SDS200 vs. 536HP for Analog/Conventional Frequencies?

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seth21w

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Yes if you use the rear Jack it will have same hum as internal speaker only the front headphone jack is full quieting. But have to run volume at max to hear anything on an external speaker. The uniden part is not going to solve the hum as upman has stated it is a mitigation part. Yes I agree jon uniden did the best they could with what they knew. To get to the true source and fix you will have to remove lacquer from board where it screws in. I am going to do it once I see a step by step video. :)
 

Ubbe

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The hum are independent of the volume setting, so if you have an external loudspeaker that have less sensitivity then it might not be audible. A 95dB speaker are louder and more sensitive than a 90dB speaker. The headphone jack signal are more attenuated and people say that the hum cannot be heard there.

/Ubbe
 

MTScannerNut

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Thanks guys for the informative replies.

Regarding this hum issue, is it something that happens (if it's going to) right out of the box brand new, or does it develop over time? I'm probably going to go ahead and order the unit sometime before the end of the year. It'll probably be the first thing I check for after turning it on for the first time.
 

Soundman

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I found a popping when thy finish talking with a external speaker and the keypad lighting sucked . I sent mine back and said forget about . I have a sds100 and I am happy with that . It not worth spending over $700 dollars if you can't see the keypad and you have other problem before you even get the scanner .
 

radio3353

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The fix may not be 100% perfect, but it's not correct to say Uniden has ignored the problem. They took the time and trouble to design and fabricate a part to solve the problem, and made the part available for free to people with affected units.

Where do you see the word 'ignored' in my post? I said Uniden has not fully addressed the problem. I even underlined fully. I stand by everything I said in my post and believe it to be correct.

I realize you were 'away' when all of this hum activity was going on and may not be up to speed on the history of the issue. But, don't put words in my mouth that I did not say.
 

Joe_Blough

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Uniden HAS addressed the issue, by designing and offering the grounding part for free. The extra part fixed the issue for most people. For those that still have the issue after installing the grounding part, it's probably due to not completely removing the adhesive residue from the strip of black stuff you have to remove to install the part.

And the main thread on the subject hasn't been deleted, it was just moved. It's still easy to find.
Stop with the shilling. It was a half assed gesture because Uniden is too lazy to find what the actual issue is. Static Discharge had to do their job for them for no pay and even then they don't want to address the issue.

I never said the main thread for this issue was deleted. I said it was moved from the Tech Support forum where it belongs to The Tavern in an attempt to hide it from prospective buyers. Even today there is a post in the Tech forum asking if the quality issues with the SDS200 have been fixed.

I have never seen a more uncaring and unresponsive company than Uniden and the fact that an end user had to do their job for them and they still don't want to fix the product speaks volumes.
 

Joe_Blough

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The fix may not be 100% perfect, but it's not correct to say Uniden has ignored the problem. They took the time and trouble to design and fabricate a part to solve the problem, and made the part available for free to people with affected units.
Wrong again That fix was discovered by an end user here on RR. They basically copied what the end user did. The design of that part probably too 3 minutes and even less time to fabricate.
 

Joe_Blough

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Maybe a dumb question, but since I use external speakers on my radios exclusively, would the hum problem not effect me?
Not a dumb question at all and yes the hum affects external speakers as well, sometimes worse than the internal speaker.
 

Joe_Blough

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I found a popping when thy finish talking with a external speaker and the keypad lighting sucked . I sent mine back and said forget about . I have a sds100 and I am happy with that . It not worth spending over $700 dollars if you can't see the keypad and you have other problem before you even get the scanner .
It's like the scanner division is made up of disgruntled employees trying to sabotage the product.
 

trentbob

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Hello Scannernut... after reading your initial post I just wanted to offer my two cents as a user of both the 536 and the 200.

You're right, the sds200 is a very nice piece of eye candy with some very nice options. You have made it clear that simulcast distortion is not an issue for you and that's what the SDS series does best.

You have seen the different opinions that people have regarding the issues with the sds200... This bickering has been going on since the start and there are numerous threads, most of them closed that describe the issues involved. They have been argued ad nauseam.

One thing I did want to point out that I have observed. I think someone here said there was no difference on analog between the two radios but I disagree. I too use rooftop antennas and I must say... The 536 is far superior in my opinion in picking up VHF and UHF conventional frequencies. The SDS filters can help improve reception but I still think the 536 would be my choice for conventional listening and I do a lot of it.

Of course many will disagree and I'm only giving you my observation. If you end up getting the sds200 because it is a cool radio especially if you follow the instructions and do the permanent hum fix yourself, not the mitigation offered by Uniden, but the permanent grounding fix that eliminates the hum that was developed and brainstormed by some very talented people here on RR.

Whatever you decide, you are going to like that eye candy, it is a great display, but don't trade in your 536, you are going to want to keep it attached to your rooftop for optimal VHF and UHF conventional reception.

Just my opinion, let us know what you end up doing... Bob.
 
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werinshades

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Hello Scannernut... after reading your initial post I just wanted to offer my two cents as a user of both the 536 and the 200.

You're right, the sds200 is a very nice piece of eye candy with some very nice options. You have made it clear that simulcast distortion is not an issue for you and that's what the SDS series does best.

You have seen the different opinions that people have regarding the issues with the sds200... This bickering has been going on since the start and there are numerous threads, most of them closed that describe the issues involved. They have been argued ad nauseam.

One thing I did want to point out that I have observed. I think someone here said there was no difference on analog between the two radios but I disagree. I too use rooftop antennas and I must say... The 536 is far superior in my opinion in picking up VHF and UHF conventional frequencies. The SDS filters can help improve reception but I still think the 536 would be my choice for conventional listening and I do a lot of it.

Of course many will disagree and I'm only giving you my observation. If you end up getting the sds200 because it is a cool radio especially if you follow the instructions and do the permanent hum fix yourself, not the mitigation offered by Uniden, but the permanent grounding fix that eliminates the hum that was developed and brainstormed by some very talented people here on RR.

Whatever you decide, you are going to like that eye candy, it is a great display, but don't trade in your 536, you are going to want to keep it attached to your rooftop for optimal VHF and UHF conventional reception.

Just my opinion, let us know what you end up doing... Bob.


A very good assessment as I'm also an owner of both. Like I said previously, order from a dealer that has a good return policy so if you do have problems from the start, send it back.
 

Soundman

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The sds100 and the sds200 is the same . You really don't need both scanner . I have the bcd536hp and I love it and it works great for both digital , , conventional and analog. I have it hook to a Yagi Antenna. I tried out the sds100 for 30 day from amazon and I love it . I also tried out the sds200 from Walmart it is the same scanner just bigger and just a base scanner . I took it back .There was several problem with that scanner . The keypad you could not even see .The Screen you could not even see . There was popping when thy were taking .Thy put that scanner out to fast .
 

Joe_Blough

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A very good assessment as I'm also an owner of both. Like I said previously, order from a dealer that has a good return policy so if you do have problems from the start, send it back.
Walmart and Home Depot both have 90 day return policies with no need to ship it back. I haven't seen a single dealer with that type of return policy.
 
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