sds100 little lost

[Triple6Ham]

actually thats an understatement, I'm well over my head with this thing.
It is a very powerful and capable scanner but I think I've stepped off the deep end. I'm trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel but about to bang my head against a wall. So here I am.

i don't understand the organization of Sentinel or how to label and organize within the program. I also (maybe embarrassingly, but not really as I'm here for knowledge) don't know what the buttons/ abbreviations mean on the scanner.
I have successfully used the zip code feature to listen to some local police stations but know the capabilities far exceed that. I'd like to figure out how to organize each department into a shortcut key, set proximity alerts, etc etc,.

Is there a primer for dummies on this thing? the manual wasn't too helpful and I haven't yet run across anything on google. I want to put the time in to really learn but need help with where to start. I feel like I bought a $600+ paperweight
I'm local to Wake Co. NC and Harnett CO and want the PD channels and some misc stuff

 

[budevans]

If I was you, I'd do a search on YouTube for SDS-100 or SDS-200. There are a lot of How To video's for the SDS scanners.

 

[Triple6Ham]

thanks,
I watched most of the videos but still looking for one that breaks down the operations a little clearer

 

[Triple6Ham]

fyi I've got the side buttons down, just trying to figure out the soft keys and programming

 

[K4EET]

Triple6Ham, I do not own a SDS-100 nor have I read this manual, but Mark's manuals are a great resource aid for learning how to program your scanner. Looks like Mark has updated the older BCD436HP/536HP manual to include the newer SDS-100/200 scanners.

See:

Easier to Read BCD436HP/536HP/SDS-100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

Easier to Read BCD436/536HP Digital Scanner Manual

I hope that helps some...

73, Dave K4EET

 

[Triple6Ham]

thanks for that, I'll check it out

 

[chief21]

Personally, I've found it much easier to create FAVORITE LISTS (FL) than to deal with the various shortcut keys. Each FL contains only what you've elected to include in it and you can have separate lists for separate purposes or locations. You could also use FL's to add local channels of interest that might not be reflected in the national database.

 

[enCrypt]

Once you get your head around how Uniden's Dynamic Memory is laid out then you might find things a little easier...
Basically think of it like a heirarchical set of folders on a computer.
At the top level you have Favourite Lists, then inside those you have Systems, inside those you have Departments and finally inside those you have your channels (or Talkgroups if a digital system)
This means you have a lot of different ways to organise your data as you see fit.
Personally I just use one Favourite List only, with everything else separated into Systems and Departments, but I've seen others separate out everything into Favourite lists...

In Sentinel you need to "Program favourite list" to make any changes to it, other wise you can only view what is in a given Favourite List.

 

[Triple6Ham]

Thanks all I’m going to give sentinel another go tonight.
I have one favorite in the scanner with some local departments. I think it’s a mix of digital and analog.
wake county sheriff, knightdale pd, and some surrounding.
A lot of agencies use the NC Viper system

I’m finding my way around the radio a little better so that’s good.

 

[tvengr]

Public safety for Harnett Co is on the NC VIPER system. Wake Co has its own Motorola Type II system. On that, you have to use a custom 800 MHz rebanded band plan. I would try that with just the Wake Co Simulcast site.

 

[Triple6Ham]

So I got a chance tonight to play a little more on sentinel.
My location is Wake County, some into Harnett.

I made a favorite list and put Wake sheriff, garner, fuquay, and a few others in the list. Pushed everything to the scanner but when it is scanning
there are only two things that show in the middle box in smaller font. "Fuquay Varina IR site" and "Wake County Simulcast "

they were both present in the favorite list I had in Sentinel and I couldn't get rid of them.
Does that mean these are the only two spots where the signals originate for these channels? They're broadcast out from a tower and the scanner interprets them?

also sometimes the scanner doesn't pick up the first few seconds of a transmission. I thought this would go away when I stopped scanning the entire database? but it is still happening and I only have a few agencies and channels in there currently.

 

[jonwienke]

You can't get rid of broadcast sites in a trunked system. Where do you think the signal comes from that the scanner receives? If you delete the broadcast sites, you will get nothing, because the scanner won't have anything to scan.

Talkgroups are not scanned. Talkgroups are database entries that tell the scanner what kind of traffic it's hearing when it receives a transmission from a broadcast site. You can have thousands of talkgroups programmed, and it has no effect on scan speed.

When the scanner switches from one site to another, there is a 1-2 second delay while it receives and processes the control channel data. It's broadcast in a continuous loop that repeats every second or so. If the scanner starts listening after the loop has started, it has to wait until the next complete loop to process calls in progress. So if the scanner walks in on a conversation in progress, it's normal for some of the first transmission to be missed. But replies should be complete.

 

[tvengr]

As Jon says, you must have at least 1 site to scan a trunked radio system. If you would like to eliminate the Fuquay Varina IR site, you don't even have to go into the favorites list editor to do it. In the left column of Sentinel, click on the small boxes with the + symbols to the left of the favorites list and system to show the departments and sites. Highlight the Fuquay Varina IR site and right click on it. Click on Remove from Favorites List. You must leave the Wake Co Simulcast site. IR sites fill in holes in coverage. If you have a good signal on the Wake Co Simulcast site, you don't need it. Having only a single site will help prevent missing parts of transmissions. You can always put the site back if you need it. You can also avoid the site in the favorites list editor.

 

[Triple6Ham]

Thanks guys, That makes sense.
I’ll pull one site off and see what happens

 

[jonwienke]

Thanks guys, That makes sense.
I’ll pull one site off and see what happens

Don't delete the site, just Avoid it.