SDS100/SDS200: SDS100/SDS200 New Public Release Sub CPU 1.03.05

[Ubbe]

it didn't decode unless I went into waterfall mode.

Enter just the control channel frequency by pushing Channel to stop scan and then enter the frequency followed by the Channel button again and there will be no restrictions and you will be able to hear the signal and if it's good enough it will switch to digital mode and mute. Filter settings are fetched from Srch/CloCall Opt menu so you can change the filter in there to test. If the signal are weak it might be needed to set squelch to 0.

/Ubbe

 

[Remscan]

Enter just the control channel frequency by pushing Channel to stop scan and then enter the frequency followed by the Channel button again and there will be no restrictions and you will be able to hear the signal and if it's good enough it will switch to digital mode and mute. Filter settings are fetched from Srch/CloCall Opt menu so you can change the filter in there to test. If the signal are weak it might be needed to set squelch to 0.

/Ubbe

This is a non-trunked channel. I'll try the squelch, but the squelch on waterfall is set to #2 also. Thanks for the reply.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Channel programmed for digital or all?

 

[WD6ABC]

Channel programmed for digital or all?

I tried both. With NAC, and without.

 

[WD6ABC]

Found something else. (Waterfall mode) It seems that 507.1875 is a magic frequency. If I have the marker on that freq, I can see the other carriers of other frequencies. But if I turn the knob to move the marker up or down in frequency, the display flips and the carriers that were on the left of the display are now on the right and visa-versa!!

 

[WD6ABC]

Found something else. (Waterfall mode) It seems that 507.1875 is a magic frequency. If I have the marker on that freq, I can see the other carriers of other frequencies. But if I turn the knob to move the marker up or down in frequency, the display flips and the carriers that were on the left of the display are now on the right and visa-versa!!

UPDATE: This is only for the SDS-200. The 100 doesn't do this.

 

[WD6ABC]

As far as the waterfall reception being better than the 'memory channel' reception, I found that using the 'NORM' filter in memory decodes better than WIDE-INV for the regular scan mode.. (which I have been using for years). I'm guessing the filter for the waterfall is NORM also. Still testing....

 

[Ubbe]

Found something else. (Waterfall mode) It seems that 507.1875 is a magic frequency. If I have the marker on that freq, I can see the other carriers of other frequencies. But if I turn the knob to move the marker up or down in frequency, the display flips and the carriers that were on the left of the display are now on the right and visa-versa!!

It does that when the oscillator switch between being lower to being higher than the receive frequency, that the scanner decides what to use to get the best possible reception, and that you sometimes can switch yourself by enabling IFX to a frequency. So it might be a bug where the spectrum display doesn't honor that IF polarity change.

If you have an IF frequency of 10MHz that are shown in the middle of a spectrum from 0MHz to 20MHz and when you monitor 150MHz and the oscillator are at 140MHz then the resulting IF are 10MHz that will be at the middle of the spectrum.

A signal of 155MHz will result in a 15MHz IF, the difference between oscillator and input frequency, that will be displayed as 5MHz higher on the spectrum.

If the scanner use an oscillator frequency of 160MHz and monitoring 150MHz it will produce an IF of 10MHz at the middle of the spectrum. A received signal of 155MHz will produce an IF of 5Mhz and will be displayed as 5MHz lower on the spectrum.

@JoeBearcat needs to forward that bug to Uniden.

/Ubbe

 

[WD6ABC]

It does that when the oscillator switch between being lower to being higher than the receive frequency, that the scanner decides what to use to get the best possible reception, and that you sometimes can switch yourself by enabling IFX to a frequency. So it might be a bug where the spectrum display doesn't honor that IF polarity change.

If you have an IF frequency of 10MHz that are shown in the middle of a spectrum from 0MHz to 20MHz and when you monitor 150MHz and the oscillator are at 140MHz then the resulting IF are 10MHz that will be at the middle of the spectrum.

A signal of 155MHz will result in a 15MHz IF, the difference between oscillator and input frequency, that will be displayed as 5MHz higher on the spectrum.

If the scanner use an oscillator frequency of 160MHz and monitoring 150MHz it will produce an IF of 10MHz at the middle of the spectrum. A received signal of 155MHz will produce an IF of 5Mhz and will be displayed as 5MHz lower on the spectrum.

@JoeBearcat needs to forward that bug to Uniden.

/Ubbe

I thought SDR receivers didn't need a Local Oscillator .

 

[Ubbe]

I thought SDR receivers didn't need a Local Oscillator .

The SDS200E manual says:

25. Heterodyne System

1st Heterodyne
25.000 ~ 319.995 MHz : Upper Heterodyne 1st IF 265.55 MHz or 380.75 MHz
320.000 ~ 511.995 MHz : Upper Heterodyne 1st IF 265.55 MHz or 380.75 MHz
806.000 ~ 1300.000 MHz : Lower Heterodyne 1st IF 265.55 MHz or 380.75 MHz

2nd Heterodyne
25.000 ~ 319.995 MHz : Lower Heterodyne 2nd IF 2.4 MHz or 2.22MHz
320.000 ~ 805.995 MHz : Upper Heterodyne 2nd IF 2.4 MHz or 2.22MHz
806.000 ~ 1300.000 MHz : Lower Heterodyne 2nd IF 2.4 MHz or 2.22MHz

26. Filter :
380.75MHz : SAW Filter 1st IF
265.55MHz : SAW Filter 1st IF

/Ubbe

 

[WD6ABC]

Only issue I have, is that very weak signals are being decoded in the waterfall, but not in a memory channel.
Tried all filters, NORM being best. NAC=OFF (non-trunked, P25)

 

[Trucker700]

Updated my SDS100 today. Previous update seemed to have slight problems with the audio not being clear. This update fixed that. Everything seems to be working better now.
I will update my SDS200 later today to see how well it works.
James

 

[WD6ABC]

The SDS200E manual says:

25. Heterodyne System

1st Heterodyne
25.000 ~ 319.995 MHz : Upper Heterodyne 1st IF 265.55 MHz or 380.75 MHz
320.000 ~ 511.995 MHz : Upper Heterodyne 1st IF 265.55 MHz or 380.75 MHz
806.000 ~ 1300.000 MHz : Lower Heterodyne 1st IF 265.55 MHz or 380.75 MHz

2nd Heterodyne
25.000 ~ 319.995 MHz : Lower Heterodyne 2nd IF 2.4 MHz or 2.22MHz
320.000 ~ 805.995 MHz : Upper Heterodyne 2nd IF 2.4 MHz or 2.22MHz
806.000 ~ 1300.000 MHz : Lower Heterodyne 2nd IF 2.4 MHz or 2.22MHz

26. Filter :
380.75MHz : SAW Filter 1st IF
265.55MHz : SAW Filter 1st IF

/Ubbe

Well thank you!
I guess you can mix before digitizing.

 

[JoeBearcat]

Only issue I have, is that very weak signals are being decoded in the waterfall, but not in a memory channel.
Tried all filters, NORM being best. NAC=OFF (non-trunked, P25)

That has been reported to the engineers.

 

[policefreak]

So far decent results on Motorola Type II Smartzone system listed here State of Delaware Public Safety Trunking System, Statewide, Delaware even up to 15 miles away. Further testing will be done. Good results on Moto Phase 2 P25 700/800 systems - one in particular with marked improvement from my location. One issue I have had since I got my SDS 100 in 2018 is an occasional hang up/ glitch on 700/800 Phase 2 systems where out of the blue a transmission on a frequency that normally receives well comes in extremely garbled or does not pass audio at all, and error rates go up to the 40s or 50s. It could be interference from my location but i see it happen in many other locations on these types of systems here in the NE US. Poor reception seems to make it more likely to happen. Incorrect filtering can make it more likely too, especially on a local system that should be receiving good. I wish I could catch it on video so someone could observe. With the latest firmware this seems to happen much less but occasionally it will come up.

I will be posting some youtube videos in the coming days of my SDS-100 in action and comparing it to other devices from Unication and Relm and see how it stacks up!

 

[WD6ABC]

That has been reported to the engineers.

FYI: the signal was only about 3-5 db above the noise floor. A very weak signal. Surprised it decoded, I could barely see it on the scope.

 

[petereye]

FYI: the signal was only about 3-5 db above the noise floor. A very weak signal. Surprised it decoded, I could barely see it on the scope.

This also happens in weak analog signals, in waterfall mode signal has far less noise and is fully readable . They are aware of this also

 

[a417]

When adding additional features such as waterfall, this should not come with the burden of decreased reception of the systems which we monitor....

You can prove this?

 

[richee2000]

You can prove this?

Can I prove what? What I am experiencing? With the public Upgrades my receive sensitivity is lower on medium to long range systems,,,,

 

[a417]

Can I prove what? What I am experiencing? With the public Upgrades my receive sensitivity is lower on medium to long range systems,,,,

...

When adding additional features such as waterfall, this should not come with the burden of decreased reception of the systems which we monitor....

this you? you can prove that the addition of a waterfall "decreased reception of the systems...", right?