Liking my new DV10 much more than my SDS-100

[CheezWiz]

I just picked up a DV10 via eBay, straight from Japan, and I am loving it.

My locale was slow to adopt digital, so I had been using my Pro-34 that I had modded with every Cheek upgrade available since I bought it in the early '90s.
I finally upgraded to an SDS-100 a couple of years ago, and I was unimpressed. The fact that I am constantly having to crank the volume up and down with every transmission, combined with how garbled and modulated everyone's sounds are, means I just find listening to be more of a chore than fun. So I have only been turning it on when crazy stuff was happening, and only ever able to get a basic gist of what was happening because of the issues noted above.

Well, I had always wanted to own an AOR scanner and decided to give the DV10 a try. WOW! What a difference! I am NOT having to crank the volume up and down anymore, AND I can understand what people are saying! Even my wife immediately noticed and said, "Hey, I can actually understand what they are saying."

So now the first bad, it sucks down the batteries quickly and there is no extended pack option available. Ok, so I have to keep extras around.. at least I am enjoying having it turned on. We do not have any trunking in my area, so hopefully this one will work for me for a while.

Is my experience typical? Is the SDS-100 just generally an expensive POS?

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Is my experience typical? Is the SDS-100 just generally an expensive POS?

Welcome to the RR forums. I see you're new here but if you take the time to search the Uniden forums you'll unearth many testimonials, mostly positive & some negative about the SDS100. Now where it and its base equivalent the SDS200 really shine is with mitigating the effects of simulcast distortion which can be an issue with trunked as well as conventional P25 & other digital modes. Being that I own both the SDS100 and the AR-DV10 it's not necessarily an "apples to apples" comparison, they're two different classes of receiver. And while I agree the internal speaker on the SDS100 lacks the volume output of the DV10 there are other areas where the SDS100 has a leading edge over the DV10, the former not experiencing the well documented frequency drifting issues the DV10 has (or had?). And while the DV10's coverage of the extra voice modes that the SDSx00s don't cover (D-Star, YSF, Tetra, etc) is nice, it's definitely not a necessity for most hobbyists' scanning needs. Both receivers have their place in my arsenal of radios but I and many others here certainly wouldn't call the SDS100 a "POS", quite the opposite actually. Expensive? Yes, definitely. But that really isn't a valid argument in the DV10's favor as it is about double the price of the SDS100 here in the states

 

[kc2asb]

Is my experience typical? Is the SDS-100 just generally an expensive POS?

The DV-10 is well-suited to your needs and that makes it worth what you paid for it.

We all have different monitoring requirements, locations, and setups. What works for one may not work for another, leading that individual to label a particular radio a POS. Both radios have their legions of fans, and as @Whiskey3JMC stated, the SDS100 is definitely not a "POS".

I own a number of Uniden scanners and an AOR AR-5000, and like them all. Both companies have had their share of winners and losers over the years too.

Hang on to that SDS100! If they start using trunking in your area (especially simulcast), your opinion on it could change!

 

[CheezWiz]

My biggest issue with the Uniden is how garbled everyone sounds. People are shocked at how different the two sound side-by-side. On the Uniden, everyone sounds like they are talking through a very badly autotuned mic. Or they sound like they are running through a voice processor to make them sound like robots. So, for me personally, it completely fails for its intended purpose.. Of course, that is only for DMR signals, which everyone around here has gone to. It sounds great for analog stuff like Air-Band or Ham bands. I do like the fact that I can take it anywhere and punch in a zip code and start listening locally, but again, the inability to understand the conversations is key.

My second biggest issue is the lack of any AGC. One transmission will be whisper quiet while the next is so loud, it sounds like it is going to damage the speaker. So I am constantly having to reach for the volume knob. It is like practicing to be a fast draw. I feel like I need to have Annie Oakley reflexes to use the thing when the airwaves are active.

I am a ham, so I had already started playing with DMR stuff before they moved to it around here, and the various DMR radios I have had are also plagued with the same volume issue. Initially, I had hoped to use a dual-band ham rig as a scanner for the local stuff, but that volume issue made it unworkable. The SDS-100 was an impulse buy at a great deal price, and I just assumed that it would have AGC. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

Is the garbled audio on the SDS-100 a me thing? Are there some settings I need to dive into that can affect the digital audio demodulation is such a way?

 

[trentbob]

Is my experience typical? Is the SDS-100 just generally an expensive POS?

No, no it's not but I can understand, your interpretation and experience, of the situation. Without going into detail, yes you might have a superior receiver.

Unless you knew the capabilities and compatibilities and the nuances of the SDS series. Mastered it's operation.. you would never respond the way you did. No foul, no harm. I understand.

You are comparing apples to bowling balls.

If you owned a Uniden x-36, and was very familiar and experience with the SDS series and it's capabilities you would realize it's potential.

I hope you give it time to read things written by people like me and many many others and realize, even as a net, to catch stuff, what a great addition to your capabilities.

If I could suggest, sell it.. sounds like it hasn't been used much.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

My biggest issue with the Uniden is how garbled everyone sounds.

Is the garbled audio on the SDS-100 a me thing? Are there some settings I need to dive into that can affect the digital audio demodulation is such a way?

I've never had an issue with garbling audio on my SDS100 unless I'm on the outer fringes of system coverage. Are you running the latest firmware? There were a number of filter & signal decode improvements made within the past few years. Aside from firmware there are ways you can try and mitigate this if you have a reliable signal. Experiment with different filter settings, there's no cookie cutter setting perfect for everyone so you'll need to experiment to find the one best for you. With that said, personally I find the Invert filter best for bringing in more distant stations.

Have a look at the easier to read manual for more info about the scanner & its settings

 

[dkcorlfla]

Something that I have noticed that might be of interest is all the ham dmr sounds poor to me. The Comercial dmr is a lot better. Might it have something to do with poorly setup CCRs vs professional Motorola radios?

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Something that I have noticed that might be of interest is all the ham dmr sounds poor to me. The Comercial dmr is a lot better. Might it have something to do with poorly setup CCRs vs professional Motorola radios?

Could be...

 

[kc2asb]

Something that I have noticed that might be of interest is all the ham dmr sounds poor to me. The Comercial dmr is a lot better. Might it have something to do with poorly setup CCRs vs professional Motorola radios?

I've always preferred the sound of analog comms over digital. (have a 996T,536HP,996P2) However, I've read on these forums that there is no comparison to how digital modes sound on a professional grade radio like a Motorola vs the hobbyist radios we use. Of course, it's also possible there are settings I need to tweak in my own radios.

 

[trentbob]

I've never had an issue with garbling audio on my SDS100 unless I'm on the outer fringes of system coverage. Are you running the latest firmware? There were a number of filter & signal decode improvements made within the past few years. Aside from firmware there are ways you can try and mitigate this if you have a reliable signal. Experiment with different filter settings, there's no cookie cutter setting perfect for everyone so you'll need to experiment to find the one best for you. With that said, personally I find the Invert filter best for bringing in more distant stations.

Have a look at the easier to read manual for more info about the scanner & its settings

You know I have had some rare instances of garbled digitally transmissions on my SDS radios, just about the same amount as I have had on my apx-7000😅

 

[K9KLC]

Something that I have noticed that might be of interest is all the ham dmr sounds poor to me. The Comercial dmr is a lot better. Might it have something to do with poorly setup CCRs vs professional Motorola radios?

Yep several of us use Motorolas on the ham bands and simplex and thru a DMR repeater it's great. The minute we switch to a talk group where every Tom, Dick, and Harry are in there with a hodgepodge of radios, it goes downhill from there.

 

[EAFrizzle]

The only times I've had any garbled audio come from one of my SDS scanners is when it occasionally passes encrypted audio.

They're both remarkably clear on normal audio, analog and digital. They're the cure for simulcast distortion and spotty digital reception.

I'm not impressed at all with their performance on VHF analog; it's something that should have been addressed in the scanners development. Fortunately, that can be dealt with cheaply and easily.

 

[K9KLC]

Is the garbled audio on the SDS-100 a me thing?

What exactly is garbled? Which modes are you listening to that this is happening? I was fortunate enough to get to test a SDS 100 for a bit and I never actually heard any garbled audio on it. As far as some being louder than others, yes, that happens. I'm just curious as to if this was FM or a digital mode or what you heard this sound on you're mentioning?

 

[CheezWiz]

What exactly is garbled?

All of the local emergency services went to DMR. So it is the Sheriff/Police/EMS DMR decoding that sounds like a Daft Punk robot singing a song. The AOR scanner decodes the same stuff nicely and clearly. It is not encrypted communications, as I can make out some words. But it sounds like they are all using Autotune on the input side, trying to be Hip Hop stars. I can make out female from male and get some words here and there, but combine the robot effect with stuffing their mouths full of marbles, and that is what it sounds like most of the time.

These forums are full of a lot of info, so I think I will delve deeper into the SDS-100's settings and see if anything can make it better.
I do have hearing issues, but the audiologist says it is what any typical 53-year-old should expect, but my wife tends to disagree. I am to the point that I have to turn on CC on the TV for a lot of British shows, as the accent makes them sound like they are mumbling.

Experiment with different filter settings, there's no cookie cutter setting perfect for everyone so you'll need to experiment to find the one best for you.

I will definitely give that a shot and see what I can do!

f I could suggest, sell it

As for getting rid of it, that would never happen. I am a radio hoarder. I still use my Standard C-168A as my primary 2-meter radio, which was my first rig after my ticket in 1990. My other primary radio is an Alinco dual-band DJ-G5T. I also still have my first shortwave radio, a Shack DX-360 from 1985.. lol.. I'm a mess.

 

[Ubbe]

it completely fails for its intended purpose.. Of course, that is only for DMR signals, which everyone around here has gone to. It sounds great for analog stuff like Air-Band or Ham bands. I

My second biggest issue is the lack of any AGC. One transmission will be whisper quiet while the next is so loud, it sounds like it is going to damage the speaker.

Uniden scanners have a history of not doing DMR decoding properly. You instantly hear the difference if you listen to the same system using DSD or similar PC programs, or a proper DMR radio. It's tiny speaker with limited frequency response and dynamic range also doesn't help.

For the SDS100 you have RF issues that it overloads easily and are sensitive to interference that requires you to fiddle with its many filter settings. In some locations it can be impossible to use a SDS scanner. But for monitoring simulcast systems using a portable scanner there really isn't any other option.

Why Unidens SDS scanners doesn't have any internal audio AGC feature are a mystery. It's needed in any radio communication if monitoring different systems or even different talk groups.

A DV10 are a bit too much money for what it can do and AOR seems to not listen to its users and there are often firmware bugs in their scanners. But I'm glad that you enjoy yours.

/Ubbe

 

[K9KLC]

All of the local emergency services went to DMR

Ok thanks for taking the time to respond. As far as DMR, (I guess I'm a hoarder too) I usually use DMR radios for DMR. I've got a scanner that will decode DMR as well as 2 Unication Pagers that both do DMR but truthfully I got to the point I just started using my /\/\ DMR radios when I was in the mood to listen to the couple of agencies in my area that use it still, as well as for ham stuff. For my P-25 trunking it's the Unications and for analog two other scanners plus a plethora of ham radios the receive those just fine.

Nice purchase on the AOR, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's a little pricy for me for just a receiver at the moment but man that things sure check a LOT of the boxes.

 

[serial14]

So, I don't have a SDS100, but I have a SDS200 and 536HP. I have noticed that sometimes DMR traffic sounds a little weird. Even P25 traffic from time to time sounds weird. The adjective I'd choose is "warbly". Sometimes I know that its due to a low SNR signal, but it does happen for me on large SNR systems/signals as well.

The biggest improvement for me though has simply been using an external speaker for the radio instead of using the built in speaker. That really helps my ears and brain actually understand whats being said. I also pass the audio through an external audio compressor to normalize the audio level.

I'll also agree that DMR sounds best on my Motorola DMR radio(s) compared to the other options. But, each radio has their purpose, strengths, and fun points. I am glad to hear you're enjoying your AOR. I don't have a DV-1 or DV-10, but do enjoy my AR8600 for the strengths it has as a communication's receiver. I'd enjoy getting an AOR that can do DV sometime in the future I think.

 

[W4KRR]

I have both the AR-DV10 and the Uniden SDS-100. Each one has its own purpose.

The DV10 has more modes and wider frequency coverage, but it doesn't do any form of trunking. And P-25 decoding quality isn't the best, and I don't care for the menu system. DMR decode is fine (to me) on both radios. But if I could only have one, it would have to be the SDS-100. I would never describe it as an expensive "POS".

 

[IC-R20]

Does AOR DV10 still have that drift issue thing where It was like 3KHz off frequency on a lot of units?

 

[W4KRR]

Does AOR DV10 still have that drift issue thing where It was like 3KHz off frequency on a lot of units?

I haven't noticed any drift with mine. Mine is a newer firmware version than the original units.