Sounds like either the charger, the battery, or the radio itself has developed a fault. I has nothing to do with not having "the new battery" - it is abnormal behavior.
SDS100 your likes / dislikes
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Sounds like either the charger, the battery, or the radio itself has developed a fault. I has nothing to do with not having "the new battery" - it is abnormal behavior.
jasonhouk
Member
Yes
Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
troymail
Silent Key
Apparently, 'normal' for this radio.....
ke0hfc
Member
The clear plastic of the screen seems softer than that of the 436.
SDS100 likes/dislikes in rural environment
I’ve had my SDS100 for a little more than a month now, so I thought this might be a good time to share my likes and dislikes with other owners and potential owners. I’ll begin with a few words about my listening environment, which is a critical element regarding the performance of any scanner.
Listening environment
I live in northern New Mexico at a location that is fairly remote and mountainous. My listening needs include a simulcast, state-of-the-art Harris UHF P25 Phase 1/Phase 2 trunked system; conventional P25, NXDN, and DMR stations; a ProVoice trunked system; an analog 800 MHz trunked system; and a great many analog VHF-hi, and UHF stations (many of which arrive at my radios as fairly weak signals).
Likes
Simulcast performance: Wow! Nothing in my radio arsenal (which includes the BCD436HP, BCD325P2, BCD396XT, and TRX-1) comes close to the SDS100’s performance when it comes to the simulcast signals generated by the Harris system mentioned above. I’ve kept up with all the firmware updates, including the beta versions, but the SMS100 has done such a marvelous job of tracking that system’s traffic from day one that I’ve never noticed a significant difference between any of them.
Digital signal performance: Beyond the SDS100’s amazing handling of the simulcast system mentioned above, I’m very impressed with its reception of all the other digital systems I monitor. My overall impression is that there are two radios inside the SDS100 . . . a very-high-performance digital receiver and a competent, but certainly not stellar, analog receiver.
Analog signal performance: The SDS100’s analog performance is on par with the ‘436, but falls a little short of the ‘325, ‘396, and TRX-1 in my weak-signal environment. However, the TRX-1 is prone to overload and desensitization in urban, strong-signal environments, so I believe the SDS100 will definitely be my radio of choice in places like Las Vegas, Denver, or Atlanta.
Display: The default color display (orange, gold, yellow) is beautiful. I like it so much that I don’t plan to experiment with other color settings . . . at least for now. However, the legibility of the display can be a problem for 68-year-old eyes trying to read it at any distance. The lettering, like that of the ‘436, is small, and you certainly don’t want to be driving and trying to read it, especially if it’s in “detail” mode.
Audio performance: Digital-signal audio is very clear, while analog-signal audio is much softer, as is generally the case with any dual-mode receiver. The drawback I’ve encountered with the SDS100’s digital audio performance is the apparent lack of any automatic gain control mechanism for audio volume. A user with a loud voice will rattle the windows, and a user with a soft voice is hard to hear at the same volume-level setting in the SDS100.
Materials and construction quality: The SDS100 is a solid, well-built radio. I like its size and professional-radio “feel.”
Dislikes
Heat: As just about every user has noted, the SDS100 runs very warm. It’s been my experience that heat isn’t good for electronics and only time will tell how well this radio will hold up over time. If there’s a temperature-controlled oscillator in there somewhere, it’s got to be working overtime!
Power consumption: This is where the heat is coming from, of course! I’m guessing that the SDR circuitry is drawing most of the power that the SDS100 requires. Like everyone else, I’m waiting for Uniden to send us a higher-capacity battery (thanks, Uniden!), but that’s not going to solve the heat-generating, power-consumption problem. Still, eight hours of battery power will be a welcome relief to the four or five hours I’m getting with the current battery.
Antenna connection: I appreciate the SDS100’s splash and dust resistance, but it’s come at the expense of an antenna connection that’s made it a PIA to switch-out SMA or BNC antennas. I’ve therefore ordered some BNC adapters from Jon Wienke that should enable me to switch out BNC antennas much more easily than the Uniden-supplied adapter.
Summary
Uniden has taken a giant leap forward with the SDS100, and, as is often the case with “giant leaps,” they may have created a couple of new problems by doing so (i.e. heat and power consumption). The SDS100 should be the answer to virtually anyone’s prayers who is suffering from simulcast problems. I’m still a little fuzzy on the role the SDR element plays in the SDS100’s handling of digital signals, but I can’t help but wonder if a less-power-hungry design might have adequately solved the simulcast challenge. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten me.
I’ve had my SDS100 for a little more than a month now, so I thought this might be a good time to share my likes and dislikes with other owners and potential owners. I’ll begin with a few words about my listening environment, which is a critical element regarding the performance of any scanner.
Listening environment
I live in northern New Mexico at a location that is fairly remote and mountainous. My listening needs include a simulcast, state-of-the-art Harris UHF P25 Phase 1/Phase 2 trunked system; conventional P25, NXDN, and DMR stations; a ProVoice trunked system; an analog 800 MHz trunked system; and a great many analog VHF-hi, and UHF stations (many of which arrive at my radios as fairly weak signals).
Likes
Simulcast performance: Wow! Nothing in my radio arsenal (which includes the BCD436HP, BCD325P2, BCD396XT, and TRX-1) comes close to the SDS100’s performance when it comes to the simulcast signals generated by the Harris system mentioned above. I’ve kept up with all the firmware updates, including the beta versions, but the SMS100 has done such a marvelous job of tracking that system’s traffic from day one that I’ve never noticed a significant difference between any of them.
Digital signal performance: Beyond the SDS100’s amazing handling of the simulcast system mentioned above, I’m very impressed with its reception of all the other digital systems I monitor. My overall impression is that there are two radios inside the SDS100 . . . a very-high-performance digital receiver and a competent, but certainly not stellar, analog receiver.
Analog signal performance: The SDS100’s analog performance is on par with the ‘436, but falls a little short of the ‘325, ‘396, and TRX-1 in my weak-signal environment. However, the TRX-1 is prone to overload and desensitization in urban, strong-signal environments, so I believe the SDS100 will definitely be my radio of choice in places like Las Vegas, Denver, or Atlanta.
Display: The default color display (orange, gold, yellow) is beautiful. I like it so much that I don’t plan to experiment with other color settings . . . at least for now. However, the legibility of the display can be a problem for 68-year-old eyes trying to read it at any distance. The lettering, like that of the ‘436, is small, and you certainly don’t want to be driving and trying to read it, especially if it’s in “detail” mode.
Audio performance: Digital-signal audio is very clear, while analog-signal audio is much softer, as is generally the case with any dual-mode receiver. The drawback I’ve encountered with the SDS100’s digital audio performance is the apparent lack of any automatic gain control mechanism for audio volume. A user with a loud voice will rattle the windows, and a user with a soft voice is hard to hear at the same volume-level setting in the SDS100.
Materials and construction quality: The SDS100 is a solid, well-built radio. I like its size and professional-radio “feel.”
Dislikes
Heat: As just about every user has noted, the SDS100 runs very warm. It’s been my experience that heat isn’t good for electronics and only time will tell how well this radio will hold up over time. If there’s a temperature-controlled oscillator in there somewhere, it’s got to be working overtime!
Power consumption: This is where the heat is coming from, of course! I’m guessing that the SDR circuitry is drawing most of the power that the SDS100 requires. Like everyone else, I’m waiting for Uniden to send us a higher-capacity battery (thanks, Uniden!), but that’s not going to solve the heat-generating, power-consumption problem. Still, eight hours of battery power will be a welcome relief to the four or five hours I’m getting with the current battery.
Antenna connection: I appreciate the SDS100’s splash and dust resistance, but it’s come at the expense of an antenna connection that’s made it a PIA to switch-out SMA or BNC antennas. I’ve therefore ordered some BNC adapters from Jon Wienke that should enable me to switch out BNC antennas much more easily than the Uniden-supplied adapter.
Summary
Uniden has taken a giant leap forward with the SDS100, and, as is often the case with “giant leaps,” they may have created a couple of new problems by doing so (i.e. heat and power consumption). The SDS100 should be the answer to virtually anyone’s prayers who is suffering from simulcast problems. I’m still a little fuzzy on the role the SDR element plays in the SDS100’s handling of digital signals, but I can’t help but wonder if a less-power-hungry design might have adequately solved the simulcast challenge. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten me.
325xia
Member
If I could have the insides of the 436 into my SDS100, I would consider it the best. With the build quality, battery life, (the SDS battery would last very long with the 436 electronics), and great display, it would be so perfect. No bad speaker or heat issues either.
Seriously? If you put the "insides of the 436" into the SDS, you would have a 436.
325xia
Member
Yeah. Exactly what I said. With a better build quality than the 436 is now and all the other attributes I mentioned.
325xia
Member
I haven’t seen that “Advanced Technology” so far. My SDS100 is inferior to my 436. And I’m not alone in these findings.
scannersnstuff
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2006
- Messages
- 1,929
IMHO - Most of the post's indicate that the 100 is a superior lsm receiver, but fall's short on vhf/uhf, where the majority of my listening is. I am not Uniden/100 bashing, just stating the fact's, as I see them.
Fatman1
Member
Nothing to report except “ I really like it” . It’s my favorite radio i now own and I own 5 others all of the same type just various other brands. Love the display, size and I think the audio is good. Performance is about the same as others but it’s so much cooler to play with because of the display. We’re mostly conventional and P25 locally and radio has no issues with any of those. I did not purchase the other upgrades so I can’t discuss as the other frequency types are just not relevant here
Yep , sold the SDS100 and 436HP is on my desk running cool as ever on 3AA batteries. No modified antenna adapters, no long drawn out charging periods, no waiting on another firmware, no waiting on another battery that will even take longer to charge. Hang on to your 436HP.
someone cant turn it........
That's ok, my cousin picked it up and asked me "how do you turn it on"....
Someone in Sales asked me what True I/Q meant. I told him it meant that if you weren't very smart, you wouldn't be able to use it.
That's ok, my cousin picked it up and asked me "how do you turn it on"....
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
If I would have been influenced by all of the negative diatribe on here about the SDS100s shortcomings and failures, I would have never purchased this scanner. I was a Waiter, waiting to see if the bugs and quirks were something that would constitute a recall or repair campaign, or if the bugs were something that could be fixed via a firmware fix. I read everything, every forum post, email group message, and quite a few website reviews before I made the decision to buy, realizing that the only thing I would accomplish by waiting is losing out on a free battery. The heat issue had me concerned but now that I can feel it in my hands, it's warm - not hot - and certainly not warm enough to damage any inner circuitry, in my opinion. But, that's just my opinion, and you know what they say about those. You're not stating the facts, you're going by other people's opinions, by some who don't even own the SDS100. I hope they haven't influenced you enough that you will miss out on a great radio. But, ultimately, that's your call.
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mine is working great, yes VHF/UHF could be stronger but i do not for 1 second regret my purchase
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