📡 SDS200 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Reception Issue — Looking for Advice

[Scanmen34]

📡 SDS200 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Reception Issue — Looking for Advice


Hello everyone! I’m looking for some help from the scanner community.


I’m having an issue with my Uniden SDS200 scanner. It is struggling to pick up the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system, while my SDS150 is picking it up very well from the same area with a good signal and no apparent data problems.


Since the SDS150 is receiving the system properly, I’m wondering if the issue with the SDS200 could be related to programming, settings, firmware/software, or possibly something with the scanner itself.


Has anyone experienced a similar issue with an SDS200? If so, what did you do to fix it?


Any advice, troubleshooting tips, or settings I should check would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[trumpetman]

Make sure all 4 control channels are programmed in for the Mecklenburg simulcast. 853.3500 MHz is the control channel for the last few days.

 

[Scanmen34]

Make sure all 4 control channels are programmed in for the Mecklenburg simulcast. 853.3500 MHz is the control channel for the last few days.

I’ve been using uniden software plus I updated my sds200 new firmware still not doing anything

 

[trumpetman]

Did you use the Uniden software to verify that 853.3500 is programmed in to the Mecklenburg simulcast site? Or you can manually navigate to the system and site and verify/add the frequency without software.

 

[Scanmen34]

Did you use the Uniden software to verify that 853.3500 is programmed in to the Mecklenburg simulcast site? Or you can manually navigate to the system and site and verify/add the frequency without software.

Everything looks the same

 

[Ubbe]

Everything looks the same

Do the usual SDS things like changing the IFX, first on the control channel frequencies to see if it did improve anything, then all the different filter settings to the site. You can duplicate and copy a site so you have several and set different filter settings to each and include all in scan and see if any of the sites starts to work.

/Ubbe

 

[Scanmen34]

Everything looks the same

Which one the best filter

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Which one the best filter

Filter settings are experimental, there's no "best filter" for everyone. Try them all out, find out which one works best for you

 

[Scanmen34]

Did you use the Uniden software to verify that 853.3500 is programmed in to the Mecklenburg simulcast site? Or you can manually navigate to the system and site and verify/add the frequency without software.

 

[hamstang]

Do you have Service Types enabled for what you want to monitor?

 

[Scanmen34]

Do you have Service Types enabled for what you want to monitor?

YES

 

[CollinsURG]

Which one the best filter

Unless you know exactly what the frequency or frequencies are that are causing interference, you can't know which filter to chose. They shift the 10 Mhz IF bandpass about the center IF target frequency. IFX should be tried as well as each filter. Could also be a combination of IFX and one of the filters, or no IFX and one of the filters. IFX changes the IF frequency in an attempt to avoid interference.

 

[Scanmen34]

Unless you know exactly what the frequency or frequencies are that are causing interference, you can't know which filter to chose. They shift the 10 Mhz IF bandpass about the center IF target frequency. IFX should be tried as well as each filter. Could also be a combination of IFX and one of the filters, or no IFX and one of the filters. IFX changes the IF frequency in an attempt to avoid interference.

Thank you I've already tried that

 

[CollinsURG]

Thank you I've already tried that

There is a location that I have taken my SDS100 to that completely saturates the RF front end, and it will not receive anything in the 700/800 Mhz range. It is a cell tower on the corner of a local grocery store parking lot. My Unication G5 is totally impervious to it. You will not be able to fix some of the reception issues with IFX and filters. And at that same location the BCD325P2 works perfect on a non simulcast sytem and fairly well on a local simulcast system.

One more option. Try using minimal antenna. Insert a small piece of wire about 1.5 inch long into the center of the antenna connector. If you can receive the UASI system on at least one tower, but at the same time attenuate some other interference, maybe it could help. I do not expect that to work, but it is something I would try.

 

[Enforcer52]

Could you clarify a few things for us:

What type of structure where you use the 200? Wood, metal, stucco, newer or older construction, metal roof, etc.

Where are you exactly? How far from the nearest tower? Or give us a town on the map below.

while my SDS150 is picking it up very well from the same area with a good signal and no apparent data problems.

By area what do you mean, side by side with the SDS200, or are you using the 150 as you travel around the same general area?

What antenna are you using on the 200, stock/other, inside or outside? If outside what type and how high up? What antenna on 150?

Also you ONLY need the 4 control channels in the Frequency List.

 

[trumpetman]

What happens if you do a manual/frequency hold on 853.3500? Do you see indications of a control channel? It should display a NAC and some RSSI. I'm with Enforcer, I'm wondering if one of the 26 other non control channels is actually from a different site which is tripping the scanner up. I would delete all but 853.8125, 853.3500, 853.2625, & 852.9125. What happens if you do a site hold and a frequency hold. Are you receiving other traffic like NOAA weather on VHF? I seem to recall the SDS200s had a cold solder issue as well that caused receive signals to fall out completely scanner-wide.

 

[K9KLC]

Are you receiving other systems on the 200 acceptably and just this one is bad or, is it all systems on the SDS 200?

 

[CollinsURG]

There is the NC Viper Sites in Mecklenberg. Heathway Drive ( North East near Cabarrus), Charlotte, Pineville and Huntersville to try. Also the Cabarrus UASI site. My SDS100 can receive the Mecklenburg UASI from central Rowan. Maybe you can receive the Cabarrus UASI as a test. That site will not have all the traffic you want to receive unless maybe you are near the border of Cabarrus.

 

[Ubbe]

I’m having an issue with my Uniden SDS200 scanner. It is struggling to pick up the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system, while my SDS150 is picking it up very well from the same area with a good signal and no apparent data problems.

One more thing to try, if the signal is good and strong on the SDS150, four or five bars, then set the attenuator to the site on the SDS200 and start over again with IFX both on and off and test all filters in each IFX mode.

It's frustrating when a SDS100/200 isn't working as you expect it to do and even if you are a well experienced radio tech it sometimes are a mystery why it fails. It's a relief that SDS150 seems to work more like a "normal" scanner.

/Ubbe

 

[Scanmen34]

Appreciate everyone I got it fixed