SDS200 initial reviews

[werinshades]

Here is the debug file you submitted to me attached of the 3.125 spacing issue for engineering. View attachment 68381

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Thank you Jason. I didn't know how to zip it but i'll learn eventually. I know this probably isn't on the top of the list, but it's been an issue since the SDS 100 too, and the 536 decodes and receives it. I'm hoping engineering can make the necessary tweak for a future firmware upgrade and any other issues that have been submitted.

 

[TailGator911]

Undoubtedly, the SDS200 is the best scanner in my arsenal now. With a one-two punch of the SDS100 & SDS200, I've got it all covered for my area (and beyond). The more I play with the SDS200 the more I love it. So much so, that I am neglecting my brand new Icom R8600 here on the desk. The personal testing I have done with the SDS200 leaves me totally satisfied. The backlit keypad is like my SDS100, turned the lights low in the shack and able to see both keypad numbers clearly in the dark. The audio out of my SDS200 is darn near high-fidelity with zero hum or noise as reported in other threads. With the mobile bracket acting as a pseudo stand, the speaker is clear and loud enough that this is probably the only scanner I will not buy an external speaker for. Absolutely the best audio quality out of any scanner ever. Vhf/uhf reception is great, I can hear Hamilton county (Cincy) to the south and vhf fire over in Indiana on rooftop discone. Quad county coverage is excellent in all areas/modes/bands. This scanner is a work horse. Now it's about how to allocate my other scanners for their particular roles in my shack. I will most likely dedicate my TRX-1 for local DMR, which it covers just as good if not better than my Uniden scanners, even tho it is known, by far, to be inferior to all DMR radios. I've tested it against other radios and found it to actually be far superior in DMR performance. Go figger. No fanboy here.

For me, it is sad that Whistler has not lived up to its announcement so far, to have a new lsm capable scanner, and allowed Uniden to conquer the market with the releases of a handheld and a base station that are both superb performers. Even if Whistler were to announce its release next week, I think I have enough scanners for now. Altho, curiosity would probably get the best of me ]

In my book, the Uniden SDS200 is the King Tut of scanners on the market. Be hard for anyone to trump that.

JD
kf4anc

 

[mkt853]

The audio is great on mine in limited testing (knock on wood). On digital systems it's much better than the 536 in terms of how clean and unbiased the audio is. NYPD and FDNY come in fine with it just sitting on my desk using the stock antenna in my office with a ton of interference from computers, electronics, wireless routers etc., while the 100 sitting next to it is a bit more scratchy and tinny sounding. The 536 often sounded very bassy and underwaterish on these same systems. Everyone is going digital around here, so for as long as those stay in the clear, this radio is going to perform like a champ. Curious to see how it does on aviation frequencies. As I mentioned previously, the backlight is more of a glow. Visible in a completely dark room, but you won't be able to read by it or anything.

 

[ColdnFrosty]

I filed a case with Uniden and the customer support rep agreed with the placement of the LAN making disconnection difficult. They are also looking into the noise issue on the speaker (internal and external). I'll let them determine if there is a design issue or faulty component requiring a swap of the unit. Hopefully, it is just an issue that is not inherent to all. BTW, I haven't heard any angry tirades on here!

Agreed, werinshades, has there ever been a scanner released by any company that has not been given negative reviews, complaints, and angry tirades in a public forum? What I find humorous is how some claim the entire production of a radio is flawed and an engineering mistake when it's always just a few complaints and something wrong with their particular radio. The big silent majority here is that of satisfied customers without problematic radios. There are those of us who praise their respective radios, and those of us who curse their respective radios. Just like any other product on the market, there will be some units that will have individual problems. I went thru 3 AOR 8000s in 1995 till I got a good one. In no way would I denounce AOR. They make great radios.

I had to laugh after the President's State of the Union address the other night. The banter between Reps and Dems and CNN and Fox News reminded me so much of this forum lol.

JD
kf4anc

 

[garys]

"All the complaints" are coming from a small number of people. Some of whom are complaining about the speaker noise on this thread AND the separate speaker noise thread. Additionally, there is little consistency in the speaker complaints. Some people say it's only through the headphone jack, some it's only through an external speaker, and some say it's only through the internal speaker. The character and volume of the noise also vary.

Until there is some consistency to the complaints, I expect that Uniden will have nothing to say.

ETA: What's the over/under on the first "Uniden has abandoned the SDS line of scanners" thread? I'll pick April 1, 2019.

 

[eorange]

Until there is some consistency to the complaints, I expect that Uniden will have nothing to say.

Huh? There are consistent complaints about speaker noise, hum, and clicking. What else is required? These observations speak for themselves.

 

[noaim]

I filed a case with Uniden and the customer support rep agreed with the placement of the LAN making disconnection difficult. They are also looking into the noise issue on the speaker (internal and external). I'll let them determine if there is a design issue or faulty component requiring a swap of the unit. Hopefully, it is just an issue that is not inherent to all. BTW, I haven't heard any angry tirades on here!

If they would have flipped the lan port upside down the disconnection would not be a problem. I know they wanted it on the front but dont put the release right next to the knob on the scanner.. I am in IT and I am not a product engineer but to me thats a huge oversight

 

[werinshades]

Many of us are surviving...just like we did with the x36hp series scanners and 996P2/325P2, and 996XT/396XT and so on, and so on.... I'm sitting here listening to all the systems I did previously on my 536 without issues. My speaker has a little noise, I can see my backlight but the unit performance is outstanding. Oh did I mention how the scanner performs? My priorities are a little different...not saying their aren't issues. Just wait till the TRX 100 and 200 come out...first, it will be the best scanner ever, then some button placement is wrong, then....well I know how this works. Their are alot of other things we can get worked up about...

Just to mention, No LAN being used, discone outdoor antenna is and has been used for years.

 

[garys]

No, not at all. They are mostly different, with different types of noises, locations, volume.

Huh? There are consistent complaints about speaker noise, hum, and clicking. What else is required? These observations speak for themselves.

 

[ColdnFrosty]

The title of this thread is, "SDS200 initial reviews," and not, "Let's criticize those with initial reviews." Technology companies prefer critical feedback which enables them to improve their products and maintain a leadership position in their offerings.

 

[RRR]

Considering the majority of SDS-200's will be used as a base, I'm surprised Uniden didn't mount the speaker in the top. I would have liked to see a wider form factor to allow for a front mounted speaker.

Not necessarily. I plan to use the Whistler "Base/Mobile" as my "Base" unit, and the SDS200 is going to be my mobile unit. Why? Because the SDS200 has GPS, to automatically cut counties and cities on and off as I travel the state.

So, someone who mounted the SDS200 under their dash would have had the sound blocked by the dash. On "base" applications, who mounts their scanner flat on the bottom surface, without propping it up an an angle, or having some "air flow room"?

 

[dfw1193]

Undoubtedly, the SDS200 is the best scanner in my arsenal now. With a one-two punch of the SDS100 & SDS200, I've got it all covered for my area (and beyond). The more I play with the SDS200 the more I love it. So much so, that I am neglecting my brand new Icom R8600 here on the desk. The personal testing I have done with the SDS200 leaves me totally satisfied. The backlit keypad is like my SDS100, turned the lights low in the shack and able to see both keypad numbers clearly in the dark. The audio out of my SDS200 is darn near high-fidelity with zero hum or noise as reported in other threads. With the mobile bracket acting as a pseudo stand, the speaker is clear and loud enough that this is probably the only scanner I will not buy an external speaker for. Absolutely the best audio quality out of any scanner ever. Vhf/uhf reception is great, I can hear Hamilton county (Cincy) to the south and vhf fire over in Indiana on rooftop discone. Quad county coverage is excellent in all areas/modes/bands. This scanner is a work horse. Now it's about how to allocate my other scanners for their particular roles in my shack. I will most likely dedicate my TRX-1 for local DMR, which it covers just as good if not better than my Uniden scanners, even tho it is known, by far, to be inferior to all DMR radios. I've tested it against other radios and found it to actually be far superior in DMR performance. Go figger. No fanboy here.

For me, it is sad that Whistler has not lived up to its announcement so far, to have a new lsm capable scanner, and allowed Uniden to conquer the market with the releases of a handheld and a base station that are both superb performers. Even if Whistler were to announce its release next week, I think I have enough scanners for now. Altho, curiosity would probably get the best of me ]

In my book, the Uniden SDS200 is the King Tut of scanners on the market. Be hard for anyone to trump that.

JD
kf4anc

Sounds like you got a good one, can you share within 100 numbers the last 4 of the S/N?

 

[03msc]

Not necessarily. I plan to use the Whistler "Base/Mobile" as my "Base" unit, and the SDS200 is going to be my mobile unit. Why? Because the SDS200 has GPS, to automatically cut counties and cities on and off as I travel the state.

So, someone who mounted the SDS200 under their dash would have had the sound blocked by the dash. On "base" applications, who mounts their scanner flat on the bottom surface, without propping it up an an angle, or having some "air flow room"?

Not everyone does it your way.

What you say works, yes...but not everyone does it that way. No vent on the bottom that I see so this air flow you state as if it's a fact that it's needed is just arbitrary. Will it hurt to have air flow? No. Is it necessary? The manufacturer doesn't say it's needed.

Also...mounted with the bracket to the dash leaves room for the audio if the speaker was on top...it isn't held flush against the dash. But that's really pointless to discuss anyway since it's on the bottom.

 

[TxScanner]

Just saw ups in town, did a quick turn, and got my scanner, hopefully will have good results soon when I get home


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[noaim]

Everyone these days - everywhere, it seems - thinks their opinion is the most important, the one that matters, etc. It is very evident in these forums, other forums, Facebook groups, the list goes on. It's kind of the nature of things these days so in this thread and others I just keep that in mind and roll with it. The SDS200 is no different - some will find faults and issues, and some will be legitimate while others are opinions.

I am not one to complain often I am more of a go with the flow type of person. Most everything on the sds200 is different but I don't really mind. Just wish the ethernet port was flipped to make it easier to get the cable out doesn't make it a bad product

 

[eaf1956]

Normal pattern...we had some complaining about the position of the LAN even before it was released. The 436/536 couldn't pick up simulcast very well here, but managed. Then the DMR/NXDN keys were released which allowed decoding of these systems and we worked through the issues there by submitting debug files and helping to improve the product. Like I said, we will manage to get by with this inferior scanner (as some see it) calling for Attorney General's to look into it, returning it immediately or whatever else. I'd rather take a different approach and help instead of complain, but that's my nature.

I happen to like my SDS 200...

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[mkt853]

Does anyone know the scan speed? For example when scanning a convention system, I can see the frequency changing as it scans, but it's only at the rate of 3-4 frequencies per second. Hopefully it is actually scanning faster than that?

 

[caldwest]

I received my SDS 200 this afternoon and easily updated the firmware and database and uploaded my favorites. I was very pleased with the reception of the simulcast system that I monitor and the quality of the audio. The keypad is a little dim - when compared to the screen which I have set the dimmer to 100% high - but nothing that I can't live with.

About two hours ago I noticed that there was a pulsating line underneath the SYSTEM DEPART and CHANNEL text. This comes and goes and it is annoying as it catches my eyes when viewing the screen. I have reloaded my favorites, turned off all lamps, TV, other scanners, and PCs . . . the pulsating line is still there.

The photo below shows the line, but of course not the pulsation. Sometimes the line is full length of the screen, or it is choppy along the length of the screen, and about 20% of the time it is absent.

 

[Tryton]

To me, it looks like a bad display, time to RMA

 

[RRR]

Oh I love my SDS100, hopefully Wienke will be back with us soon, and will be able to do the internal GPS mod to it. Meanwhile, I am working on a codeplug for my SDS200 to include my desired GPS distances, reference points, etc. I think the mounting location will work fine. (Who mounts a scanner under the "instrument panel" where their legs may hit it??)

Anyway, after consideration, I have decided on keeping my '996P2 in the SUV as well, and plan to use the SDS200 for P25 simulcast systems, Mototrbo Cap+/Connect+, and NXDN, and the '996P2 for analog, VHF P25 "one freq" channels, and DMR "one freq" systems. (And to have it scanning statewide, interop and such)

Hope it works out like I plan....