G4 vs. SDS100

[Volfirefighter]

I have had my G4 for a week now and can say that I am very pleased. It performs equally as well on an Ohio MARCS P25 simulcast system as did the SDS100. The G4 is much smaller in size and easier to carry on my belt. The G4 runs over 12 hours for me on a battery charge while the SDS100 maxed out at 8 hours. I am fortunate in that my entire county has moved to 700/800 P25 and I have no need for VHF or UHF capabilities; I understand I could have had one but not both of theses had I gone with a G5. I do miss the ability to hold on a talkgroup and lockout one with boring traffic but am told these features are coming soon with a new firmware aimed at making the G4 act more like a scanner. Overall, the G4 will replace my SDS100 which should soon be in the classifieds.

 

[sibbley]

The new beta firmware does have talk group hold and you can remove a talk group from the scan list.

 

[radio3353]

Couldn't agree with you more Volfirefighter. I started with a G4 for my county simulcast system. Then I added a G5 (VHF/700/800) because my state (PA) is rolling out a new Phase II system that uses VHF and 800 MHz frequencies. The Unication radios for me are flawless in terms of reception with a small antenna and compact size. Rock solid build quality. And the audio for a small speaker is pretty good. They will only get better with the future firmware improvements. Commercial radios for me from now on. No more consumer stuff. I had a SDS200, but it quickly developed display problems (just 2 weeks old) so I returned it for a full refund and never looked back. My only wish for the Unications is for a headphone jack. The Bluetooth implementation is quirky although I did find a Bluetooth receiver that works for using headphones or an external speaker Bluetooth Receiver. Have fun.

 

[boatbod]

I am fortunate in that my entire county has moved to 700/800 P25 and I have no need for VHF or UHF capabilities; I understand I could have had one but not both of theses had I gone with a G5.

...another thing the bear in mind is that while a G5 is dual band it cannot monitor both bands at the same time, nor can it monitor conventional and trunked systems at the same time.

 

[Hit_Factor]

I have both a G5 and SDS100. Comparing them is like comparing a lime to a watermelon.

Different tools, each with different capabilities.

 

[iloverf]

I purchased an SDS100 to monitor Montgomery County TX public Safety on the TXWarn P25 system. It was back in the box and on it's what back to the retailer I bought it from in less than a week. I guess I had been spoiled to the p25 and reception and decode of my Moto XTS 3000. I now have a G4 with my aging Moto as a backup (some local agencies I listen to have gone phase II and it can't hear them) and it's one of my favorite radios of all time. The new firmware is going to really take it over the top...

 

[scanmanmi]

It was back in the box and on it's what back to the retailer I bought it from in less than a week.

Could you elaborate on this for those of us who are new. You're saying the 3000 is way better than the SDS? In what ways? That's commercial vs consumer. How did the G4 compare to the SDS?

 

[iloverf]

Yes, the Motorola XTS 3000 is way better than the SDS100 IMHO in terms of reception of the 800mhz p25 trunking system I'm monitoring (my primary monitoring interest) and the decode (audio quality) of the p25 is WAY better. Now before everyone says it, yes - comparing a scanner (SDS100) to a Motorola XTS 3000 radio is comparing apples to oranges. (The Moto is NOT a scanner) For the 20 or so TGs that I listen to, I can use the nuisance function on my Moto and use it as a scanner (at least good enough for me). Side by side, the SDS100 missed far too much of the 15-20 TG's that I monitor's transmissions & the decode was not nearly as good and sometimes garbled.

Now comes the Unication G4 (no need for a G5 for me, since I don't monitor any VHF) the reception and p25 decode is at least as good fast the Motorola XTS 3000 if not better. I actually prefer the audio of the G4.... Once the firmware update that adds basic scanner functionality (TG hold, lockout, etc.) to the G4 I wouldn't have any reason at all to own a scanner. (Again, my only use is to monitor the local p25 TXWarn system for about 20TGs, I'm far from a power user that wants to monitor all sorts of stuff).

 

[rr60]

G4/5 P25 trunking decode is off the hook. I have terrain terrain in all quadrants which leads to TERRIBLE performance on my X36’s. I could not bring myself to even think about 100/200 after x36 debacles.

The 4/5 platform is so stable with multi path TDMA. I pull in a dozen or more sites or systems x36 deaf or dumb on.

As a beta tester I can confirm this put’s the final touches on an awesome radio.

 

[IAmSixNine]

out of curiosity what x36 debacle are you talking about?
I have 2 436 and they work as advertised.

 

[Giddyuptd]

I wont bother reading but fact is this,

Sds100 or any scanner is consumer grade.

G4 and g5, pagers, two way radios are commercial and mission critical. Made for professionals to use on the job.

No question on what works better.

 

[Giddyuptd]

out of curiosity what x36 debacle are you talking about?
I have 2 436 and they work as advertised.

I'll assume (but you know what they say) that he refers to the simulcast issues.

I've had a BCD436 side by sidewith a nx52000, apx8000, xts variants and it never missed traffic in a simulcast environment.

 

[jonwienke]

I'll assume (but you know what they say) that he refers to the simulcast issues.

I've had a BCD436 side by sidewith a nx52000, apx8000, xts variants and it never missed traffic in a simulcast environment.

It totally depends on location. When I first got my SDS100, I spent a couple months doing side-by-side comparisons between the 436 and SDS100 in my truck anytime I drove anywhere, with both connected to the same external antenna, monitoring the simulcast systems in Franklin County PA and Washington County MD. The SDS100 worked consistently pretty much anywhere in either county, but the 436's performance varied wildly. In some places it pretty much exactly duplicated the performance of the SDS100, but in other places it would be totally silent while the SDS ran non-stop. A few hundred yards' difference could make the difference between one extreme and the other.

 

[rr60]

Thanks for that gentlemen . Whew.

 

[IAmSixNine]

I played with a SDS100 for a few weeks. Its a nice device and ill eventually get one of my own.
But im still not sure what x36 debacle he is talking about.
Hopefully he is not talking about the simulcast issues, as its not designed to properly decode them. The device works for what it is designed for.

 

[Volfirefighter]

Just found another area where the G4 wins out. Working a shift in a neighboring county today and the G4 picks up the simulcast system in my home county about 20 miles outside the expected range as listed in the RR database. I had my SDS100 down here a while back and I could not get a signal even with the Remtronix 800 Mhz antenna.

 

[blackbelter]

My G5 outperforms my SDS 200 and 436 at any given time. As I mentioned before, I enjoy these scanners , however for the perfect P25 decoding, solidly built and strong audio, G5 has become my go to radio. Ray's support and follow up has added more value as well.
Awaiting the new FW upgrades to enhance my listening experience.

 

[scanmanmi]

Sds100 or any scanner is consumer grade.
G4 and g5, pagers, are commercial and mission critical

I asked what the physical differences were in a previous post that devolved into which is better. I don't understand why Uniden doesn't crack a G4 open and see what makes it tick. The SDS uses a digital TV decoder. Is that the problem? The resistors and transistors in my stereo, TV, car, airplane are all the same. I don't understand what makes "commercial" grade. I think they spent too much on trying to do all things like wifi, gps, recording, close call, low bands, etc. If they would make a simple Vhf-Uhf-800 scanner with great decode it would be awesome.

 

[Peerlessk]

My sds100 sits over in the corner likes it being punished every since the first day of getting the g5 .

 

[baj76]

i love my G4 so much...im thinking about buying a G5