Advice needed for possibe downgrade

[adsbgreenock]

Hello there,

I know you guys across the pond are experienced with the uniden range of scanners and would be grateful for some advice.

Where I am there is no simulcast at all here in Scotland UK. I bought the SDS200E (EU variant) on a whim after I obtained a Whistler TRX1E.

To he honest I hear a lot more on the Whistler. Don't know if this is down to the amount of information in the SDS200E ( Systems, TGIDs, UIDs) and the time the scanner takes to go through all of this. I have only one Cap+ system and one DMRT3 system with the Cap+ being in the clear, the rest are all just basic DMR with thee or four talk groups max.

For a while Ive taken to just programming a list of all the active digital frequencies into the SDS200 followed by the CCs and the SDS seems to do a lot better stopping on active channels.

I do get a lot of hospital voice pagers around and after playing with filters set to Wide Invert comparing logs to the Whistler side by side via pc control I just can't see past the Whistler In terms of traffic decoded and RX.

So I'm thinking either the Uniden SDS200E was overkill for my area in respect of traffic and lack of simulcast and/or the SDR front end side of things is being horribly overloaded and the radio just isn't cutting the mustard.

I was thinking of selling the SDS to downgrade to a BCD536HP or BCD996P2 but I'm not sure which one to go for?

I use just a Diamond X50N with usual LMR400 coax at one station with the Uniden SDS and an X30N at the Whistler station which is around 1/2km away same amsl/terrain.

Any help in solving the above or ideas at all would be great.

Thanks in advance

Regards

 

[Ubbe]

SDS scanner are designed to handle simulcast systems and other systems are a compromise and there's no reason to sell expensive SDS scanners in countries that do not use simulcast. The BCD536 and BCD996P2 are great scanners but the more expensive 536 have a SD card to use a database so no real use in UK. Go for a 996P2 as it can be upgraded to DMR the same way as a 536.

There's a lot of internal interferences in SDS scanners so if you scan just for a carrier without any subtone or digital decode it will stop and hesitate the scan on all those interferences. Each interference will act as a mixer so you will hear a transmitter on several other frequencies as well, if you don't mute them by using subtones or set a specific digital decode to a frequency.

There are additional fiter settings in SDS scanner to move interferencies around in the frequency spectrum but they will always be there at some place or another and it's up to you to select a filter that gives you the least amount of interferencies for the frequency you are monitoring.

Some people say that SDS scanners are worse in analog monitoring but that are just because the problem are not noted as easily in digital mode, but it is the exact same receiver used regardless of if it is analog or digital decoding in its DSP after the demodulator.

/Ubbe

 

[adsbgreenock]

Hi Ubbe ,

Totally understand what you mean. Don't get me wrong the scanner works and i did mess around with the filters even using the terminal to monitor the spectrum display. I set each filter individually and even placed coaxial filters to try and choke out the nearby 454mhz voice pagers. Looking at RSSI though it does still seem the SDS is being annihilated with strong signals.

As you say, the bcd996p2 was my first choice. Obviously i have to import one so it may be costly but thats the least of my worries. I am wondering how the DMR upgrade happens with the bcd996p2? Is it a code or a board/cartridge (hardware insert).

I will most likely sell the SDS to fund the new scanner , probably cost me the same via import including the upgrades etcetera.

Thanks for your input Ubbe

 

[Ubbe]

The latest firmwares for 996P2 has the option to enter a key to enable DMR or NXDN. Uniden have changed their way of using credit cards so it might be necessary to ask ScannerMaster or similar dealer to get the keys for you, at an additional cost.

Are Scotland member of EU, then it will be some additional taxes added for importing a scanner. It has to be people who needs SDS scanners in their area and can't use their old scanners so should be some lower priced 996P2 at Ebay and if using Paypal you will be pretty well protected if they try to scam you. Sometimes a 536 with keys installed can be a better buy than a 996P2 without keys.

/Ubbe