty similar.

I like the RAM finger grip mount for the SDS100.

 

[ShyFlyer]

I have the SDS100 mounted in my Mazda CX5. Previously, it was the 436. There is simply no way to mount the SDS200 without a true remote head.

Having a portable, external speakers are a must. I had been using the Uniden BC23A which is an excellent speaker, but presents an issue (depending on how many 12v power ports you have) if you don't want to wire it in directly to the vehicle's power. I replaced it with a pair of USB powered computer speakers. The goal was to power both the speakers and the scanner off of the same USB 12v adapter, but there wasn't quite enough power. Audio wise, though, these little things do quite a good job. On par with Uniden's speaker but far less wiring to deal with and easier to mount due to their size.

As far as GPS goes, I haven't had any sort of issues. I had the 436 modified by jonwienke with an internal chip and it performed very well inside a vehicle. For the SDS, I'm using the BC-UTGC cable with a GlobalSat BR-355S4 puck. The puck is tucked in under the passenger seat and I've never experienced a loss of sat lock that would effect my scanning. So glad I got that before the BC-SGPS was the only option.

Still, it's a bunch of wires.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

Still, it's a bunch of wires.

Excellent, many thanks. This is some of the real-world talk that helps. The amount of wires is a concern to me, I've always been particular (to a fault) about clean mobile installs.

 

[doctorbubba010]

What antenna are you rocking for mobile mounts. NMO preference. I’d like to monitor Palmetto 800 P25

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/antennas-191/mobile-antennas-192/monitor-scanner-205/

 

[pb_lonny]

I have pretty much always ran handhelds, always worked well for me.

 

[buddrousa]

I am running 2 SDS100's 1 436hp 1 325p2 and a TRX-1 Mobile and they all share the same antenna 8 port stridsberg each doing something different and all work great.

 

[doctorbubba010]

Oh man! @buddrousa you must share pictures of your setup! What are you using to do so? A triplexer. Very curious on your rig. Sounds like a very serious set up.

 

[buddrousa]

This is my home setup 21 ports all from the same antenna.

https://forums.radioreference.com/data/xfmg/thumbnail/0/138-45dd20641ee72cfe37cb82a9ca5fc397.jpg?1557192907