Introduction of an OLD newbie

[bucks83]

Hello,
I did not see an "Introduction" thread so here goes, (please direct me if there is one I missed).
I'm new to RR but have been in various radio/electronics hobby and professional areas since Boy Scouts which is where I got the bug for electronics. A fellow scout had a ham license which is something I always wanted but just could not get the hang of the Morse code.

I did have a C-B but was discouraged by the "kids" frequent use of four letter words on air. I recently dug out my old Radio Shack PRO-28 Scanner and although there is much activity still on those analog frequencies, the REAL stuff is in digital. Unfortunately, I live in Bucks County which uses Encryption for police.

I just purchased an SDS100 Scanner and am now going cross eyed reading the manual.

Can anyone recommend a "start from the basics" guide ? It all looks like Greek to me, in fact Greek may be easier to understand.

 

[PGHSCANNERWACKER1]

Hello,
I did not see an "Introduction" thread so here goes, (please direct me if there is one I missed).
I'm new to RR but have been in various radio/electronics hobby and professional areas since Boy Scouts which is where I got the bug for electronics. A fellow scout had a ham license which is something I always wanted but just could not get the hang of the Morse code.

I did have a C-B but was discouraged by the "kids" frequent use of four letter words on air. I recently dug out my old Radio Shack PRO-28 Scanner and although there is much activity still on those analog frequencies, the REAL stuff is in digital. Unfortunately, I live in Bucks County which uses Encryption for police.

I just purchased an SDS100 Scanner and am now going cross eyed reading the manual.

Can anyone recommend a "start from the basics" guide ? It all looks like Greek to me, in fact Greek may be easier to understand.

i recommend going to youtube.com and look up uniden sds100 lotsof good information and some cool videos

 

[thescannerdude123]

I've found sites like this are great to learn the basics Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

 

[hiegtx]

Hello,
I did not see an "Introduction" thread so here goes, (please direct me if there is one I missed).
I'm new to RR but have been in various radio/electronics hobby and professional areas since Boy Scouts which is where I got the bug for electronics. A fellow scout had a ham license which is something I always wanted but just could not get the hang of the Morse code.

I did have a C-B but was discouraged by the "kids" frequent use of four letter words on air. I recently dug out my old Radio Shack PRO-28 Scanner and although there is much activity still on those analog frequencies, the REAL stuff is in digital. Unfortunately, I live in Bucks County which uses Encryption for police.

I just purchased an SDS100 Scanner and am now going cross eyed reading the manual.

Can anyone recommend a "start from the basics" guide ? It all looks like Greek to me, in fact Greek may be easier to understand.

Welcome to RadioReference.

Here's just a few of the videos on YouTube.

The SDS series scanners have several features (in programming) that are not present in the x36HP scanners. This would include a more detailed, customizable, display, the ability to utilize the site NAC code on trunked systems, and the filters that can be used to mitigate interference from other devices and systems. Past that, though, basic programming for the SDS scanners is the same as for the 436HP & 536HP. Multiple videos on those as well.

There are a number of relevant pages in the Wiki as well:

SDS100 - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

SDS100 and SDS200 FAQ Page - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Each Wiki page has links to other pages with additional content.

In addition to the 'Easier to Read Manual' page posted by scannerdude, I would suggest downloading the owner's manual, if you have not already.

http://www.uniden.info/download/ompdf/SDS100om.pdf

The advantage of using the downloaded manual, which is in a pdf format, is that you can use the Search feature to find details that are not always prominent in the index.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I live in Bucks County which uses Encryption for police.

Sadly seems to be the "new normal" these days as Berks and Montco have also done the same thing among others in the Delaware Valley. I'm sure Delco is next as they're taking bids to replace their antiquated analog T-band frequencies. Still plenty "in the clear" to listen to in the Philly area so don't let the "big-E" discourage you from spinning the knob and tuning around to discover things to hear. Welcome aboard & don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them

 

[trentbob]

Welcome to RR poster. I'm in the Bristol area, just so you know, we also just recently lost Burco police across the river and we just lost lost Amtrak police in Bucks County along the Northeast Corridor.

As far as Bucks County goes we do have the fire talk groups left. The EMS dispatch also. Eventually they will encrypt the hospital talk groups. Also tac1 to tac5 is in the clear for inner Ops but it is rarely used. Montco and Burco fire and EMS are all still available. Philly dispatch is still available but I rarely go to Philadelphia anymore as I'm sure you can understand.

RR it's a good site with lots of helpful members, plenty of people to answer your questions.... Bob.

 

[bucks83]

Thanks all. Yeah, this digital scanning thing is like learning a new language (or for me, learning Morse Code).

 

[maus92]

Please use a computer and Sentinel software to program your radio - it is much more efficient, and reduces the introduction of operator error - and it is easy. Trying to program it by hand like in the old days should be avoided - it will be an exercise in frustration. Also avoid trying to program every system and frequency possible into the radio. Start with just your local system / conventional stuff, then expand when you get more comfortable with how the radio works. You can easily add new systems later.