External Speaker Suggestions

[Salvatorejrc]

I just bought the uniden bc15 for my sds100. It sounds nice but the scanner itself is louder than the speaker, which is a disappointment. What are some suggestions for external speakers that go louder? I would most likely use it for both desktop as well as mobile.

 

[doctordialtone]

suggestions for external speakers

I use powered PC speakers for my scanners.

They sound great!

 

[ka3aaa]

you need an external speaker with a built in powered audio amplifier which i have seen on ebay.

 

[fxdscon]

I just bought the uniden bc15 for my sds100. It sounds nice but the scanner itself is louder than the speaker, which is a disappointment. What are some suggestions for external speakers that go louder? I would most likely use it for both desktop as well as mobile.

Are you using the headphone jack or the external speaker jack? My BC15 works very well with my SDS200, but powered speakers like the BC23A would be much louder.

 

[Salvatorejrc]

Are you using the headphone jack or the external speaker jack? My BC15 works very well with my SDS200, but powered speakers like the BC23A would be much louder.

I'm pretty sure the sds100 only has a headphone jack

 

[blackbelter]

I use a professional grade Klein Valor Shoulder Speaker which is powered and takes my 436 audio to another level. Do a quick site search on this pricey shoulder speaker . I normally keep my 436 audio level @ 2 and the sound from this speaker is amazingly clear and loud , however 436 has a much better speaker sound than SDS100.

 

[W4EMS]

Use the Bearcat BC23A as noted above. Works well in truck. There is a mod which will bypass the inactivity sleep mode if you search the forums

 

[Salvatorejrc]

Use the Bearcat BC23A as noted above. Works well in truck. There is a mod which will bypass the inactivity sleep mode if you search the forums

Could you possibly send a link to direct me to that bypass mod forum?

 

[fxdscon]

I'm pretty sure the sds100 only has a headphone jack

Yes, you are correct, I had SDS200 on the brain.

 

[ofd8001]

For mobile use, I recommend the BC23A regardless of scanner model. Too much road noise to overcome so amplified speakers are great.

I also use the '23A in the garage where I have my workshop and associated tools.

For a quieter environment, I've never needed any kind of external antenna.

 

[radio3353]

Could you possibly send a link to direct me to that bypass mod forum?

See post #10 in this thread...
Modification Thread

Be very careful you solder the resistor to the correct pads (observe the red arrows) or the mod will not work.

 

[Ubbe]

I'm pretty sure the sds100 only has a headphone jack

It also works as a jack for external speaker as it has full output power to a low ohm speaker.

An important factor of speakers are its sensitivity, how much audio level it emits for a 1watt signal. Uniden doesn't give that number for the BC15, probably because it isn't very good. Low wattage speakers like the ones in portable scanners are usually rated 1watt or similar and have a high sensitivity. If you look at a 15watt speaker it usually do not have the same sensitivity and needs much more power to produce the same sound preassure. Lower power rating speakers like 5watt usually have better sensitivity. A speaker that has a 3dB lower sensitivity figure will need to be powered by double the output wattage to sound at the same audio level.

choosing-loudest-speaker-sensitivity-and-power-wattage/

/Ubbe

 

[scanmanmi]

I ran mine into a graphic equalizer which actually gives me control like a speaker would not.

 

[TailGator911]

The Valor shoulder speaker is hands down the best speaker you can get for a handheld scanner. They are pricey but well worth it and sounds great, not tinny, with the best audio I have ever heard on such a speaker.

 

[RoninJoliet]

ScannerMaster in MA sells them.....

 

[Salvatorejrc]

I use a professional grade Klein Valor Shoulder Speaker which is powered and takes my 436 audio to another level. Do a quick site search on this pricey shoulder speaker . I normally keep my 436 audio level @ 2 and the sound from this speaker is amazingly clear and loud , however 436 has a much better speaker sound than SDS100.

Any way you could send me a video of the audio of the speaker? I can't seem to find any on YouTube

 

[blackbelter]

Unfortunately, I am away from my QTH for a while and have no access to my gear. I purchased mine through Scanner Master.

 

[majoco]

I have four HF communications receivers, two scanners and a VHF/UHF receiver - I feed all the line/record outputs plus one "aux" from a laptop into a Behringer eight line input stereo mixer with line and headphone outputs - the line outputs got to a small 15W amplifier to pair of small but good quality speakers on the left and right ends of my desk - a 4inch woofer, a 1inch midrange and a tweeter. With the aid of the tone controls on the amplifier, the master gains and the stereo balance controls, I can set the individual volume, overall volume and position of any source via only two speakers - pushbuttons on the mixer enable/disable any input - the whole system works very well. Stereo hifi headphones sound amazing - you can 'fix' the position in space of any input.

 

[WB9YBM]

I just bought the uniden bc15 for my sds100. It sounds nice but the scanner itself is louder than the speaker, which is a disappointment. What are some suggestions for external speakers that go louder? I would most likely use it for both desktop as well as mobile.

1. a larger or better quality speaker
2. adding an amp (either DIY or bought single or as speaker/amp combo
3. make sure impedances match between the scanner out/speaker in

 

[iMONITOR]

Uniden intentionally limits the level of audio available to the earphone jack so people don't damage their hearing. The earphone jack is a higher impedance than what you typically find in external speakers which are typically 4-8 ohms. As I recall the impedance of the internal speaker on the SDS100 is 32 ohms. A lot of earphone are as high a 600 ohms or more.

High quality communications gear, whether it's a receiver, speaker, or headphones does not necessarily mean better sound, but rather better intelligibility. Typically it is very limited in fidelity (audio frequency range) and will sound flat and sometimes even a little harsh. Audio frequencies are clipped above and below the response we're used to. This is make the voice as clear as possible, and not sounding like Barry White or Mariah Carey.

If you still want a fuller sound from a hand held scanner I think a Bluetooth transmitter plugged into the headphone jack, transmitting to a nice Bluetooth amplified speaker is the best approach. That way you don't have to worry about overloading/overheating the internal amplificer in the scanner.