I know many people don't have more than 1 scanner but does anyone happen to have the uniden 996p2 and the sds 100 or 200? I am curious if the 100 or 200 are better than the 996p2 which I have. Curious on how the simulcast decoding is. I am in Johnson county and if I listen to Johnson or Linn county it sounds like garage. But if I travel to Iowa county I hear them clearly.
comparing scanners
- Thread starter Bandit52241
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Look at my constant post and my PROFILE PICTURES 1 Rack has 16 Uniden Scanners the other Rack has 3 Unidens 1 TRX-2
and in my car 2 325p2's 2 SDS100's 1 436 and 1 TRX-1.
and in my car 2 325p2's 2 SDS100's 1 436 and 1 TRX-1.
LS101
Member
I have both 996p2 and sds200 i can say that my 996p2 keeps right up with the sds200 i can move it from room to room and still have no problem, but its like everybody says i must be in a sweet spot. Have had the sds now for about 2 month now i can can honestly say the 996 is my go to radio, sds has hardly been turned on after the first month. Myself if i had the sds at the time to compare both i would not of bought it now.If you read about other peoples experience with the 996 they to will tell you you have to be in the right spot,it works for some and for some it doesn't work. So in the end my sds sets on my desk with a small towel over it to keep the dust off of it while my p996 keeps chugging along, it wont be long but it most likely will be put up for sale.
doctordialtone
Member
I have not bothered to buy an SDS scanner. They are over-priced and still suffering from some problems that require sending them in for repair.
Just browse the forums or search sds100 repair or sds200 repair.
Like @LS101 says, my 996P2 and 325P2 do just fine and have not had a single issue since I bought them.
Enjoy!
Just to be FAIR CARS, Cellphones and other Electronics suffer recalls also.
Volfirefighter
Member
I had a 996P2 and it performed poorly on Ohio MARCS simulcast. I now have both an SDS100 & two SDS200's. All three perform very well on said simulcast system. I have not had to send any of them in for repair.
Volfirefighter
Member
You may also want to consider a Raspberry Pi 4 and an RTL-SDR (Software-Defined Radio). They handle simulcast very well. You could have a full setup for around $125. There is a little bit of a learning curve setting these up but there is plenty of help here on the forums.
doctordialtone
Member
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Hopefully someone who is local to you can pipe up and say, "Yes, I have an SDS100/200 and it works great".
In the absence of that, know that as soon as someone asks, "Should I get an SDS100/200?" you will get responses from people in three categories:
1) Those that will be quick to tell you that *THEIR* BCD996P2, or BCD436HP, or Whistler TRX-1 or WS-1088, (or whatever) works GREAT on the local simulcast system where THEY live, and you are wasting your money if you buy an SDS100/200. Unless the person posting happens to live in your house, ignore them. Yes, it IS possible to find 'sweet spots' where a scanner that wasn't designed to handle simulcast can do a decent job picking up a simulcast system. But that is definitely the exception rather the rule, and the fact that someone hundreds or even thousands of miles away is fortunate enough to live in one of those sweet spots means absolutely nothing to you. "It works great for me" doesn't mean it will work for you, no matter what they might claim.
2) Those that say that ALL SDS100 and SDS200 units are defective and have to be sent back for repair more than once, and are junk and a total waste of money. This is false. YES, *some* SDS100 units have failed (usually with a "cold solder joint"), and some people have had to send them back more than once. There is also the much-discussed "HUM" problem with the SDS200, which some units have, or some people can hear, or maybe a combination of the two. But a discussion of serial numbers here on RR has disclosed that thousands of these units have been sold, but there are only a handful of people that constantly post "they are ALL defective". There are many frequent posters that own several of the units too, and have had no issues. Sure, if *my* $700 scanner stopped working I would be very annoyed (to say the least) but $100,000 cars break down too, don't they?
3) Those that actually HAVE one, and have experienced the HUGE difference it makes in picking up the local simulcast system where they live.
Going back to my first statement, if you can find someone who lives nearby that has an SDS100 or SDS200, that would be your best source of information. Minus that, know that the SDS100 and SDS200 are the only scanners currently on the market that were designed to deal with simulcast systems, and chances are extremely good that either one of them will do better than your 996P2.
And yes, I have both, and no, the 996P2 won't pick up the local simulcast system. Do I wish it could? Oh definitely. It would be even better if my BCD325P2 picked it up, since I love taking that little scanner with me. But it doesn't.. Not designed to do so. I used to have a BCD436HP too, and if I put it on the "sweet spot" on my desk it would pick up about 75% of the traffic on the local simulcast system, at least until the sweet spot drifted (due to wind, weather, whatever) and then it would drop out until I moved it an inch or two or six. With my SDS100 I can walk around the house or down the street and it never loses the system.
There ARE a couple other options too. One is to use OP25 on an old laptop or a Raspberry Pi, as has already been mentioned. If you are Linux-savvy that's a great option (I have a couple OP25 boxes too), although not as portable as an SDS100, that's for sure.
The other is the Unication pagers (like the G4 and G5), which are also designed to handle simulcast, and from what I've heard do even better than the SDS100/200. Unication is also working on a new firmware that will make the devices act more like a scanner, since that's not what they were originally designed for and is probably the biggest drawback to this point.
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Simple if you have Simulcast issues get the SDS series if NOT the 996P2 will do fine and I've had both.
Another vote for the SDS models. I did a bunch of simulcast testing when the SDS100 first came out, driving around with a 436 and SDS100 connected the the same antenna, and comparing reception. I quickly discovered the SDS100 was very consistent, picking up traffic pretty much everywhere.
But reception on the 436 cut in and out. It would pick up nothing in some places, and a few hundred yards away, it would match the SDS100 call for call. So if you get a non-SDS model, it might pick up simulcast. If you get a SDS, it will.
But reception on the 436 cut in and out. It would pick up nothing in some places, and a few hundred yards away, it would match the SDS100 call for call. So if you get a non-SDS model, it might pick up simulcast. If you get a SDS, it will.
Thanks for the info. I wish there were stores still around that you could go check scanners out before buying. miss the old days
thatoneiowan
Member
I am in Huxley and have both, but have not yet tried using the 996p2 on any Simulcast sites. I run two feeds using SDS200s and one with the 996p2.
bkramm
Member
I don't have a 996P2 but have a BCD536 and a SDS100 and 2-SDS200's.
The SDS series runs circles around the 536 on simulcast.
I can hear Linn, Johnson, Iowa and Black Hawk simulcast on a outside antenna
on the SDS200's from eastern Benton County.
I tried many things to try and get the BCD536 and a BCD436 that I had ( sold ) to work on simulcast
but nothing seemed to help on a consistent basis, sometimes good reception and other times just garbage.
I do have a BCD996XT on the same outside antenna but receives very little on simulcast.
Don't know if this makes a difference but Iowa Co is phase2 with Linn and Johnson being phase1 currently.
The SDS series runs circles around the 536 on simulcast.
I can hear Linn, Johnson, Iowa and Black Hawk simulcast on a outside antenna
on the SDS200's from eastern Benton County.
I tried many things to try and get the BCD536 and a BCD436 that I had ( sold ) to work on simulcast
but nothing seemed to help on a consistent basis, sometimes good reception and other times just garbage.
I do have a BCD996XT on the same outside antenna but receives very little on simulcast.
Don't know if this makes a difference but Iowa Co is phase2 with Linn and Johnson being phase1 currently.
I have four SDR-USB scanners running for under $100. Streaming four separate city /groups/systems on the Galveston Simulcast (Texas). Sounds great for the price....Still looking to try to build a P25-PI unit
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