SDS 100 questions... power and decoding

[LtChuck]

Contemplating acquiring a SDS 100 and have a few questions.

Will the unit power up upon power being supplied from the external power input. I currently have a RS Pro 106 that powers up and starts operating when dc power is applied from a switch on the vehicles power control center (for emergency lighting).

Also, will the SDS 100 search for and decode/display QCI and QCII signals (fire tones).

Will the unit search for and decode/display CTCSS and DCS tones..

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[RadioSc]

 

[RadioSc]

Contemplating acquiring a SDS 100 and have a few questions.

Will the unit power up upon power being supplied from the external power input. I currently have a RS Pro 106 that powers up and starts operating when dc power is applied from a switch on the vehicles power control center (for emergency lighting).

Also, will the SDS 100 search for and decode/display QCI and QCII signals (fire tones).

Will the unit search for and decode/display CTCSS and DCS tones..

Thanks,
Chuck

Maybe the SDS 200 turns on when you turn on the vechile. But I have had SDS 100 plugged up in the vechile. On DC power it dosen't turn automatically

 

[DaveNF2G]

The SDS100 will only power up when the power button is pressed.

It does start charging whenever external power is applied. I would like to be able to disable that.

 

[werinshades]

The SDS100 will only power up when the power button is pressed.

It does start charging whenever external power is applied. I would like to be able to disable that.

Settings...Battery Options...Set Charge Wile On..Disable.

Is this what you're looking to do?

 

[N9JIG]

The radio will still start charging the battery if it is off when connected to power.

You could remove the battery altogether and just run it on external power but I normally do not recommend that in case the power cable is jostled.

 

[KevinC]

The radio will still start charging the battery if it is off when connected to power.

You could remove the battery altogether and just run it on external power but I normally do not recommend that in case the power cable is jostled.

Couldn't you just power it from the micro-USB port?

 

[jonwienke]

Couldn't you just power it from the micro-USB port?

Yes, but then if you bump the USB cable, the scanner shuts off, and you risk corrupting the SD card. And running with no battery exposes the internals to dust that would otherwise be sealed out. No benefit, lots of potential problems. Don't.

 

[KevinC]

Yes, but then if you bump the USB cable, the scanner shuts off, and you risk corrupting the SD card. And running with no battery exposes the internals to dust that would otherwise be sealed out. No benefit, lots of potential problems. Don't.

Not if you left the battery in.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Settings...Battery Options...Set Charge Wile On..Disable.

Is this what you're looking to do?

That was it. Thanks. Not sure how I missed the setting.

 

[LtChuck]

Thanks for all the replies...

I was able to play with a friends Homepatrol 1. And I found that if I removed the batteries and used the radio on external power and then removed the external power, it would, of course, turn off. Then, when external power was reapplied, the unit would start up and operate as normal, without having to press the power button to turn it on.

Sooooo I was wondering if this same method could be used on a SDS 100?

Would anyone be willing to try this with a SDS 100 and return with the answer?

 

[Hit_Factor]

Nope, not trying that. It will eventually corrupt the sd card.

 

[spikestabber]

Super capacitors would fix the issue for corruption on shutdown, could even be modded into the unit for a clean automatic mobile setup. Annoyingly the scanner doesn't auto shut down on its own if the battery goes low, just spits some warning screen to confirm shut down upon battery low last I checked.

 

[jonwienke]

No need for a supercapacitor when the design is to have the battery installed. Not everyone wants the scanner to shut off with the ignition.

 

[spikestabber]

Well since you need a 5V supply anyway that's trivial to fix. In my case my dash camera battery saver keeps everything running until 12V dips below a set point and turns everything on again upon ACC power being restored. In a warm environment that battery won't last a year without puffing up, at least keep it around 3.8V if not using it.

Infact, I had to go all elaborate to find a decent 5V switching regulator that could handle near 2A while not throwing RF hash over several different bands throughout the car while doing it. These cheaper 5V car adapter units were causing issues with analog reception also. I ended up choosing an LT8608 based device (which said chip alone retails for $10) that runs at a higher switching frequency and thus is much better filtered on the input & outputs.

 

[N9JIG]

By reducing the read-write cycles on the SD Card by turning off the replay option you greatly reduce the chances of an SD Card corruption issue. While it will not eliminate the issue it does reduce it dramatically. Combine this with keeping a spare SD Card and even if it does it is not a big deal.

With Replay turned off I have yet to have a card corrupted on the 536 in my truck after 5 years connected to the ignition but I figure it is a matter of time. When and if it does get corrupted I can just swap the cards and reformat the corrupted one. On the SDS100 in particular I have pulled the battery and used it mobile with the ignition removing the power many times and not have a corrupted card. I cannot even venture a guess as to how many times I let the batteries die on my 436, SDS100 or HP radios with no corrupted cards since I turned off the Replay option.

 

[spikestabber]

That makes a lot of sense, it would be interesting to know just how much the unit writes to the SD card and when. If writes happen during non-interactive use with replay disabled would be useful.

 

[jonwienke]

You can look at the file timestamps on the card to verify.

If replay is disabled, the only write to the card is during a normal (initiated by the power button/knob) shutdown. Any setting changes not saved during a normal shutdown are lost if power is cut.

 

[LtChuck]

Thank you all for your input. You all make Radio Reference a great resource.

 

[spikestabber]

I've also hardwired the GPS puck after the LT8608 5V regulator so that only the antenna & single usb cable are all that's visible coming behind the headliner going straight to the sds100. This is great to know the battery isn't that mandatory, I will have a go at testing without. Thanks all.