SDS100 Buyer Beware

[Bob1955]

What is a BCD530HP?

OMG KK4JUG, you are so ridiculous. You know what he means!

 

[KK4JUG]

Yeah, I know. It means he's not familiar with the model numbers or he doesn't proofread.

 

[Bob1955]

Stop trying to handle it your way. When you bought the scanner, the Uniden warranty was one of the terms of the sale. You should not have bought the scanner if you couldn't live by the terms. You are creating your own headache, no one else is.

You are not following the warranty instructions. The instructions are here Uniden | A World Without Wires - Uniden Repair Center. Uniden will take care of the unlock codes.

Call the "Uniden America Corporation" Police on him. OMG, Hit_Factor…...take a CHILL pill!

 

[a417]

He needs a chill pill? He does? @Hit_Factor is spot on.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Interesting "resume" but:

1. BCD996P2 (Never had issues, sold)
2. BCD996XT (Still in use...x2)
3. BCD536hp (x2...1 of them had a display issue, function knob issue...repaired)
4. SDS100 (Purchased June 2018...no issues others have had, received larger battery, use internal charger, small battery for back-up)
5. SDS200 (Original purchase Jan. 2019, second purchased Dec. 2019. No issues others have had).

Uniden's build quality isn't always the problem, some have reported they have dropped the scanner, unauthorized modifications etc.

What I find interesting is how some have had problems in a short time of ownership, then research their past posts and notice similar issues with other manufacturers of scanners. You spent $500-700 on a scanner and treat it as such. No scanner owned can survive some of the abuse others have posted on, and I always shake my head. If someone is looking for the build quality of a Motorola radio, you will spend 4x as much. People complain about $700, imagine the griping $4,000 would generate.

I treat all my radio gear with kid gloves, I have radios that are 30 years old that look like the day they arrived.
So, your claim that I treat my gear harshly is categorically false.
Uniden's build quality and quality control doesn't approach the Japanese big three.
A rotary controller on a $700 scanner that starts to fail in a few months?
I've many radios with rotary controls, some 30 years old that still function perfectly, i've literally never had this issue occur before.
It's clear Uniden has problems both with respect to the quality of the components used and their quality control.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Yet you continue to buy them, why do you think that is? I'm thinking you're like most of us and realize as bad as they are they're the best we got!
Anytime you buy state of the art, bleeding edge technology you take a risk. Take the SDS series. There's nothing else in it's class even at 2-3 times the price. They're a work in progress.

I'm likely finished with Uniden at this point.
I doubt whether there'll be any future iterations of the SDS line anyway.

 

[iMONITOR]

I'm likely finished with Uniden at this point.
I doubt whether there'll be any future iterations of the SDS line anyway.

What would you buy instead? I think you'll be giving up a lot if you buy a Whistler. They're not bad but they haven't kept up with things. Basically they're still using designs and technology from 15 years ago.

 

[palmerjrusa]

What would you buy instead? I think you'll be giving up a lot if you buy a Whistler. They're not bad but they haven't kept up with things. Basically they're still using designs and technology from 15 years ago.

It's difficult to see what there could be beyond the SDS line.
Contrary to what others incorrectly assume, I treat all my radio gear with almost obesessive care, so will likely just make do with what I already own.
The last straw was the white line appearing across my Home Patrol II display, this unit is just seven months old so will be going back to Uniden for warranty repair.
The problems I've had with Uniden scanners had nothing to do with me, they're of Uniden's making; dimming displays, clock malfunctions, computer hash noise etc. And these are Uniden's top of the line models and very expensive.

 

[werinshades]

I treat all my radio gear with kid gloves, I have radios that are 30 years old that look like the day they arrived.
So, your claim that I treat my gear harshly is categorically false.
Uniden's build quality and quality control doesn't approach the Japanese big three.
A rotary controller on a $700 scanner that starts to fail in a few months?
I've many radios with rotary controls, some 30 years old that still function perfectly, i've literally never had this issue occur before.
It's clear Uniden has problems both with respect to the quality of the components used and their quality control.

To make that claim, everyone's rotary control would have broken. 2 years of SDS100 ownership, and my rotary control is functioning the same as day 1. Might not be "quality control", but "owner abusiveness"

 

[palmerjrusa]

To make that claim, everyone's rotary control would have broken. 2 years of SDS100 ownership, and my rotary control is functioning the same as day 1. Might not be "quality control", but "owner abusiveness"

Since I didn't make the claim there's nothing to respond to.
Uniden's own issues with its top of the line scanners speaks for itself.

 

[a417]

What would you buy instead?

I think I've owned my last "new scanner", with the prevalence and effectiveness of the SDR/computer combination.

 

[ten13]

Let's keep something else in mind: Reality.

Uniden manufactures other things (none of which I can't think of at the moment), and they also see the handwriting on the wall: "scanners," for sport, are a dying breed.

Between the "big E," as well as the "real" radio manufacturers (Mot, Ken, etc) coming up with new proprietary systems, what's a scanner manufacturer to do? To deal with all those changes costs money to develop and implement cost-effective ways to put them into a scanner for what is basically entertainment purposes for most, not to mention the negotiations, if any, with the radio manufacturers to use their proprietary systems in Uniden scanners, and the cost thereof.

Is anyone willing to spend upwards of $1,000 for a radio that can only receive some things, the ones which have not gone E, or have not gone to a proprietary system?

So I wouldn't blame them if they started to put their scanner line on the back burner as time goes on, probably sooner rather than later. After all, who would want to buy one if their favorite agency or group to listen to went "E," or the agency or group went with one of the big companies and started using its proprietary system that the scanner can't handle, and may never be able to handle?

At some point, in order to receive your local FD, PD, EMS, etc, you're probably only going to have to BELONG to those agencies in one form or another (paid or volly), but still be limited in what you can listen to even then.

Time to turn the page.......

 

[gmclam]

Scanners are manufactured from components bought from third parties. During this crazy time I can see that those components are not going through the normal QC that they would otherwise. The types of complaints here are "normal", from my point of view. That's why we have warranties. I've got a lot of radios, from all these companies, and I'm not seeing these issues at all. Now if you want to discuss "software released before it's time" or "documentation that's lacking"; to name 2 issues, then I'd agree.

 

[K4RBT]

I have Honeywell rotary encoders fail, shafts come out, the leds or Hall effect circuitry fail. Some of these are in life support equipment, Scary thought. And they are NOT cheap, some over $100.00. But, they are big, and like Motorola, have more lawyers than engineers. Sometimes, buying Chinese is more cost effective when you are paying for the name, not quality. I had thought about buying a Unication, But all three bands are in use where I am moving. I decided that the money spent on a bells and whistles scanner would buy me a top of the line 14 inch band saw with resaw capabilities. I have to set priorities with a retirement income. Besides, I have older scanners that have no monetary value.
To rephrase a saying when I was a teen,"Run what you brung."

 

[TailGator911]

I am a first run buyer, and I cannot say anything bad about this radio - I love it. Got both batteries and covers. I broke my battery latch - my own dumb fault - but I have zero complaints about the SDS100. As has been previously posted, the mishaps with this scanner are not the norm as some would have you believe. Thousands of others are happy customers. There will be bad runs, individual issues, etc,. but that is no reason to condemn the entire product line.

 

[KMG54]

I will agree with Ubbe post a couple pages back. If a base unit, get a good RTL stick for 20 or so bucks and for another 20 bucks buy DSD plus Fastlane and use your PC. Will decode more than a SDS200, much easier on the wallet and works great. For a mobile or handheld it's another story.

 

[buddrousa]

You have people that are not smart enough to use a system scanner and you recommend usb sticks?

 

[MrThompson]

My first SDS100 was a TURD. A year later I tried another one from Bearcat Warehouse thanks to Paul's gracious phone call admitting there were problems with the TURD. I just purchased a second one from Bearcat Warehouse along with a couple more spare batteries. My R6s and R30 hear better and I do thankfully have my fair share of SDR sticks and gear. Much like a HackRF/Portapack, the SDS100 is a targeted RF tool with an easy to use interface. I'll add that I have been through five 436HPs, my current one being the best of the lot monitors SCE, because that's what it does best... Perhaps my second SDS100 is just a ringer, I hope not. Stay tuned!

 

[KMG54]

Geez. some people are not that smart? Don't break your shoulder patting yourself on the back. There is a forum for it here for support and how to.

 

[buddrousa]

Just like for the Uniden Scanners and they have problems using the ZIPCODE feature along with GPS and the FULL DATABASE and you think they can understand SCRIPTS? You are in the Uniden Forums so lets talk UNIDEN.