SDS100/SDS200: New SDS Firmware is here!

[pro106import]

I think you're asking alot of a scanner with that poor of a decode, and these are not commercial grade radios, so don't expect it to behave as one.

You are missing the main point. The scanner is receiving the system fine at -115db. 100% decode with just a few errors. IF and ONLY if the squelch is opened. The signal is there and the scanner does fine with it. Its the squelch that is the problem. I'm not asking any more from the scanner than it is giving me. The settings need to be fixed. Thats the main point here.

 

[werinshades]

You are missing the main point. The scanner is receiving the system fine at -115db. 100% decode with just a few errors. IF and ONLY if the squelch is opened. The signal is there and the scanner does fine with it. Its the squelch that is the problem. I'm not asking any more from the scanner than it is giving me. The settings need to be fixed. Thats the main point here.

No..I got your point. You're comparing an "improvement" I noted with a Phase 2 simulcast system decoding -60db range, with a system you're decoding in the -110db range. You want a $700 scanner to receive and have the features of a commercial grade radio, which didn't happen with this firmware upgrade. Will this be addressed later, I don't know? I posted my "finding" to others asking what/if any improvement is noted. That's where it ends for me, but you can continue to ask for this feature upgrade, and I hope you get it.

 

[JustLou]

I noticed no change at all with the decode quality. Mine is still the same even on very weak systems in the -120db range. Sadly, the squelch is still the same with being too tight at level 2. I was hoping that fix would be in the update. I still have to leave the squelch set at zero or 1 (open) to hear anything worse than -110db. It will just scan right by them if I don't.

Same. I have one fairly weak system I can only monitor with the squelch set at 1 otherwise it skips it. Setting the squelch at 1 during scanning causes the radio to pause on almost everything for a few seconds slowing it down to a crawl.

 

[Ubbe]

It scans 10 times slower when the squelch are open. The squelch settings could be set to half, making the current 1 being a 2 and current 2 being a 4. Then a 3 would correspond to 1,5. The nature of the squelch are that digital signals of a high bit rate produce energy in the audio high frequency band where the squelch function are detecting the noise level. That makes it harder to open the squelch when receiving digital signals than it is receiving analog signals. It would help if a systems option setting had a value for squelch offset, exactly as the volume, with +1 and +2 and -1 and -2.

With correct squelch setting a site that are out of range will be skipped in 20mS, but if the squelch are forced open it will stay on a digital site for 1,5s. It then gets crucial to use GPS steering of sites or to manually avoid those that are currently out of range.

/Ubbe

 

[pro106import]

It scans 10 times slower when the squelch are open. The squelch settings could be set to half, making the current 1 being a 2 and current 2 being a 4. Then a 3 would correspond to 1,5. The nature of the squelch are that digital signals of a high bit rate produce energy in the audio high frequency band where the squelch function are detecting the noise level. That makes it harder to open the squelch when receiving digital signals than it is receiving analog signals. It would help if a systems option setting had a value for squelch offset, exactly as the volume, with +1 and +2 and -1 and -2.

With correct squelch setting a site that are out of range will be skipped in 20mS, but if the squelch are forced open it will stay on a digital site for 1,5s. It then gets crucial to use GPS steering of sites or to manually avoid those that are currently out of range.

/Ubbe

Great explanation Ubbe! Now if only every one else would believes it! Yes that is why I can only use the radio for P25 systems. It scans so slow with the squelch open. It is a huge limitation.

 

[Ronnierozier2]

Even right now a system hovering around -100db will not lock on with the squelch at 2. But it receives the system 100% with the squelch open. But I don't mean to get off topic. Just wish after 18 months without any updates, that this one fixed something besides a minor thing and a little housekeeping. Maybe there are more updates to come.....
View attachment 124340

what kind of antenna setup are you running?

 

[pro106import]

what kind of antenna setup are you running?

A few Yagis.....

 

[JoeBearcat]

I noticed no change at all with the decode quality. Mine is still the same even on very weak systems in the -120db range. Sadly, the squelch is still the same with being too tight at level 2. I was hoping that fix would be in the update. I still have to leave the squelch set at zero or 1 (open) to hear anything worse than -110db. It will just scan right by them if I don't.

Please keep in mind this is ***NOT*** the firmware update that addresses the current issue list. This is one that accommodates new hardware and adds improvements from other regions. I also realize that everyone expects the bug that annoys them the most to be fixed in the very next release.

That said, one major issue on the VHF band should be fixed with this release. (the upper VHF digital decode issue)

 

[Ronnierozier2]

A few Yagis.....
View attachment 124376

no way!

 

[captainmax1]

A few Yagis.....
View attachment 124376

WTF?! That's serious Yagi Action!

 

[Ronnierozier2]

WTF?! That's serious Yagi Action!

no way your running that many Yagi’s you grabbed that from the internet 😂😂 those antennas don’t have even the slightest vertical separation to even work correctly! 😂😂😂

 

[pro106import]

no way your running that many Yagi’s you grabbed that from the internet 😂😂 those antennas don’t have even the slightest vertical separation to even work correctly! 😂😂😂

Yes way. They have plenty of separation. They all work perfectly the way I placed them. The 2 masts are 5 feet apart. The photo is decieving and makes them look on top of each other. I added a 380Mhz. Yagi to hear the West Point system a few months ago so I updated the photos.
Thank You for keeping us up to date @JoeBearcat

 

[Ronnierozier2]

Yes way. They have plenty of separation. They all work perfectly the way I placed them. The 2 masts are 5 feet apart. The photo is decieving and makes them look on top of each other. I added a 380Mhz. Yagi to hear the West Point system a few months ago so I updated the photos.
Thank You for keeping us up to date @JoeBearcat

my hats off to you good sir!

 

[UPCoffeyvilleSubMain2]

http://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/SDS200FirmwareUpdate#1_21_00_Main_6_29_2022

I was not the one who found it @dnadareski found it and posted the link in a Uniden Tavern thread.

This is exactly the info I was looking for,

thanks for posting

I somewhat religiously update the db and check for firmware updates on Mondays around noon,

I almost couldn't believe it when firmware updated this week.

 

[KevinC]

No mention of any decoding improvements. Hmm...

 

[buddrousa]

Joe started not this release but one soon.

 

[KevinC]

Joe started not this release but one soon.

Odd how people insist it sounds better.

 

[GTR8000]

Joe started not this release but one soon.

What he actually said was "They have not started on the main bug list yet, but should be soon."

Take that for whatever it's worth. Or complain that I'm nitpicking and reading too much into the wording, however "should be soon" doesn't exactly inspire much confidence when we're already at a year and a half since that main bug list started being compiled, and have very little to show for it to date. "Soon" in this context could mean next week, next month, or next year. 🥴

 

[radio3353]

Odd how people insist it sounds better.

There is a lot of this around here...
Believing Crap That Isn't True

 

[RT48]

Odd how people insist it sounds better.

Placebo effect.