"A Tale of Two Radios" or, I put my money where my mouth is.....

Status
Not open for further replies.

CQ

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
554
Location
Exosphere
...I took the SDS100 in the field today and the results were slightly better in some areas, and not in others. I am at a loss as to why they bothered to include the air band at all. I parked directly across from Teterboro airport in NJ, the nation's busiest private commuter airport and could barely read comms between the tower and aircraft. They were hidden behind a mountain of white noise and hiss...

What antennas did you use besides the REMTronix in "the field"? Was that the REM-810S or REM820S? Or did you not bother buying them (the SDS100 versions) since Amazon doesn't carry them and you couldn't easily return them? Did you use a BNC adapter for the antenna tuned for 700-900MHz?

Did you bother with the stock rubber?

You mention UHF...like the whole 300 MHz - 3 GHz range? Or the aircraft band that spans VHF and UHF?

Where you outside of a vehicle by Teterboro?

I've had to turn off Close Call (eventually removed air) with the stock rubber because the aircraft hits were annoying as hell for me.

The smaller battery was warmer to the touch but the larger battery was barely noticeable for me.
 
Last edited:

milcom_chaser

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
979
There have been threads about hot and warm performance. Some say the need to warm up, some say it works good till it gets too hot, I read a post where a Uniden representative said you have to rest it and not run it for too long... kind of ridiculous that this would even be a topic of conversation huh?
Heat can add to the "noise floor" in a receiver.
 

AvidHiker

Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2018
Messages
190
Location
Northern NJ
OP establishes himself as an uninformed critic, then upon finally getting the radio he peppers his largely negative review with superlatives, such as "useless" and "horrid". Then bemoans being "lambasted" by "fanboys" when all I see is one member responding somewhat aggressively in one post. Priceless.

...Display - More crisp but way too much going on. Small lettering not easy to read from a distance. Different colors and customization a nice gimmick but probably not necessary...

Funny, the feature you've labeled a "gimmick" would have allowed you to address your complaint of "too much going on" in "small lettering".
 

eorange

♦Insane Asylum Premium Member♦
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
2,925
Location
Cleveland, OH
dconti: you clearly didn't employ professional RR testing methods, like trying every possible permutation of location/connector/antenna/velocity/frequency/temperature/band-in-0.5MHz-increments to get the radio to work in a way that you're accustomed to. In fact, you didn't even drive to another state, or 2, where it's been reported to be working fine. Instead, you only relied on your first impressions. Geez.

/s
 

n2pqq

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,013
Here Is something I just discovered :
While listening to a uhf frequency If it is sounds scratchy
Turn on the attenuation for that channel .
For me it made it so I could now here the channel clearly.
Toggle it on and off and you will see what I mean .
 

srpawski

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 23, 2016
Messages
209
Bought it, had it 5 months, didn’t like it. The battery setup sucks. It should support a drop in charger like ham radio HTs do since it’s the high end price of a ham radio HT and even a $100 one has a drop in charger. Plus, I didn’t see where it did any better than my 436, granted my area is not yet simulcast but it DID NOT outperform in ability to receive the same as my 436 with antennas on both being the same.

Only took it in the rear losing about $150 on the sale after commission and paid upgrades. On a positive note, I purchased some much more desired Bioenno Power solar and battery equipment for my ham gear.

No complaints, I’m able to say I’ve “been there and done that” and won’t be rushing in the future to be the first one to buy.
 

UnidenSupport

Uniden Representative
Uniden Representative
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Messages
538
Location
Wisconsin
There have been threads about hot and warm performance. Some say the need to warm up, some say it works good till it gets too hot, I read a post where a Uniden representative said you have to rest it and not run it for too long... kind of ridiculous that this would even be a topic of conversation huh?
you are mis-quoting me on that. My comment was in a thread about getting the maximum lifetime out of your scanner. people had suggested not power cycling the scanner and running it constantly as power cycling lessens the lifetime of some components. I had meant that running a scanner for years on end without powering it off can lessen the life as well. so, as with any electronic that does not have a sleep mode, I suggested powering it off if you are not going to be using it for a few days. It has nothing to do with what you are saying.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top