SDS100/SDS200: SDS100 Regrets

[Hubfla]

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

I am using the Remtronix antenna.

 

[Hubfla]

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.

Well I appreciated your input. I feel that I'm so close to one of the primary sites which could be the problem.

 

[emscapt9816]

Well I appreciated your input. I feel that I'm so close to one of the primary sites which could be the problem.

I work in Deerfield Beach. I only listen to fire/Rescue, and have had no problems. If you're trying to listen to "everything", you may miss some. As posted earlier, the new Broward P25 system is quite large. I use the RS 800 MHz antenna, Wide-Normal filter, and I've set the delay from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.

 

[JimD56]

Same here emscapt9816, FIre Only on SDS200 and Police on SDR Trunk.

 

[Hubfla]

I work in Deerfield Beach. I only listen to fire/Rescue, and have had no problems. If you're trying to listen to "everything", you may miss some. As posted earlier, the new Broward P25 system is quite large. I use the RS 800 MHz antenna, Wide-Normal filter, and I've set the delay from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.

OK thanks, I do have filter at Wide-Normal as well. What delay are you referring to?

 

[jonwienke]

Delay is a channel setting. It defines how long the scanner waits after a transmission before it resumes scanning.

 

[Hubfla]

Delay is a channel setting. It defines how long the scanner waits after a transmission before it resumes scanning.

Perfect, I have mine set at 4 secs

 

[Hubfla]

I work in Deerfield Beach. I only listen to fire/Rescue, and have had no problems. If you're trying to listen to "everything", you may miss some. As posted earlier, the new Broward P25 system is quite large. I use the RS 800 MHz antenna, Wide-Normal filter, and I've set the delay from 2 seconds to 3 seconds.

I have the filter settings at what you recommended and my delay set at 3 secs. but what I don't understand is if I lock in a channel, say BSO Deerfield, that I miss some transmissions from both the dispatcher and the deputies. Also the transmissions are garbled.

 

[emscapt9816]

Hmm, odd. Try posting your issues here Broward County Sheriff Maybe the members on this thread can give you better answers.

 

[Ubbe]

Also the transmissions are garbled.

Configure your display to show D_ERROR and look at the numbers of error. Ideally it should be zero errors but up to 5 might still work ok. If they are too many then try the filter settings and also the IFX setting to the channels that have a too high number of errors.

/Ubbe

 

[scanman1958]

It has been a while since I posted on this specific forum. A lot going on. I want to agree with many of the members that find the SDS100 cumbersome, hard to program etc. I took the plunge to get one and purchased two of the three upgrades. I have used the BCD396XT and 996XT for years and find them fairly easy to use use and I can quickly make changes or additions on the keypad. However the steps for the 100 are nothing like the two scanners I have. Especially how you program systems and departments etc. It just doesn't not make sense to me and it is nearly impossible to quickly turn on/off systems...or whatever they call them now. I have been scanning since I was 16 and there have been thousands of advancements over the years but the programming procedures are way over my head. If Uniden would have made the SDS100 with the same programming procedure and labels as the 396 and 996 I would be happy as could be. But I am not. Sorry guys and gals.

On the plus side.....What I have been able to program and listen to (especially trunked systems) sounds great. The site distortion is a thing of the past and what a relief that it. Reception is about the same as the XT scanners. I just don't understand why Uniden had to change the names of systems/groups etc and the "way" you have to program systems. I am at a loss.

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

[emscapt9816]

I felt the same way when I received my HP-1. I loved my BCD396XT for my everyday scanning. However, I played with Sentinel, and over the course of several years (!) I've been able to use it. Moving to the SDS100 was not a huge learning curve, (though a curve, none the less), and the performance in reception I experience is outstanding.

 

[jonwienke]

It just doesn't not make sense to me and it is nearly impossible to quickly turn on/off systems...or whatever they call them now. I have been scanning since I was 16 and there have been thousands of advancements over the years but the programming procedures are way over my head. If Uniden would have made the SDS100 with the same programming procedure and labels as the 396 and 996 I would be happy as could be. But I am not. Sorry guys and gals.

The new programming system allows large statewide trunked systems to be programmed in their entirety. That's not possible on the previous models. And it's useful to be able to do so if you travel with the scanner. There are a lot of advantages, take the time to learn some new tricks. It's well worth your time to do so.

 

[hiegtx]

It has been a while since I posted on this specific forum. A lot going on. I want to agree with many of the members that find the SDS100 cumbersome, hard to program etc. I took the plunge to get one and purchased two of the three upgrades. I have used the BCD396XT and 996XT for years and find them fairly easy to use use and I can quickly make changes or additions on the keypad. However the steps for the 100 are nothing like the two scanners I have. Especially how you program systems and departments etc. It just doesn't not make sense to me and it is nearly impossible to quickly turn on/off systems...or whatever they call them now. I have been scanning since I was 16 and there have been thousands of advancements over the years but the programming procedures are way over my head. If Uniden would have made the SDS100 with the same programming procedure and labels as the 396 and 996 I would be happy as could be. But I am not. Sorry guys and gals.

On the plus side.....What I have been able to program and listen to (especially trunked systems) sounds great. The site distortion is a thing of the past and what a relief that it. Reception is about the same as the XT scanners. I just don't understand why Uniden had to change the names of systems/groups etc and the "way" you have to program systems. I am at a loss.

Have a great weekend everyone.

For your previous scanners, such as the 396XT or 996XT, you had systems. Systems can be programmed with one or more groups. But to toggle a specific group on or of, you had to either be scanning that system at the time, or use Hold to get back to the system you wanted to modify. If in the system, you'd press the Function key, then the number of the group to turn on or off. If you were not scanning that specific system at the time, you had hold the Function key then scroll to select the system where you wanted to change the status of a group, then press the Groups key number (either turn it off, or turn it back on for scanning), You could only have a maximum of 20 groups, but only ten group keys to choose from.

Fast forward to the x36HP & SDS series scanners. You still have Systems. But, instead of Groups, you have Departments. Also, rather than only ten group keys to use, now you can have up to one hundred (0 to 99). And, you can turn them on or off much more easily. (The Departments utilize the same set of Quick keys as do Sites, but you still have many more to work with.)

Also, for the older DMA scanners, you had a limited amount of memory to work with. While it was fairly large, you could only have one program file in the scanner at a time. Unless you took your laptop with you, whatever you left the house with was all you had access to. But the newer database scanners use Favorites lists, and you can scan more than one list at a time, and/or have others saved on your memory card that you can switch to as needed.

Programming a system uses the same basic elements whether you are programming a 396XT, a 436HP, or an SDS100. The main difference is that what the 396XT called a "Group", was renamed to "Department", and as already noted, you had a lot more flexibility in numbering them so that you could toggle them on and off.

While you could use a GPS with a properly programmed 396XT (including the location data), you had only the programming file loaded to work with. If you went out of the area, unless (again) you toted your laptop along, your programming would no longer be effective. With the database scanners, using a GPS, there is no hard limitation of your programming. The scanner can utilize what is in the database file to keep you in touch.

 

[ScanXO]

Trying out an SDS100
i may be late in the game BUT
cant seem to get the programing SENTINEL to work my way

the 396 was easy - and programing a Motorola 9000 on the fly Childs play

reading the Manuel why take 15 pages to get to just turning on the 100 ?

where's the easy Manuel or a spreadsheet to plot what i want out?
and if i load it to say 30-40 systems like in the 396 how do i remember the FL QK for all those agencies

??

 

[djmorgan]

Sorry about this. I had somewhat the same reaction but I hung in there and now am glad I have it. We have a huge EDACS system here which, like most of those I saw installed, it is terrible. So that impacts the quality of what I can listen to in terms of audio (at least we are going to P25P2 soon). In any event, I learn something from my radio every day and every day I enjoy having it more and more. It is a lot to learn but I my case I get more and more comfortable every day. You can buy battery chargers and spare batteries but watch the prices...it seems the Uniden people keep supply low and jack up prices when the stuff comes in (at least on Amazon Uniden store). You can also get a power pack that will use rechargeable batteries but those batteries don't last long either.

 

[gmclam]

Unfortunately, the stuff we want to monitor has gotten more complex. Therefore it requires a more complex receiver. You can't compare a scanner with 20 or 100 lists to one with 100 lists that contain 100 systems each with 100 departments each; and the departments can hold as many channels as you have memory for. I too had a tough time getting started, the documentation is lacking, but in the end programmed everything in Excel first and got what I wanted.

Having a document I was able to print "cheat sheets" with a decoder of all those Quick Keys. The SDS does have a menu function to select Lists and Systems by name, but not Departments or Sites. Hang in there.

 

[rcool101]

Trying out an SDS100

where's the easy Manuel or a spreadsheet to plot what i want out?
and if i load it to say 30-40 systems like in the 396 how do i remember the FL QK for all those agencies

??

How did you remember all that with the 396?
I'm in a rural county and don't want or can't receive many systems. I create a FL and put one system in it. Give it a FL QK number. No dept QKs
Create another FL. Put one system in it. Give it a QK number. Create another FL with one system and QK....etc....etc. When I want a system just hit 1 and enter...Or 2 and enter....etc... Like my 396s and 246s. Create a FL with one system and just Police. Create the same system on another FL with just Fire. 1 enter, 2 enter, 3 enter.... My county system is on FL1 and set to scan. I put the same system on FL3 and it's set to search. Get Creative

 

[buddrousa]

Trying out an SDS100
i may be late in the game BUT
cant seem to get the programing SENTINEL to work my way

the 396 was easy - and programing a Motorola 9000 on the fly Childs play

reading the Manuel why take 15 pages to get to just turning on the 100 ?

where's the easy Manuel or a spreadsheet to plot what i want out?
and if i load it to say 30-40 systems like in the 396 how do i remember the FL QK for all those agencies

??

Push bottom side button and read the quick key list in English and if it is on or off just like the 436HP

 

[hiegtx]

Trying out an SDS100
i may be late in the game BUT
cant seem to get the programing SENTINEL to work my way

the 396 was easy - and programing a Motorola 9000 on the fly Childs play

reading the Manuel why take 15 pages to get to just turning on the 100 ?

where's the easy Manuel or a spreadsheet to plot what i want out?
and if i load it to say 30-40 systems like in the 396 how do i remember the FL QK for all those agencies

??

For clarification:
Are you having issues getting Sentinel installed and to open the program?

If no problem with the above, is your problem one of these:

• Creating a Favorites list (Search YouTube. There are a number of videos on this.)
• Getting the list to load into the scanner?
• Getting the scanner into Mass Storage Mode?

If your issue is not one of the above, can you be more specific on what you are trying to do?

A number of members include the Quick Key assigned in the name of the Favorites list and/or the system.