SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 Regrets

[radio3353]

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.

Folks, come on. You are all starting to sound real silly. No air traffic controller listens to 20 or whatever number of radios. A controller is responsible for a specific piece of the pie (ground, departure, arrival, etc) on one or two frequencies . Yes, it can be (usually is at a large airport) busy and intense, but 20 radios

 

[ratboy]

I used to go to work and have like 3-5 scanners going at once and I could just ignore it unless something happened, and I would pick the corect radio 99% of the time without looking at it. I had different departments and cities going on each one and it worked very well.

 

[Strainr]

@trentbob - I'm in Wilmington DE and interested in the helicopter channels.

the area wide Helo Unicom umbrella frequency, all Choppers announced their location and intentions as a collision avoidance system

is this the Unicom frequency?

I also found the media channels:


Can you point me to the VHF guard frequency you referenced?

Thanks!

 

[trentbob]

Not correct, I'm tied up for a few minutes but stand by and I will provide all of the active frequencies, no problem.

 

[TailGator911]

At any given time I usually run 6-7 scanners here. SDS200, SDS100 (Remtronix 800Mhz) 536 and 1065, BCT15X with a couple of older scanners parked on particulars. I use the SDS's for the Ohio MARCS digital P25 simulcast system, monitoring my area and all of Greene County (Xenia), Mont County (Dayton) and I use the other digital scanners for local stuff like mall security, Neighborhood Watch, FRS/GMRS, hospitals, 911/ambulance/fire pages etc, (also CB when active) so I've got a lot to listen to right here in my neighborhood. I use my BCT15X for nothing but analog simulcast call outs all over a tri-county area and it delivers, I hear pages in Covington, KY and Richmond, IN. You develop your own mode of operation after time. Some would say there's a science to it.

 

[TailGator911]

I would love your job, trentbob, working with scanners and using them as a valuable tool . The geek in the van with the Icom 9000, that's me. I always wanted to be that guy, ever since Watergate. lol

 

[trentbob]

The news desk channels are subject to change as you can see all the choices they do have but these are the active ones as of today. You will see the VHF guard is also called the emergency Channel but if a aircraft has an emergency they don't use it, they would stay on the frequency they are on with the tower. Channel 10 wasn't up up today but Channel Fox 29 shared their footage with channel 10. The air-to-air news Chopper channels are the most interesting. Those Pilots are real cowboys and share everything and like to ride together. Just have to avoid hitting each other while they orbit. News desk doesn't monitor Aviation frequencies LOL. Enjoy!

PS... obviously you should be using a rooftop, I use a 150 450 800 ground plane.

 

[trentbob]

I would love your job, trentbob, working with scanners and using them as a valuable tool . The geek in the van with the Icom 9000, that's me. I always wanted to be that guy, ever since Watergate. lol

Yep you know my story JD... Police monitoring since age 12 in the mid-60s is what led to me being a Stringer when I was 16 and then a very long rewarding career.

It's a job I would have done for nothing except I had to pay my bills LOL. Now that I'm retired and slowing down at age 67 I'm glad I don't have to go out in the weather and work the streets. We had your typical Sopranos hit the other night literally two blocks from my house where a guy was shot in the head while sitting in the car.

I was so glad to just be able to sit in my chair and watch TV as I heard all the sirens, it was a relief that I didn't have to walk down there. Getting old ain't easy, but I know you know that LOL... You are Mister Timex

 

[TailGator911]

Media frequencies were always a big part of my monitoring strategy when I lived in Florida. I learned so much about what was really going on during emergencies by listening to the media guys on their remotes and live mics. I sure do miss that aspect of the hobby.

 

[Strainr]

View attachment 96080
The news desk channels are subject to change as you can see all the choices they do have but these are the active ones as of today. You will see the VHF guard is also called the emergency Channel but if a aircraft has an emergency they don't use it, they would stay on the frequency they are on with the tower. Channel 10 wasn't up up today but Channel Fox 29 shared their footage with channel 10. The air-to-air news Chopper channels are the most interesting. Those Pilots are real cowboys and share everything and like to ride together. Just have to avoid hitting each other while they orbit. News desk doesn't monitor Aviation frequencies LOL. Enjoy!

PS... obviously you should be using a rooftop, I use a 150 450 800 ground plane.

This is great thank you!

 

[trentbob]

Once we got into the 90s and had car phones, bag phones and then the Motorola flip phone which in its leather case we used to call Shoe phones we ditched our 450 megahertz repeater system. One less piece of junk to carry but circulation kept using it.

The sds100 became very valuable in Trenton New Jersey where I worked... they went to nxdn in 2015 and we were using laptops in the car and DSD so when the upgrades for the X36, sds100 came out it was a big help. I have mot gear for simulcast but having the nxdn was great. Cops never had a problem with us listening but always said if (you know what) happens they were going to throw the switch, they did.

That's something to consider that the SDS radios have the upgrades like nxdn and it works rather well as compared to Brand X.

If you need P2 simulcast, DMR, nxdn or pro voice on the go, the SDS 100 is the way to go.

 

[KK4JUG]

If you really want to stay abreast of severe weather activity, listen to the hams. Many areas will activate a weather net and hams from all around the area will report in with conditions in their specific area. It's credible and it's current because as it changes, i.e. gets better or worse, it's reported in. Locally, I'll turn on a ham radio before anything else.

 

[radio3353]

If you really want to stay abreast of severe weather activity, listen to the hams. Many areas will activate a weather net and hams from all around the area will report in with conditions in their specific area. It's credible and it's current because as it changes, i.e. gets better or worse, it's reported in. Locally, I'll turn on a ham radio before anything else.

My memory of listening to local ham weather nets: Guys in their mobiles yelling "Rotation! Rotation! I see cloud rotation! Never mind.

How did we get this far off topic?

 

[KK4JUG]

My memory of listening to local ham weather nets: Guys in their mobiles yelling "Rotation! Rotation! I see cloud rotation! Never mind.

How did we get this far off topic?

They take it serious here. You might hear someone dumped on because they haven't been on the air in a while or some comment like, "It sounds like you got that antenna fixed." Other than that, everyone's pretty serious. When it's over, everyone just fades away.

 

[Hubfla]

So, I have had my SDS100 to monitor the new Broward County Phase 2 system for 3 weeks. I like to scan the Broward Sheriffs Office and Fire as well. I just cant get this scanner to perform well for me as far as clarity. I miss transmissions, voices are unreadable and so on. I have tried all of the different filter settings and Wide-Normal is ok but just that. Is this the best this scanner can do. I am considering returning it this week and going for the Unification G4. Any input would be appreciated. Thnks

 

[JimD56]

It is a huge system and yes you will miss a lot. As for clarity, distance, antenna, etc all play a part. I have an SDS200 in the home with a Yagi Antenna in the attic pointed at my closest antenna with a 20 foot RG-6 Cable run into an "Active" multi-coupler and my clarity is perfect. I run SDR Trunk at the same time and SDR Trunk is hitting a lot more than the SDS200. If all you want is the new Broward P25 system and NOTHING ELSE, then yes G4 is the right unit for you.

 

[GTO_04]

So, I have had my SDS100 to monitor the new Broward County Phase 2 system for 3 weeks. I like to scan the Broward Sheriffs Office and Fire as well. I just cant get this scanner to perform well for me as far as clarity. I miss transmissions, voices are unreadable and so on. I have tried all of the different filter settings and Wide-Normal is ok but just that. Is this the best this scanner can do. I am considering returning it this week and going for the Unification G4. Any input would be appreciated. Thnks

Are you using the stock antenna or the Remtronix "800" for the SDS 100. IME, there is a big difference with the Remtronix being significantly better! Sometimes when you hear garbled voices with an SDS scanner, the problem is actually in the system you are monitoring. Having said that, the G4 or G5 may work better for you.

GTO_04

 

[Ubbe]

I miss transmissions, voices are unreadable and so on. I have tried all of the different filter settings and Wide-Normal is ok but just that.

What does the signal strenght say? Configure the display to show RSSI, D-ERROR and NOISE values and see if you get too many errors or a high noise level. If you get different results using different filter settings then it's probably interferencies from other channels. If you got good signal strenght up in the -70dBm and even stronger up in -60dBm range then engage the attenuator to reduce the interferencies. Also try the IFX setting to all the frequencies in a site that has the issues.

/Ubbe

 

[scanfreqer]

I used to have a scanner that only displayed the channel number and the frequency, that was it. We Canadians pay $1000.00 for the scanner but I think it's worth every penny. I too found it hard at first to figure about systems,departments,and channels, but with this web-site and the manual,and you-tube it all came together and now quite comfortable navigating thru the configurations it contains.I just bought it a couple months ago and still learning and having fun with this unit.

 

[trentbob]

I used to have a scanner that only displayed the channel number and the frequency, that was it. We Canadians pay $1000.00 for the scanner but I think it's worth every penny. I too found it hard at first to figure about systems,departments,and channels, but with this web-site and the manual,and you-tube it all came together and now quite comfortable navigating thru the configurations it contains.I just bought it a couple months ago and still learning and having fun with this unit.

One of the great things about the sds100 or 200 is that you can modify the screen to display anyway you want it to. Personally I like an uncluttered easy to read screen and I clean off all of that stuff I don't really need for everyday listening. Great option.