Better to hold on a site. Holding on a channel, the scanner will continue to check all scanned sites, which could result in missed traffic (checking one tower while traffic is on the other tower).
SDS100 Trunking Reception
- Thread starter pjbracing
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Tried holding on system too. I don't know if there are any other combinations of settings to try.
It is frustrating because every now and then it will lock on a TG and come in loud and clear. Then nothing for a long time again. I see it checking the control frequencies and some others and the receive signal usually clicks on between 2-3 bars. Squelch is set at either 1 or 2. I don't get anything when I do ID searching either. I'm about 12 miles from the tower. I've been inside and outside the house and even driven closer with no results. And yes the firmware and database is up to date.
I believe it is just a defective unit and ready to send it back.
It is frustrating because every now and then it will lock on a TG and come in loud and clear. Then nothing for a long time again. I see it checking the control frequencies and some others and the receive signal usually clicks on between 2-3 bars. Squelch is set at either 1 or 2. I don't get anything when I do ID searching either. I'm about 12 miles from the tower. I've been inside and outside the house and even driven closer with no results. And yes the firmware and database is up to date.
I believe it is just a defective unit and ready to send it back.
What is the RSSI you are seeing?
Try analyse
Menu -analyzr- system status - when iy says enter your sustem press enter, it should list your system, then enter, then site.
you will see
• S=Signal Strength
• Q=Decode Quality
• A=System Activity
The bottom should populate the system info.
Menu -analyzr- system status - when iy says enter your sustem press enter, it should list your system, then enter, then site.
you will see
• S=Signal Strength
• Q=Decode Quality
• A=System Activity
The bottom should populate the system info.
PJbracing - I am glad I seen your post. I just received my SDS100 Friday and I have been upnorth all weekend. I am in Iosco County northern lower Michigan. I was dissappointed this weekend because I could hardly pick up anything, some Oscoda. I also have the BCD436HP and this scanner was picking up police dispatch and ems dispatch for Iosco and Ogenaw county which are under the MPSCS system and they are coming in clear like they always have on my BCD436HP. I can not get any of them on my SDS100. I even held the same channels that I frequently get activity on and also had squelch down to zero, I get absolutely nothing, very frustrating. All my services are on that need to be and I cant figure it out. I even tried swapping antennas from one unit to the other and it did not matter. I had the SDS100 on for many hours next to my BCD436HP and the SDS100 just did not pick up much, very little transmissions. I have upgraded the firmware as well. I am not sure whats going on. I am heading downstate today and will try it in the Sterling Heights area to see if I am having the same problem. I hope someone can help us out because I only have 30 days to return this scanner (purchased through ScannerMaster). I am pretty sure I read in another post yesterday that someone else is also having a similar issue.
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EXACTLY I live off I-75 between Clarkston and Grand Blanc. I get many hits off the Holly tower for State PD and Genesee County TG's on my 396XT, virtually none on the SDS100. It appears that there is something about the MPSCS and the SDS100. I will be headed to Flint shortly and will see what happens on the simulcast system.
Is that the correct site?
It looks like that is Dimondale in Eaton, MI and you are in Genesee co - right?
If you have more than one site in your data - scroll know goes through them. Handy with full DB to see what you can receive.
edit - I see Holly also shows a site 001. (not real familiar with that aspect of RR data).
For whatever reason sounds like poor reception.
A signal level of -112 dBm is probably close to the decode threshold of this unit.
I took a ride north about 15 miles to Flint. The SDS100 worked great off the Holly Tower once I got about 1 mile closer to it. I then actually got farther away from the Holly tower but the signal strength was in the -85 to -100 range in the car using the standard antenna.
As I got closer to the Genesee County Simulcast I was picking up everything. I've never been able to get conversations off the simulcast system on the 396xt.
So it appears the SDS100 is not defective but I need to figure out how to get a better signal at home with some sort of rubber ducky antenna.
Thanks to everyone for your help.
As I got closer to the Genesee County Simulcast I was picking up everything. I've never been able to get conversations off the simulcast system on the 396xt.
So it appears the SDS100 is not defective but I need to figure out how to get a better signal at home with some sort of rubber ducky antenna.
Thanks to everyone for your help.
Thats good to know pjbracing thanks for posting. I really hope a better antenna will fix my problem. As I mentioned I tried the antenna I have on the BCD436HP on the SDS100 but it did not help any. I am just wondering why this scanners reception seems to be worse than the 436, I just cant pick up anything on the new scanner. I am now downstate and will try it and compare here when I get a chance.
When I see these threads pop up, my first impression is a programming issue. I also read you're comparing it to a 396XT. Going from that scanner to an 436/536xp is a learning curve in programming, so programming an SDS100 is similar.
Besides some of the checks you've already performed, in the Menu check scan selection and make sure MPSCS is On. Another thing to check is to make sure you have a quick key assigned to the system, and the system quick key is activated. I'd check this first before you rule the scanner a dud. I've made these mistakes a few times while adding new systems to listen to in my 36xp scanners up to a week ago.
You literally can do a save as on an x36 profile in Sentinel, select it as SDS100 and write to scanner. No need to adjust anything and it will just work, but you do want to go in and tweak some settings specific to the SDS100.
kb8dam
Member
Just another point of reference.
I set up an SDS100 and 536HP with the same zip code and radius (0 miles). Same DB, favorite lists, and service types, etc.. Running them side by side on stock antennas. Location is about half way in between A2 and Brighton, 10 miles West, bordering Washtenaw and Livingston Counties.
In scanning the Full Database only, there is definitely a different scanning speed (or order??) which has led to picking up different transmissions on the two scanners. They might catch the same transmission, but once it releases from that transmission, one might pick up a different subsequent transmission on different channel than the other.
Even if I narrow down so they are scanning the same Department, they still seem to be scanning at different speeds or different order. I don't think one is necessarily missing transmissions. If there is only one transmission on the department, they both pick it up, sometimes one slightly behind the other. If there are multiple transmissions going on within the same department, then one scanner may lock on to West dispatch while the other locks on to East dispatch.
Another interesting note is when picking up a transmission on the Howell tower, the audio was perfectly in sync between the radios. When picking up a transmission from Washtenaw Simulcast, the SDS and 536HP audio seem to be a few milliseconds apart. Though I'm not sure if one is consistently ahead or behind the other, at least from my location. There was a much larger difference when one of them locks onto the Howell tower and the other to Washtenaw Simulcast, for the same transmission.
I set up an SDS100 and 536HP with the same zip code and radius (0 miles). Same DB, favorite lists, and service types, etc.. Running them side by side on stock antennas. Location is about half way in between A2 and Brighton, 10 miles West, bordering Washtenaw and Livingston Counties.
In scanning the Full Database only, there is definitely a different scanning speed (or order??) which has led to picking up different transmissions on the two scanners. They might catch the same transmission, but once it releases from that transmission, one might pick up a different subsequent transmission on different channel than the other.
Even if I narrow down so they are scanning the same Department, they still seem to be scanning at different speeds or different order. I don't think one is necessarily missing transmissions. If there is only one transmission on the department, they both pick it up, sometimes one slightly behind the other. If there are multiple transmissions going on within the same department, then one scanner may lock on to West dispatch while the other locks on to East dispatch.
Another interesting note is when picking up a transmission on the Howell tower, the audio was perfectly in sync between the radios. When picking up a transmission from Washtenaw Simulcast, the SDS and 536HP audio seem to be a few milliseconds apart. Though I'm not sure if one is consistently ahead or behind the other, at least from my location. There was a much larger difference when one of them locks onto the Howell tower and the other to Washtenaw Simulcast, for the same transmission.
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