I'm a new SDS100 user. I was able to load via zip code the county (Maui) that I am in. I also was able to make favorites vis Sentinel. I'm picking up police, fire, medical no problem. I am unable to pick up the air bands, though I can pick up airport security and two of the airlines baggage crews. All the air bands go into avoid automatically but even if I manually stop avoiding them I still hear nothing even if I am at the airport. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 no air band or GMRS or FRS
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trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Make sure all service types are enabled.
First, if you'll pay for it, I'll gladly fly to Hawai'i to help you set up your scanner.
Second, the SDS100 will pick up just about everything you're entitled to listen to. Peruse the manual and search this forum and I think you'll be amazed at what the radio will do.
Second, the SDS100 will pick up just about everything you're entitled to listen to. Peruse the manual and search this forum and I think you'll be amazed at what the radio will do.
As previously stated, it sounds like you don't have the "air" service type enabled.
This can be found in your profile in Sentinel.
Edit / edit profile / service types tab.
Then remember, you have to write to scanner for it to 'take'
It also can be done on the radio.
Menu / select service types / enable "aircraft."
And, any other service type you may want to hear while you are in there.....
And remember, for it to 'take', you have to press down on the volume button.
This can be found in your profile in Sentinel.
Edit / edit profile / service types tab.
Then remember, you have to write to scanner for it to 'take'
It also can be done on the radio.
Menu / select service types / enable "aircraft."
And, any other service type you may want to hear while you are in there.....
And remember, for it to 'take', you have to press down on the volume button.
bobkbusch
Member
I am new as well and just had the same issue. What I discovered, after many hours of fiddling, is that the channels/frequencies in my Air Band Favorites List all transferred from Sentinel as "Audio Type" - "Digital Only."
If you go to Manage Favorites - choose a Favorites list, select Review/Edit System - choose a System, select Edit Department - choose a department, select Edit Channel - choose a channel, select Set Audio Type - choose Analog Only...you should then start receiving Air Band frequencies from your Favorites list.
It is EXTREMELY kludgy and you have to do each frequency manually. You can also do it in Sentinel after creating your Favorites list, but it is also buried and kludgy. I hope someone here with more experience can tell you (and me) how to have the "Audio Type" correctly display as analog when building a Favorites List that contains analog frequencies.
I also had the same issue where every freq. in my Favorites list transfers with an "Avoid" tag. Not sure why because Location is set to "No" in each Favorites List in Sentinel and it doesn't matter whether or not if I have a location specified in the SBS100.
I contacted Uniden and tech support is worthless! He stated he doesn't have an SBS100 and doesn't have access to Sentinel software.
If you go to Manage Favorites - choose a Favorites list, select Review/Edit System - choose a System, select Edit Department - choose a department, select Edit Channel - choose a channel, select Set Audio Type - choose Analog Only...you should then start receiving Air Band frequencies from your Favorites list.
It is EXTREMELY kludgy and you have to do each frequency manually. You can also do it in Sentinel after creating your Favorites list, but it is also buried and kludgy. I hope someone here with more experience can tell you (and me) how to have the "Audio Type" correctly display as analog when building a Favorites List that contains analog frequencies.
I also had the same issue where every freq. in my Favorites list transfers with an "Avoid" tag. Not sure why because Location is set to "No" in each Favorites List in Sentinel and it doesn't matter whether or not if I have a location specified in the SBS100.
I contacted Uniden and tech support is worthless! He stated he doesn't have an SBS100 and doesn't have access to Sentinel software.
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trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Yes everyone is right here. If you do it on Sentinel then you have to transfer the data back to the radio. If you do it on the radio through the menu then you have to hook up to Sentinel and the first thing is transfer the data from the card to your profile to make it permanent in Sentinel.
For some reason by default all service types are not enabled when you first get the radio. After programming the radio you should always enable all of the service types the radio will allow you to activate. It will only give the opportunity to enable service types that you have actually programmed into the radio on a numbered favorites list. You never know when you might get some oddball service type for things even as simple as fire and police.
As happens often now, we have not heard back from the original poster but maybe later tonight we will.
For some reason by default all service types are not enabled when you first get the radio. After programming the radio you should always enable all of the service types the radio will allow you to activate. It will only give the opportunity to enable service types that you have actually programmed into the radio on a numbered favorites list. You never know when you might get some oddball service type for things even as simple as fire and police.
As happens often now, we have not heard back from the original poster but maybe later tonight we will.
If you right click over the Service Type Tab in Sentinel, you can enable them all on even if you don't have all of them in use.
**Edit...Edit Profile...(Service Type Tab)...Right Click (Confirm cursor is pointed in the box)...Select all Service Types (All Service Types have a check mark next to them)...File Save...Write to Scanner**. This way, you'll never have to wonder if you have the correct service type on.
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trentbob
Silent Key W3BUX
Yep, that will take care of that, I always do everything on the radio menu, like avoids, adding filters to sites or departments, moving objects from one favorites list to another or changing quick keys and then when I go to Sentinel I transfer the changes to my profile first thing. I don't do a lot of programming or changes of actual systems, frequencies and talk groups anymore. Nothing has changed for me in a long time, I don't even update the database in the computer that often. LOL.
I don't search the database on the radios any more either but if I enable every single service type through Sentinel then I end up going in and knocking some of them out if I did a zip code database search, for example, many business frequencies like heater repair or taxi cabs I would not want to search in a zip code database search.
Everybody has their own style and their own set of needs. So many choices and directions you can go in!
This is the method for those using favorite lists. If you decide to program something new and it's not receiving it, Service Type activations can be removed from the check list.
I have all service types enabled.
Thank you!!!I did what you said manually first. I changed all the air channels to analog. That did not work. Then I went in to Sentinel and changed them all to Search. This worked and I started picking up the air bands. I'm thinking that the same solution may work for not picking up FRS and GMRS. I'm picking up RMS and GMRS on my Baofeng ham radio so I know there are broadcasts to listen to.
Air band is AM Modulation.
bobkbusch
Member
Glad you got it working! Not sure why changing the Audio Type from Digital to Analog in the radio didn't work and you had to do it in Sentinel. Were you able to change more than one frequency at a time in Sentinel? I could only figure out how to edit the Favorites List one frequency at a time in either the radio or Sentinel.
I still find it odd that when Sentinel transfers a System with analog AM frequencies to a Favorites List, the "Audio Type" for the analog AM frequencies shows up as "Digital" - at least for me. Perhaps I have something set incorrectly somewhere else in the software. And yes, I had to do the same for each FRS/GMRS frequency when I built a Favorites List with those.
I had to do each one individually using Sentinel as well. A pain to do it this way but at least it worked. Been hearing the hairbands all day. Thanks again for responding to my post. Looking forward to learning more.
Ubbe
Member
When you got one frequency correct for modulation type, or any other setting like Delay, you can right click on it and select Copy. Then left click on the column and then hold Shift while left click on the column at the last line, you can also hold Ctrl down while left click to unselect individual lines, and then right click and select Paste.
For the Audio Options column it will popup a window with each left click but just select Cancel in that window.
/Ubbe
bobkbusch
Member
Excellent - tried this and updated the Audio Options column in my Favorites Lists in Sentinel from "Color Code 0" to "Search" much more quickly - THANKS!
I noticed that Sentinel lists most of the Air Band frequencies with "Color Code 0" in the Audio Options column. Since these are analog frequencies, this makes no sense to me to have a DMR Color Code tag. Regardless, if I listen to them from the "Full Database" list on the SBS100, it receives them just fine.
However, if I create a Favorites List, with those same Air Band frequencies (or any other analog freq. with a "Color Code 0" tag, e.g. GMRS), the SBS100 will not hear them unless I go into Sentinel - Edit Favorites List and change the Audio Option column from "Color Code 0" to "Search" (or in the Radio, change the channel/freq. from Digital to Analog) as we've discussed above.
Is this a bug in Sentinel or a setting I need to change?
Ubbe
Member
I think the database here at RR did some changes to its format and Unidens convert program that import from RR and creates the Uniden DB isn't really done properly. When you create a favorite list from the DB then Sentinel will do some additional checks, like if there's a digital setting somewhere like color code it will assume it is a digital channel and set the audio type to digital. So yes, it is a bug but not really in Sentinel but in the RR database import script at Uniden. It can be fixed and corrected in Sentinel but the source of the issue are in database scripting.
/Ubbe
bobkbusch
Member
This makes sense - thanks again for your reply! I'll report this to Uniden - any other place to notify for a possible fix/update?
bobkbusch
Member
I have to retract some info I posted earlier - my apologies! I posted that the analog frequencies with an Audio Option tag of "Color Code 0" can be received just fine if I scan them from the "Full Database" list but could only be received from a Favorites List if I adjusted them from Digital to Analog (in either Sentinel or the radio).
This isn't accurate. I discovered that they aren't being received from the Full Database as well. Some frequencies are listed in two places in the database, sometimes with an Audio Option of "Color Code 0," and in another place the same frequency (for the same entity) is listed with an Audio Tag of "Search."
For example, in Colorado/El Paso/Statewide/Colorado Federal/United States Air Force - Air Force Academy, the ATIS freq. 128.525 has an Audio Option tag of "Search." This same ATIS frequency is also listed in Colorado/El Paso/County Systems/USAF Academy Airfield/Airport Communications - Local with an Audio Option tag of "Color Code 0."
When scanning from the "Full Database," I can hear the ATIS freq. from the "Colorado Federal" System (with the Audio Option tag of "Search") but can't hear the same frequency from USAF Academy Airfield because it has an Audio Option tag of "Color Code 0."
As stated earlier, if I add these Systems to a Favorites List, then correct the Color Code 0 tag (and change the Audio Type from Digital to Analog), I can hear these frequencies.
Unfortunately, that means every analog frequency in the database that has a DMR "Color Code 0" tag, will be inaudible unless I first place it in a Favorites List and adjust the Audio Option tag, and change the Audio Type from Digital to Analog. I can do this once for all my local frequencies, but it means when travelling with the scanner, I will not receive many of the analog frequencies. I hope I'm wrong and someone can tell me an option to correct this...
This isn't accurate. I discovered that they aren't being received from the Full Database as well. Some frequencies are listed in two places in the database, sometimes with an Audio Option of "Color Code 0," and in another place the same frequency (for the same entity) is listed with an Audio Tag of "Search."
For example, in Colorado/El Paso/Statewide/Colorado Federal/United States Air Force - Air Force Academy, the ATIS freq. 128.525 has an Audio Option tag of "Search." This same ATIS frequency is also listed in Colorado/El Paso/County Systems/USAF Academy Airfield/Airport Communications - Local with an Audio Option tag of "Color Code 0."
When scanning from the "Full Database," I can hear the ATIS freq. from the "Colorado Federal" System (with the Audio Option tag of "Search") but can't hear the same frequency from USAF Academy Airfield because it has an Audio Option tag of "Color Code 0."
As stated earlier, if I add these Systems to a Favorites List, then correct the Color Code 0 tag (and change the Audio Type from Digital to Analog), I can hear these frequencies.
Unfortunately, that means every analog frequency in the database that has a DMR "Color Code 0" tag, will be inaudible unless I first place it in a Favorites List and adjust the Audio Option tag, and change the Audio Type from Digital to Analog. I can do this once for all my local frequencies, but it means when travelling with the scanner, I will not receive many of the analog frequencies. I hope I'm wrong and someone can tell me an option to correct this...
Are you scanning the entire airband or just local tower and ATIS frequencies?
bobkbusch
Member
Howdy Don, I think I recognize you from the PC forums! If you are asking me, and not the OP, I'm scanning different Systems, Departments, and Sites. The airfield closest to me (4 mi.) is the USAF Academy airfield. As I mentioned above, it shows up in multiple "Systems," and although some frequencies overlap in different systems, they are not all the same. However, in one System, they have an Audio Option tag of Search and I can hear those. In another system, they have an Audio Option tag of Color Mode 0 and the only way to hear them is to import to a Favorites List and edit them from Digital to Analog as I've previously described.
I also just posted this in the other recent thread about "Unable to Receive Aircraft"...
------------"I'm new here and just purchased a new SDS100 3 days ago. I ran into the "Unable to Receive Aircraft" issue immediately. After a bit of reading and much troubleshooting, I think there is an issue with the way Sentinel imports from the new RR 2.0 database. As I noted in the thread I linked to above, many (most?) of the analog Air Band frequencies import with an "Audio Option" tag of "Color Mode 0."
My understanding is that Color Mode 0 is for DMR digital frequencies. Since these are analog frequencies, the only way I've been able to listen to them is to create a Favorites List with these freqs., then edit the Audio Option and change the Audio Type from Digital to Analog (or All) which then changes the Audio Option tag from Color Mode 0 to Search. Then I can hear the frequencies.
Perhaps Uniden has not adapted the Sentinel import script to the new RR 2.0 database since it is only a month old. Perhaps I'm wrong - again, I'm very new at this....
"------------BTW, GMRS, FRS, and MURS freqs. also have the Audio Option tag of Color Mode 0 and I have to edit those in a Favorites List as well in order to hear them.
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