SDS-200 Speaker Noise Again like the 536HP

[mancow]

No hum here but I do have the dim keypad lights.

 

[ansky]

Thanks. I am pretty sure I am not going to send it into Uniden to put it on their bench on a brand new radio at 700.00 bucks. Shipping it in and waiting for weeks and then wait and wait. Best to just do the return to the company I bought it from and they can deal with it. Hopefully it just me having this issue but time will tell. Thanks again.

I went on Ebay and created a return so I can either get it exchanged or returned for a refund. If they do an exchange and the same problem keeps happening then we know its just not one bad radio. But I will give it a few tries give it a chance. I do not have much hope but you never know. I just do not was to get stuck with a 700.00 radio with the way these videos are turning out. It gives me Anxiety at its best. It's no chump change as we all know

That noise would drive me absolutely nuts. Definitely sounds like a bad radio. Did you buy from Webtron-x on Ebay? I was thinking of buying from him but of course now i'm going to wait in case he got a bad batch. Send it back for an exchange. Don't wait for Uniden to try and fix a brand new radio.

 

[Peerlessk]

The sound would drive me nuts, piss me off more . Now the OP has to return it . $700 headache in waiting for a new one that works as intended . Waited like a month like others just to get a bad radio . I understand problems arise and most are a firmware issues . This is hardware here . Clearly this sds200 of the OP wasn’t tested . Are any of them before they get packed ? Pushed down the line without testing . What does $700 buy you these days ? A flip of a good luck coin our $700 worked out for us ? Only takes one bad radio to question the others . And hopefully it doesn’t trend . Furthermore . The pilot radio I am sure sat in front of Paul testing etc . Also sure it didn’t have audio problems . So now we consumers getting the finished product that either come down a essembly line or the sds200 had drunk Bill Putting the radio together untested . If that be the case . How concerning is that ?

 

[KevinC]

My 536 does that as well, I suspect every 536 does but you need to be in a quiet environment to hear it. And by quiet I mean no fans on, no computer, no AC/heater, etc. But it is definitely present, I just don't hear it most of the time due to ambient noise.

 

[mule1075]

My 536 does that as well, I suspect every 536 does but you need to be in a quiet environment to hear it. And by quiet I mean no fans on, no computer, no AC/heater, etc. But it is definitely present, I just don't hear it most of the time due to ambient noise.

Same here when I had both of mine. The 796d did it as well.

 

[pro92b]

My 536 is noisy too and I use a Motorola speaker at ear level with it so the noise is intrusive. Since the noise is not affected by the volume control, I attenuate the radio audio and just turn up the volume. This greatly improves the signal to noise ratio and quiets the radio when it is squelched.

I made a small PC board for the attenuator but that isn't strictly necessary. Wiring in the resistors any convenient way will do the job.

 

[Stecomp]

As I commented in this forum last night, I am getting the same noise as the OP. The clicking at the beginning and end of each transmission really stands out when I listen in a quiet room. Almost like the sound my Unication G4 makes in the amplified charger but that is caused by something different unique to that setup. I purchased through Zip Scanners who has a 15% restocking fee for returns unless defective. I am sure if I send it back to them they would say it seems fine and get there $105. Going to call them to see what their policy is about exchanges since I think I really want to keep the radio apart from the internal noise. If that doesn't work out I will just send it in for repair unfortunately.

 

[allend]

Well I am getting another radio from a whole different vendor today. I am sure I will be making videos again tonight. I don't believe Uniden should get off the hook on this one since this is a 700.00 dollar radio without any upgrades and this was a complete known issues with the x36 radios and it was talked about over and over until the horse was beat dead.

Once I do my testing again tonight then we will know if this is a one off thing or a wide spread problem. Dang this sucks. I am glad for video cameras and YouTube now. This keeps companies and people honest.

 

[TomTN]

Some things you should try before blaming the product or manufacturer: As mentioned in earlier posts, it could be interference from other electrical devices in the home. Try turning off EVERY breaker in the house except one that has nothing but the scanner turned on. At the same time turn off any battery powered devices. That will help to rule out interference from other devices. If it is still present, run the device from a UPS being the only thing plugged into the UPS. You can also try another power supply or hook it directly (and alone) to a car battery. If you still have an issue it could be from a nearby transformer. Try the unit at a completely different location. I can tell you that my computer monitors cause this even with my Motorola radios if they are too close. RFI doesn't discriminate based on manufacturer.

If every one of those things have been ruled out, THEN feel free to bash the product once you know it is not a problem on your end.

 

[edweirdFL]

I would be interested in a test to see if it makes the noise when running off of a DC power cord. This would eliminate the AC to DC power supply shipped with the scanner as a possible source.

 

[Peerlessk]

Just got my sds200 . So far no hum no noises the OP is experiencing. Dead silent . I feel for those havng issues for the money put out for these scanners .

 

[mrkelso]

I would be interested in a test to see if it makes the noise when running off of a DC power cord. This would eliminate the AC to DC power supply shipped with the scanner as a possible source.

I agree, that noise sounds like an AC hum

 

[ColonelMike]

Can you (or will you I guess) take this to someone else's house or your work and test it there to see if it does it also? I have a powered sub at the house that does this on occasion no matter where I move it. I tried it another persons house, no problem. I have some weird interference happening at my home. Strangely, it does not affect any of my scanners.

 

[pro92b]

Regarding the noise source in my BCD536 - I am 100% confident it is generated by the radio. I did power the radio from a 12V battery with no antenna connected and no external speaker connected. The noise was present on the internal speaker. I have several other Uniden scanners, all older models, and none of them exhibit this noise.

Back when the first programmable scanners were introduced, synthesizer noise or synthesizer whine as it was called, was a common problem. It tended to be worst on UHF and somewhat less on VHF. As time passed and newer models became engineered better, the noise was suppressed and no longer a problem. The engineers who designed those radios are almost certainly retired now so we have come full circle. Now the newest products have a problem that was solved thirty years ago. Ironic I think...

 

[UnidenSupport]

Can you (or will you I guess) take this to someone else's house or your work and test it there to see if it does it also? I have a powered sub at the house that does this on occasion no matter where I move it. I tried it another persons house, no problem. I have some weird interference happening at my home. Strangely, it does not affect any of my scanners.

This is what I was thinking. I'm a musician as a side job. I recently had to purchase an external filter for my amp because at some gigs I would get a horrible hum on my amp when I plugged it in, but it was perfectly fine elsewhere.

I have no idea if that is what is going on here, but It should be relatively easy to test. I will check for other possible solutions, but since this does not seem to be something reported by most users, I would suspect it would be something at your house or with your unit.

 

[Stecomp]

I tested mine on several outlets in house and at neighbors and on 12volt supply in car all with the same noise. As expected Zip Scanners have no provision to exchange a product to avoid restocking 15%. Basically didn't understand what I was trying to explain about hum noise and said the speaker was incompatible with the unit - couldn't get them to understand there was no external speaker involved that it was the internal speaker. Had no problem with ordering SDS100 from them on day one but now I pay the price of zero tolerance restocking fees. Time to box up the SDS200 and send back to TX for hopefull repairs 24 hours after receiving it. Does anyone know if there was a fix for the 536 speaker noise issue or am I going to get no help from Uniden repair?

 

[ansky]

TI will check for other possible solutions, but since this does not seem to be something reported by most users, I would suspect it would be something at your house or with your unit.

There are at least 2 people on here that have reported this problem. One bought his scanner on Ebay, another bought it from Zipscanners. I would find it highly unlikely that both of these people just happen to have some weird interference in their home that never occurred on any other scanner before. Sounds like random defective units to me.

 

[werinshades]

My 536 does that as well, I suspect every 536 does but you need to be in a quiet environment to hear it. And by quiet I mean no fans on, no computer, no AC/heater, etc. But it is definitely present, I just don't hear it most of the time due to ambient noise.

I would agree here. I have regular noise and my "hum" or whatever you call it isn't that evident using an external speaker. I've been using Road Pro external speakers that have a little more treble than base, which is perfect for digital listening. I would check the power source, another external speaker etc. before I'd return it.

 

[UnidenSupport]

There are at least 2 people on here that have reported this problem. One bought his scanner on Ebay, another bought it from Zipscanners. I would find it highly unlikely that both of these people just happen to have some weird interference in their home that never occurred on any other scanner before. Sounds like random defective units to me.

The sort of interference I am talking about is not uncommon. I'd estimate about 40% of the 90+ venues I've played in the last year have caused some hum through our amps and PA, but I digress as I am in no way qualified to guess what the hum could be from. I am simply trying to get as much information as possible so we can ensure we are handling things correctly.

 

[ansky]

I would agree here. I have regular noise and my "hum" or whatever you call it isn't that evident using an external speaker. I've been using Road Pro external speakers that have a little more treble than base, which is perfect for digital listening. I would check the power source, another external speaker etc. before I'd return it.

Did you watch the video the guy with the hum posted? It's a god awful noise that renders the scanner unlistenable. So your solution is he should accept this in his $700 radio and go out and buy an external speaker? It's amazing how hard it is for some people to even remotely accept the idea that the radio could be the problem.