SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 Vs. 436HP on analog other digital modes

[buddrousa]

think you missed the point brother. read it again. i was stating that you get labeled whatever, backing up what you said. was not "attacking" you in any way. if we are bringing up degrees, i have three, ba, ma, PhD. not sure why that matters. also, i have many many scanners. too many to count. i was on your side, not attacking you. have another cup of coffee brother.

Mr Reid I am sorry I miss read your post long night at the Fire Station

 

[N5XTC]

Mr Reid I am sorry I miss read your post long night at the Fire Station

prob my fault for it not being as clear as it should have been for the sarcasm. i thought the face usually conveys that. also, in both our defense, people do attack people personally on here quite a bit so it s easy to make that read. i enjoy and learn from your posts, so keep posting. peace and 73. de N5XTC

 

[buddrousa]

NP if you want to play some time you can log in and play with any of my scanners. My SDS100 travels with me as my SDS200 will when I go to work every 3rd day then I will work it online.

 

[One13Truck]

long story short, in your opinion? what does the 436 do better than the 100. or vice versa. i read that it all depends, and understand that, but overall impressions between the 436 and the 100? this may help some people on the fence. i am def on the fence. i understand some people are saying the radio gets warm, others say hot. 436 never gets either IMOP. i love the 436, but i like the color display on the 100. it is purely an aesthetic thing for me. dont like the battery pack deal with the 100. i'd rather use my rechargebles. i know i could prob end up coughing up $ for a spare batter pack then the upgrades, etc etc. before that one op says i am crying, i am not crying. just stating i would be spending more $. i have plenty of radios WELL over this price range.

Complete 100% honesty? If the SDS 100/200 came out before the 436/536 I would never have purchased either a 436 or 536. I bought the 536 for my vehicle to replace the 996 and have since "downgraded" to the 996P2 or whatever it's called because I HATED the white display but wanted to still be able to scan what the 996 couldn't.
Same for replacing the 396 with the 436. I HATED that white display. So the second I could pre-order the SDS 100 I did. Don't regret it at all. As I said reception is no different on either although I haven't updated to the latest SDS 100 firmware yet to test that. If I was blindfolded and both were next to each other scanning the exact same things I probably wouldn't be able to guess which was which. The batteries? I've kept the smaller battery pack as a backup but have grown to love the bigger pack. It makes it feel beefier but in a good way. I always use the belt clip and clip it to my pocket like I do with the fire pager and sometimes both next to each other and have had no issues with the battery size. I don't even mind they went away from the regular rechargeable batteries. I'll set off all kinds of "you don't do that!!!" alarms on the forums by saying this but I have never charged my batteries seperatly unless it was a spare set. I've always, going back to the 80's, charged everything in the scanner and have yet to create any universe destroying black holes by doing so. So the change there back to a battery pack is not a big deal for me. The SDS does get somewhere between warm and hot while charging or scanning but not to the point I have ever worried or had to put it down when picking it up. But it is definitely something that takes getting used to knowing it is normal.
Both the SDS 100 and 436 use that blasted USB charging which I hate. I'd much prefer the standard plug like the 396 had but sadly I suppose that ship has sailed and this is all we get from now on. I had to run an extension chord onto my dresser to get the 436 or SDS 100 to live where my 396 used to live because the newer style charging wouldn't come nearly close enough to be able to be powered in the same location. Major downgrade there for both. The buttons are slightly moved around on the SDS and some of them are backwards from the positioning of the 436. I can't for the life of me figure out why they were moved other than someone way above my paygrade decided they would work better and be more convenient being reversed. It's resulted in it's share of curses as I have accidentally avoided something or turned the display light on/off when I was trying to do the opposite thing. Why was this done? WHY?? But no big deal there either. The alert color lights are in a different size/shape and I initially preferred the 436's set up but have now come around and think the SDS 100 is done better. That customizable display is fantastic although I do wish we could pick custom RGB colors of our own. It's still great. Along with being able to choose how much or little display info we want and where is great. I still like to mess around with that from time to time to tweak it. I've even come to change the colors based around holidays/seasons/places I visit so it's a nice little bonus to have.
Now, what does the 436 do better? Well those button locations for one. If you like a blindingly white display light it does that quite well (I have the screen turned off full time in it's current location because even on the dimmest setting it was annoying). I guess all things considered I like the SDS a lot more for things that don't involve just setting it down and just scanning. But the just scanning part there's no major difference at all. I guess I'm much more in favor of the SDS 100 but neither are really a bad buy. At least where I am or have travelled. Both have performed well.

 

[N5XTC]

Complete 100% honesty? If the SDS 100/200 came out before the 436/536 I would never have purchased either a 436 or 536. I bought the 536 for my vehicle to replace the 996 and have since "downgraded" to the 996P2 or whatever it's called because I HATED the white display but wanted to still be able to scan what the 996 couldn't.
.

VERY detailed review. thanks for putting in the time. i am sure this will help others "on the fence." I will get the 200 so that i do not stop using my 436 i paid so much for with the upgrades. the 436 is my fav scanner of all time, going back into the 1970s. i loved your comment about charging IN the scanner. i did the SAME until a year or so ago, bec i listened to all the naysayers on the forums. never had a problem doing that either. thanks again for the detailed review.

 

[buddrousa]

Good fair review my only problem with my 436's and charging the batteries in the scanner is it only charges when it is turned off and I never have my 436's turned off.

 

[palmerjrusa]

I like my 436 and 536 but wish I hadn't sold my 396XT and 996XT.

Also like my SDS100 (though I don't think it's quite as sensitive as the 436).

 

[N5XTC]

Good fair review my only problem with my 436's and charging the batteries in the scanner is it only charges when it is turned off and I never have my 436's turned off.

interesting you never turn your 436's off. how do you set your display light? always on, squelch, off? i used mine on squelch mode, but do turn off when not listening. turn all my radios off when not listening. i would think even the LED lights have a lifespan.

 

[buddrousa]

My displays are on when I am awake and off when I sleep volume down when sleeping but PROSCAN still logging and recording.

 

[scannersnstuff]

Complete 100% honesty? If the SDS 100/200 came out before the 436/536 I would never have purchased either a 436 or 536. I bought the 536 for my vehicle to replace the 996 and have since "downgraded" to the 996P2 or whatever it's called because I HATED the white display but wanted to still be able to scan what the 996 couldn't.
Same for replacing the 396 with the 436. I HATED that white display. So the second I could pre-order the SDS 100 I did. Don't regret it at all. As I said reception is no different on either although I haven't updated to the latest SDS 100 firmware yet to test that. If I was blindfolded and both were next to each other scanning the exact same things I probably wouldn't be able to guess which was which. The batteries? I've kept the smaller battery pack as a backup but have grown to love the bigger pack. It makes it feel beefier but in a good way. I always use the belt clip and clip it to my pocket like I do with the fire pager and sometimes both next to each other and have had no issues with the battery size. I don't even mind they went away from the regular rechargeable batteries. I'll set off all kinds of "you don't do that!!!" alarms on the forums by saying this but I have never charged my batteries seperatly unless it was a spare set. I've always, going back to the 80's, charged everything in the scanner and have yet to create any universe destroying black holes by doing so. So the change there back to a battery pack is not a big deal for me. The SDS does get somewhere between warm and hot while charging or scanning but not to the point I have ever worried or had to put it down when picking it up. But it is definitely something that takes getting used to knowing it is normal.
Both the SDS 100 and 436 use that blasted USB charging which I hate. I'd much prefer the standard plug like the 396 had but sadly I suppose that ship has sailed and this is all we get from now on. I had to run an extension chord onto my dresser to get the 436 or SDS 100 to live where my 396 used to live because the newer style charging wouldn't come nearly close enough to be able to be powered in the same location. Major downgrade there for both. The buttons are slightly moved around on the SDS and some of them are backwards from the positioning of the 436. I can't for the life of me figure out why they were moved other than someone way above my paygrade decided they would work better and be more convenient being reversed. It's resulted in it's share of curses as I have accidentally avoided something or turned the display light on/off when I was trying to do the opposite thing. Why was this done? WHY?? But no big deal there either. The alert color lights are in a different size/shape and I initially preferred the 436's set up but have now come around and think the SDS 100 is done better. That customizable display is fantastic although I do wish we could pick custom RGB colors of our own. It's still great. Along with being able to choose how much or little display info we want and where is great. I still like to mess around with that from time to time to tweak it. I've even come to change the colors based around holidays/seasons/places I visit so it's a nice little bonus to have.
Now, what does the 436 do better? Well those button locations for one. If you like a blindingly white display light it does that quite well (I have the screen turned off full time in it's current location because even on the dimmest setting it was annoying). I guess all things considered I like the SDS a lot more for things that don't involve just setting it down and just scanning. But the just scanning part there's no major difference at all. I guess I'm much more in favor of the SDS 100 but neither are really a bad buy. At least where I am or have travelled. Both have performed well.

Uniden took the great idea of the multi colored display, and didn't implement it in the flagship scanner's. Just so wrong.

 

[N5XTC]

i LOVE the 436, best scanner i have ever owned IMOP. i really dont see the need for the 100 for myself. may get a 200, just because. want to wait and see what experiences/probs/issues others experience first though.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Uniden took the great idea of the multi colored display, and didn't implement it in the flagship scanner's. Just so wrong.

Agree...regret selling my 396XT.