SDS200 background noise finally resolved by UNIDEN?

[iMONITOR]

Not really wanting to start a whole new thread however with the @StaticDischarge "My SDS200 HUM fix" thread closed for further comment, I just want to ask one quick question that only requires one quick answer, not 342 speculative replies. Has the infamous background HUM been finally resolved by Uniden? It seems the complaints have not only died down, they seem to have stopped.

As Judge Judy would say, "Umm is not an answer, that's a Yes or No question"

Thanks

 

[AB5ID]

Sounds like a question for someone with inside information, the only sure fix would probably involve a board layout revision. @JoeBearcat ?

 

[trentbob]

Only the Uniden UPM can answer that for sure. Corporate had bought four of them at work that I maintained before I fully retired. I have owned two, just one now and anyone I personally have known or any of them I've seen in person all had the hum. Remarkable coincidence since it is such a "rare" condition.

Corporate did not want to void the warranty and it was a busy office so it really didn't matter. When I bought my last one from BCW, after the long hiatus due to the virus last year I was amazed that mine had no hum. If I put my ear up to the speaker I could hear that old familiar sound but even with an external speaker plugged into the back I declared there was no hum...

...for about 3 months and now it's the same as all the others I've either owned or maintained. It's by my bedside so I simply plugged an old Radio Shack communication speaker into the earphone jack and cranked it up to 21 or 22 and that stopped the hum.

If I'm walking around the room and I need volume then I just unplug from the earphone jack and only use the speaker on the radio and you barely notice it.

 

[eaf1956]

Has it been 3 months already?

 

[Ubbe]

The assembly line only have to add jagged washers with sharp teeth under the screw heads to dig through the film overlay. They can do that today without having to wait for the design change to the film overlay. They could also take the modification they are doing now with a wire soldered to an eyelet and instead use that inside the head and solder to a component leg that are grounded to the circuit board and the eyelet under one of the screws that holds the circuit board, to ground it to the chassi.

/Ubbe

 

[donc13]

I have had one for a month now. Use at home and in an RV while driving. ZERO Hum.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Not really wanting to start a whole new thread however with the @StaticDischarge "My SDS200 HUM fix" thread closed for further comment, I just want to ask one quick question that only requires one quick answer, not 342 speculative replies. Has the infamous background HUM been finally resolved by Uniden? It seems the complaints have not only died down, they seem to have stopped.

As Judge Judy would say, "Umm is not an answer, that's a Yes or No question"

Thanks

All I can say is that a couple months ago or so I made the recommendation that the production change to eliminate the coating from the screw hole areas. I do not know if that has been done yet or if it has how far down the line (to the dealers) those units have progressed.

This MAY have been the reason for the recent shortage, but I do not know that for a fact.

I suspect I will know when users report that theirs is so built or the absense of any hum reports on new units.

 

[iMONITOR]

All I can say is that a couple months ago or so I made the recommendation that the production change to eliminate the coating from the screw hole areas. I do not know if that has been done yet or if it has how far down the line (to the dealers) those units have progressed.

This MAY have been the reason for the recent shortage, but I do not know that for a fact.

I suspect I will know when users report that theirs is so built or the absence of any hum reports on new units.

Thanks Joe! I know you'll keep us updated as you learn more of what's actually being done.

 

[n9mxq]

I have had one for a month now. Use at home and in an RV while driving. ZERO Hum.

Going on 2 months for me, no hum here..

 

[slayer816]

I've had mine since late 2019. I used to try to figure out what "hum" others were talking about here. Then I stopped and was thankful mine either didn't experience the issue or it was fixed prior.

I guess I'm lucky, many many new and used Uniden radios and not one with any issue. ...searches for wood to knock on.

 

[iMONITOR]

I've had mine since late 2019. I used to try to figure out what "hum" others were talking about here. Then I stopped and was thankful mine either didn't experience the issue or it was fixed prior.

I guess I'm lucky, many many new and used Uniden radios and not one with any issue. ...searches for wood to knock on.

Yes you are, but just don't knock too hard!

 

[KC4ASF]

The assembly line only have to add jagged washers with sharp teeth under the screw heads to dig through the film overlay. They can do that today without having to wait for the design change to the film overlay. They could also take the modification they are doing now with a wire soldered to an eyelet and instead use that inside the head and solder to a component leg that are grounded to the circuit board and the eyelet under one of the screws that holds the circuit board, to ground it to the chassi.

/Ubbe

I would love to do this but I can't find how to get to the board to do it. But I can't find the messages that tells me what to do. I have browsed for 3 days trying to find the instructions or a video to get to the board. I assumed it would be easy to find. I have the instructions from Static Discharge on what to do also but I can't get to the board. I have the scanner opened up but I can't figure out how to get the front of the scanner off of the board. Would you please share that part of it? Thank you.

 

[Ubbe]

Would you please share that part of it? Thank you.

You have to pull the knobs off the front and unscrew the nuts that holds the axels to the front. You will need a special tool that cost something like $15.

/Ubbe

 

[RandyKuff]

I would love to do this but I can't find how to get to the board to do it. But I can't find the messages that tells me what to do. I have browsed for 3 days trying to find the instructions or a video to get to the board. I assumed it would be easy to find. I have the instructions from Static Discharge on what to do also but I can't get to the board. I have the scanner opened up but I can't figure out how to get the front of the scanner off of the board. Would you please share that part of it? Thank you.

This member did it a little different... But shows what your in for to disassemble it...

Unauthorized modification to fix hum

For me I would rather take on a challenge and see how its done and take on a project and do it and WOW myself once I fixed it. This is all about learning and growing in-stead of being scared and worrying about some warranty issue. Plus the cost of shipping the radio and the time the radio is...

forums.radioreference.com

This pict shows the four screws to scrape the solder mask away to ground the display board to rhe chassis...

SDS200 Hum > External Speaker

Does anyone know a way to reduce/eliminate the hum when using an external speaker? My 200 is new and came with the noise ground part preinstalled. Hum is barely noticeable via the internal. (Could grounding the speaker to the case help?)

forums.radioreference.com

 

[RandyKuff]

This is the tool you need to remove the nuts from the knob shafts... Or something similiar...

Amazon.com: Dreamworth X-Key Repair Tool Destuffing Compatible with Motorola GP-300 GP-88 GP-328 GP-328plus Puxing PX777(PX-777) PX-777plus PX-328 Baofeng UV-5R WOUXUN HYT TYT PUXING : Electronics

Buy Dreamworth X-Key Repair Tool Destuffing Compatible with Motorola GP-300 GP-88 GP-328 GP-328plus Puxing PX777(PX-777) PX-777plus PX-328 Baofeng UV-5R WOUXUN HYT TYT PUXING: Speaker Repair - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[KC4ASF]

Thanks to both of you! I have been through a unbelievable number of postings this week. I have a year old scanner that slowly developed the hum over the last few months. I opened it up yesterday and found 2 of the Uniden "fixes". Apparently over time that stops working. I was afraid to pull the knobs off and break something on a expensive scanner!

 

[n1chu]

This is the tool you need to remove the nuts from the knob shafts... Or something similiar...

Amazon.com: Dreamworth X-Key Repair Tool Destuffing Compatible with Motorola GP-300 GP-88 GP-328 GP-328plus Puxing PX777(PX-777) PX-777plus PX-328 Baofeng UV-5R WOUXUN HYT TYT PUXING : Electronics

Buy Dreamworth X-Key Repair Tool Destuffing Compatible with Motorola GP-300 GP-88 GP-328 GP-328plus Puxing PX777(PX-777) PX-777plus PX-328 Baofeng UV-5R WOUXUN HYT TYT PUXING: Speaker Repair - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

In a pinch, I’ve used a pair of small needle nosed pliers with a 90 degree bend, or a small flat tipped screw driver that I would tap lightly until the nut became loose. But the tool you describe is the obvious proper method. Thanks for the link.

 

[WRQS621]

I made the modification where you solder a ground to the display. My unit had the factory “fix” but it had the hum. The hum is reduced but it is still there be it very, very faint. Just buy the tool, it ain’t a big deal. Part of this hobby is tinkering. We all do it with antennas.

 

[JoeBearcat]

That is why I recommended the original design fix rather than a stop-gap measure like jumpers or teethed washers. Fix it so it is as the designers intended it, and not worry about more issues down the road. These other methods are find for end users, but not for a permanent factory fix.

I was hoping this thread contained reports about newer units having that fix verified over and above the anecdotal evidence that nobody seems to have the hum issue on the newer units.

 

[WRQS621]

That is why I recommended the original design fix rather than a stop-gap measure like jumpers or teethed washers. Fix it so it is as the designers intended it, and not worry about more issues down the road. These other methods are find for end users, but not for a permanent factory fix.

I was hoping this thread contained reports about newer units having that fix verified over and above the anecdotal evidence that nobody seems to have the hum issue on the newer units.

How about tell us how to officially fix it? I did the jumper and grounding the board thing. Had to take mine a part twice to rid your product of an obvious manufacturer's defect. It worked. What did you Uniden do? NOT A DAMN THING. How about a firmware update? Anecdotal?