BCD436 and SDS100 RX issues

[MacX1993M]

Okay first I do love both of these scanners - the step up from a 125at I started with is amazing. Having a screen and local frequencies automatically loaded is so cool. BUT on both devices - unless I’m using trunking discovery or conventional discovery I cannot hear a full transmission. I have messed with every setting tried band specific antennas, discones, rubber ducks it’s always the same. Any transmission - airband NOAA, local hams, police, DMR, even FM radio comes in for a few seconds then 95% of the time it misses the rest of the transmission. Not just analog NFM - digital stuff too not hearing the whole thing.

Using trunking discovery is the only way I can actually hear full transmissions. Our local p25 police comes in CRYSTAL clear in Trunking discovery but if I’m holding on the same department/ channel in normal mode it will only hear the last bit or the beginning of the conversation. Even with my baofeng transmitting on at very close range (30 feet line of site) the unidens open squelch immediately then stops playing after a second or so. There has to be a way to get these to receive better not using trucking/ conventional discovery all the time. Thanks.

 

[mc48]

Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual (marksscanners.com)

Scanning Interrupted:1. Turn off Priority Scan. 2. Change Priority Interval. 3. Turn off Close Call Priority. 4. Turn off Weather Priority. 5. Set Channel Delay longer. 6. Set positive Channel Delay.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Are you programming by hand or using Uniden Sentinel? Way easier to use Sentinel to program trunked systems, no RR premium sub required. Also make sure you're scanning only the closest site in range to you (site hold) or you'll be bound to miss transmissions

 

[tvengr]

BUT on both devices - unless I’m using trunking discovery or conventional discovery I cannot hear a full transmission. I have messed with every setting tried band specific antennas, discones, rubber ducks it’s always the same. Any transmission - airband NOAA, local hams, police, DMR, even FM radio comes in for a few seconds then 95% of the time it misses the rest of the transmission. Not just analog NFM - digital stuff too not hearing the whole thing.

Check to see if Close Call is enabled.

 

[nessnet]

I vote for a neg delay...

 

[MacX1993M]

Are you programming by hand or using Uniden Sentinel? Way easier to use Sentinel to program trunked systems, no RR premium sub required. Also make sure you're scanning only the closest site in range to you (site hold) or you'll be bound to miss transmissions

Using sentinel only - local channels near me only. Same problem even using site hold on my local DMR tower or local police. Can only receive full trans on discovery mode.

 

[MacX1993M]

Check to see if Close Call is enabled.

Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual (marksscanners.com)

Scanning Interrupted:1. Turn off Priority Scan. 2. Change Priority Interval. 3. Turn off Close Call Priority. 4. Turn off Weather Priority. 5. Set Channel Delay longer. 6. Set positive Channel Delay.

All priority settings are off but I’ll try channel delay! Didn’t think to change that

 

[MacX1993M]

I vote for a neg delay...

I’ll try that too. Thanks

 

[MacX1993M]

Check to see if Close Call is enabled.

Same problem regardless of close call - even when using close call with my baofeng 15 feet away it won’t “hear” the whole transmission. If I hold on a frequency that I’m transmitting on with my HT it won’t hear the whole thing. It’s very frustrating but if I used conventional discovery it would hear the whole thing.

 

[Ubbe]

Discovery uses its own setting for everything except IFX. So there has to be a setting for normal scanning that are interfering with the reception.

When you hold on to the frequency your Baofeng transmits on, set the squelch to 0 and see if you continue to hear the Baofeng transmission.

We have to take this step by step until we find what setting that are causing this.

/Ubbe

 

[MacX1993M]

Discovery uses its own setting for everything except IFX. So there has to be a setting for normal scanning that are interfering with the reception.

When you hold on to the frequency your Baofeng transmits on, set the squelch to 0 and see if you continue to hear the Baofeng transmission.

We have to take this step by step until we find what setting that are causing this.

/Ubbe

Even squelch set to zero - same issue.

 

[Ubbe]

Even squelch set to zero - same issue.

More details please.

1. Do you hear just noise when the signal disappears?
2. Do the display still show the correct frequency?

/Ubbe

 

[MacX1993M]

More details please.

1. Do you hear just noise when the signal disappears?
2. Do the display still show the correct frequency?

/Ubbe

No - I’ll hear a small snippet of the target transmission then it cuts off. Tried all filter combos. There are a few ham nets near me - when they are active my baofeng can “hear” them with almost zero interruption - scanners would only pickup every few seconds. Same antenna used for both radios when testing this

2. Yes always displays correct frequency

 

[Ubbe]

No - I’ll hear a small snippet of the target transmission then it cuts off.

Can you please video your scanner while this happen, and set the display to detailed mode, and upload to google drive. Both analog and trunked if it happens to both. The SDS100's display could have some vital information that would explain the problem.

A 125AT scanner has a solid receiver but a 436 a little worse and SDS100 not even in the same league.

You can check what NOAA weather frequency you can hear and then enter that, Channel+frequency+Enter, and then set that Quick Save favorite list to scan. When the scan hits the NOAA channel check if scan stays there, or if it goes dead, does it continue to scan and what if you set the squelch to 0 while you still hear the NOAA channel? Video that if it has that cut out problem.

/Ubbe

 

[dwh367]

Same problem regardless of close call - even when using close call with my baofeng 15 feet away it won’t “hear” the whole transmission. If I hold on a frequency that I’m transmitting on with my HT it won’t hear the whole thing. It’s very frustrating but if I used conventional discovery it would hear the whole thing.

Unless you put your scanner on the exact frequency that you're transmitting on you're probably not going to hear it because you're overloading your scanner receiver. It's called desense. More than likely it's going to stop on a frequency close to the one you're transmitting on but not exactly on it.

 

[MacX1993M]

Can you please video your scanner while this happen, and set the display to detailed mode, and upload to google drive. Both analog and trunked if it happens to both. The SDS100's display could have some vital information that would explain the problem.

A 125AT scanner has a solid receiver but a 436 a little worse and SDS100 not even in the same league.

You can check what NOAA weather frequency you can hear and then enter that, Channel+frequency+Enter, and then set that Quick Save favorite list to scan. When the scan hits the NOAA channel check if scan stays there, or if it goes dead, does it continue to scan and what if you set the squelch to 0 while you still hear the NOAA channel? Video that if it has that cut out problem.

/Ubbe

Alright I send a video tomorrow evening. Even holding on the NOAA with 0 squelch channel same issue. I’ll send a vid sorry for the delay. Been busy at work.

 

[MacX1993M]

Unless you put your scanner on the exact frequency that you're transmitting on you're probably not going to hear it because you're overloading your scanner receiver. It's called desense. More than likely it's going to stop on a frequency close to the one you're transmitting on but not exactly on it.

Even locked onto the exact frequency I’m transmitting on. I normally do the 70cm calling frequency and set my scanner to hold on that. Same issue. It works perfectly fine under conventional discovery mode. Any other mode I miss most the transmission. Our EMS is still VHF around me and my feng can pick that up well when my scanners cannot unless in discovery mode.

 

[JethrowJohnson]

Even holding on the NOAA with 0 squelch channel same issue.

Are ya keeping the squelch on 0 all the time? If so, maybe it's causing it to scan really slowly?