I promise I'll stop bragging about how great my non-SDS scanners are handling simulcast in my area. Here is what I do want to say, Uniden and Whislter have sold untold number of scanners to be used for the reception of public safely communications using APCO P25 Phase 1 digital mode. Countless people have been buying/using them for years and years. I recall when the BCD*36HP models were introduce users were ecstatic over how well they worked. Again, untold thousands were sold and being used for years! Now all of a sudden the naysayers are saying they hardly work and some telling people they just don't work at all with simulcast period! What changed? I'm beginning to wonder if some of these people have actually owned one or they're just posting negativity for other reasons? How many were not programmed properly? How many users just became totally frustrated and never learned to program them or get them up and running to begin with?
I don't own a Uniden SDS series scanner so I'm in no position to judge it. There are numerous what I'll call 'professional users' here on RR who's opinions I trust and respect and it does indeed sound like the simulcast bug'a'boo has been defeated, and that's awesome! It's very possible I'll buy a SDS-200 in the future as it becomes debugged and perfected like all scanners seem to have to go though. The 996 & *36HP series both underwent those growing pains. I'm wonder if the majority of people that were not happy owned there's during those growing pains and would be surprised today at how well they work.
The only other way I can explain the differences of opinions is that scanners are not totally to blame. What if some of the radio techs in some of these troubled areas are not configuring sites as well as they could be? Hate to imply that, but like with anything else some are better than others. I know the some of the techs in Macomb County personally and they really know their stuff and that may explain the different results some people are experiencing.
To be clear I'm not telling everyone they won't have issues, but go to your state in the forum and try to get feedback from users in your immediate and surrounding areas. Then if possible buy from a source that allows returns if you're not satisfied, providing it's not a user missunderstand or error. Use your credit card for negotiating leverage. It's absolutely ludicrous for someone to spend that kind of money and be expected to keep it if it doesn't work. Who does that?