SDS200 general help

[soberbyker]

I got an early Christmas present from the wife, a SDS200, mainly because my county, Delaware County, PA has finally started to migrate to a P25 system, phase II. When I first turned it on the county was still using conventional 500 band freqs and I stumbled upon that system on the SDS200, but as of today 2 of the 7 sectors are now on the new system with the rest to follow shortly.

I started scanning with all you had to do was plug in a crystal with the right freq on it. My last scanner before this one is a RS Pro197, worked great for me for many years. What sucks is I used to be a whiz at this kind of crap, scanners, CB radios, computers, but chemo fried my brain and I am as dumb as a 5th grader with this crap now.

I can't figure out much at all with this scanner. If I have it paused on a channel I have to turn it off and back on to get to scan again. I've tried watching videos on the scanner and the Sentinel program that goes with it but it's like learning Mandarin Chinese.

Is there anyone in the Aston/ Upper Chichester area willing to come over and help me with this thing, please? I'm only looking to make two favorite lists, one with all law enforcement and one with fire/EMS and how to turn them on and off, and if I pause on the station how to get it to resume scanning. I have dogs and cats so if you're allergic thanks anyway.

I'm feeling like my wife wasted her money on this thing.

 

[K4EET]

Hi @soberbyker. Here’s the database for Delaware County TRS:

Delaware County TRS Trunking System, Various, Pennsylvania

Delaware County TRS Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

You have a Premium Subscription so you are good to go for the most part. You can probably get things programmed correctly yourself with a little help from the Radio Reference folks. Besides Sentinel, might you possibly also have ProScan for programming your SDS200?

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Is there anyone in the Aston/ Upper Chichester area willing to come over and help me with this thing, please? I'm only looking to make two favorite lists, one with all law enforcement and one with fire/EMS and how to turn them on and off, and if I pause on the station how to get it to resume scanning. I have dogs and cats so if you're allergic thanks anyway.

I'm feeling like my wife wasted her money on this thing.

She definitely didn't waste her money. My SDS100's humming along just fine on that very TRS. I'll share a Sentinel export with you in a little while to hopefully get you up and running

 

[murphcc1]

If it holds on a channel and you want to get off of it, just turn the big dial on the left.

 

[rhodester]

Easier to read manual Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

 

[soberbyker]

Hi @soberbyker. Here’s the database for Delaware County TRS:

Delaware County TRS Trunking System, Various, Pennsylvania

Delaware County TRS Trunking System Profile

www.radioreference.com

You have a Premium Subscription so you are good to go for the most part. You can probably get things programmed correctly yourself with a little help from the Radio Reference folks. Besides Sentinel, might you possibly also have ProScan for programming your SDS200?

Thanks, I know where to find stuff, used it with my Pro197 over the years, but using the software with the Pro197 was easy, simple, not much to it. There is so many things you can do with this new scanner it just baffles me. I'm not new at this stuff at all, but I feel I'm in kindergarten with this thing.

I thought about the ProScan stuff but was hoping the free stuff would be sufficient. I think I ended up getting some of the new system on the scanner but don't know how to access it or separate it into law and fire. The whole favorites thing is alluding me as well, think I set them up but can't figure out how to turn them on or off. Right now all I listen to is the police, Delco is part conventional and part P25 until the rest switches over, how do I listen to both without the fire/EMS stuff? Probably simple, but going thru chemo caused me to lose some brain functionality. I get confused too easily now.

 

[soberbyker]

Easier to read manual Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual

I have that, not easier for me.

 

[soberbyker]

If it holds on a channel and you want to get off of it, just turn the big dial on the left.

I'll try that thank you.

 

[K4EET]

<snip> Right now all I listen to is the police, Delco is part conventional and part P25 until the rest switches over, how do I listen to both without the fire/EMS stuff? <snip>

While @Whiskey3JMC is preparing things for you, could you ZIP your current programming file(s) and post them here in this thread for us to look over? You might be real close to where you want to be.

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Here you go @soberbyker. I assigned Favorites List, System and Department quick keys so...
Favorites list & System quick keys are both 0 then Department Quick keys as follows:

• Law Enforcement: 1
• Fire and EMS: 2
• Interop: 3
• Co ESD: 4

So for example if you only wanted to listen to Law Enforcement and nothing else you can either do a department hold or turn off the other department quick keys by pressing ./no key twice then 2 key to disable fire and ./no key twice then 3 key to disable interop, etc

• Understanding Quick Keys
• Selecting Quick Keys

Personally I find holding onto a department a bit easier but maybe that's just me. Hope it works OK for you

 

[soberbyker]

While @Whiskey3JMC is preparing things for you, could you ZIP your current programming file(s) and post them here in this thread for us to look over? You might be real close to where you want to be.

Thanks but no idea what you mean or how to do it.

Here you go @soberbyker. I assigned Favorites List, System and Department quick keys so...
Favorites list & System quick keys are both 0 then Department Quick keys as follows:

• Law Enforcement: 1
• Fire and EMS: 2
• Interop: 3
• Co ESD: 4

So for example if you only wanted to listen to Law Enforcement and nothing else you can either do a department hold or turn off the other department quick keys by pressing ./no key twice then 2 key to disable fire and ./no key twice then 3 key to disable interop, etc

• Understanding Quick Keys
• Selecting Quick Keys

Personally I find holding onto a department a bit easier but maybe that's just me. Hope it works OK for you

Thanks for that, can't say I know how to use it though. I looked at the 2 QK links and nope can't understand that either. (I have the printed book, saw that before, still don't understand it) I'm afraid I've wasted everyone's time here. My brain can't keep up with this. I may give it another attempt tomorrow. I guess I should just stick with putting decals on 1/64 scale police cars for ebay.

 

[mr10pt]

Programming is overwhelming at first. So much more to learn than the "old days". You were gifted an awesome scanner. Start small, watch video's, read what's already been posted. You will make mistakes. Then when you figure out what went wrong and get it working is when you start to add more things. Eventually you'll add some bells and whistles. I started out like you with crystals, then direct programmables to this cluster _ _ _ _. Don't give up. Take a break for a few and dive back in and try again. I'm sure I'll get beat up over this posting by those with electronics and communications background and others as some will do. Good luck.

 

[K4EET]

<snip> I'm sure I'll get beat up over this posting by those with electronics and communications background and others as some will do. Good luck.

You will not get beat up from here. Like you eluded to: baby steps, baby steps, baby steps, and before you know it, you’ll get to where you wanted to go all along. Not to mention, Radio Reference users have a gift at helping others. Like @Whiskey3JMC said, the SDS200 is an awesome scanner. I’m confident that @soberbyker will get the help that they need.

 

[soberbyker]

Here you go @soberbyker. I assigned Favorites List, System and Department quick keys so...
Favorites list & System quick keys are both 0 then Department Quick keys as follows:

• Law Enforcement: 1
• Fire and EMS: 2
• Interop: 3
• Co ESD: 4

So for example if you only wanted to listen to Law Enforcement and nothing else you can either do a department hold or turn off the other department quick keys by pressing ./no key twice then 2 key to disable fire and ./no key twice then 3 key to disable interop, etc

• Understanding Quick Keys
• Selecting Quick Keys

Personally I find holding onto a department a bit easier but maybe that's just me. Hope it works OK for you

I think I uploaded this, I did hear a sector 2 call and some EMS stuff, but still can't figure out how to turn on/off these quick keys. Realistically today I'd like to only be scanning LE for the conventional and P25 systems (until the full switch over), but I cannot figure out how to get either of them on unless I grab a transmission while scanning the full database for my zip code, and set that system for scanning. However I cannot get both to scan only and the quick keys just aren't working for me. For example I press 1, then the Eyes I get the pictured screen but the only thing I can do is change the top number, and thing else I pick does nothing and no favorites then appear to be scanning. This is so hard to explain, I don't know all the terms and can't make heads nor tails of the photos posted in the book and link provided.


Again thanks all who have tried to help. I am stumbling across a thing or two but forget how I got there having had tried so many different things just randomly pushing buttons.

 

[Ubbe]

Favorites list & System quick keys are both 0 then Department Quick keys as follows:

• Law Enforcement: 1
• Fire and EMS: 2
• Interop: 3
• Co ESD: 4

View attachment 194006

You have entered the digit 1 when it should have been 0. Go back with the scroll knob or start over by entering 0 and it will show what favorite lists between 00 and 09 that have quick keys programmed. It will only be 0 for now. Add a second 0 and confirm with a dot, the pri no button below 7, or just the dot after the first 0 as 00 and 0 are treated the same.

It works the same way for systems, that you'll need to enter a 0 to see what systems between 00-09 that have been programmed with a quick key. If you want to check systems 10-19 then scroll back to the 0 and change it to a 1.

Departments works in the same way and if you enter 0 making it be 0.0.0 it will show what departments that have a quick key programmed to it between 00-09.

The first dash after a colon character are a 0 followed by 123456789, one digit for each dash. If a dash are replaced by a digit or an X it means it has a quick key programmed to it.

That D- line will show -1234----- if all departments are in scan and indicate that quick key 0 as well as 56789 for departments have not been programmed to any department.

Each time you do 0.0.01 you will toggle department 1 in and out of scan and will be indicated by an X or a digit.

/Ubbe

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

I think I uploaded this, I did hear a sector 2 call and some EMS stuff, but still can't figure out how to turn on/off these quick keys.

"Departments" in the Uniden sense are emboldened

0.0.1 should toggle Law Enforcement off & on
0.0.2 should toggle Fire & EMS off & on
0.0.3 should toggle Interop off & on
0.0.4 should toggle Co. Emergency Services Department off & on

Alternatively you can do a department hold on whichever department you want to listen to without messing with quick keys. Press Dept (soft key 2) then quickly scroll to whichever department you want to kept held then press Dept soft key again. You can do the same at the channel level (talkgroup). Press Channel (soft key 3), enter talkgroup ID or scroll to whichever talkgroup you want to hold and press Channel soft key again. Press Dept or Channel soft key to release the applicable hold and resume scanning everything

 

[Brales60]

Don't give up, I have an SDS200 too and it's awesome. Trust me, they aren't easy to program at first. I just kept reading, watching YT videos and messing with the scanner until it started to make sense. These guys were also very helpful as well. I personally don't mess with the quick keys and just use the avoid button and the bottom 3 buttons like Whiskey3JMC has shown on the bottom where the red arrows are, but that's just me. Good Luck.

 

[Nascar18]

What I would do is learn the Favorite List programming. Make as many list that you would want to listen in short time. On the SDS200 the squelch knob is your menu control you press that knob to access the menu. After pressing the knob the first selection is the "Set Scan Selection" you press that you will see a list of selections . The "Select Lists to Monitor" is what you want. All your Favorite List will appear there you turn on the list you want to hear and turn off the old one and your scanning a new list.
The only button on the SDS200 that is useful is the "Channel" button. Press that and use the Push/Func to manual go through the list channels. If you hold on a channel press the "System" button to resume scanning.

 

[BILL2021]

Find SDS200 videos on You Tube

 

[dmfalk]

Start here:

SDS Sentinel Software Manual

Go here from there:

Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual