436, 536, and SDS100 owners

Status
Not open for further replies.

APSN556

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
161
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I'd love to get together with a group of people who own the 436 or SDS100 for a meet up and comparison on the RWC. I sold my 436 for the SDS100 and have been so far disappointed. I am very knowledgeable on the RWC system and scanners in general, but would still like to do a side by side with as many people as possible. The latest beta firmware for the SDS seems to be better for some folks and no so much for others. Unfortunately, it's made mine worse. So in order to rule out any placebo effect, would any of you be willing to meet up?

On a side note, I'm still optimistic about the SDS100 becoming a great scanner for RWC monitoring, but as of this posting its simply still not as good as I remember my 436 being. Any success stories out there from SDS100 users on the RWC? I'd prefer to hear from people who give candid, constructive and real opinions... not the few outspoken "uniden can-do-no-wrong fan boys" that continually knock on anyone that says anything remotely negative about this scanner. We know who you are. ;)
 

Eugene

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
584
Location
Portsmouth, VA
Go to the "Uniden Forums" and go to the "Uniden Prospective Owners" Sub-forum and there is a large thread about just that, and have done what you suggest as far as a meet and greet. You may be able to get in touch with the OP KR7CQ. Good luck.

Eugene KG4AVE
 

APSN556

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
161
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I've been keeping track of that thread since it started.very informative, but the OP has given up on the sds100.
 

milcom_chaser

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
979
I'd love to get together with a group of people who own the 436 or SDS100 for a meet up and comparison on the RWC. I sold my 436 for the SDS100 and have been so far disappointed. I am very knowledgeable on the RWC system and scanners in general, but would still like to do a side by side with as many people as possible. The latest beta firmware for the SDS seems to be better for some folks and no so much for others. Unfortunately, it's made mine worse. So in order to rule out any placebo effect, would any of you be willing to meet up?

On a side note, I'm still optimistic about the SDS100 becoming a great scanner for RWC monitoring, but as of this posting its simply still not as good as I remember my 436 being. Any success stories out there from SDS100 users on the RWC? I'd prefer to hear from people who give candid, constructive and real opinions... not the few outspoken "uniden can-do-no-wrong fan boys" that continually knock on anyone that says anything remotely negative about this scanner. We know who you are. ;)

Just as a side curiosity, have you looked at the spectrum around the simulcast frequencies your having issue with? Do you have an RTL-SDR Dongle you can plug into a laptop and sweep the band? There are some others in the AZ section who were having issues as well. One user had too much noise from nearby computers desensitizing the RF front end of the receiver...
 

N9JIG

Sheriff
Moderator
Joined
Dec 14, 2001
Messages
5,581
Location
Far NW Valley
I have been using my SDS100 around the Valley since December and it has worked much better than my 325, 436, TRX and PSR's. It is not perfect but it is certainly improved. I have also compared it to the G5 and it seems to be almost on par with that.



Recently I checked out a few areas for another member who had bad results with other scanners and these specific areas seemed fine with the SDS100.


Several of us have been discussing some sort of get together and I am all for it. I will be happy to meet up and try the SDS in a specific area. Maybe a Barros someplace on a Saturday or Sunday lunchtime.
 

cellphone

Silent key.
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 28, 2002
Messages
1,811
Location
Ahwatukee, AZ (Phoenix)
I have not been pleased with 700mhz performance of the SDS100. The SDS100 has a problem with noise on 700mhz. When signal is strong (-85dBm or higher) and it can overcome the noise, the SDS100 sounds great. When noise value jump up, and audio quality suffers even in strong signal area. In marginal signal area (around -95dBm or less) the BCD436HP performs better as it does not seem to be affected by noise.

I also have the BCD436HP, and I can receive 700mhz sites where the SDS100 cannot. If I punch in a 700mhz control channel as conventional, and my BCD436 will receive it with 2 bars, and the SDS100 cannot receive it. This very disappointing as the SDS100 cannot replace my BCD436HP for my day-to-day monitoring since I cannot receive agencies that I monitor on the SDS100.

See my post in http://forums.radioreference.com/un...100-initial-review-phoenix-6.html#post2948810 and https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhlKfJY_Yw6WuJohX5eo2LWKWQsizg for a videos of my issues.

The SDS100 seems comparable on VHF, better on UHF, and comparable on 800mhz to the BCD436HP. The SDS100 is worse on 700mhz, at least in urban areas due to noise issues.

I will be around on Saturday July 14 or Sunday July 15 and I am glad to meet up with Chad, Rich, or whoever else is around and compare radios. Let's pick a lunch spot.
 
Last edited:

milcom_chaser

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
979
I have not been pleased with 700mhz performance of the SDS100. The SDS100 has a problem with noise on 700mhz. When signal is strong (-85dBm or higher) and it can overcome the noise, the SDS100 sounds great. When noise value jump up, and audio quality suffers even in strong signal area. In marginal signal area (around -95dBm or less) the BCD436HP performs better as it does not seem to be affected by noise.

I also have the BCD436HP, and I can receive 700mhz sites where the SDS100 cannot. If I punch in a 700mhz control channel as conventional, and my BCD436 will receive it with 2 bars, and the SDS100 cannot receive it. This very disappointing as the SDS100 cannot replace my BCD436HP for my day-to-day monitoring since I cannot receive agencies that I monitor on the SDS100.

See my post in http://forums.radioreference.com/un...100-initial-review-phoenix-6.html#post2948810 and https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhlKfJY_Yw6WuJohX5eo2LWKWQsizg for a videos of my issues.

The SDS100 seems comparable on VHF, better on UHF, and comparable on 800mhz to the BCD436HP. The SDS100 is worse on 700mhz, at least in urban areas due to noise issues.

I will be around on Saturday July 14 or Sunday July 15 and I am glad to meet up with Chad, Rich, or whoever else is around and compare radios. Let's pick a lunch spot.

Watching the Noise indicator jump way up in value is pretty telling...
 

KevinC

Big Dog...celebrating 10 years of abuse!
Super Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2001
Messages
11,339
Location
Home
I have been using my SDS100 around the Valley since December and it has worked much better than my 325, 436, TRX and PSR's. It is not perfect but it is certainly improved. I have also compared it to the G5 and it seems to be almost on par with that.

Was this an Alpha, Beta or production unit? I'm guessing not a production unit since that wasn't finalized until way past December.
 

b1100mac

Premium Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
191
Location
Corvallis, Montana
When you have your get together, have N9JIG bring his G5 for comparison. Then all of you get in a minivan with the G5 and drive around the valley with that radio and one of those unidens, and i will pretty much guarantee the unidens will be going away as soon as the ride is over. Just my 2 cents
 

N9JIG

Sheriff
Moderator
Joined
Dec 14, 2001
Messages
5,581
Location
Far NW Valley
Was this an Alpha, Beta or production unit? I'm guessing not a production unit since that wasn't finalized until way past December.


Originally it was a beta radio but now I have a production one. It seems to work fine where I have tried it, including the ride I took last week.


Today I was all over the far west area, from Surprise to Buckeye, Gila Bend Ajo, Tonapah and as far west as Salome. Then I came back east along US-60 thru Wendon and Wickenburg. I had no problems with the SDS in these areas, but they are not RF-rich environments. It seemed to work as well as the 996XT's in my truck.



Next week I will try and compare the G5 to the SDS in the Glendale/Peoria area, and look for some high-RF noise floor area. I have not been using the noise level readings on the SDS, maybe I will start with that.
 

K9JLR

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
284
Location
McDonough County, IL
I'll be in Cave Creek until August 5th, visiting my parents, and I am bringing my SDS 100. Please keep me updated if anyone decides to have a small gathering!

J
 

918Dave

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
201
Location
Glendale, Arizona
I brought the SDS 100 with me while working in Tucson the last couple of days. I was parked in the middle of the Dillard's covered parking structure located at the East side of the mall. Inside my running F350 with the stock antenna, I had the pleasure of listening to Tucson PD on the PCWIN system. I even caught yesterdays shooting there. Every talk-group was crystal clear. My favorite scanner to date.
 

KR7CQ

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 20, 2013
Messages
984
Location
Phoenix
...i will pretty much guarantee the unidens will be going away as soon as the ride is over. Just my 2 cents

I agree. I have a running offer for anyone in the Phoenix area, and it still stands. Lunch on me for anyone who can go head to head with their SDS100 vs my G4 and even come CLOSE to pulling in as many simulcasts, from any location.

I've met with a Uniden beta tester, and with cellphone who observed this already. The G4 can pull in simulcast after simulcast, distant simulcasts, while the SDS100 is lucky to properly pull in the simulcast it is sitting inside of. As a matter of fact, myself and at least a few others observed the 436 performing better overall. The SDS100 had well documented problems at my office, sitting in direct view of the North Mountain simulcast a tower, as witnessed by the beta tester. The G4 and 436 had no such problems. I was told that it's either "interference" or that I "need to wait for new firmware", which has since been debunked by others still experiencing the same issues after several firmware updates.

Sitting in my home in Glendale, I couldn't even listen to my own police department on simulcast G with the SDS100, while the G4 had full bars and perfect reception. I showed the Uniden beta tester that standing in front of my office near 23rd ave and Peoria, the SDS100 could only pull in two simulcasts, a & b (again, the tower was in sight literally), while the G4 could pull in every single simulcast in the valley except for simulcast J, which is absurdly far away from my office. Simulcasts that it could pull included Simulcast a, b, c, f, g, h, and Topaz. Yeah, I said it can pull in the Mesa simulcast, you heard right.

Anyone who thinks they can bring an SDS100 over to the same spot and pull in those simulcasts has a free lunch waiting for them on me. Trust me when I say that there is ZERO chance I will be buying any lunches. The G4 and SDS100 are not even in the same universe in terms of being able to pull in distant simulcasts.

Now, if you are close enough to one or more towers, the SDS100 DOES properly handle simulcast which is great, but overall 700 MHz reception / performance is pretty poor as cellphone pointed out, and that becomes painfully obvious when comparing the SDS100 to the G4.

I also sold a 436 to buy the SDS100 that I returned after less than two weeks, and could kick myself in the butt every time I think about it. My 436 didn't work as well while moving around within a simulcast, but standing still it worked the same at home (couldn't pick up simulcast g), and BETTER than the SDS100 at the office, where it had no issues with the supposed "interference" that made the SDS100 miss half of its transmissions.

People in other areas swear by how amazing the SDS100 is, and this truly brings new meaning to the term "YMMV".
 

APSN556

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
161
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I couldn't agree with you more kr7CQ. While I'm finally starting to like the sds100, it's still not as good as my 436 was. The latest firmware has made a HUGE improvement for me though. Im finally able to monitor phoenix PD from home. Prior to this new beta firmware, It wouldn't even break squelch.

Reading the poster above say his sds100 does just as well as a g4 made me chuckle. Not a chance.
 
Last edited:

APSN556

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
161
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Yes and I still come to the same conclusion.

Not sure why you singled me out then, if you read the same opinion from KR7CQ. Bottom line is that anyone who thinks the Unication G4/G5 line of radios is on par or even close to the same as the SDS100 for RWC and TOPAZ monitoring is either delusional or did not adequately test the two side by side. Making such claims does nothing but muddy the waters when it comes to figuring out a solution to the issues plaguing the SDS100. This is my opinion (and many other's as well.) The other annoying factor in trying to solve the issues is getting past the "uniden-can-do-no-wrong-butt-kissers" who adamantly refuse to acknowledge anything wrong with the unit.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top