Static Discharge's Hum Fix

[W1KNE]

I just want to comment because I can't elsewhere on it, but the hum fix that @StaticDischarge posted on the tech support forum worked BEAUTIFULLY. It is so nice to have a noise free scanner now when running my SDS200. This scanner has performed very nicely for me, that the hum/noise was my only complaint. I will say it's a moderate to advanced task to perform, so unless you have some experience with small electronic repair, don't try it on your own. But other than that, the guy deserves a medal for it.

 

[StaticDischarge]

This is the only reason why I did what I did...
Enjoy and have a great time listening to what your SDS200 should have sounded like straight out of the box!

 

[darkness975]

I have the knowledge but not the dexterity to do it on my own. Hopefully someone in my area will turn up at some point that can help.
@W1KNE was your hum extremely loud or was it only audible when the room was dead quiet? Did it get worse over time or stay the same?
I am asking because mine is at present only audible when the room is dead quiet (i.e. late at night or if I stick my ear right near it).

 

[W1KNE]

I have the knowledge but not the dexterity to do it on my own. Hopefully someone in my area will turn up at some point that can help.
W1KNE was your hum extremely loud or was it only audible when the room was dead quiet? Did it get worse over time or stay the same?
I am asking because mine is at present only audible when the room is dead quiet (i.e. late at night or if I stick my ear right near it).

It varied depending on how tight I squeezed the case. The insert that Uniden provided was a poor fix for it, and I had to modify it initially to make it work. It would work OK for a while, but then it would become bad again. The level? It was more annoying than anything. Not loud but you could hear it with moderate room noise @darkness975

 

[Buckeye147]

So if i was to order a new SDS 200, it will have a hum/noise that you can hear ?

 

[doctordialtone]

So if i was to order a new SDS 200, it will have a hum/noise that you can hear ?

I doubt it.

I've never heard it on my SDS200.

 

[oracavon]

In his "Help me help you" thread, Joe Bearcat indicated that this fix (Static Discharge's fix) had been passed on to manufacturing, but he hasn't yet been able to verify that it is being included in current production units. I've been waiting for verification before I buy one so I won't have to open up a new unit and fix it myself.

 

[eaf1956]

I now have 2 of the UNIDEN fix parts sitting here. I removed them as they are no longer useful.

 

[oracavon]

I now have 2 of the UNIDEN fix parts sitting here. I removed them as they are no longer useful.

For those who aren't familiar, those parts are something different than the fix we've been talking about in this thread. Uniden's original fix using those parts didn't solve the problem (some people reported some improvement, but others continued to have problems). Static Discharge came up with a fix that works well, and Uniden is planning to use his fix instead of their original fix parts. I'm just waiting for confirmation that the new fix has made it into production before pulling the trigger.

 

[tumegpc]

I can confirm that my SDS200 with a 2021 date code came with usual NMP200 Noise Mitigation part.

I removed it and did the staticdischarge fix.

 

[iMONITOR]

My first SDS200 had the problem, I promptly send it back for a full refund. My second one did not have the problem, but I since then sold it.

I'd consider buying another one if I could be certain it would be problem free. Uniden hasn't been able to assure us regarding fixes on any of their problems with the SDS200 as well as the SDS100. Why is that?

 

[trentbob]

The last sds200 I bought after the production resumed from the virus shut down did not have the hum at all, with an external speaker I could put my ear up against it and did not hear that familiar sound... It took about three months to show up loud and clear.

I did make a suggestion on another thread that the UPM take apart a radio with the latest serial number and assess if the problem was addressed permanently and then I suggested that that radio should be given to StaticDischarge, even though his permanent fix was a workaround of a design flaw, it did identify the fundamental problem.

 

[iMONITOR]

I think Uniden is ignoring and not using Static Discharge's solution is because they don't want to acknowledge him and be under any legal obligation where they have to pay him for his finding and successful fix.

 

[eaf1956]

For those who aren't familiar, those parts are something different than the fix we've been talking about in this thread. Uniden's original fix using those parts didn't solve the problem (some people reported some improvement, but others continued to have problems). Static Discharge came up with a fix that works well, and Uniden is planning to use his fix instead of their original fix parts. I'm just waiting for confirmation that the new fix has made it into production before pulling the trigger.

The reason I removed those "So called Uniden Fix" parts was because I grew weary of reseating them about every 6 months when the hum came back. Not sure if it was @StaticDischarge fix that I did, I soldered a ground wire on the display frame to the chassis. Both of my SDS 200's are fine now with no hum that I can hear anyway. The mitigation parts would return to hum periodically where pressing the case where they were installed reduced the noise but reseating them was a PITA. Now I don't have to do that anymore.

 

[oracavon]

I think Uniden is ignoring and not using Static Discharge's solution is because they don't want to acknowledge him and be under any legal obligation where they have to pay him for his finding and successful fix.

Well, Joe Bearcat (Uniden Employee) has stated on these forums that Uniden has confirmed the effectiveness of the fix and he has passed that fix on to manufacturing for implementation. There is no reason to believe that he's not telling the truth. That doesn't guarantee that it will be implemented, but I don't think it's fair to say that Uniden, as a company, is ignoring the fix since their rep on this forum is working to get it incorporated into production.

 

[iMONITOR]

Well, Joe Bearcat (Uniden Employee) has stated on these forums that Uniden has confirmed the effectiveness of the fix and he has passed that fix on to manufacturing for implementation. There is no reason to believe that he's not telling the truth. That doesn't guarantee that it will be implemented, but I don't think it's fair to say that Uniden, as a company, is ignoring the fix since their rep on this forum is working to get it incorporated into production.

Fair enough, I must have missed that post. We'll just have to wait and wait and wait and see!

 

[oracavon]

The reason I removed those "So called Uniden Fix" parts was because I grew weary of reseating them about every 6 months when the hum came back. Not sure if it was @StaticDischarge fix that I did, I soldered a ground wire on the display frame to the chassis. Both of my SDS 200's are fine now with no hum that I can hear anyway. The mitigation parts would return to hum periodically where pressing the case where they were installed reduced the noise but reseating them was a PITA. Now I don't have to do that anymore.

Yup, that's exactly the scenario I'm tying to avoid - having to fix it myself because Uniden's original "fix" doesn't solve the problem. Static Discharge's fix is to remove the lacquer from the mounting screw holes on the display frame so that they will make a solid ground contact with the chassis when the screws are in place. Sounds like you accomplished the same result with a separate ground wire.

 

[oracavon]

Fair enough, I must have missed that post. We'll just have to wait and wait and wait and see!

Yeah, it's easy to miss his posts on this particular issue because they're buried deep in other threads. This is one of them: SDS200 - SDS200 background noise finally resolved by UNIDEN?

Since then, he's said that he's now trying to verify whether it's been implemented yet: Help me help you

Several of us are waiting for that confirmation before buying, but things take time in a large company like Uniden.

 

[MStep]

My first SDS200 had the problem, I promptly send it back for a full refund. My second one did not have the problem, but I since then sold it.

I'd consider buying another one if I could be certain it would be problem free. Uniden hasn't been able to assure us regarding fixes on any of their problems with the SDS200 as well as the SDS100. Why is that?

You definitely should have held onto that second one. Not sure why you would want to go through the whole process again, but the simplest solution is how you handled your first radio--- buy it, try it, and if it exhibits problems, return it. Use Amazon or Walmart for the most hassle-free returns.

My friend used one of the scanner-oriented Uniden dealers and was told that his issues were "normal" on the SDS series. The only thing that saved him was the fact the his credit card company helped him dispute the charges and get a refund. You want to try to avoid that kind of a messy situation.

 

[oracavon]

You definitely should have held onto that second one. Not sure why you would want to go through the whole process again, but the simplest solution is how you handled your first radio--- buy it, try it, and if it exhibits problems, return it. Use Amazon or Walmart for the most hassle-free returns.

The problem with that approach is that, for several people here, the hum issue didn't start or become noticeable until after the return window closed. That's the reason I'm waiting - this issue is flaky enough that you can't rely on having a good unit just because it behaves itself fresh out of the box. Otherwise I'd be doing what you suggest.