SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 assistance

srbarney

Newbie
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 23, 2023
Messages
1
Location
Raynham, MA
I received an SDS100 for Christmas. They programmed 3 counties onto the memory card.My main interest for the scanner use is to listen to about 4-5 local channels. I would like to have a favorites list with a priority channel. Is this possible? I do not have a PC, only a Mac, which it appears the Sentinel software does not work from. I am not electronically well versed and have a difficult time figuring out how to program, etc.

Can anyone give me some help, or provide direction as to how best to accomplish my wish list. Thanks, I am in S.E. Massachusetts
 

iMONITOR

Silent Key
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Joined
Sep 20, 2006
Messages
11,156
Location
S.E. Michigan
Consider buying a used laptop/desktop PC for under $100 that will be adequate for the task. Dedicate it to your radio hobby. It's great for not only programming but displaying/logging activity. You might want to set up a streaming feed as well.
 

dave3825

* * * * * * * * * * * *
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Feb 17, 2003
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7,425
Location
Suffolk County NY
I am not a mac guy so this may or may not apply to whatever version of the os you have.

 

EricRF

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Joined
Oct 6, 2018
Messages
87
Location
Arlington, MA
I am not a mac guy so this may or may not apply to whatever version of the os you have.

@srbarney said:
I am not electronically well versed and have a difficult time figuring out how to program, etc.
which I assume means not very tech savvy. You can get sentinel to run on a Mac, but it can be neither simple nor straightforward. It also depends on whether you have an Intel Mac or a new Apple Silicon M1/2 Mac. It's a lot trickier on the latter.

The simplest solution sounds like buying a dirt cheap Windoze machine to run Sentinel on. But even that can be challenging for someone who is not tech savvy. It might still be the best option, because getting Windoze to run on a Windoze machine is a lot easier than trying to get it to run on a Mac. You should just be able to turn it on, and it boots into Windows. You won't have to worry about all the little issues that can crop up trying to run Windows on a Mac, with Windows software on top of that.

FWIW: I was a little miffed (but not surprised) that none of the software for managing the SDS100 ran directly on a Mac.

Good luck...!
 

JethrowJohnson

Active Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2022
Messages
891
Location
Marietta OH
You can program it manually without a computer, but it would be easier with a computer. I programmed my BCD436HP manually but I'm planning on getting a computer just in case something happens with the memory card or something like that.
 

hiegtx

Mentor
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Joined
May 8, 2004
Messages
11,169
Location
Dallas, TX
I received an SDS100 for Christmas. They programmed 3 counties onto the memory card.My main interest for the scanner use is to listen to about 4-5 local channels. I would like to have a favorites list with a priority channel. Is this possible? I do not have a PC, only a Mac, which it appears the Sentinel software does not work from. I am not electronically well versed and have a difficult time figuring out how to program, etc.

Can anyone give me some help, or provide direction as to how best to accomplish my wish list. Thanks, I am in S.E. Massachusetts
By the time you purchase software such as Parallels or Boot Camp, plus a copy of Windows to run on your Mac, you would have already spent as much, if not more, than what a used Windows laptop or desktop would cost. (See this thread for suggestions.)

Having access to a Windows PC of some sort, with Sentinel installed, would let you load a programming file that someone creates for you. There are a number of members on RR that can, and have, put together a file to help give someone a 'jump start' with their scanner.

Also, while you paid the seller to program 3 counties (at, I suspect, an inflated price), all they do is append what shows to be available in the database for the counties you specified. You are much better off creating your own whenever possible. There are dozens of videos on YouTube for programming these scanners, as well as numerous Wiki pages and 'how-to' threads on programming.
 

n1chu

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 18, 2002
Messages
2,543
Location
Farmington, Connecticut
With the thought that there are those who only wish to make a scanner purchase and pay to have it programmed so it plays right out of the box, where no need to learn programming is necessary as (apparently) is the case here, I offer the following…

If the scanner is already pre-programmed, all the hard work has been done for you. You CAN create a Favorite's List (FL) with what’s already programmed into your scanner. I suspect your scanner came from Scanner Master, a dealer local to you in Ma. Call them, explain it was a Christmas present, complete with the extra option of the 3 counties programmed and you need to create the FL with the agencies you wish to monitor… they may help you accomplish it using only the manual method (no computer needed at no charge as the extra programming fee has already been paid-it’s worth a try). This would only work if Scanner Master is where the scanner was purchased… if it was purchased elsewhere, you could try the same. But in the mean time, do yourself a favor and do as hiegtx suggests-get Windows capabilities so you can run Sentinel and download updates of the Full Database so you can do these updates yourself. (The Full Database is updated weekly and while these updates are not necessary every week-only when the agencies you listen to have made changes, it’s necessary for the future use of the scanner… who knows, when you go on vacation and want to monitor another area, etc. The Full Database updates the scanner with all changes for the US and Canada and is stored in memory on the scanner.) Sentinel gives you the ability, a direct link, to update both the Full Database and new firmware/software for the scanner. If you learn the dealer won’t help you, stay tuned to this forum. Someone may walk you through the manual steps so you can create your FL. It’s also advisable to look for the regional scanner help groups listed under Forums… they are listed by state. You may get lucky and find someone close to you. Where you can get together and accomplish the task in person.
 
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