SDS100/SDS200: Sds100 scanning sequence

[Scrutineer44]

Hello everyone

to help me manage my favorites easier I split them into two favorites list: one for conventional analog and one for digital. I set my favorites to #0 and #1 respectively. Then numbered my systems for each. on the analog side I had systems 0 thru 20 and 0 to 17 on the digital side. Easy enough.

this was my first time using more than one favorites simultaneously. I was expecting the unit to scan the systems in a numerical order e.g. 0.0 thru 0.20 and then 1.0 thru 1.17 and loop around.

but instead it seems to scan by system number — the decimal part of identifier — first : 0.0 - 1.0 - 0.1 - 1.1 - 0.2 - 1.2 - 0.3 - 1.3 etc

i Find it a bit strange in how the scan sequencing was implemented by uniden.

 

[TexTAC]

You assigned the systems with system quick keys. If you use number tags instead, it would scan the trunked systems in one fav list first and then the conventional channels in the second favorite list next. System quick keys affect scan order while number tags do not. I do something similar to what you are trying to do but I have 1 favorite list and use system quick key 1 for trunked systems and system quick key 2 for conventional systems. I can toggle all the trunked/conventional systems on/off and it doesn’t affect scan order since they are in one favorites list.

 

[Patch42]

A couple observations. First, you don't have to assign a quick key to every system or favorite list. If you don't intend to toggle the system on/off on the fly, there's not much reason to assign a QK to it.

Second, there's no reason you have to start at 0. If you really want to assign QKs to each system, you could reserve 0 thru 29 for conventional and use 30 thru 49 for digital. If you assign QK 3 to the digital favorite list then you'd have an extra mnemonic to remember those systems start with 30.

You also don't have to assign a different QK to each system/department. I assigned QKs to departments by rough geographical location, first digit indicating distance, second digit indicating quadrant. All of these departments are part of the same system so I gave the system a QK. This way I can toggle groups of departments based on where I am or the region where something is happening at the moment. I couldn't personally remember all those QKs so grouping departments into a smaller number of QKs was necessary for me. YMMV.

 

[Scrutineer44]

All great points guys, thanks.

I renumbered the digital systems starting at 30 and we're scanning as expected now

 

[ofd8001]

I'm sure this is all due to an engineering reason and it's unlikely Uniden will share the reasons. This process is described in the user manual and is common for many other models of scanners.

As you have found, the best work around is to re-number system Quick Keys. You can start them at 0 and go higher as desired.

 

[jonwienke]

Scan order goes by the sort order in the favorite list, not quick key order.

 

[Ubbe]

It's pure QK order and any systems not using QK are added after those systems.

/Ubbe

 

[jtwalker]

I hadn't really looked at this until I read this thread. My 536 seems to be using QK as @Ubbe describes and my 100 and 200 seem to be using FL sort sequence as @jonwienke describes. I can’t rule out some other less than obvious difference that is impacting what I think I am seeing.

 

[ofd8001]

Here is what the SDS 100 manual (page 12-13) says:

SCANNING ORDER
With previous scanners, you selected banks to scan. With this scanner, you select Favorites Lists, Systems, Departments, and Sites to scan by assigning Quick Keys to them.

Scanning is performed in a mixture of FLQK order and SQK order. The scanner does not scan all Systems in one Favorites List and then move to the next List. For each Favorites List with a quick key, starting with 0, the scanner scans each 0 SQK in FLQK order and then move to the next set of SQKs for each list.
Example:
FLQK 0, SQK 0; FLQK 1, SQK 0…. FLQK 98, SQK 99; FLQK 99, SQK, 99. Department and Site Quick Keys are scanned with each System.
Systems with the same quick key are scanned in order of creation.

And from the 436/536 Manual:

With previous scanners, you selected banks to scan. With this scanner, you select Favorites List and Systems to scan by assigning Quick Keys to them.
See also Understanding Quick Keys.
Scanning is performed with a mixture of FLQK order and SQK order. The scanner will not scan all Systems in one Favorites List and then move to the next List.
For each Favorites List, starting with 0, the scanner will scan each 0 SQK in FLQK order and then move to the next set of SQKs for each list.
Example:
FLQK 0, SQK 0; FLQK 1, SQK 0…. FLQK 98, SQK 99; FLQK 99, SQK, 99.
Systems with the same quick key are scanned in order of creation.

So the way I read these, the SDS and x36 scanning order is the same. System A with a SQK0 in FLQK0 is before System B with SQK0 in FLQK1

 

[wm8392xii]

I have assigned no Quick keys. I have favorite lists that I toggle on for what I want to listen to at the moment. When home at night I listen to my local PD, FD dispatch and P25 FD truck frequency. Each one is a separate favorite. Then I have surrounding towns listed separately as favorites. Railroads are separate favorite. Airports are separate favorites. If I go in the car I just pick favorite's to scan for highway, tunnel, Bridge. At work I toggle on different favorites. This works for me. it's really pretty simple, I might be doing this wrong but it works for me.

 

[mikebennett]

I've always been able to assign multiple systems to the same QK with all my other UNIDEN radios. I tried doing this with the SDS100 and it would only allow one QK per system. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Ubbe]

Has anyone else noticed this?

My SDS100 scanner says "Quick Key Exists. Accept? Y/N" and accepts to have the same QK number being assigned to several different systems. Firmware 1.10.06
Can you try doing that in Sentinel, as that should also be possible to do.

/Ubbe

 

[mikebennett]

My SDS100 scanner says "Quick Key Exists. Accept? Y/N" and accepts to have the same QK number being assigned to several different systems. Firmware 1.10.06
Can you try doing that in Sentinel, as that should also be possible to do.

/Ubbe

I'm using ARC software, plus I tried to change it manually on the radio and it was a no-go. I'm guessing it's possible I'm just doing something wrong.