SDS100 Remtronix Antenna

[organcory]

Is it necessary to add the upgraded antenna, or does the standard antenna that comes with the SDS100 work efficiently enough?

 

[trentbob]

Everybody has their own opinion but I think the majority of users would rather use an aftermarket antenna rather than the stock antenna.

My opinion is it is not an efficient antenna but some people swear about it.

If you're mainly listening to 7-800 MHz and UHF then the 820 s with the O-ring is superior! But does not work well on VHF High.

If you depend on VHF high in addition to 7 - 800 MHz and UHF then the 842s is an excellent antenna. It certainly works better on 7-800 MHz than the stock antenna. It doesn't have the O ring but it fits perfectly on the SDS 100. It's a little top heavy and it is very rigid but it delivers good overall performance on vhf high, UHF and 7 - 800 MHz.

There are other aftermarket antennas available, just search for them.

 

[werinshades]

Depends on what you plan on listening to and whether you want to attach a broom stick to your scanner

 

[K4EET]

All depends in what you are listening to and how good you are receiving it now.

1. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
2. If the received signal changes with the new antenna such that it becomes too weak or too strong, you may not be receiving what you are now.

 

[wtp]

you should always have extra antennas.
it is what works best for you .
and you can never have enough radios...
for the bases, i match the frequencies in the radio with the antenna on the radio.
400 antenna then 400 freqs in the radio 150 antenna gets the 150 freqs...ETC.

 

[trentbob]

It's funny I made a typo and I said in regard to the stock antenna, some people swear about it, instead of saying some people swear by it.. I think I'm going to leave the typo, and not change it .

 

[drdispatch]

It's funny I made a typo and I said in regard to the stock antenna, some people swear about it, instead of saying some people swear by it.. I think I'm going to leave the typo, and not change it .

@trentbob Your Freudian slip is showing.

 

[OpSec]

I use the Remtronix as the stock antenna is garbage. In high signal environments, the stock antenna is fine but for my needs the aftermarket was the only way to go.

 

[GlobalNorth]

I bought one and found that unless I was going to predominately monitor 700/800, it wasn't that great. It hasn't been on my radio in well over a year.

 

[K4EET]

Answers all over the map. I think @organcory would be best served now if they would tell us what frequency band(s) they are interested in monitoring and for those system(s), how well are they being received now. For any system(s) not being received crystal clear, we ideally will need to know the frequency band that system is in, how far away it is and if simulcast involved. Better yet, knowing specifically the system name helps us to review additional important details.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I typically toss my stock antennas in a junk drawer at home never to be seen again until it comes time to sell the radio it's associated with. The only exception to that rule would be the stock telescopic on my Icom IC-R20, now THAT thing shines

 

[trentbob]

I bought one and found that unless I was going to predominately monitor 700/800, it wasn't that great. It hasn't been on my radio in well over a year.

An interesting but valid opinion, I wasn't sure if you were talking about the old RS 800 made by GRE for 7-800 MHz and UHF and first sold at Radio Shack decades ago and then modified to SMA with the O-ring or the new REM 842 s or as shades properly named it, the broomstick LOL.

 

[Ensnared]

Is it necessary to add the upgraded antenna, or does the standard antenna that comes with the SDS100 work efficiently enough?

In my opinion, it is the difference between night and day. I thought the SMA housing was loosened, until I put the Remtronix antenna on it.

 

[rbritton1201]

I'm considering the Remtronix-842B or the Remtronix-842S, for use on my Uniden BCD436HP, but not sure which connection type, BNC or SMA, may be preferable. My primary interest is VHF and the 700-800Mhz frequency range for trunked systems, about 50/50. Anybody have an opinion as to whether BNC or SMA is preferable and why?

 

[cfsimmont]

I'm considering the Remtronix-842B or the Remtronix-842S, for use on my Uniden BCD436HP, but not sure which connection type, BNC or SMA, may be preferable. My primary interest is VHF and the 700-800Mhz frequency range for trunked systems, about 50/50. Anybody have an opinion as to whether BNC or SMA is preferable and why?

All of the antennas I use are BNC and I use the BNC adapter that Jon Wienkle makes as it seems to provide more stability on the SMA connection.

 

[W8KIC]

All of the antennas I use are BNC and I use the BNC adapter that Jon Wienkle makes as it seems to provide more stability on the SMA connection.

I did the same thing here. The good news? It does indeed provide more stability on the SMA connection. The bad news? Jon seems to have disappeared all together. When Covid hit, it apparently affected the supply chain of just about anything electronic and he couldn't get either the GPS modules or something related to it, which brought things to a screeching halt for his business. Now, someone with far more insight than yours truly may know of his whereabouts but as far as I'm able to tell, he's made a decision to remain elusive, which is a darn shame. The BNC adaptor, along with his replacement battery retainer clip for the SDS-100 are a total no brainer when compared to the OEM retainer clip. It's made of a carbon fiber material and the only way one can break it is to go out of their way to demonstrate just how psychotic they really are. He also devised a solution for mounting a GPS module inside the SDS-100 so that it doesn't resemble the external OEM GPS module from Uniden, which when connected to the 100 aesthetically looks more like something you'd run across sitting in a drawer full of miscellaneous used electrical parts and other assorted crap. I really do hope Jon returns because he provided a valuable service as well as a source for quality parts that are darn near impossible to find anywhere else these days. We can only hope!

 

[rbritton1201]

With his disappearance from the market place, would you still use the factory supplied BNC adapter, and just add a rubber grommet to take up any slack that may exist, or is the SMA a better option, or perhaps the factory supplied antenna is preferable until an alternative can be found?

What was the link to Jon Wienkle's stuff? I agree that it's probably a result of the supply chain that he has stopped supplying his products.

The Remtronix product is probably a better antenna, but I don't really like the length of the Remtronix antenna, as it makes the scanner so top heavy, and that length in conjunction with the rigidity of the antenna makes the antenna a little too cumbersome, and seems to increase the potential for damaging the scanner's antenna connection point. I have had the Remtronix antenna before, and didn't like it's footprint.

I did the same thing here. The good news? It does indeed provide more stability on the SMA connection. The bad news? Jon seems to have disappeared all together. When Covid hit, it apparently affected the supply chain of just about anything electronic and he couldn't get either the GPS modules or something related to it, which brought things to a screeching halt for his business. Now, someone with far more insight than yours truly may know of his whereabouts but as far as I'm able to tell, he's made a decision to remain elusive, which is a darn shame. The BNC adaptor, along with his replacement battery retainer clip for the SDS-100 are a total no brainer when compared to the OEM retainer clip. It's made of a carbon fiber material and the only way one can break it is to go out of their way to demonstrate just how psychotic they really are. He also devised a solution for mounting a GPS module inside the SDS-100 so that it doesn't resemble the external OEM GPS module from Uniden, which when connected to the 100 aesthetically looks more like something you'd run across sitting in a drawer full of miscellaneous used electrical parts and other assorted crap. I really do hope Jon returns because he provided a valuable service as well as a source for quality parts that are darn near impossible to find anywhere else these days. We can only hope!

 

[cfsimmont]

With his disappearance from the market place, would you still use the factory supplied BNC adapter, and just add a rubber grommet to take up any slack that may exist, or is the SMA a better option, or perhaps the factory supplied antenna is preferable until an alternative can be found?

What was the link to Jon Wienkle's stuff? I agree that it's probably a result of the supply chain that he has stopped supplying his products.

The Remtronix product is probably a better antenna, but I don't really like the length of the Remtronix antenna, as it makes the scanner so top heavy, and that length in conjunction with the rigidity of the antenna makes the antenna a little too cumbersome, and seems to increase the potential for damaging the scanner's antenna connection point. I have had the Remtronix antenna before, and didn't like it's footprint.

Jon's website is unidenscanners.com and this message is posted on the site
Notice:
Due to a family member's illness, I am unable to process orders daily. Order shipment may be delayed 1-2 weeks.

Additionally, due to the chip shortage, the GPS modules required for internal installations are currently unavailable, and I do not currently have an availability date.

In answer to your other question, the SMA to BNC adapter supplied by Uniden will work I just don't think it is very suitable given the number of issues the SMA adapter has had in the SDS100 scanners. The scanner is plaqued by cold solder joint issues and while the SMA connection should be firmly mounted to the case of the scanner not just using the solder connections on the board, the constant twisting and pressure on the SMA connection can't be helpful (in my opinion). The adapter shown here on this ebay listing looks very similar to the one Jon sells, I can't make any claims to the quality, but appearance is quite similar, and being a BNC you could remove the antenna and use any BNC antenna.
17" SMA Telescopic Antenna VHF HI / UHF / 700/800 MHz for Uniden SDS100 Scanner | eBay.

I would first try and contact Jon and see if you could purchase one through him, i haven't had any issues with the one I purchased.

 

[rbritton1201]

I found this on Amazon, and I assume it's probably similar to what is offered by Jon, but not sure of the quality, as Amazon can often be questionable with respect to quality. I ordered a set...the price was only $5 and free shipping via Amazon Prime, worth a try.

DHT Electronics 2pcs RF coaxial Coax Adapter SMA Male to BNC Female goldplated

Jon's website is unidenscanners.com and this message is posted on the site
Notice:
Due to a family member's illness, I am unable to process orders daily. Order shipment may be delayed 1-2 weeks.

Additionally, due to the chip shortage, the GPS modules required for internal installations are currently unavailable, and I do not currently have an availability date.

In answer to your other question, the SMA to BNC adapter supplied by Uniden will work I just don't think it is very suitable given the number of issues the SMA adapter has had in the SDS100 scanners. The scanner is plaqued by cold solder joint issues and while the SMA connection should be firmly mounted to the case of the scanner not just using the solder connections on the board, the constant twisting and pressure on the SMA connection can't be helpful (in my opinion). The adapter shown here on this ebay listing looks very similar to the one Jon sells, I can't make any claims to the quality, but appearance is quite similar, and being a BNC you could remove the antenna and use any BNC antenna.
17" SMA Telescopic Antenna VHF HI / UHF / 700/800 MHz for Uniden SDS100 Scanner | eBay.

I would first try and contact Jon and see if you could purchase one through him, i haven't had any issues with the one I purchased.

 

[rbritton1201]

I have a couple of HYS dual band (VHF/UHF) rubber duck antennas I had purchased from Amazon several months ago, which I had in my stash, ones that I swapped here and there on some amateur radio handhelds to gauge whether they performed better or worse than the factory rubber duck antennas on the amateur radio HTs.

So, while I've been considering the Remtronics REM-842B for my new Uniden BCD436HP, I figured I would try one of the HYS antennas out on my new BCD436HP, and compare the reception quality versus the factory rubber duck antenna on the BCD436HP. I've also been kind of reluctant to purchase the Remtronix REM-842B because the reviews seem to indicate that it may be just OK on the full band width it's designed for, and I also don't particularly like the size of the Remtronix when installed on the BCD436HP, as it makes the scanner top heavy, unwieldy, and may put too much stress on the connection point internally with respect to prior complaints about the solder joint at the antenna connection internally when even using the much smaller factory antenna.

What I found with respect to analog signals via the HYS antenna is that VHF/UHF analog reception performed well, a full 5 bars of signal reception on the signal readout display which is basically on par with the factory rubber duck antenna. But, what really surprised me is that the trunked 700-800mhz. reception improved by about 2 or 3 bars. Signal reception wavered between 4 or 5 bars, and that's with a rubber duck advertised for VHF/UHF only, whereas I was getting two bars of signal out of the factory antenna with respect to the 700-800 Mhz signal reception. So, the antenna I'm using now is the HYS-701N, free Prime shipping, and you get three of them for $24.00, with BNC connections. Whereas, the Remtronics costs $31.00 plus shipping, and the reviews on the Remtronix aren't particularly stellar with respect to 700-800Mhz band, just ok it seems.

I don't have any idea whether the HYS brand has any degree of quality with respect to durability, especially because they're on Amazon, with their questionable quality being an issue so often. But, from what I can see, they're pretty decent. What I like about them versus the Remtronix is that they aren't as long, and they aren't as thick as the Remtronix, which can cause the BCD436HP to be a little too top heavy, and due to the rigidity of the Remtronix antenna, it seems to me that the lack of flexibility could contribute to the Remtronix antenna causing breakage or solder failure at the connection point internally. I think the HYS is available in the SMA configuration as well, but I prefer the durability of the BNC connection. Utilizing an SMA to BNC adapter to transition from SMA on the BCD436HP to BNC, although it does elongate the connection using the SMA to BNC adapter, could possibly be an issue with respect to durability and/or connection issues in the long run, I guess time will tell.


BNC Antenna HYS-701N Dual Band VHF/UHF 2M 70CM