SDS200 Audio Off Time

[rfp237]

I’ve had my SDS200 for a two weeks now and have a couple of questions about the Audio Off Time setting. My SDS200 has a very slight constant hum, but if I hadn’t read the posts on the hum issue I would have just thought it was normal. (I can’t hear it at all from 2-1/2 feet away.) However, now that I am aware of the issue it is annoying me, so I set the Audio Off Time at 500 ms. But now I am wondering how many people use the the Audio Off Time setting and if there is a downside to having the amplifier constantly turn on and off.

 

[whooey]

I consider myself pretty sensitive to hums and noises. I do not have these issues with my SDS200.

 

[N9PVW]

No hum on mind

 

[trentbob]

Just to give you a little fill-in.... when the 200 first came out quite a few people had a distinct hum, noticeable from across the room. Other people did not have the hum at all, so if you had it, you were a complainer.

At first Uniden denied it but the YouTube videos we're pretty convincing. Also radios were being returned. They approached the problem two ways.

A mitigation device was given out free to anyone who asked for it and a video was made by Paul to show how to install it. It did reduce the hum but results were mixed and people ended up bending it a little or adding copper tape to it but for many the hum continued, albeit greatly reduced.

There was also those folks who reported no hum at all.

The mitigation device is now installed in the factory. in addition to the mitigation device there was also a firmware update with the audio off option you're speaking of, again results were mixed.

There was a thread where a lot of brainstorming went into finding the source of this grounding problem and fixing it. A member named static discharge did come up with a permanent fix for the problem but it does take some disassembly of the radio.

As we know because of the virus there was a shortage of the SDS radios and they were back ordered for a while, no one had them in stock. Bearcat Warehouse did get a load in and I picked up a second sds200 last week. It has absolutely no hum. I have an external speaker plugged into the back and if I press my ear to the speaker I do here that familiar sound but I have to concentrate to hear it and the minute I move my ear from the speaker I don't hear it, so I have no use for the audio off option.

If you're not getting any clipping of transmissions and it silences the radio until the squelch is broken then that's how it should work.

 

[Kaleier1]

The biggest downside I found was that it cut off the beginning of transmissions. The longer the time was set for the more the beginning of the transmission was cut off.

In some situations, like going in to clear a business after a burglar alarm, the police will call for a code red on a channel meaning no one is to talk on the channel unless they are directly involved with the situation. To let other police know there is a code red on a channel there will be an audible beep broadcast every 10 seconds. While scanning and hearing the beep I knew some sort of situation was going on so I could hold on that channel. Depending on how I set the audio off time it either cut off the beginning of the beep or I wouldn't hear it at all.

I could hear my hum from more than 6 feet away so did the permanent fix trentbob speaks of above.

 

[rfp237]

Thanks for the replies. I think I’ve decided to live with it. When I’m close enough to the unit to hear it, I actually notice it more when it comes and goes with the audio off time setting on. With the audio off time setting off (on infinite), it is just a very very low background noise. Again, I have to be within 2 feet to hear it at all. Mine was part of that recent Bearcat Warehouse batch trentbob mentioned, so I don’t know if it’s just me being picky.

 

[maus92]

I’ve had my SDS200 for a two weeks now and have a couple of questions about the Audio Off Time setting. My SDS200 has a very slight constant hum, but if I hadn’t read the posts on the hum issue I would have just thought it was normal. (I can’t hear it at all from 2-1/2 feet away.) However, now that I am aware of the issue it is annoying me, so I set the Audio Off Time at 500 ms. But now I am wondering how many people use the the Audio Off Time setting and if there is a downside to having the amplifier constantly turn on and off.

I have a slight display induced hum on both my SDS200. Normal office level background noise easily overcomes it, and the road noise in my vehicle drowns it out when mobile. That said, I do use the audio cutoff setting at its fastest setting. Pretty much mitigates the issue.

 

[bobruzzo]

I noticed a VERY small "noise" maybe a "hum" on my SDS200......but it is hardly audible. I have my radios mounted on a shelf on desk with a foam bezel I made, mainly cause it looks better than without it. I use external Motorola speaker on the sds200. And I set the audio cut off to 100ms. I dont miss any parts of incoming transmissions. On a totally quiet night I can hear that hum but it is not that audible. I find that the hum was happening right after a transmission. I set the cut off to 500ms but there was still a tail of hum till the timer passed 500ms. So 100ms works best in my case, but with the foam bezel that cuts down any small noises, static, etc quite a bit. The foam is a piece of acoustic tile that I got from my work years ago. I was kind of concerned when I first heard that "hum" that it might get louder, but it hasn't luckily.

 

[rfp237]

Your acoustic tile gave me an idea which worked. My SDS200 is in the Uniden supplied bracket and sits on an end table near my bed. The hum from the speaker on the bottom of the scanner apparently bounces off the hard wood surface. After reading your post, I put a 1/4 inch neoprene mouse pad under it to see if it would absorb and deaden some of the hum. It did. I now have to REALLY try to hear a very faint hum. The mouse pad will do until I can find something better.

Thanks.

 

[bobruzzo]

Your acoustic tile gave me an idea which worked. My SDS200 is in the Uniden supplied bracket and sits on an end table near my bed. The hum from the speaker on the bottom of the scanner apparently bounces off the hard wood surface. After reading your post, I put a 1/4 inch neoprene mouse pad under it to see if it would absorb and deaden some of the hum. It did. I now have to REALLY try to hear a very faint hum. The mouse pad will do until I can find something better.

Thanks.

Glad that worked for you. I was going to buy one of those 4 tier scanner mount shelves but I prefer the radios side by side. I think the speakers in scanners are mostly cheap ones with bad sound. I use a Motorola extension speaker and with the foam it does lessen the hum and I can;t hear it anymore which is good!