SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 Firmware/Library Update

Status
Not open for further replies.

Ubbe

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
8,944
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
have yet to see anyone on here photograph them or schematic them out however, or how they physically work...
Uniden pretty much reuse the filter design in their scanners. Signal enters thru the diode at the left, D4 for the filter at the top, and exit thru the diode to the right. The processor sets a voltage to the diodes to make them conduct and let the RF pass. It uses several pole filters in series to make them pass the whole frequency range for that band but still attenuate enough of other frequency bands, and still try to hold a 50 ohm impedance. It's not perfect, the impedance are way off at some frequencies and the signal attenuates a bit much, but good enough for non-professional scanner use. Using external filters and an amplifier will improve performance.

BCT15x-bandpass.jpg


/Ubbe
 

spikestabber

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
67
Location
Toronto
Thank you this makes a lot of sense actually. I was rather impressed with the little network they had going on in there. It's going to require a lot more attenuation with the ridiculous broadcast FM we have around here, for kicks I tuned to one and it measured something like -47. Would be expecting a miracle from this circuit by itself with for example the popular Larsen tri-band.
 

spikestabber

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
67
Location
Toronto
Golden horseshoe of Ontario, theres a good 50 or so high powered broadcast audio stations within high power receive and a lot more cellphone towers. I admit its not anywhere near as bad with my fixed base sds200 with discone, but mobile when everything is bouncing around with multipath everywhere you easily blow out the frontend in any heavy dense urban area and harmonics all over depending on where you are...

The problem mostly affects VHF, most things in UHF are good, and the filter fixed it.
 

spikestabber

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
67
Location
Toronto
I don't expect a whole lot from something thats only really supported with the antenna thats included in the box, its only logical a good antenna will blow out the frontend when nearby a very strong field on the adjacent band, I understand the entire SDR concept to understand why these receivers are more sensitive to this. Add a notch filter, fixed, nobody is complaining, maybe their next scanner will be something in the $1200 range with a good FPGA core based decoder, at least then most of the entire scanning core could be changed irregardless of the frontend hardware should its only core designer sadly pass away suddenly. I would pay for something like that too.
 

spikestabber

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
67
Location
Toronto
I have noticed a lot of people defend these radios, I mean they aren't exactly a low volume product that costs $8000 intended for industrial use either but consumer products made in rather large volumes, therefore it is not impossible to make higher performance wideband receivers at lower cost as we all know & see in the DIY world, especially when it comes to SDR. I would expect that $8000 purpose built radio to come with an iron clad support contract too, which I'm sure where much of the cost to assemble is negligible.
 

donc13

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,353
Location
Grand Junction, CO
I have noticed a lot of people defend these radios, I mean they aren't exactly a low volume product that costs $8000 intended for industrial use either but consumer products made in rather large volumes, therefore it is not impossible to make higher performance wideband receivers at lower cost as we all know & see in the DIY world, especially when it comes to SDR. I would expect that $8000 purpose built radio to come with an iron clad support contract too, which I'm sure where much of the cost to assemble is negligible.
Scanners aren't exactly high volume products either, they are nitche market. My SDS200 is the #18,000 someodd. Is it the 18,000th made that month, that year or from the beginning. 1 person doesn't do everything pre-production. Obviously Paul did a lot of the idea work and the "what do we want it to do work" but I seriously doubt he did the original schematic, breadboard work, the circuit board design, case, programming, pre-production models, etc. So I don't believe it was "all one man" nor that now he's gone, the product is dead in the water.

I certainly do believe Paul was the driving force, idea man and "father" of the home patrol series of radios. He did a lot of the "legwork" to get them designed and built. But there are/were lots of others in the chain and all knowledge wasn't lost when Paul passed.

An awful lot happed in the last 2 years since he became terminal and died. Pamdemics and all. There is now, someone trying to step into his shoes and move on with the product line. At this point, I can't imagine that the SDS series is now DOA and nothing will ever be updated nor will new products come out.

Just my opinion.
 

spikestabber

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2009
Messages
67
Location
Toronto
I'm overall happy with my SDS scanners, another obvious one that improved the SDS200 for me as a base station was simply using a proper linear power supply & throwing that switching wall wart as far as it can go, and never plugging it into the same outlet as computers/UPS, etc.

Quieted analog right up combined with the notch filter. Even in the car using the same scannermaster notch/lowpass filter along with choking off the coax with 6 loops and 2 large 3/4" mix31 ferrite beads quieted the noise right up, the fire department analog pages come in so clear rather than popping all over.

There was just so much interference in lower HF coming from the hybrid drive system too.
 

W2WHC

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Bastrop, TX
Simple enough to check and do using Sentinel. Takes only a few minutes. I find most scanners are due for a firmware update and definitely due for a database update when purchased.

The SDS series might be the exception as the firmware hasn't been updated for so long.

I have been trying to get the firmware update as well as update the frequency database and I keep getting this trying to connect to the Uniden servers:

1640646653368.png
 

fxdscon

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
7,157
I have been trying to get the firmware update as well as update the frequency database and I keep getting this trying to connect to the Uniden servers:
Are you using T-Mobile home internet? Read through the thread at this link:

 

W2WHC

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Bastrop, TX
Yes I am using T-Mobile 5G router. I have no other means to connect to the internet I am in rural Texas.
 

fxdscon

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
7,157
Yes I am using T-Mobile 5G router. I have no other means to connect to the internet I am in rural Texas.
Other users are having the same problem with T-Mobile Home blocking FTP transfers that Sentinel uses. This user called T-Moblie and they said that their 5G service is not compatible with FTP. We are watching to see what results he gets from the service ticket he opened with them.

 

W2WHC

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Bastrop, TX
Other users are having the same problem with T-Mobile Home blocking FTP transfers that Sentinel uses. This user called T-Moblie and they said that their 5G service is not compatible with FTP. We are watching to see what results he gets from the service ticket he opened with them.


Thanks for taking the time to reply. My experience with T-Mobile is they will probably say tough luck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top