SDS 100 very disappointed

[Deputy276]

I, for one, have never regretted getting an SDS100. With the right antenna this thing really pulls in signals! With the right settings, it'll tackle just about anything out there, except encrypted.

And this is what is keeping my wallet tightly closed. I used to monitor my local public service departments with my BC996XT. And it did a great job of it. But they went digital/encrypted and that was that. And that is what most public service is going to. So I really see no point in upgrading to this scanner when it WON'T be able to receive my local public service broadcasts.

 

[a727469]

If public safety is all that is monitored and if your area is encrypted, yes. But there are many other things to monitor and many places in the country are not encrypted and might not be for many years. It is very much a personal and area decision. Yes, in your case an sds might not make sense.

 

[Ensnared]

After reading about the current sds100/200 scanners I finally decided to try one. What a big disappointment, this is the worst uniden scanner I have ever had going back to the bearcat Electra 3 that was my first. Returning this garbage as soon as I get return authorization. My Icom R6 runs circles around this thing.

That is exactly what I said. I was very tempted to throw the radio & smash it to small pieces; however, thankfully, I was able to bind my anxiety and gross impatience. Yes, with the help of patient RR listeners, I learned how to make the radio almost identical to all my banked programmable scanners: AOR AR 1000; Bearcat 16; Bearcat 250 (foot-warmer); Regency HX-1500; RS 2042; RS Pro 90; GRE PSR 500 & Regency MX7000. I miss my Electra Bearcat IV.

I don't know if your Icom can track trunked conversations in DMR, NXDN, or EDACS Pro Voice, but mine can without much fuss. I would imagine the integrity of your radio is well-built given the reputation. I don't know if your radio can handle linear simulcast distortion.

Mine will do all of the above & then some.

However, the battery swells if you don't watch it. The charging station sold by Uniden is cheaply constructed. Compared to my previous scanners, the reception of conventional analog basically sucks.

The radio is grossly overpriced.

Thanks to my late father, I was able to purchase this little boy. It works like a charm here in Waco, Texas, the wild west.

There, that is my response to this post. Others will undoubtedly disagree. I don't really give a rip.

 

[Falcon9h]

This page: Centre County(PA)

Says that most 911 communications are on this system: Centre County(PA) P25 digital(Simulcast)

So, Your disdain for the SDS100/SDS200 is questionable.

As for PennDOT being 'e', or 'E', show the page where you saw that.

I'm in Union County so I only programmed in one Centre County site on the 996. Same with Penndot. Just one area site and it all works fine. Nothing encrypted.

 

[TeeJayZee]

The main issue I have with my SDS100 is that the built-in audio isn't loud enough. I find it baffling that they designed it with more than half the speaker covered, making it struggle to overcome ambient noise.

In contrast, my GMRS/HAM walkie-talkies—even the more affordable Chinese models like TIDRADIO and Radioddity—are much louder and clearer, easily ten times louder than the SDS100.

I've also done side-by-side comparisons between the Uniden SDS100/BCD325P2 and these walkie-talkies. The walkie-talkies consistently outperform the scanners in reception on HAM/GMRS frequencies, even with their stock ducky antennas. Sometimes the Uniden scanners fail to pick up these signals, even when equipped with aftermarket antennas tuned for those frequencies I am targeting.

Hopefully, Uniden will release a newer model that better supports both digital and analog frequencies (including Simulcast) with an adjustable frequency gain, offers louder built-in speaker volume, improved battery life, and includes a single or couple of antennas designed to effectively capture all the frequencies the scanner is meant to receive.

I still have my very first scanner Uniden BC70XLT built around the early 90's-- and that old sucker is louder than both the BCD325P2 and SDS100 and has better pickup reception on analog frequencies with it's original ducky antenna.

 

[buddrousa]

@TeeJayZee
I am 67 and the SDS100 has plenty of volume for me even in a load rattling service van with ladders on top making noise in the wind.
You will not find a better Simulcast Hobby Receiver on the market. Battery Life well considering the amount of current draw for the SDS receivers to work correct they are getting everything they can out of the current battery design.
You compare you old BC70XT well does it hear what the 325 and 100 do?
As the designer of the SDS scanners and others have said the SDS line is here for many years as it will be a very upgradeable platform.

 

[Chris0516]

@TeeJayZee

SDS100 has plenty of volume for me even in a load rattling service van with ladders on top making noise in the wind.
You will not find a better Simulcast Hobby Receiver on the market. Battery Life well considering the amount of current draw for the SDS receivers to work correct they are getting everything they can out of the current battery design.
You compare you old BC70XT well does it hear what the 325 and 100 do?
As the designer of the SDS scanners and others have said the SDS line is here for many years as it will be a very upgradeable platform.

Ditto to this!!

 

[a727469]

@TeeJayZee
I am 67 and the SDS100 has plenty of volume for me even in a load rattling service van with ladders on top making noise in the wind.
You will not find a better Simulcast Hobby Receiver on the market. Battery Life well considering the amount of current draw for the SDS receivers to work correct they are getting everything they can out of the current battery design.
You compare you old BC70XT well does it hear what the 325 and 100 do?
As the designer of the SDS scanners and others have said the SDS line is here for many years as it will be a very upgradeable platform.

While I agree, the quality of the audio is pretty bad …worse than my Baofeng uv5 and that is saying something. I defend the sds series all the time but listening to the 100 hurt my ears…👂👂the 200 is nice🙂 with an external speaker the 100 is ok. Yes, I know the 200 is not a handheld, but my icom v80 is very clear and listenable. Just a personal opinion and others may find the audio ok.

 

[natedawg1604]

I have owned the SDS 100 for quite some, along with numerous other scanners and commercial radios. It is my strong opinion that only the product materially better than the SDS would be NAS radios such as the Harris XG portables & mobiles, or the Unication products. Specifically, the quality of audio, Intermod rejection, battery life, performance on phase II systems (the SDS will sometimes "Hang" on a phase II talkgroup while scanning), roaming capabilities and ease of use (i.e. a system is brought up by hitting a single a button or changing a knob position).

HOWEVER the SDS 100 still has a lot of features that no commercial product has; specifically, great recording & replay options, the ability to trunk track various types of DMR & NXDN systems, the ability to run custom band searches, close call, and the ability to program & scan as many talkgroups as you want to on one system. There's probably several other things I've let out as well.

Regardless there is no ONE product that does all the things I listed. It does not exist. You are free to proclaim the SDS100 is "junk" but what OTHER product are you replacing it with that has all the same capabilities of the SDS100?

 

[Ubbe]

A SDS100 have nice functions and features, the same as the rest of the scanner models in the x36 model series but have an added color display and have great audio using an external speaker.

The first priority for a scanner are to receive a transmission. If you don't receive anything properly then all those functions and features will be useless. And here are where SDS100 lacks in performance compared to almost all other scanners, perhaps all of them.

If you use a SDS100 where it isn't challenged in RF performance it will do fine but if you have a difficult RF environment it will start to struggle and if you are lucky the added filter settings to SDS scanners could help but it can also be an impossible task and the scanner will be more or less unsuitable for that unlucky user. You can compare it to living deep into the woods and are trying to use a nice car like a Ferrari that are built for smooth paved roads. It will be unsuitable for that user that have to settle for a less nicer car.

/Ubbe