SDS-200 Speaker Noise Again like the 536HP

Does you SDS200 have the hum noise?

  • The noise is unbearable. I'm returning my unit.

    Votes: 25 19.8%
  • The noise is noticeable but tolerable. I'm keeping the unit.

    Votes: 49 38.9%
  • No noise at all. It sounds perfectly fine.

    Votes: 52 41.3%

  • Total voters
    126
  • Poll closed .
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allend

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Talked to an eBay seller today. Says he has sold over 60 units without any customer complaints.

Of course that's the answer from a seller to a potential buyer is going to be told. Sellers are not going to get on a forum and say don't buy radio's from us because there is a hardware problem with our radios. The real answer get put out on this forum of people that have already bought these radios and is going to give you the raw honest truth.
 

Peerlessk

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With the noise being associated to grounding (99%) sure . I can see this as a QC issue . Just my opinion . Still dead silent here btw
 

escortz28

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Unpacked and setup two SDS-200's today, both have the noise; S/N 880016xx and 880010xx. The noise was present with the firmware out-of-the-box as well as after upgrading to the latest firmware release. Present with the OEM microSDHC memory cards as well as with Samsung EVO Select 32GB memory cards. Noise is always present while the scanners are powered on (even with every thing else off in the shack). Both 200's powered via the supplied DC cables to an Astron linear power supply; orange lead open (makes no difference if connected to 13.8 VDC or open). I can clearly hear the noise at distance of approximately three feet (sitting position to external speakers, one at ear level and the second slightly above ear level). I am using the Uniden BC20 external speakers with each SDS-200. With PC (about same distance from sitting position, located on the floor) on/fan running it masks out the noise unless I am within several inches of the speaker. I have two BCD536HPs and neither exhibited this noise.

I also believe a hardware design issue of digital noise coupling - I am an Electrical Engineer of 39 years, spent part of my career designing RF communication products. I've spent my entire career in product development, primarily in new product development with some life cycle engineering. I've taken quite a few products through performance and safety testing. I just departed a medical device engineering company I co-founded three years and started two new engineering companies this month (one product based, one consulting based).

This noise issue is an annoyance, and personally I find disappointing in a flagship commercial consumer product. Rarely am I just in the shack listening only to a scanner(s). I am usually doing other activities (e.g. PC, ham radio) which will mask the noise - so it is an annoyance I will live with.
 

southernCTscan

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Like others, out of the box noise. But if I plug in regular run of the mill Apple ear phones there is NO noise at all! I have not tried a speaker yet.
 

SteveSimpkin

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Unpacked and setup two SDS-200's today, both have the noise; S/N 880016xx and 880010xx. The noise was present with the firmware out-of-the-box as well as after upgrading to the latest firmware release. Present with the OEM microSDHC memory cards as well as with Samsung EVO Select 32GB memory cards. Noise is always present while the scanners are powered on (even with every thing else off in the shack). Both 200's powered via the supplied DC cables to an Astron linear power supply; orange lead open (makes no difference if connected to 13.8 VDC or open). I can clearly hear the noise at distance of approximately three feet (sitting position to external speakers, one at ear level and the second slightly above ear level). I am using the Uniden BC20 external speakers with each SDS-200. With PC (about same distance from sitting position, located on the floor) on/fan running it masks out the noise unless I am within several inches of the speaker. I have two BCD536HPs and neither exhibited this noise.

I also believe a hardware design issue of digital noise coupling - I am an Electrical Engineer of 39 years, spent part of my career designing RF communication products. I've spent my entire career in product development, primarily in new product development with some life cycle engineering. I've taken quite a few products through performance and safety testing. I just departed a medical device engineering company I co-founded three years and started two new engineering companies this month (one product based, one consulting based).

This noise issue is an annoyance, and personally I find disappointing in a flagship commercial consumer product. Rarely am I just in the shack listening only to a scanner(s). I am usually doing other activities (e.g. PC, ham radio) which will mask the noise - so it is an annoyance I will live with.
Have you tried pushing the top cover under the outside housing toward the screen as far as it would go while listening to the noise as tkowalik did in posts 286, 290 and 308? This appeared to reduce the digital background noise noticeably.
https://forums.radioreference.com/t...oise-again-like-the-536hp.383186/post-3072104
 

escortz28

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Have you tried pushing the top cover under the outside housing toward the screen as far as it would go while listening to the noise as tkowalik did in posts 286, 290 and 308? This appeared to reduce the digital background noise noticeably.
https://forums.radioreference.com/t...oise-again-like-the-536hp.383186/post-3072104
Not yet, should have time later today on on Tuesday. I just got back home from Hamcation (a hamfest in Orlando) and I am in catch-up mode.
 

WILSON43

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I bought mine from Webtron-x also. Mine is fine so far, no issues. Is it possible some dealers received bad batches? Webtron-x also sells on Amazon, but curiously not the SDS-200. Yet. Excellent seller / dealer BTW. Fast service, free shipping, no tax. 30 day return policy. Got my SDS100 there as well. No problems.
 
S

simpilo

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To the OP. Have you tried a battery on it? If a battery clears it up then it's the AC power supply faulty. I haven't read through all the thread posts and didn't see if this troubleshooting method did anything.
 

allend

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Unpacked and setup two SDS-200's today, both have the noise; S/N 880016xx and 880010xx. The noise was present with the firmware out-of-the-box as well as after upgrading to the latest firmware release. Present with the OEM microSDHC memory cards as well as with Samsung EVO Select 32GB memory cards. Noise is always present while the scanners are powered on (even with every thing else off in the shack). Both 200's powered via the supplied DC cables to an Astron linear power supply; orange lead open (makes no difference if connected to 13.8 VDC or open). I can clearly hear the noise at distance of approximately three feet (sitting position to external speakers, one at ear level and the second slightly above ear level). I am using the Uniden BC20 external speakers with each SDS-200. With PC (about same distance from sitting position, located on the floor) on/fan running it masks out the noise unless I am within several inches of the speaker. I have two BCD536HPs and neither exhibited this noise.

I also believe a hardware design issue of digital noise coupling - I am an Electrical Engineer of 39 years, spent part of my career designing RF communication products. I've spent my entire career in product development, primarily in new product development with some life cycle engineering. I've taken quite a few products through performance and safety testing. I just departed a medical device engineering company I co-founded three years and started two new engineering companies this month (one product based, one consulting based).

This noise issue is an annoyance, and personally I find disappointing in a flagship commercial consumer product. Rarely am I just in the shack listening only to a scanner(s). I am usually doing other activities (e.g. PC, ham radio) which will mask the noise - so it is an annoyance I will live with.

So I can say positively like I did from the beginning that all of the SDS-200 radios are having noise problems. I bought two of them too and now I can say it is confirmed. Thank You. Now its time to hear from Uniden about their QC problem and own up to this noise issue and how its going to be resolved on the dime of Uniden. More confirmations are now coming in.
 

maus92

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So I can say positively like I did from the beginning that all of the SDS-200 radios are having noise problems. I bought two of them too and now I can say it is confirmed. Thank You. Now its time to hear from Uniden about their QC problem and own up to this noise issue and how its going to be resolved on the dime of Uniden. More confirmations are now coming in.
Can't say all - about half are not according to the poll (unless their hearing can't detect it. Seems like a QC issue.
 

tkowalik

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Not yet, should have time later today on on Tuesday. I just got back home from Hamcation (a hamfest in Orlando) and I am in catch-up mode.

Maybe if you can take what I have found and using your background we can figure it out.

I’m still waiting for my video to get approved. It’s pretty compelling as you can hear the noise and hear it go away.
 
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