Hi Woody
Welcome to RadioReference
There are a number of resources available on this website (RadioReference) and elsewhere.
You do need Sentinel with your SDS200, both to update the database, as well as apply any firmware updates. The download link is
here, and can be found on this
page. The same version of Sentinel is used for the BCDx36HP and SDS series scanners.
There is an Easier to Read manual online for the
BCDx36HP series as well as
Sentinel. Whatever section that is referencing the 536HP applies, with few exceptions, to your SDS200. While certain features of the SDS200 are not available in thex36HP series, basic operation and programming is about identical (90% or higher).
Check these Wiki pages as well:
wiki.radioreference.com
wiki.radioreference.com
wiki.radioreference.com
Be sure and look at the links on those pages, and there are also some YouTube videos linked.
Once you install Sentinel, be sure to download the database update, then write that to the scanner. When shipped, the initial database is generally well out of date. Updates to the database are issued on Mondays, usually available by noon. There is no charge for database updates.
The icon for update is highlighted here, or just select that option from the Update drop-down menu.
It looks like many of your
county agencies are on the statewide
First Responder Network.
To get started, in Sentinel, select the Profile Editor, either from the drop-down
Edit menu, or by clicking on the icon on the second line of the top menu that resembles a piece of paper with a pencil; it's just under the
V of the
View drop down menu.
In the Profile, click on the Location tab:
You can set your location with your actual latitude & longitude, or just enter your zip code. Also set a range. For more details on how location & range works, see
How it Works: Location, Location, Location .
Once you've set your location & range, click on the Service Types tab.
When shipped, the default public safety service types that are enabled are the ones labeled as Dispatch (Law Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, EMS Dispatch, and Multi-Dispatch). Also enable the
Tac and
Talk types for those (Law Talk, Fire Tac, etc).
Now, still in the Profile Editor, click on the tab for Scan Selection.
Put a check mark by the Monitor Full Database field. This tells the scanner to monitor systems and channels (talkgroups on trunked systems) that match the Service Types you have selected, and that are in range based on your location and range setting.
Close the Profile Editor by clicking the
X in the upper right corner.
Looking again at the top menu line on Sentinel's screen, Click on the
Tools drop-down menu.
On that menu, click on Select Target Model and set that to the SDS200.
Now, still in Sentinel, click on the
File drop-down menu.
Next, click on
Save As and give your Profile a name. I use
SDS200 to designate which scanner the Profile is set for. I have additional profiles set for my SDS100 and 536HP.
Plug the USB cable that came with the scanner into your PC and the USB-Micro port on the front of the scanner, with the scanner turned on. You should get a prompt o choose either
Mass Storage Mode or
Serial Mode.
Choose Mass Storage Mode. You should here a 'thump' sound as the PC recognizes the scanner as a USB device. Once you're connected, then you can write the updated Database and your profile to the scanner. That can be selected by clicking on the icon that's highlighted below, or by selecting Write to Scanner under the
Scanner drop-down menu.
Writing the database, your location, and telling the scanner to use the Full Database will get you going for now. In the long term, you'll likely want to create one or more Favorites Lists tailored to what you want to hear. But at least, this gives you a starting point.