I personally feel that terrain does play a role with simulcast issues. If you are in an area with tall buildings and more rolling terrain, and you don't have simulcast sites located high above mountains (like North Mountain for example), you will have less interference because more signals will be blocked. The valley is very different than Chicago and many other places in that regard. I've personally tested digital scanners in 26 states during my travels over the last few years, and have found that Phoenix is one of the more challenging areas I've scanned simulcast in, but that's just one mans' experience.
In terms of the meetup in my office, I recall that a bit differently. I don't recall the issue going away until we went outside of the building, not just a few feet away, and I don't recall having confirmed that my computer was the source of interference. Also, very important to note in my view, is that the second SDS100 I bought this year, did not suffer the same interference while sitting in the exact same spot as the first unit, with the same computer running in the same spot. I was not using any filtering or attenuation on the second unit either, so conditions were identical, meaning that there was a difference in performance between the first and second SDS100, unless the actual source of interference was no longer present. However, it should be noted that the first SDS100 also could not lock Simulcast G from anywhere in my home, whereas the new SDS100 can easily monitor that simulcast from anywhere in my house, again, no filters used on the new scanner for comparison purposes. All signs point to a performance difference between the pre-order SDS100 and the new one in my situation.
Still, in the end, I agree with the overall sentiments in both of the posts after mine above. I own and (now) enjoy both the SDS100 and SDS200, and they have earned permanent spots in my collection. They are the best digital scanners ever made, regardless of their faults or weaknesses. There are no other scanners that do as well, and even though the Unication G4/5 devices are superior overall for simulcast, and far more resistant to interference, have a far greater receive range, and more consistent in their results, they have limitations including: inability to scan multiple systems at the same time, no nuisance lockout, no talk group hold button, and the fact that it's sometimes hard to get into the menu as you get interrupted by transmissions. They are not scanners, and cannot totally replace scanners. Whistler scanners are still "last generation" technology and have been left behind completely (wish this weren't true but it is - competition is good indeed).
