OPINION: Is Uniden is ripping us off / UV5R -vs- SDS100 (In VHF Analog scanning situations)

[Omega-TI]

Okay, before the flame wars start, let me be clear...

A Uniden 5400mAH battery is around $55.00-$58.00 and in the battery sucking SDS100 does not last all day. In my area, 90% of everything I listen to is VHF analog, and the battery in the UV5R does last all day, so guess which one I keep in the car while local?

A UV5R, depending on configuration is around $20.00 - $30.00 and that is not just for the battery it also for the radio and a docking charger. Toss in about another $10.00 and have a programming cable as well, so all that and still under the price of a single Uniden replacement battery, which is also made in China.

So, why would I want to buy a single Uniden battery to replace my swelling backup battery when there are so many options of the UV5R variety?
Don't get me wrong, the SDS100 is a far superior radio and does things the UV5R could never do, but if analog VHF is going to be your primary mode of listening why buy a Lamborghini when a Hyundai will still get you there? Different application, different radio.

 

[trentbob]

Depends what you needs are. Very few communities have just VHF High frequencies for public service. Many have simulcast 7 - 800 MHz systems and only the SDS radios are going to work to their satisfaction.

My police are encrypted but the fire department is rebroadcast on VHF high from our Phase 2 simulcast system, I also listen to marine radio as I live on the river with a lot of activity. I listen to certain to 2 m repeaters, I listen to some UHF government frequencies and Amtrak Road Channel and police so I use my Yausu FT 65 modified to extend frequency coverage.

So I can't get Aviation as I always listen to guard, but for the most part it does the job for me in my cup holder attached to my Larson tri-band in the car.

The extra capacity battery literally last for days and days as I don't drive that much so I don't even attach it to a power source.

You can do the same as long as you don't need some of the coverage the SDS will give you. As far as the length of time you get from even the big butt battery, it is what it is and that's why people carry extra batteries LOL.

 

[KC1THE]

I get what you are saying. If you are scanning analog VHF, would a BC-125AT be a better option?

I’m fortunate that in my area, most channels I am interested in are still analog. I did use a UV-5R initially as a pseudo-scanner (very slow) but opted for the BC-125AT (albeit, it’s about $100 more) as it has many advantages over the Baofeng.

I do love taking the Baofeng along with me on hikes and to work as it is so small and light it’s an easy carry.

 

[cg]

A poor comparison, seems like clickbait topic
The Uniden is a great deal. A Motorola APX multiband with all the options is well above $10,000 so to monitor a VHF analog channel (which it will do) with the Motorola, makes the Uniden, by comparison, a very good price.

 

[KevinC]

A poor comparison, seems like clickbait topic

What??? Never, not from this member.

 

[KC1THE]

What??? Never, not from this member.

Yeah, I got the same treatment in a thread I started not too long ago - from a moderator nonetheless! Pretty benign compared to some of the junk that’s posted here that gets a pass.

There are a lot of good people here but that comment has soured my experience and I find myself not posting here much anymore.

 

[trentbob]

@Omega-TI.. no flames LOL but to address the is Uniden ripping us off header. Just a little history for those who may not know.. I got one of the first 100s off the line. Maybe the second run in June of 2018. The small battery came with the radio and the back of the radio was flat. It was not meant to be the awkward big butt radio that it is.

It was recognized right away that the smaller battery just wasn't going to cut it and Uniden stepped up and immediately addressed this before things got too far and had a program under the auspices of the product manager Paul Opitz, RIP where you registered and when they became available which took a while, everyone was given the larger battery and the larger battery cover producing the present big butt design.

All new radios after that had the larger battery when sold.

Yes the radio is a power grabber and that's why you couldn't use AA batteries, they just wouldn't last long enough.

So I'm not of the opinion that Uniden is ripping us off as it's our own choice what radio we decide to use. If you want to use your 100 then you've got to pay the bucks for more batteries and always keep one or two charged batteries with you.

If you want to use a boweldung or another small inexpensive ham radio that's going to have a better, longer lasting rechargeable battery and it's going to cover the frequencies you need, that's a choice, I do it, I just choose another brand.

 

[KevinC]

Yeah, I got the same treatment in a thread I started not too long ago - from a moderator nonetheless! Pretty benign compared to some of the junk that’s posted here that gets a pass.

There are a lot of good people here but that comment has soured my experience and I find myself not posting here much anymore.

Which moderator?

 

[KC1THE]

Which moderator?

Sorry, I read to fast . He’s an external DB Admin.

The Starliner spacecraft has started to emit strange noises…

Audible sonar-like pinging coming across the speaker. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/starliners-speaker-began-emitting-strange-sonar-noises-on-saturday/

forums.radioreference.com

Perhaps wrong forum also.


I don’t want to derail this thread. Please continue the OP discussion.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Okay, before the flame wars start, let me be clear...

... why buy a Lamborghini when a Hyundai will still get you there? Different application, different radio.

L. M. F. A. O.

A Baoturd isn't anywhere near the quality of a Hyundai, it's more like a Yugo, or Pinto.

If all I was listening to is VHF LMR, I'd be buying something of quality. Kenwood/Vertex/Motorola. Not entirely sure what the fascination with those garbage Baoturd radios are.

 

[mmckenna]

So, why would I want to buy a single Uniden battery to replace my swelling backup battery when there are so many options of the UV5R variety?
Don't get me wrong, the SDS100 is a far superior radio and does things the UV5R could never do, but if analog VHF is going to be your primary mode of listening why buy a Lamborghini when a Hyundai will still get you there? Different application, different radio.

I agree with K above. The Lamborghini vs. Hyundai comparison is being very generous to the CCR. A Hyundai can be diagnosed/repaired, has a warranty, and isn't a car that you'd just toss once it hits 40,000 miles. The Yugo comparison is much more accurate.

Why would anyone buy an SDS100 if all they needed was to listen to a few analog VHF channels? There are much less expensive Uniden scanners that have better receivers, will run on a few AA alkaline batteries, much more capable, and has a warranty from a company you can talk directly to.

Seems like more a statement of frustration than a real comparison. I see too many new hobbyists that show up here and always say they want someone to tell them what the "best" product is. Poor decision making, if you ask me.

 

[Omega-TI]

Not entirely sure what the fascination with those garbage Baoturd radios are.

Well, I just recently bought one, now two because my honey thought the first one was "cute" and wanted it for her purse. So, if something FINALLY got her to bite on a radio, that really is something!

For me, like I said in my previous message, 90% of what I listen to locally is public service, analog VHF all over repeater, so it fits my needs and all for less than the price of one single SDS100 battery.

I've been into radio in one form or another for over 50 years, and while I've also made fun of Cheap Chinese "Baotrurds" as you call them, I'm not a total radio snob and recognize different radios can fill different applications. This thing is also tiny and that comes in handy. As nice as my SDS100 is, it's no fun lugging that chunky thing around or hanging it on my belt.

I believe the real fascination is the dirt cheap price. If you lose it, no big deal. If it gets stolen, also no big deal. I think they are like a gateway drug to people with an interest in radio. Being dirt cheap little radios, people don't have to invest much to try on the hobby by listening. If the radio bug bites after they get one, there is a high probability that they'll upgrade to a better quality radio with more bells and whistles when they outgrow it.

Buying it on Amazon also gives one a 30 day window to send it back if it breaks, usually cheap stuff will break in the first month.

 

[KevinC]

I see too many new hobbyists that show up here and always say they want someone to tell them what the "best" product is. Poor decision making, if you ask me.

And then complain when the "best" costs too much so they get a CCR, only to come back and ask why it doesn't receive their agency (that uses P25 or DMR or NXDN or trunked of any flavor).

 

[Omega-TI]

I agree with K above. The Lamborghini vs. Hyundai comparison is being very generous to the CCR. A Hyundai can be diagnosed/repaired, has a warranty, and isn't a car that you'd just toss once it hits 40,000 miles. The Yugo comparison is much more accurate.

Why would anyone buy an SDS100 if all they needed was to listen to a few analog VHF channels? There are much less expensive Uniden scanners that have better receivers, will run on a few AA alkaline batteries, much more capable, and has a warranty from a company you can talk directly to.

Seems like more a statement of frustration than a real comparison. I see too many new hobbyists that show up here and always say they want someone to tell them what the "best" product is. Poor decision making, if you ask me.

When I'm on the freeway I like to monitor the State Patrol which is P25, when I'm travelling I use the GPS feature, when I'm home I like to record some transmissions and I also like to listen to stuff the UV5R cannot pick up, so the SDS fills other requirements. I also use an RSP1 for discovery, digital decoding and HF, again it's the right radio for the application.

As for the repair aspect, who would want to get a UV5R repaired? You can buy a brand new one and have it delivered to your door in a couple of days, as opposed to the shipping expense of sending something like an SDS100 out for repair and waiting who knows how long for it to be fixed and returned.

I've always been from the school when buying your MAIN UNIT, radio or PC, buy at least one step up from what you "currently need". It's better to grow into a "radio you want" than to outgrow one immediately.

 

[a727469]

To sum it all up on a topic that has been hammered, each to his own. There is no right answer. Usage and $$ count.. I own Uniden, Baofeng, Icom, Alinco and Yaesu and would defend each and find fault with each brand. Be happy you can choose.

 

[mmckenna]

As for the repair aspect, who would want to get a UV5R repaired?

I think that's my own personal issue with these. I don't like the "disposable" lifestyle where we purchase cheap Chinese products only to toss them in the landfill a short time later. I prefer to invest a bit more for something that will last longer and can be repaired. Hence the "Yugo" comparison. I knew people that owned Yugos, and they were notorious for failing catastrophically right around 40K miles. At the time, they thought they were so much smarter than everyone else for buying such an inexpensive car. 3 years later they were regretting not spending a bit more for something that could be repaired and would last them 10, 15 or 20 years.

But, to each their own. Since most of these fall into hobby use, they are a good option for many. Budgets are real and they provide some entry level features for a low price. Not everyone needs top of the line. I agree, a good 'entry level' radio. Not a replacement for anything, but they do fill the gap at the bottom of the barrel.

 

[trentbob]

I just took exception to the header that questioned if Uniden was ripping us off and that's why I explained about the initial battery with the 100 having a flat back was addressed right away by the product manager at the time with his famous "nip it in the bud" post.

It took a while but everyone who bought the initial radio with the small battery was sent an additional battery and cover that gave us the Big Butt Radio we have today.

As I say I use a small amateur radio in my cup holder attached to my Larson tri-band since our p25 Phase 2 system is rebroadcast on VHF High. I also listen to Marine and rail and a few other things.

Except I chose a Yaesu with a high capacity battery modified to extend frequency coverage. I don't drive all that much and I can go days and days on a single charge, no need to have a power source.

I don't own a boweldung. That's a personal choice but we can't blame Uniden that the relchargeable battery lasts a lot longer than the SDS 100.

I admit that the 100 is a power hungry radio and the battery doesn't last all that long so you have to cough up the bucks and carry a couple of extra charged up batteries.

I'm no Uniden fanboy but in this case they did what they could do given the situation when the radio came out.

 

[pb_lonny]

From a value point of view, these radios are excellent for the money, IF:
- Your monitoring targets are just FM voice.
- You don't need a high scan speed.
- You live in a location where the RF environment is not to harsh"

 

[Omega-TI]

@trentbob
The Baofeng battery << Amazon Link >> shows their 3800mAh battery, it has a lot of plastic on it, and does not look like it would be cheaper to manufacture than the Uniden battery << Amazon Link >> but they are both made in China.

$14.99 $58.03

If you add another $1.93 to that $58.04 you would be able to buy FOUR Baofeng batteries, but even three batteries with change left over is why I questioned whether they are overcharging. Even if one factors for a lower scale of production, the price disparity seems rather high.

 

[G7RUX]

Okay, before the flame wars start, let me be clear...

A Uniden 5400mAH battery is around $55.00-$58.00 and in the battery sucking SDS100 does not last all day. In my area, 90% of everything I listen to is VHF analog, and the battery in the UV5R does last all day, so guess which one I keep in the car while local?

A UV5R, depending on configuration is around $20.00 - $30.00 and that is not just for the battery it also for the radio and a docking charger. Toss in about another $10.00 and have a programming cable as well, so all that and still under the price of a single Uniden replacement battery, which is also made in China.

So, why would I want to buy a single Uniden battery to replace my swelling backup battery when there are so many options of the UV5R variety?
Don't get me wrong, the SDS100 is a far superior radio and does things the UV5R could never do, but if analog VHF is going to be your primary mode of listening why buy a Lamborghini when a Hyundai will still get you there? Different application, different radio.

No.