SDS100/SDS200: SDS 100 Programming/Use help needed

[Code20Photog]

Haven't been able to find an answer anywhere.

Just picked up a SDS100 and beginning to program it similar to how I had my 396XT. I work as a news photographer so getting to things quick in the scanner is a must.

What I'm struggling with is finding a way to operate sub groups, within a system. For Example. I have Los Angeles County FD set up like this on my 396:

System 2 LACOFD
1 Countywide
2 West County
3 Central
4 Foothill
5 SCV/AV
6 Tacticals

You get the idea.

So when System 2 is on, I can turn on or off the sub groups as needed, so I don't have to listen to the whole county, but when something goes out in say Antelope Valley, I turn that group on. On my 396 I have most systems set up this way, with a priority group at 1, and/or geographical breakdowns of a department on individual groups, like LAPD or LA Sheriff. It seems like there should be a way to do this, I'm using the Sentinel software at the moment, but I've used Butel exclusively for my 396 and downloaded the demo for the 100. I know I could do it as 2, 21, 22, 23 in quick keys but I will run out of quick keys with the amount of stuff I have if I need to do it that way.

And while we're here, I'm also having trouble assigning quick keys to some systems. I have a priority system that just has dispatches from what we need to listen to most. I've assigned that QK 9 in Sentinel AND in the SDS100 itself and it won't turn on. Can you not mix service types? I have a System of just Kern County FD set as 12 and it won't work either, while I have other systems already set to numerous QKs that work fine. What am I doing wrong?

 

[hiegtx]

Haven't been able to find an answer anywhere.

Just picked up a SDS100 and beginning to program it similar to how I had my 396XT. I work as a news photographer so getting to things quick in the scanner is a must.

What I'm struggling with is finding a way to operate sub groups, within a system. For Example. I have Los Angeles County FD set up like this on my 396:

System 2 LACOFD
1 Countywide
2 West County
3 Central
4 Foothill
5 SCV/AV
6 Tacticals

You get the idea.

So when System 2 is on, I can turn on or off the sub groups as needed, so I don't have to listen to the whole county, but when something goes out in say Antelope Valley, I turn that group on. On my 396 I have most systems set up this way, with a priority group at 1, and/or geographical breakdowns of a department on individual groups, like LAPD or LA Sheriff. It seems like there should be a way to do this, I'm using the Sentinel software at the moment, but I've used Butel exclusively for my 396 and downloaded the demo for the 100. I know I could do it as 2, 21, 22, 23 in quick keys but I will run out of quick keys with the amount of stuff I have if I need to do it that way.

And while we're here, I'm also having trouble assigning quick keys to some systems. I have a priority system that just has dispatches from what we need to listen to most. I've assigned that QK 9 in Sentinel AND in the SDS100 itself and it won't turn on. Can you not mix service types? I have a System of just Kern County FD set as 12 and it won't work either, while I have other systems already set to numerous QKs that work fine. What am I doing wrong?

One thing that may be frustrating you is what are used as Groups on your 396, are Departments on the SDS and x36HP scanners. On the 396, as well as other Uniden DMA, non-database scanners, you had a Quick Key for the system (or Site), plus one to be used at the Group level. On the SDS, as well as the x36HP scanners, you actually have three levels of Quick keys, FF.SS.DD. The first in the Favorites list (FF); second group (SS) is for the system, and the third (DD) is used for the Departments for talkgroups or conventional channel frequencies. The Department level keys are also used for Sites on trunked systems. You can use Quick Key numbers in the 0 to 99 range for any of those three levels of keys.

May I offer a suggestion: Download & install ProScan, which has a thirty day free trial.
ProScan
Read your 396 into ProScan.
After doing that, you can import your 396file into a Favorites list to be used with your SDS100.

Take a look at this Wiki page as well. Although its directed at quick keys for the x36HP series scanners (436HP & 536HP), quick keys function exactly the same way in the SDS series scanners.

Uniden BCDx36HP Quick Keys and Number Tags - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[ofd8001]

Completely agree with Steve with a couple of additions. The periods between FF.SS.DD are important separators and cannot be omitted.

On the 396, if you think you have two "containers" (System, then group within the system), the SD card type scanners (436/SDS 100) have an additional "container", a Favorites List. The Favorites List contains the Systems and the Systems contains the Groups-now called Departments.

This does make Quick Key use a little more complicated because you have that Favorites Quick Key. On the other hand, you can turn off the Groups/Departments easier, because you don't have to be actively scanning the system to make the toggle.

You may also consider looking into Number Tags that will allow you to quickly navigate to a specific channel or Group/Department. But get the hang of the new Quick Keys first.

 

[JoeBearcat]

And if you only have one FL, you can omit the leading FLQK and just enter .SS.DD

If you only have one system active, you can even omit the FF.SS and enter ..DD (note two decimals there)

You can also program them as different FLs and just hit FF ENTER after the Quick Keys are set up (just make sure you have them all enabled in the scan selection so the Quick Keys can work).