SDS100 VS Phone App

[Gregeip]

Novice question, what if any benefit is there in purchasing an SDS100 instead of listing to a scanner app?
And, if departments encrypt, $700 spent for nothing?
Please give me your opinion, thanks.

 

[a417]

Novice question, what if any benefit is there in purchasing an SDS100 instead of listing to a scanner app?
And, if departments encrypt, $700 spent for nothing?
Please give me your opinion, thanks.

One actually recieves the radio broacast (if capable) and requires basic technical knowledge, the other requries someone else to actually recieve the broadcast and stream it, requires even less technical knowledge on a device which gets beat to death and requires monthly recurring service payments and working internet. Second device has no actual control over what streamer is doing or uptime.

 

[marksmith]

With the radio I can listen to what I want to hear and can stop the scanning on the specific event to monitor.

Without the radio I listen to what someone else is scanning.

 

[Randyk4661]

Not all departments (in the clear) have scanner feeds on broadcastify so you wouldn't be able to listen to them anyway.
A scanner give you more options of things to listen to. You would be limited to only to the feeds offered on the app.
Even if your police and fire go encrypted, there is almost always something to listen to.
Water and power and other city departments for a start.

 

[donc13]

Novice question, what if any benefit is there in purchasing an SDS100 instead of listing to a scanner app?
And, if departments encrypt, $700 spent for nothing?
Please give me your opinion, thanks.

Easy answer, scanner app only works if someone is dedicating their radio to a certain system. And you can only listen to that one system at a time.

 

[Omega-TI]

Novice question, what if any benefit is there in purchasing an SDS100 instead of listing to a scanner app?
And, if departments encrypt, $700 spent for nothing?
Please give me your opinion, thanks.

Like the others said, if a person in your area is not providing a feed with their equipment, you're SOL. For instance to the south of me a few frequencies are covered and the feed is usually up, but in my immediate local area it's crickets, nada, zilch. So, if you don't want to rely on the good graces and whims of others, having a scanner of your own cannot be beat.

Now the Broadcastify app on a cell phone comes in handy for non-local stuff you might want to hear, that is if someone is actually providing a feed for that area. I use both my SDS100 for regular listening and an old cell phone for the feed when there is something major going down somewhere.

 

[avaloncourt]

To echo others, you control what you want to listen to when you want to listen to it. In my county, there are no feeds at all for law enforcement. Outside of the state police, all law enforcement here is still on UHF analog. Sure, an $80 scanner could listen to that but, with the SDS100 and 200, I can listen to what's on the state's P25 Phase 2 system (minus the state police) and also the systems in two adjacent states. Only you can justify whether spending that much money is the right thing for you. I bought both of mine used but in perfect condition. I also use Proscan and stream my SDS200 to my phone. I can be driving along in the car with the phone piping it through the audio system via Android Auto.