SDS200 same power issue in a mobile as BCD536HP?

[J805]

Hi all,

I'm doing my research before I buy a either a SDS200 or a BDC536HP and noticed people saying they would corrupt the SD card on the 536 when it's installed in a vehicle if power was cut off from it from starting the engine. Does the SDS200 have the same issue? If so, I may end up just getting the SDS100 instead.

Thanks!

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Start the engine first before turning radio on. Turn radio off before shutting engine off. As an owner of a 536 installed in vehicle, this procedure has always worked for me

 

[jonwienke]

The SDS200 and 536HP are similar. There are 12V UPS-like devices that will kick in during a voltage sag to keep the scanner from rebooting during a vehicle start. But if the SDS100 has enough audio volume to be heard in your vehicle, it's a reasonable choice for mobile use, and the scanner battery will kick in seamlessly when the vehicle starts. If you have an older vehicle with a higher ambient noise level, you may want to go with the SDS200 and disable Replay to reduce the risk of card corruption during ungraceful shutdowns and/or get a devise to fill in during power sags when starting.

 

[J805]

The SDS200 and 536HP are similar. There are 12V UPS-like devices that will kick in during a voltage sag to keep the scanner from rebooting during a vehicle start. But if the SDS100 has enough audio volume to be heard in your vehicle, it's a reasonable choice for mobile use, and the scanner battery will kick in seamlessly when the vehicle starts. If you have an older vehicle with a higher ambient noise level, you may want to go with the SDS200 and disable Replay to reduce the risk of card corruption during ungraceful shutdowns and/or get a devise to fill in during power sags when starting.

This is great info and exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I didn't even consider audio volume on the 100 being a possible issue in mobile. I REALLY like the SDS200 due to the screen size, however it would be taking up some valuable space in my vehicle, which is why I was also attracted to the 536. It seems like the 536 would be fine for my area but it's also old tech and nice to have the latest and greatest. I might just have to get both of them. This hobby can get expensive quick!

 

[eaf1956]

I don't believe my SDS 200 drops out when you start the engine like the 536 did. Been a while, I'll have to check but I know the 536 would power down when the engine started and I don't think the 200 does.

 

[maus92]

My SDS200 is not affected by engine starts / stops - and I have auto stop/start. However, it is tapped to a fuse position that always has power.

 

[W4EMS]

Also depends on the state of the vehicle battery. As they age the voltage drop when starting is greater in many cases and may cause any rig to "lose" power and restart. Using the UPS Jon mentioned or just shutting down helps avoid the stress. Also some vehicles generator/alternator have voltage spikes which are not healthy to external electronics. Maybe someone can comment on whether this is less of an issue in newer vehicles given all the intricate electronics therein now.

 

[N9JIG]

I have a 536, 996P2 and an Alinco dual bander in my 2019 Odyssey. The radios are all set to go on and off with the ignition and I have never had an SD-Card corruption issue on the 536. With Replay turned off the only issue I have is that some settings changes or "permanent" avoids don't get written to the card.

I have had the SDS200 in the vehicle for a while during and after the Beta Testing cycle and again, no issues with SD Card corruption as long as the Replay is turned off. I always keep a spare programmed SD Card in the glove box just in case.

The biggest issue I have is that there is a "feature" on some cars, including mine, that shuts the engine off at stoplights and restarts when you release the brake. This causes both scanners to power down but not the Alinco, likely due to voltage drop. One of those devises mentioned by Jon would probably prevent this. I do try to disable the "feature" but it has to be done every time i start the car and often I forget. It is mostly an annoyance but I suppose every time it goes off is a possible corruption trigger so eventually it might catch up to me.

I suppose the best way to guarantee that your card will not get corrupted is to maintain a hot spare in the vehicle. I know that as soon as I leave my spare card at home the radio's card will instantly get corrupted, probably as I leave for a long trip to someplace where they do not sell SD Cards and I will not have a laptop to build it anyway!

 

[Elpablo]

This seems like a good place to ask this question... I am replacing my 536 with a SDS200 in my vehicle which is hardwired. Is the DC power the same for the SDS200 as the 536? I hoping not to run the wiring again as I had the 536 professionally installed at a radio shop. Or is as simple as swapping the in-line fuse? It seems like the connector to the radio is the same. Thanks in advance.

BTW, in over 3+ years I've never had a coruption of an SD card in my 536 with it being wired hot so it can be powered on w/o the key on.

 

[jonwienke]

The SDS200 requires slightly more power than the 536, but still less than an amp--not enough to require rewiring, unless you did something silly like using telephone wire for the power feed. If you used standard wire sizes, you can swap the radios and be fine.

 

[6079smithw]

I suppose the best way to guarantee that your card will not get corrupted is to maintain a hot spare in the vehicle. I know that as soon as I leave my spare card at home the radio's card will instantly get corrupted, probably as I leave for a long trip to someplace where they do not sell SD Cards and I will not have a laptop to build it anyway!

Not to be off-topic, but that's golden advice! I did a 14-state cross-country trip last September; spent many hours writing Favorite lists for my 536 all summer. Had nightmares about corrupting a card in BFE (that infamous town) and losing all that work!
Got 2 HD cards from Amazon and made backups... had no problems!
I didn't have any engine fires either, but I ain't ditching the extinguisher...

I turn off both the 536HP and the Kenwood TH-D700 APRS radio before I start the car. Not necessary in the Kenworth due to a aux battery in the sleeper wired thru an isolator.

 

[WR9A]

A device such as this will prevent issues when starting your vehicle by powering it up when the voltage reaches a set level. And it will power off your radio automatically a few minutes after your vehicle is turned off and the battery voltage drops down to a non-charging level.

APO3: Automatic Power Off 3 - APRS World, LLC

www.aprsworld.com

I've been using them in vehicles for years to automatically turn my radios on and off. Wouldn't live without them.

 

[Ubbe]

A device such as this will prevent issues when starting your vehicle....

That was a really useful device! They even publish the source code for the PIC processor so that you can modify it if needed. There's a 5 sec delay for engaging the relay and it has an override switch if you need to use your devices when parked. You probably would like to extend the leads for that switch to place it more conveniently in the console and not somewhere under the dash board. The turn off delay can be selected so it won't react to engines that automaticly turns off at the McDonald's Drive-Thru. It draws less than 2mA at standby. I would probably modify the code to use one pin connected to a piezo buzzer that alerts me with 3 beeps when the override are on when the engine are switched off.
I have to order one of these.

/Ubbe