SDS100/SDS200: Here We Go Again: Another SDS100 repair

[tones54]

...still want to know if the OP is considering selling it, I love buying defective hardware at a discount.

No, I am not selling it. I will get it repaired one more time and if it fails again, it goes in my junk box and I will not invest in another SDS100.

 

[R8000]

No, I am not selling it. I will get it repaired one more time and if it fails again, it goes in my junk box and I will not invest in another SDS100.

There we have it. The drama has been settled, we can lock up this thread now (thank god).

 

[David628]

W T "ufff"???.... Are you women handling it daily or trolling us? I have an original SDS100... pre-order run unit and I've used it in many not so friendly environments all throughout the states and it's still running daily without issues. Even ran it on the Queen Mary back before "covid" became a thing right outside the window pane near the HAM radio room on deck...

 

[pandel]

I had an SDS100. As far as I'm concerned, they can solder them with solid gold and they will still sound like crap plus it just felt cheaply built. I sold mine and got a Unication G4. Absolutely no comparison between the two, a toy compared to a commercial radio. To be fair, I have a friend that has
the SDS200 and says it is a MUCH better radio.
Just my humble opinion.

 

[werinshades]

I had an SDS100. I sold mine and got a Unication G4. Absolutely no comparison between the two, a toy compared to a commercial radio

Many comparisons actually. The G-Pagers have many shortcomings that many here would not be happy with if Uniden implemented. As long as you're only monitoring 1 site, with a handful of talkgroups, then the G-Pagers would be a viable alternative. Comparing any scanner or pager to a commercial radio has been discussed here many times, and is silly to compare, and won't take the thread too far off track. Many of us here are long time owners, problem free and know how to treat any piece of electronics equipment. Good to hear a pager works for you, but many others want a scanner.

 

[KevinC]

Many comparisons actually. The G-Pagers have many shortcomings that many here would not be happy with if Uniden implemented. As long as you're only monitoring 1 site, with a handful of talkgroups, then the G-Pagers would be a viable alternative. Comparing any scanner or pager to a commercial radio has been discussed here many times, and is silly to compare, and won't take the thread too far off track. Many of us here are long time owners, problem free and know how to treat any piece of electronics equipment. Good to hear a pager works for you, but many others want a scanner.

To add to this.

Many people will say get a Unication/commercial radio/BTT/SDR, but you absolutely can't match the versatility of scanner. None of the listed devices will let you program on the fly, a huge advantage for scanners. Commercial radios don't have a "hold" feature. Scanning on a Unication leaves a lot to be desired. And neither the BTT or SDR solutions are truly portable.

And before anyone accuses me of bashing any of the above, I have at least one of each of them and they each have their place, but when all is said and done you can't beat a scanner (specifically a SDS-series for simulcast).

 

[MTS2000des]

And before anyone accuses me of bashing any of the above, I have at least one of each of them and they each have their place, but when all is said and done you can't beat a scanner (specifically a SDS-series for simulcast).

That part. When I'm traveling, sure I have my APX NEXT for work- but the SDS100 goes with me. I don't have time to download files, haul around a bag of cables/antennas/accessories. I enter z ip code and select what I want to hear. It decodes P25 LSM like a subscriber. I don't expect it to be anything more than a consumer electronic product no different than my Samsung TV is compared to a broadcast quality monitor like a Sony PVM-X1800.

 

[mitbr]

I talk allot about Unication pagers which many of you know ...I fully agree with the above posts about there limitations.I have many different scanners that I use daily and it is nice to have both.I believe that using the correct tool for the job at hand is essential.
Tim

 

[radio3353]

Commercial radios don't have a "hold" feature.

The Unications do with up-to-date firmware. But, everything else you said is spot on.

 

[RCjim]

Been on the fence getting a SDS100 after selling my 436. Way too many issues with this scanner. Will not get one.

Have owned 2 since 2018 that are used daily and have had no problem at all!! If your in a simulcast area it’s the only way to go, if you don’t need one for simulcast then the 436 should work just fine.

 

[bearcatrp]

Seems weird a few state zero issues while many have the cold solder joint issue and swelling battery issue. My R30 does a great job with simulcast, better than my 436 I had. Can get close to both conversations as my SDS200 but not quite.

 

[KevinC]

The Unications do with up-to-date firmware. But, everything else you said is spot on.

By commercial radios I meant two-way radios. That’s why I separated out the Unication.

 

[Wackyracer]

If I had a electronic device with cold solder joints that was out of warranty...I would fix it myself...yep, pull out my solder station, solder, flux and magnifying glass and fix it!...but that is just me being a fix it myself kind of person.

 

[RCjim]

One would think if a radio is sent in for CSJ that it should never need that fix again if done properly!

 

[Wackyracer]

One would think if a radio is sent in for CSJ that it should never need that fix again if done properly!

NO, They fixed a "cold solder joint" they did not reflow the entire board or re-engineer the entire radio. NOW You could have a cracked solder joint in a different location or even a bad part that is causing the same issue as before.

 

[Bob1955]

Well, a few months over a year later, my SDS100 needs to go back in to Uniden for a cold solder repair...again. My frustration with this product is nearly endless. I have owned a number of Uniden products over the years and never had issues with any of them other than them becoming obsolete. I drop $700+ for an SDS100 and I have had to have it fixed twice in two years. That doesn't sit well with me. At all.
I would love to find an alternative that does not seem to have the performance issues this one does. Too bad. I used to love Uniden.

tones54- The Uniden Bearcat BCD325P2 and it works great too. No bells and whistles. The good old saying," keep it simple stupid " applies here.
Sorry for what you are going through. Some users on here swear by it. It's so good looking too.

 

[ToddWilkinson]

Believe me, I'm looking. Sadly, there is not a lot out there.

SDR

 

[garys]

I'm slowly starting to reach the conclusion that we won't see a lot of support from Uniden moving forward. He new president of Uniden America came on after CES to assure us that they were not abandoning the scanner market. Since then I have seen nothing to indicate that they are supporting it either.

I think were spoiled by UPMan because he was so passionate and had clout with upper management. That said Joe Bearcat seems long on excuses and short on action.

I will continue to enjoy scanning and using my Uniden scanners as long as they work and there is something to listen to, but I won't hold my breath waiting for upgrades or updates to their existing products.

 

[blackbelter]

While I don’t own an SDS 100, I do enjoy my SDS 200 . After 3 years of service the unit developed a screen flickering issue and made the trip to Uniden and was promptly replaced with a new or refurbished unit. As we are aware, these units are complicated , fragile and built with the least costly components which will eventually requires multiple repairs. Having said that, it appears that SDS100 shares the most familiar and frequent of the repair requirements!

 

[Chris0516]

To add to this.

Many people will say get a Unication/commercial radio/BTT/SDR, but you absolutely can't match the versatility of scanner. None of the listed devices will let you program on the fly, a huge advantage for scanners. Commercial radios don't have a "hold" feature. Scanning on a Unication leaves a lot to be desired. And neither the BTT or SDR solutions are truly portable.

And before anyone accuses me of bashing any of the above, I have at least one of each of them and they each have their place, but when all is said and done you can't beat a scanner (specifically a SDS-series for simulcast).

Could you please repeat this!