Purchased New SDS100 programmed by ZipScanners for Dothan,Al . Appears all systems show up on display, but nothing is heard while scanning . A Whistler TRX2 with 6 in antenna receives fine . What am I missing ?. there is nothing in the favorite window? It is likely some setting -as this radio seems very confusing .. Any help appreciated ...
SDS100/SDS200: NEW SDS100 NOT Receiving ??
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Check that all the service types of interest are enabled. If the radio was programmed properly, there should be a favorites list in the scanner that they created.
Hit menu- Set scan selection- Select lists to monitor. Is there something listed in there and if so, is it enabled?
Hit menu- Set scan selection- Select lists to monitor. Is there something listed in there and if so, is it enabled?
And you can always do a Weather Scan to see if the radio is receiving something. If it doesn't receive weather, most likely the scanner needs repair. If it does get weather, then you have some programming issue to work through.
If you have not yet done so, install Sentinel on your PC.
Then connect the scanner to your pc. If you then turn it on, you should see the option to go into either Serial mode, or Mass Storage. (If the scanner was already running when you connected the cable, you should get the Serial Mode/Mass Storage prompt when the cable is connected. You do want mass storage mode.
With the scanner in Mass Storage mode, open the Sentinel software on your PC.
In Sentinel, select the small icon that has a scanner (with antenna), and an upward pointing arrow to download whatever is in the scanner into Sentinel. (You can also choose the "Read from Scanner from the drop-down Scanner menu in Sentinel.) As dave3825 has already noted, if they actually did program it, there should be a Favorites list which will be loaded into Sentinel. If there is no Favorites list, then Zip never actually programmed it. Maybe they updated the database, but if no list, then no real programming was done. They owe you a correctly programmed Favorites list, or a refund for the programming charges.
YES Scan list is enabled on law and fire . RED Charge light is still on as batt not fully charged yet ?> Wonder if it will not Receive if battery is not fully charged . NO AM NOT GETTING INVOLVED WITH HOOKING IT TO COMPUTER SO DON'T MENTION IT . NOTHING IS SHOWN IN F0 AT TOP OF SCANNER DISPLAY ??
If it is currently connected to external power via the USB cable, then the state of the battery charge would not effect whether it will, or will not, scan systems.
If you are unwilling to check on programming via Sentinel & your PC, then at least try this:
Press the Menu button (the bottom one on the left side of the scanner.
In the Menu, select Set Scan Selection.
Press the E/yes key to select.
On the next screen, select Select Lists to Monitor.
On the next screen, you'll see choices to use the Main Database, Search with Scan, followed by the names of any Favorites lists created by Zip,
If all you see are the lines for Full Database & Search with scan, then there is no Favorites list present.
If there is one or more lists, be sure that they are enabled, Press the E/Yes key to toggle a list between On and Off.
It only said Houston County and ON . Only thing the SDS100 has received so far was State trooper repeater on CONVENTIONAL FM 155.445. I paid extra for NXDM which some county systems are on . The Whistler TRX2 receives everything //Sheriff, Fire, County and City and City Police. The SDS100 receives none of those ?? Mileage is set to 40
UPDATE : Don't know what I did , but got SDS100 Running now receiving everything in the county ...I did download Nationwide..and then played around pushing buttons, halfway knowing what I thought was correct ...Was something incorrect in the set up ?? SDS100 Now working Correctly ... Thanks to ALL !!
If you are 'receiving everything' after downloading Nationwide, you may just be getting systems and channels in the main database, not from your Favorites list.
Go back into the menu for the Select Lists to Monitor screen.
If "Full Database is showing as On, make sure that your Houston list is On.
Try turning off the Full Database & scanning with only your Houston list.
If you no longer hear 'everything', then your list was not properly created by Zip.
You can, of course, leave 'Full Database' On, and scan, but you are not getting what you paid Zip to program.
If, using the full database, you are hearing your local NXDN system, then at least that verifies that the NXDN upgrade was accomplished.
The NXDN system for your county only shows three talkgroups for now. If the county is going to be using that, instead of the talkgroups they have on the statewide system, AIRS, then I would expect that others will be added, and probably some that are already online, are not in the database.
I'm not trying to 'beat you upside the head'. Just trying to help you make sure you received what you paid for with the dealer programming.
Go back into the menu for the Select Lists to Monitor screen.
If "Full Database is showing as On, make sure that your Houston list is On.
Try turning off the Full Database & scanning with only your Houston list.
If you no longer hear 'everything', then your list was not properly created by Zip.
You can, of course, leave 'Full Database' On, and scan, but you are not getting what you paid Zip to program.
If, using the full database, you are hearing your local NXDN system, then at least that verifies that the NXDN upgrade was accomplished.
The NXDN system for your county only shows three talkgroups for now. If the county is going to be using that, instead of the talkgroups they have on the statewide system, AIRS, then I would expect that others will be added, and probably some that are already online, are not in the database.
I'm not trying to 'beat you upside the head'. Just trying to help you make sure you received what you paid for with the dealer programming.
No-- I appreciate all input .. Yes Agree on New Systems coming on line , but I think they're about done for now. I don't know anything about favorites so not gonna mess with it anymore as long as it's working , which I never expected ..
Newspaper had an article last month stating scanner listeners will no longer be able to receive anything in the county ?? Wrong .......dave
Newspaper had an article last month stating scanner listeners will no longer be able to receive anything in the county ?? Wrong .......dave
NOTE : About a month and 1/2 ago ,scanners went silent . I called Whistler and had them send an updated SD card for the TRX2 . It Worked, as the local system had been upgraded to NXDN and AIRS Inter Agency with Some local Systems running 800 Mc and another around 460 . That's when I knew the SDS100 would work if it was programmed correctly. I don't think they're gonna go full encrpt.
You will never know if they programmed it correctly (what you paid extra for) if you do not perform the steps illustrated in post 6 by @hiegtx .
I know ...oh well .I stayed up all night messing with it and am back to sq 1
I know several other hams around town and will contact one to help me out . 'everytime I turn it one , it downloads the nationwide list again..I give up for now...
I know several other hams around town and will contact one to help me out . 'everytime I turn it one , it downloads the nationwide list again..I give up for now...
Post 6 has the info needed to turn off the Nationwide and full database.
OK Tried post 6 , nothing doesnt scan anymore ,doing total reset later , getting a head ache ..I had it working but it was hanging up on every county in the state on AIRS which it was not doing earlier, Then was scanning some Atlanta Georgia stuff I could not get to " AVOID" ...going to bed ... Thanks for the suggestions .. Dave
Really sounds like it was scanning full database and not the favorites list that zip scanners created.
tvengr
Well Known Member
If you want to scan favorites lists only, do this with the scanner: Press MENU > Set Scan Selection will be highlighted > Press E > Scroll to Select Lists to Monitor > Press E > Full Database will be highlighted > Press E to toggle it off > Press AVOID to exit menus.
Reading the previous posts, it does not sound like the OPs scanner was programmed correctly. I had previously asked him to check for Favorites lists (see post 6)
In post 8, he started hearing activity, but that was apparently after going back to scanning the database, not just a Favorites list.
That's what it sounds like to me as well, after reading post 15.
If you are hearing things from "out of state", as your comment on Atlanta suggests, then these are coming from the full database.
Go back to the scanner's menu & again select 'Set Scan Selection'.
On the Set Scan Selection menu, select Set Nationwide Systems.
That will give you a list of various categories that are used in multiple parts of the nation, many of them well outside any reasonable range for you.
Reading these comments (look below), it appears that you may be gun-shy of using your PC to assist in correctly programming your scanner.
I would look over the list, and if something does not interest you, use the E/yes (enter) key to change the setting to off. Most likely, for now, you'd be better off turning all of them off, at least until you are up & scanning the systems of interest in your specific area.
Let me assure that, even if you make some sort of error programming, it's not going to "kill the scanner". At the worst, you can just back up & set the programming on a Favorites listcorrectly, then load it into the scanner.
I hope that Whistler did not bill you for a replacement card. But, if you had the EZ-Scan software on your PC, which is used for your TX-2, you could have simply updated it yourself, saving yourself time, if not money.
For your SDS100, it appears that you were poorly served by whatever programming Zip added In my opinion, they should re-do whatever was requested. You can order a new card, already programmed, from ScannerMaster. (Zip might have that service as well; I've never done any business with them, due to the flood of complaints on how they mishandled orders when the SDS100 & SDS200 were first released.) ScannerMaster charges start at $59.95 for the updated card and programming for one county, plus $20 for each additional county.
But if you are basically scanning only the main database (because of your incomplete Favorites list from Zip), what do you plan to do if & when updates are done that affect your area? This is why you need to settle down & install Sentinel on your PC. Instructions are in the Wiki, and there are multiple threads to assist you in getting this done and working properly.
You will need access to Sentinel so that. if & when there is a database update that applies to your area, you can download it & let Sentinel write it to your scanner.
Plus, if you will install Sentinel, there are a number of us here in the forums that can take a look at your current file, and suggest what needs to be added or set properly. By having Sentinel up & running, again, there are many of us that could simply create a programming file for you with what should have already been in the list Zip added. Without Sentinel, you'll be limited to either paying (again) for updates, or trying to find someone in your immediate area that will help if needed. You might get someone local to help you out once or twice, but if it becomes a frequent request, they may drop out of the loop. For your county's NXDN system, currently there are only three talkgroups in the database. With as many individual sites that are shown on the system, I doubt they would go to that much effort & expenses for only three talkgroups. If you can get Sentinel up & running, then you could set that system to use ID Search instead of ID Scan. ID Search will let the scanner hear every active talkgroup, even if not (yet) in the database. If you are using that system from the main database, it would be running ID Scan, meaning only identified talkgroups would be received. You cannot use ID Search when using the main database; your only choice is ID Scan.
Get Sentinel installed. Then, we can give you instructions on how to download your existing Favorites list & attach it to a post. That way, one or more additional 'set of eyes' can see what may have been incorrectly, or at least left it incomplete.
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