SDS100/SDS200: Just bought a SDS100 got a couple questions.

[nessnet]

Great thanks you .does the sds100 decode weaker signals better than SDR's like the RTL-SDR ?

No - remember with an RTL-SDR you (software such as SDRTrunk) controls the gain, which you can crank up.
You can't with the Uniden SDS100/200.
These Uniden radios really aren't that sensitive in comparison to older Uniden radios and other receivers. They were designed to mitigate multipath interference caused by simulcast sites and they do that fairly well. But have such wide front ends that they are particularly susceptible to RFI. In fact, that is what the waterfall feature is for. To see if anything is transmitting at a freq close to your target freq.

 

[AngWay]

No - remember with an RTL-SDR you (software such as SDRTrunk) controls the gain, which you can crank up.
You can't with the Uniden SDS100/200.
These Uniden radios really aren't that sensitive in comparison to older Uniden radios and other receivers. They were designed to mitigate multipath interference caused by simulcast sites and they do that fairly well. But have such wide front ends that they are particularly susceptible to RFI. In fact, that is what the waterfall feature is for. To see if anything is transmitting at a freq close to your target freq.

can you scan while it's in waterfall mode? like can it flip through the channels while showing the waterfall?

 

[AngWay]

It decodes TDMA voice channels, not control channels.

oh ok. is everything eventually going to TDMA?

 

[WX9RLT]

And when it comes to programming it which is the best software sentinel or proscan?

I use Sentinal to program.

However, I highly recommend getting Proscan.
I use Proscan for everything else

 

[RMason]

can you scan while it's in waterfall mode? like can it flip through the channels while showing the waterfall?

I do not think the SDS100/200 can scan while displaying the waterfall. You must exit the waterfall to resume scanning. These are two separate modes.

Have you seen the Waterfall Feature Operation Manual from Uniden?

https://www.uniden.info/download/ompdf/SDS200Waterfallom.pdf

Also the SDS100 User's Guide:

https://www.uniden.info/download/ompdf/SDS100om.pdf

and Easier to Read Guide:

Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

 

[AngWay]

I do not think the SDS100/200 can scan while displaying the waterfall. You must exit the waterfall to resume scanning. These are two separate modes.

Have you seen the Waterfall Feature Operation Manual from Uniden?

https://www.uniden.info/download/ompdf/SDS200Waterfallom.pdf

Also the SDS100 User's Guide:

https://www.uniden.info/download/ompdf/SDS100om.pdf

and Easier to Read Guide:

Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

I read throught the links u sent but i couldn't find anything about if it could scan while in waterfall mode

 

[RMason]

I read the sds100 has a built in antenna analyzer is the true? i googled antenna analyzers and they can be expensive. will the built in one in the sds100 work good enough? Thanks

I believe you are referring to the Analyze feature of the sds100. This is not an antenna analyzer. The System Status mode of the Analyze feature allows you to view a simple graph of signal strength (S), signal quality (Q), and activity (A) on sites in trunked systems. I find it useful in determining whether you are able to receive a control channel



See Using Analyze in: Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

 

[AngWay]

I believe you are referring to the Analyze feature of the sds100. This is not an antenna analyzer. The System Status mode of the Analyze feature allows you to view a simple graph of signal strength (S), signal quality (Q), and activity (A) on sites in trunked systems. I find it useful in determining whether you are able to receive a control channel

View attachment 170291

See Using Analyze in: Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

oh ok got it... also if you create a favorites list can you do it like this. create a favorite list for each county and put all P25 trunking control channels and NXDN and DMR all in the same favorite county list?

 

[jtwalker]

oh ok got it... also if you create a favorites list can you do it like this. create a favorite list for each county and put all P25 trunking control channels and NXDN and DMR all in the same favorite county list?

It depends. Possibly. It may not make sense to create a FL by county to include possible state-wide or multi-county systems. If you want to duplicate the system, I guess you could but I don’t like to do it this way (usually).

But you can put any combination of systems in one FL as long as you stay below 1Mb limit.

I create FLs by county but also have a state-wide/multi-county FL for each state.

 

[nessnet]

oh ok got it... also if you create a favorites list can you do it like this. create a favorite list for each county and put all P25 trunking control channels and NXDN and DMR all in the same favorite county list?

Short answer = yes. But, it depends on how you want to organize things, based on how you use the radio.

Because I travel a lot, and scan using a GPS module, my favorite lists are all geographic, containing all the LOCAL LE for that particular geo area.
Statewide LE gets' it's own favorite list.

This is just one way to do it, but I have put much time and effort building rectangles/bounding boxes for each geographic area and state/county/city border, so my radio knows exactly where it is - and exactly what LE to scan for that area. And switches when it crosses a state/county/city border, (range=0).

In reading your questions, I strongly recommend reading and learning how this all works, (especially trunking and location control in the radio). It can get complex - and is confusing at first, but you can get as elaborate as you want. It just takes some time and effort - and the ability/willingness to learn it. But in my example above, I just turn on the radio and as I drive around 3 states, it only scans the LE in the area I'm in - I don't ever even have to touch it.

 

[AngWay]

It depends. Possibly. It may not make sense to create a FL by county to include possible state-wide or multi-county systems. If you want to duplicate the system, I guess you could but I don’t like to do it this way (usually).

But you can put any combination of systems in one FL as long as you stay below 1Mb limit.

I create FLs by county but also have a state-wide/multi-county FL for each state.

so there is a 1 MB limit for a FL . thats weird

 

[Enjoi19]

so there is a 1 MB limit for a FL . thats weird

They only contain text, not like the files should be wildly massive.

 

[AngWay]

Short answer = yes. But, it depends on how you want to organize things, based on how you use the radio.

Because I travel a lot, and scan using a GPS module, my favorite lists are all geographic, containing all the LOCAL LE for that particular geo area.
Statewide LE gets' it's own favorite list.

This is just one way to do it, but I have put much time and effort building rectangles/bounding boxes for each geographic area and state/county/city border, so my radio knows exactly where it is - and exactly what LE to scan for that area. And switches when it crosses a state/county/city border, (range=0).

In reading your questions, I strongly recommend reading and learning how this all works, (especially trunking and location control in the radio). It can get complex - and is confusing at first, but you can get as elaborate as you want. It just takes some time and effort - and the ability/willingness to learn it. But in my example above, I just turn on the radio and as I drive around 3 states, it only scans the LE in the area I'm in - I don't ever even have to touch it.

Ok i don't travel alot but my county borders KY WV and i'm in VA so my plan is to put all the surrounding areas into one FL then create a fav list for each state for when i'm in those states and know i can't pick up va because at home in va i use a outdoor antenna so i can pick up the surrounding states but i don't pick up alot in those states just the state police in each one. i do pick up alot of the surrounding counties to me. so could i use sentinel software to make 3 FL and put in each one the exact freqs i know i can get by finding them in dsdplus fastlane.

 

[AngWay]

They only contain text, not like the files should be wildly massive.

I plan on using dsdplus fastlane to find the percise freqs i am able to listen to and then program the sds100 to receive those freqs that way i'm not scanning just stuff i can't even pick up and it wasting time would that be a good idea?

 

[jtwalker]

You will redo your scanner programming a couple times, probably from scratch, until you get it the way you like it. Don’t sweat the first pass.

 

[AngWay]

You will redo your scanner programming a couple times, probably from scratch, until you get it the way you like it. Don’t sweat the first pass.

yeah i figure that to lol..what if you have say 3 favorite lists can you scan through all 3 of those or only one favorite list at a time?

 

[jtwalker]

yeah i figure that to lol..what if you have say 3 favorite lists can you scan through all 3 of those or only one favorite list at a time?

Yes. Either by quick keys or turning them on/off through scanner menu or Sentinel profile editor.

 

[AngWay]

Yes. Either by quick keys or turning them on/off through scanner menu or Sentinel profile editor.

ok let me get this straight if i leave all 3 favorite list on it will just scan every freqs that is in all 3 of those fav lists?

 

[jtwalker]

ok let me get this straight if i leave all 3 favorite list on it will just scan every freqs that is in all 3 of those fav lists?

If location control is not on for those FL, and quick keys are all on or not being used, yes. It will scan all conventional frequencies and the control channel for every site on trunked systems.

 

[AngWay]

If location control is not on for those FL, and quick keys are all on or not being used, yes. It will scan all conventional frequencies and the control channel for every site on trunked systems.

I'm looking at the upgrade. but does the sds100 come with EDACS or do u have to pay to upgrade to that?