I have heard that the SDS200 doesn't receive VHF Hi analog as well as some of the older analog scanners. I did a test comparing my SDS200 with a RS 2096 and a RS 2052 and using the same seven weather channels for a comparison and using the same antenna, the SDS had significantly better reception than the other scanners. My local fire agencies are all VHF HI analog. Does anyone know a better scanner (old or new) that out performs the SDS for analog VHF Hi frequencies?
SDS200 VHF Reception
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Ubbe
Member
In non interfered conditions, like on a test bench, the SDS scanners have good reception as they have a preamplifier built in. The problem starts if there's a difficult RF environment as it then fails very quickly. But just the amount of internal spuriouses and images increase the lower in frequency you go in a SDS scanner. Take off the antenna and do a 10MHz search between two 800MHz frequencies and the display will show a fairly constant search rate. Do the same in the 400MHz band and you will see that the search sometimes hesitate and slow down. If you try that a VHF it will be an erratic search and it stops a lot and then continues to search.
SDS scanners are very dependent of a calm RF environment where other scanner models are unaffected. That's why Uniden had to add all those different filter settings to try and improve reception.
/Ubbe
SDS scanners are very dependent of a calm RF environment where other scanner models are unaffected. That's why Uniden had to add all those different filter settings to try and improve reception.
/Ubbe
Remscan
Member
The best scanner so far for reception (non-Phase 2 trunking) is the 996P2.
Have had many cases where the SDS200 barely opens squelch on a weak signal , and the 996 has 3 bars and just about full quieting.
John
Have had many cases where the SDS200 barely opens squelch on a weak signal , and the 996 has 3 bars and just about full quieting.
John
I have both, and my SDS200 blows my 996P2 away on the normal stuff. This is on a external antenna.
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I listen to a lot of VHF High on both my SDS 100 and 200. I'm very impressed with the performance.
I listen to a lot of marine radio and distant VHF High on my SDS-200 using a VHF High, UHF, 7 - 800 MHz ground plane that come in great.
I find wide normal filter applied to department options that all my marine frequencies are in works the best from my location.
I live on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania along the Delaware River and I'm able to hear all of the fire towers of the New Jersey State Forest Firefighters Service region B which is also VHF High.
A lot of factors can affect reception.
I listen to a lot of marine radio and distant VHF High on my SDS-200 using a VHF High, UHF, 7 - 800 MHz ground plane that come in great.
I find wide normal filter applied to department options that all my marine frequencies are in works the best from my location.
I live on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania along the Delaware River and I'm able to hear all of the fire towers of the New Jersey State Forest Firefighters Service region B which is also VHF High.
A lot of factors can affect reception.
No filters or anything Bob. The local air, rail and forestry analog stuff is clear as heck.
"you have heard" vs "the sds200 had significantly better reception"
You belive what you heard vs you own tests?
My SDS200 has excellent high VHF reception using just the standard telescoping antenna.
I am in a valley and about 20 miles away is a town with VHF local PD and Fire calls. I receive the PD calls scratchy and the FD calls fine. If I got to the top of the hill (50 to 100 feet high) between my location and those local channels (still about 20 miles away) they both come in fine.
Looking back at this, I've never even though about marine stuff. Most here is PD and FD, and I really didn't see anything else. Got to see if I can find some Coast Guard stuff.
I have a new BCD996P2 dedicated to aircraft AM because I think it outperforms all the rest.
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I live on the water, busy boating area. Marine radio is simplex VHF High, you need to be close and you need a rooftop antenna, if that fits your bill then try, regardless of a A following the number.. Marine Channel 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22, 23, 81, 83, 68, 72, if you're going to find anything Marine radio, you might hear something on those Marine channels.
Thanks. I'm not on the water, but some of it isn't too far away, Omni X up about 20' I'll dig around. when I get some time. Is there a base frequency to start with?
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Just look in the database for marine VHF frequencies. Channel 16 is the national distress and calling Channel which is 156.8, traffic with the public usually moves over to channel 22A which is 157.1.. the channels I listed above are the most common Coast Guard channels used across the country, channel 68 and 72 are boat to boat recreational channels.
Unless you have some kind of a major river or large body of water under the auspices of the US Coast Guard fairly close to you you probably aren't going to receive much.
Before someone corrects me, Channel 13 is a frequency that's used on Rivers for large boats to communicate with each other and with draw Bridges, all large vessels are required to monitor 16 and 13, Channel 9 is a calling Channel, channel 12 and 14 are port operations. Good luck.
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It really depends on the situation. Here at the house, with everything connected to an external antenna system, it's tough to tell the difference. One might do better on a weak signal (has good sensitivity) while another might do better with a strong signal adjacent to it (good selectivity).
When it comes to the SDS-100, my test is when I am mobile and listening to CHP on VHF low band. At just a glance, the SDS-100 compares to something like a PSR-310. But when you start to listen to something distant, and you're moving, it's not the same. Additionally I power the SDS from an external source that uses a switching power supply to drop 13.8v down to 5v. It has noise that is not rejected by the SDS. Granted, the external power to the PSR is 9v and uses a different adapter. The backgroud noise makes hearing weak signals a challenge. However I don't hear the power supply noise when monitoring VHF Hi.
Eng74
Member
The 200 works better on VHF/UHF than the 100, at least where I am. On the 100 I need to adjust the filters where on the 200 I don’t have to touch them. Now when it comes to P25 trunked, the 200 I have to use the filters on the sites but on the 100 I do not have to touch them.
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Without getting into the details of filters as God knows there are enough threads to look up regarding the proper application, but often poor analog reception is a result of improper use of filters. As has been said here.. applying filters to department options, or directly to sites of a system is the way to use filters.
So often I hear people say I applied XYZ filter to Global and it improved my system, however by using Global filter which affects every object on the radio that person has now compromised analog reception on many other objects that worked better on the default normal filter. Now all objects are on the global filter that was used to improve one system or object but then compromised many other objects.
That's not the radios fault, it's user error😉.
So often I hear people say I applied XYZ filter to Global and it improved my system, however by using Global filter which affects every object on the radio that person has now compromised analog reception on many other objects that worked better on the default normal filter. Now all objects are on the global filter that was used to improve one system or object but then compromised many other objects.
That's not the radios fault, it's user error😉.
spikestabber
Member
Thats a fault of the radio if the global auto filter setting is so slow that it limits the scanning function while encouraging the user to force a set filter just to speed it up.
If they ever decide to update the hardware in this radio they would have a winner just by having a fast filter switch & improved AGC that didn't slow the scan function with a big db loaded at all.
If they ever decide to update the hardware in this radio they would have a winner just by having a fast filter switch & improved AGC that didn't slow the scan function with a big db loaded at all.
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I didn't quite understand your post. The only filters that slow scanning down are Auto and Wide Auto whether it be a global setting or directly applied to a site or department options. That's because Auto filter samples different filters. The issue was identified when the filters were introduced through firmware updates, that's why it's recommended that you do not use Auto filters.
Filters in general do not slow scanning down they just improve reception.
The point that was made was that Global filters are applied to every object on the radio so if you adjust Global filters to accommodate one system or object then you may be compromising reception on many other systems or objects because the wrong filter is applied to them. This could compromise VHF High reception.
That's why you use Global filters on the radio itself using the keyboard to assess reception indicators, find a favorable filter then return Global to normal which is default and apply the filter too the sites of a system or department options of a analog object.
AGC or lack of it is an entirely different issue unrelated to filters.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I don't think either issue of slow Auto filters or AGC will ever be addressed by Uniden in a firmware update or Hardware change LOL, even though, I'm sure it's on "the list". That's just a personal opinion, you never know 😉.
I just know that for whatever reason whether it be location, RF environment or antenna I find the VHF High reception superior on the SDS radios.
What was the antenna situation? Each scanner had its own or was one shared between the two?
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