For anyone interested, I did email uniden… here is what I sent them. If/when I hear back from them I will advise here.
Hello,
My name is Brian xxxxx, and I am a proud new owner of what is widely referred to as the BEST, NICEST, TOP OF THE LINE scanner on the market today, the Uniden SDS100. I have an older radio shack scanner that while it can receive Apco P25 systems it only decodes phase 1, so is pretty soon to be obsolete, and what it does decode and receive it’s pretty out of its league with simulcast systems (which is nearly EVERY radio system in my area). So, discovering i was in need of an upgrade after asking the folks at radioreference forums why I couldn’t receive a particular county, multiple people pointed me your way…. To the SDS100. Wow, what an amazing device. Unparalleled in its abilities to receive digital simulcast systems…. Naturally, as good as this scanner is, it costs A LOT. I’m not complaining…. I wanted the best, and I got the best. But, it seems nothing is perfect, and so is the case here…. While the SDS100 seems to be THE ultimate scanner, it currently has one MAJOR Achilles heel-the battery. Imagine my surprise when I’ve learned that SEVERAL people on the radio reference forums report problems with the lithium ion polymer (LIPO) batteries you supply with the scanner….You see, these batteries have the tendency to swell, and can potentially explode and cause fire if not charged or stored correctly, and while I’ve seen no reports of explosion or fire in this case, I’ve seen photographic evidence of these cells swelling and expanding to the point they are unusable…. Not only that, but they are expanding and in some cases, breaking the battery retaining clip. I personally haven’t experienced this, but it concerns me as a customer. Others have said this has been brought to uniden’s attention, but I want to bring it forward also… I have screenshots of these batteries swelling from the forum if you’d like to see them.
First, is there any official investigation/review in place of why these batteries are failing like this? Second, is there any plans to rectify this issue? Third, is there a possibility of instead using either a true lithium ion cell, or some sort of battery tray to use rechargeable AA batteries or something like that ? (I’m unsure of the power requirements of this device and am unsure if 4 aa batteries will sufficiently power this device)
Any information you’re able to provide me would be greatly appreciated….
Sincerely,
A concerned SDS100 Customer