SDS200 Hum Reports

[torishu]

Thanks, TailGator. I've sent the e-mail out (late last night) and I'll update everybody as to what the response is.

I'm hoping it's stock sent back to Uniden with the fix then applied and sent back out, otherwise new, or stock held back by Uniden with the fix applied and then sent out. 01xx is a seriously low serial # so it's interesting that it just arrived yesterday as new.

In the meantime, I'll be running it 24/7 to make sure the display holds up and doesn't begin flickering. So far all seems fine except that the hum is louder than the unit I repaired myself (though, again, not as loud as my first unit was initially).

Performance so far is otherwise great, right on par with my other SDS200.

There were no open packaging bags or telltale signs that the item was refurbished. The microSD card was fresh and unused as far as I can tell.

Maybe I just repaired my first unit better than the technicians repaired this one. We'll see...

 

[torishu]

I heard back from the seller.

I was told that their distributor told them, who in turn was told by Uniden, that their stock either had the fix installed or had come from the newer batch that had the fix factory applied. They allowed that it's possible an earlier radio got through the supply chain without the fix.

So I guess they're still out there?

I have no way of knowing for sure. If the fix is installed on my second unit, it wasn't done as well as I installed it on my first unit. For reference, I run a fan on low in the room the scanner is in to circulate the air. I can't hear the hum on my first scanner with the part installed under these conditions. I *can* still hear the hum on the second scanner when it's placed in the exact same location as the first, all else being the same.

There are some family medical issues I am dealing with at the moment so I may not get around to an exchange unless the screen starts flickering or something else crops up. I've ordered another NMP200 part and I'll crack the unit open after the return window has closed if I still have it and I'll know then.

Was hoping to avoid all of this but I'm not too lucky it seems.

 

[m42duster]

I was under the impression that no production fix, other than the ghetto part was being done.

Sent from my moto g(6) (XT1925DL) using Tapatalk

 

[torishu]

I was under the impression that no production fix, other than the ghetto part was being done.

Right. I was hoping to get a unit with the NMP200 part already installed. It appears that it's either not installed on my second SDS200 that I just received yesterday or that it wasn't installed as well as I installed it on my first SDS200.

The seller meant that the NMP200 is now being installed at the factory -- "new batch" -- and installed on existing unsold stock, so their distributor told them (who was told by Uniden).

So my second unit should have the piece installed or it slipped through the cracks. I won't open it up until the return window has closed so all I have to go on is my ears. It's worse than my repaired first scanner, but not as bad as my first scanner prior to installing the piece.

Either way, I should be able to get the noise reduced some more. I just didn't want to purchase another unit that I have to repair myself again.

 

[RCjim]

I heard back from the seller.

I was told that their distributor told them, who in turn was told by Uniden, that their stock either had the fix installed or had come from the newer batch that had the fix factory applied. They allowed that it's possible an earlier radio got through the supply chain without the fix.

So I guess they're still out there?

I have no way of knowing for sure. If the fix is installed on my second unit, it wasn't done as well as I installed it on my first unit. For reference, I run a fan on low in the room the scanner is in to circulate the air. I can't hear the hum on my first scanner with the part installed under these conditions. I *can* still hear the hum on the second scanner when it's placed in the exact same location as the first, all else being the same.

There are some family medical issues I am dealing with at the moment so I may not get around to an exchange unless the screen starts flickering or something else crops up. I've ordered another NMP200 part and I'll crack the unit open after the return window has closed if I still have it and I'll know then.

Was hoping to avoid all of this but I'm not too lucky it seems.

I was looking to buy a second 200, I may have just changed my mind if no one knows for sure if they have old stock or repaired stock or new factory stock. If someone other than the factory installed the part can they be sold as new?
Has anyone found any refurbished units for sale?

 

[torishu]

RCjim, that's exactly where I was.

I've been reading the boards religiously, made sure that the "new batch" was out there and when my preferred seller told other users here that their stock was all from the new batch, I knew it was time to order as spring storm season is coming up. (We had a tornado come through here some weeks back and while it fizzled out, it was so nice to have my scanner on SkyWatch with spotters telling us where it was at as it was headed right for me for a time.)

Imagine my surprise when I got a unit with a serial number of 01xx. My first unit was 14xx, so I didn't know what to think. And the hum is indeed quite a bit more pronounced than my fixed first unit.

The seller is reputable. I don't believe this is them. It's more of a distributor issue, I believe.

It doesn't appear to be refurbished. No bags inside were opened that shouldn't be. micro SD card was factory-fresh (I clone them before using them and there are files that are not time/date-stamped until the scanner is turned on for the first time, so I can tell).

So, not looking forward to installing/reseating/whatever the NMP200 but with family issues going on, I also don't know how much patience I have for an exchange if I might get a unit in the same condition back again. So barring any further issues, I may just repair it again myself. But if I could do it over again, I wouldn't have purchased just yet because I was hoping to avoid all of that in the first place.

 

[Anderegg]

I just received my brand new SDS200, plugged it in, instant immediate hum. Serial number is sub 1000, and I specifically asked the seller to ensure I was getting one of the newer prefixed units. Back into the box it goes...

Paul

 

[m42duster]

I thought I read where there was no changes in production being made. It's my understanding, that the only thing being done on newer units, is simply installing the mitigation part.

Is my statement correct?

Sent from my moto g(6) (XT1925DL) using Tapatalk

 

[Anderegg]

I want to know this too.

I bought my SDS200 for testing prior to dropping $$$$ on over a dozen new units for m TV station. I won't be purchasing again until someone can post a serial number range where this issue has been resolved from the factory. The serial number is listed on the outside of the box, so sellers should be able to know before they ship, what the serial number is.

Paul

I thought I read where there was no changes in production being made. It's my understanding, that the only thing being done on newer units, is simply installing the mitigation part.

Is my statement correct?

Sent from my moto g(6) (XT1925DL) using Tapatalk

 

[m42duster]

If the new units have been "fixed", then I'd wish to return my unit to have the same fix under warranty.

 

[UPMan]

As already posted, we will install the part for you at no charge other than inbound shipping. However, you will be without your scanner for a few weeks vs. getting the part and doing the easy install yourself. It is entirely your option.

 

[m42duster]

I understand that...

I believe some people are under the impression that a production fix has been made that eliminates the need for the end users installation of the mitigation part.

I simply stated that I believe "newer" units are having nothing done to them other than the factory installing the part. A few post gave me the impression that some users believe that newer units have ZERO hum.

It's been noted that this part doesn't necessarily end the hum all together, which in my case it hasn't.

 

[UPMan]

Mitigation <> elimination

 

[m42duster]

In other words...It's a crap shoot if a new production unit with the part installed is noise free or not. I've read where some users say it's noise free, greatly diminished or barely perceptible.

It's obviously dependent upon the end user. Mine is noise free when listening to headphones, but noise is same intensity as "preinstall" on transmission reception via internal and external speaker.

Having a retailer pull a unit out and certify it as noise free is obviously subjective as well.

 

[UPMan]

If the part is correctly installed, noise should be reduced by at least 95%. Combined w/the amp turnoff setting in the latest firmware, this virtually eliminates the problem (but still only mitigates the absolute noise level) for the vast majority.

 

[tvengr]

UPMan. I feed the speaker output into a balanced audio input of a mixer using a stereo cable for feeding sound systems at fire department events. With the part installed, the scanner hum level is tolerable with the scanner volume set to a high level. However, when the amp mutes I hear a loud AC hum. The AC hum is not present at all when the scanner speaker amp is unmuted. I have tried 2 scanners, one with the part installed and one without. The AC hum occurs on both. During periods when you want complete silence, the scanner hum level is still objectionable with the speaker amp unmuted. I am going to try an isolation transformer and loading the speaker output to see if either makes a difference. What is different in the speaker output of the scanner when the audio is muted? Thanks Paul.

 

[buddrousa]

You need to use a ground loop isolater.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

When the speaker amp is muted it is probably being powered down which changes its reference relative to ground. As mentioned above, you need a ground loop isolator. You should also try using the headset jack to feed your mixer as it is closer to a standard line level than the high level output of the speaker jack. Also the speaker jack is wired as a mono output while the headset jack is stereo. Using a stereo cable on the speaker jack may cause additional issues.

 

[torishu]

When I purchased my second unit, I knew that the "hum" wouldn't be completely eliminated. UPMan explained to us that mitigation is not elimination. However, it's quite a bit louder than my first unit I repaired myself. This leads me to believe that the part is either not installed (since the serial number is 01xx, this seems possible to me) or is installed poorly compared to my repair.

But whatever. I have the part coming and assuming there is no other problem, I'm installing it and moving on. I'm not happy about having to do it again but I'll install/reseat the part and move on and enjoy the scanner. I love everything else about the SDS200 and soon I'll be scanning with it instead of repairing it.

 

[tvengr]

There is only about 10 ohms between the tip and ring on the headphone output. Essentially, the tip and ring are wired together. If you feed that to a balanced input, the net result is 0 output. A mono cable would short out the output at the headphone jack. My mixer will take either a balanced or unbalanced input. I would have to wire up a special cable with a stereo plug on the scanner end and a mono plug on the mixer end and use only the sleeve and tip connections.