SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 Regrets

[MStep]

Hi MStep.

Flimsy may have been a poor choice. But, it didn't come across as a good "portable".
Given my lack of experience I could be quite wrong.
A few weeks ago when I started my search for a new scanner I thought;"how hard can it be?"!
I've learned a lot. Sometimes too much knowledge is a bad thing.

Take care,
Kevin

I hear where you are coming from Kevin. The Home Patrol series was never intended to be used as a true portable, like the 436. It is more of a "small footprint" radio which can sit on a desk (with the optional plastic stand), or be used in a vehicle, much in the way I described.

It would not be a good choice in terms of portable operation because its form factor was not designed as such. Also, my suggestion if you want to maximize your monitoring potential, would be to purchase something that is compatible with the latest technologies. The 436 and SDS101 are those radios. But be warned, those "extras" are just that--- extras. In order to monitor stuff like DMR, NXDN or ProVoice, you have to purchase unlock codes from Uniden, which can range from 60-75 bucks each,

In any event, have fun going forward and enjoy the holidays.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

...
The first scanner I purchased for myself was a Pro-2021. I got it on closeout special at half off. I think I paid about $100 for it, though it's been long enough I wouldn't swear to it. Given my economic situation at the time I can't imagine I'd have paid much more than that. This would have been about 1985, give or take a year or two. I got a lot of use out of that radio. Last I knew it was being used to stream airport radio traffic onto the internet. (I gave it to a friend.)

You got a good deal on that Pro-2021. It sold for $319 new when it was introduced in the 1987 Radio Shack catalog. That is equivalent to about $740 today

 

[KK4JUG]

Hi Jonwienke.

Thank you for the information.
When I commented about "Electrical Engineers, Computer Programmers, long time scanner users etc... Serious enthusiast"; it was a complement and your various posts come to mind.
I'm sitting here listening to the local PD/FD, it works and for now I will make due. As for the Uniden 436HP, eh... who knows!
Spending money on a product I want or need is not a problem. However, I am hesitant to purchase any product that I do not see personal value in. With the SDS100 I anticipate problems and a wee bit of stress.
As other posters have mentioned, I may change my mind.
Next September I will be taking a long and somewhat complex trip and having a scanner to listen to along the way would be good. (I will be reaching out to Radio Reference Forums for help!)
I recognize that if I want to do that, I will need a SDS100. Who knows, maybe something new will come out of Uniden!
Take care,

Kevin

If you're traveling, one of the SDS scanners is almost a necessity. Adding GPS is another "must." I've made several 1000+ journeys with the SDS100 and with Jonwienke's internal GPS. It's practically worry-free. I use a 12V, 3A plug and not only does it power the scanner, it also keeps it charged. With everything going on, I haven't made any recent trips with the SDS200 but I expect the same experience from it.

 

[SierraTangoAlpha]

I joined when I was 17 as well had my 18th Birthday in the army I was halfway through basic.. I was a recreational jumper as well, Talon Container ,with Firelight Reserve and a Cruise Lite Main. I took a Silver Medal in a provincial Para Ski competition...jump for accurary and ski slalom for points..my accuracy was not good but my skiing was great...2nd place lol. I am never late to this day...people dont get it..I wait 5 minutes for people I dont know..and 10 minutes for people I do know..after that all bets are off and I am gone. My watch is an essential tool of daily life.

 

[Patch42]

Patch most Hobbiest here pay retail not closeout for new high end receivers. My paid over $100 used for our 1st crystal scanner mid 70's this I know.

Before we get too far off into the debating weeds here, it might be a good idea to re-quote the bit I originally replied to.

If we go back ~50 years, you'll find listening to public safety radio was complex, not cheap and not a casual activity.

While this literally says, "not cheap", the obvious implication is that it was expensive. The $40 my dad paid wasn't what most people would have called "cheap", but it also wasn't very expensive. Trust me, if it had been, my dad would have never bought that scanner. If it was "complex", he'd have never even tried it. For him it was most definitely a casual activity.

My aunt and uncle also listened to public safety radio. I have no idea what they paid for theirs but knowing them I seriously doubt it was expensive. Again, if it had been complex, they'd have never got involved.

The hobby used to be simple enough that non-technical everyday Joes could drop by Radio Shack, pick up a scanner for considerably less than half their mortgage payment, punch in a few frequencies you read in "Police Call", and be monitoring the local police and fire within a couple hours. Now it's so complicated you need adjunct software just to set the scanner up for you, and even then you may never get it working exactly how you'd like. Casual listeners need not apply. It has changed significantly, and posts about how much my dad and I each paid for our first scanners were simply meant to back up that point.

 

[jonwienke]

The systems have gotten more complicated, so the scanners have as well. But now instead of having to buy a copy of Police Call for your area and manually enter frequencies, you can download pretty much everything in North America with a few mouse clicks. And with GPS, the scanner automatically knows what to scan wherever you go.

The good old days weren't all that awesome.

 

[trentbob]

50 years ago for the sum of about $150 to $200 you could buy a 10 Channel Regency Crystal Scanner plus $5 or more per crystal.
In 1977 go to page 134 1977 RadioShack Catalog
And in 1978 page 124 a PROGRAMABLE $399 1978 RadioShack Catalog

Thank you very much for this Buddy... you talk about the good old days... I always enjoy looking at old Rat Shack and Lafayette catalogs. For us in 1978 the good old days were slide rule dial monitors and then 4-channel Crystal control radios from when I started in the mid-to-late 60s as a kid.

A radio like this, made by GRE Japan was Space Age... this would be close to $2,000 in today's money, makes the SDS radios look like a bargain. I didn't care then, I was three years out of college and making great money, I would have paid anyting and not regret it.

 

[TailGator911]

If you're traveling, one of the SDS scanners is almost a necessity. Adding GPS is another "must." I've made several 1000+ journeys with the SDS100 and with Jonwienke's internal GPS. It's practically worry-free. I use a 12V, 3A plug and not only does it power the scanner, it also keeps it charged. With everything going on, I haven't made any recent trips with the SDS200 but I expect the same experience from it.

I documented a 2-month journey in our Winnebago Via up to Alaska, had 2 SDS200s that I compared = one on an external gps, the other pre-planned and pre-programmed and both on a dual feed from a Diamond 220R mini-discone up on the roof attached to a luggage rail with a bike handlebar cell phone mount. I was impressed by the gps, many times the scanners were spot on and the reception was in unison The only thing I didn't like was not knowing who I was listening to and what their exact location was at the time. Lots of action and coms, but if you don't know the area or who you're monitoring then it's just a jumble of noise unless someone gives a mile marker location. The old way also somewhat familiarizes you with the agencies you'll be hearing in that particular zipcode since you've already searched them out and arranged the alpha-tags.

Yeah, it's tedious and monotonous but it's a good challenge. Nice to have that pre-programmed Fav List when you park it at the KOA in Olympia. But, what it boils down to is your personal preference and the time you are willing to spend in order to be efficient and organized and well-prepared each time you arrive at your scheduled stop. Wherever I am, I know what state and county I am parked in, what city or town, the closest state trooper barracks, the mutual aid TGs or frequencies, and all of the local agencies in Fav Lists I have already researched and customized. A little (ok a lot of) time spent arranging and programming at home makes life on the road so much easier.

I call it preventive maintenance, or having what you need when you need it. My wife calls it an obsessive compulsive behavioral disorder that is somewhat favorable at certain times lol.

There are a few good attributes to gps scanning on the go, but I generally find it disorganized and chaotic and found myself asking too many questions during the gps scanning. To each his own, but this old dawg will keep to the old ways

 

[gmclam]

If we go back ~50 years, you'll find listening to public safety radio was complex, not cheap and not a casual activity.

I would have to disagree. My father, who was never technically inclined in regards to electronics, was able to do it after nothing more than a trip to a local radio/TV shop about 50 years ago. He paid a not insignificant sum, but way less than what you'd pay for a SDS100 in equivalent dollars. I want to say it was about $45, which would be $300 in today's dollars. He plugged the scanner in and was able to hear the local police and fire. Easy stuff. I think he went through three scanners over the years, the last of which I bought him as a birthday present. When the local PD/FD started using a trunked analog system it started getting over his head, but up until then it was simple, not very expensive, and something he did quite casually. I think I bought him a copy of the scanner frequency handbook once but I don't think he ever used it.

Certainly you get get a "cheap solution" 50 years ago. My 10 channel scanner cost $179 + 10*5.95 for crystals. Convert that to today's dollars. A radio could be had for less, but scanners back then required a crystal per channel (another expense). You had to be in a major area to walk out of the store with the crystals you wanted.

There was nothing close to the SDS models back then. Programmability (let alone via computer), digital audio, LCD display with alpha text channel descriptions. You'd likely need to purchase a book to learn of what frequencies you'd want to monitor. The list goes on.

 

[buddrousa]

As stated by me and you that $200 would be over $800 today $200 more than a sds200
Plus you had to trim each crystal for each channel

 

[ratboy]

I almost pulled the trigger on an SDS100, but having to buy the extra battery, battery latch(Because it WILL break), and seeming fragility of it in general, along with a friend's solder joint and display issues (failed) on his have kept me from doing it. Uniden's lack of speed getting it back to him is another negative. I've bought almost 100% handheld scanners going back to the old Bearcat 9000XLT (Terrible receiver quality), and would really like the SDS100, if there is no drama. For close to $800 all said and done, there shouldn't be any. I have several old Icom and Yaesu HT's that have spent many many hours in the car, sitting on the dash with the sun beating on them, and they look, well, great. My friend's SDS100, with maybe 4 months actual use, looks much older. The build quality is lacking. My old Yaesu VX-170 could be used to beat someone to death and I doubt it would be damaged at all. It has blasting audio, and the general VHF receive is much better than about any scanner I've owned, except maybe the old Regency HX-1000/1200/1500, which had it's own battery pack nonsense, until I made an external umbilical cord pack I wore on my belt to solve the issue. A huge plus of the pack was I used 8 AA batteries 4+4 in parallel, and they would run 24 hours or close to it. We went on a trip to S. Dakota and I got almost all the way there on 1 set of $.25 each Panasonic alkalines.

Along with all that, my old Pro-106 and PSR-500's do a better job all around on anything but simulcast and modes my SDS200's receive. A version that takes AA batteries would push me over the edge, probably, maybe. I have a bunch of rechargeable AA and of course Alkaline AA's that would prevent the "Battery pack death" scenario that made me swear off any scanner/HT that didn't have a AA option. The old Uniden BC-200/205 XLT's battery pack antics drove me crazy with their failures that happened way too often and without any real warning. On one day, the scanner would run 8-9 hours, long enough no problem. A few days later, the same pack would be dead after an hour or so. If AA batteries had been an option, I wouldn't have grown to really hate those scanners. The radios themselves were OK, once the low battery shutoff circuit was clipped out of them. Before it was, the scanners would shut off starting at about 2 hours and of course, you could reset them for about 10 minutes repeatedly, but that was annoying as hell. The clipping of the turn off suggestion kind of amazed me at the time, but it solved this issue. They had better audio than a lot of other scanners made back then, but going to watch trains and have the pack fail again and again, made me come to hate them, and basically go to RS/GRE handhelds for many years.

 

[ninety7gt]

So why do people need to monitor 20 Departments at the same time...Human ears are two..and radios are 20...makes for an Air Traffic Control type of environment

When I lived in Maryland I had 2 handheld scanners each running St Mary's county, Charles County ,
Anne Arrundal County, and Calvert County. Plus the MSP helos.
Each county had more than 20 channels to monitor. Never had a problem following the radio traffic. After a while you learn the dispatchers voices and you don't need to look at the display to identify the calling county.
Cheers,
Sarah

 

[buddrousa]

Because I have the money and the ABILITY to do this. I also know what is going on around me and how long resources will take to get to me or get a head start on giving resources to my towns near me.

 

[KK4JUG]

When I lived in Maryland I had 2 handheld scanners each running St Mary's county, Charles County ,
Anne Arrundal County, and Calvert County. Plus the MSP helos.
Each county had more than 20 channels to monitor. Never had a problem following the radio traffic. After a while you learn the dispatchers voices and you don't need to look at the display to identify the calling county.
Cheers,
Sarah

I can see that. During much of my police career, I did work that took me all around the city. I carried a portable.. I was still expected to respond to calls when I could be of assistance. I trained my ear to react to certain things: dispatch codes for rape, murder, codes for serious crashes with injuries, armed robberies, etc. and, of course, my name and unit number. It worked well for me.

 

[buddrousa]

Just think work in a 911 center you are on the phone with a caller you only have 2 dispatchers total at a time and 32 radio channels with traffic on them and try to keep up. Its not easy but it is very doable and you can as stated above train yourself to do this. I am not a dispatched I ride a unit but my second job allows me in the dispatch center from time to time to work on equipment.

 

[jonwienke]

I typically have 5 radios going, a 436, 536, SDS100, SDS200, and a G5. Each is monitoring different stuff. After a while you can filter out the routine crap and mentally focus in on unusual stuff. Especially when you can pick up on the voice stress when really "interesting" stuff is going on. Like the night a 911 call came in from a shooting/kidnap victim calling from the trunk of the car his assailants were using to transport him to the quarry where they were planning to dump the body...

 

[trentbob]

I have 6 radios going right now. My SDS 200 and my 536 are monitoring various departments, things like Amtrak police, YHF GUARD, State Park Rangers, state forest fire fighters or Bridge Commission police, Marine 16 and other agencies that don't transmit all that often in the area that I'm in. As far as dispatch I limit each radio to one or two talk groups, I would never listen to all of these agencies on just one radio.

It's true that your ears do get used to what you are listening to to the point where you don't have to look at the display to know what you are listening to.

It's not going to work if you put 20 departments on one radio or more than a few simulcast systems on one radio... We had a saying in The Newsroom. The more you scan, the less you hear.

 

[SierraTangoAlpha]

[QUOTE="trentbob, post: 3427577, member: 106074"
It's not going to work if you put 20 departments on one radio or more than a few simulcast systems on one radio... We had a saying in The Newsroom. The more you scan, the less you hear.
[/QUOTE]

Attenuation to the radio chatter will happen but operating in an AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL level with 20 different radios would require some getting used to.

 

[buddrousa]

That is why they are well paid and not just anyone off the street gets a job there.

 

[trentbob]

Oh I definitely don't listen to Air Traffic Control, I listen to VHF guard which every aircraft monitors and it's mostly air to air chatter and Cat calls, the area wide Helo Unicom umbrella frequency, all Choppers announced their location and intentions as a collision avoidance system and the air-to-air news Chopper coordination frequency. The network news desk Chopper dispatch channels are in the 455 megahertz range and I listen to them.

I don't listen to Medevac other than on the Unicom frequencies. New Jersey State Police Choppers are part of a TRS and Pennsylvania State Police Choppers are encrypted. Philadelphia police Choppers use various Radio Systems but have encryption available.

I guess the point is is that you can listen to 20 different entities at one time but you can't do it on one radio and it takes some planning on what you listen to on what radio such as conventional opposed to simulcast.