TRX1 or SDS-100?

[trentbob]

Boy I bet you Darkside regrets that faux pas about not charging while in use.

He got repetitively corrected in posts # 14,15,18 + 19... .

Seriously though, when the psr-800 came out from GRE around 2011 it was the cat's meow. Everyone was puzzled as to why it didn't have a keyboard and was so user-unfriendly but it was compact and had that great bright Easy-to-Read display. We eagerly awaited the PSR 900 for about 2 years before GRE closed down and Whistler bought their line including the PSR 900 rebranding it as the ws1095.

As P2 simulcast spread they added that capability and of course added keyboards as they were demanded. Unfortunately to some of us it was apparent immediately that the P2 simulcast reception did not work for my system, the nxdn was not licensed and did not trunk track, working very poorly on my NX48 system.

After I bought my TRX 1, I was very pissed. It was a cool radio and looked great, compact and quite a plum.

I always felt what a shame it didn't work for me in my area because if it did it would be one sweet radio.

If you're in an area that will never go simulcast and the nxdn is not a busy system as only the voice channels will be scanned then go with it.

It's your choice.

 

[jimg]

Thanks for all the many replies! Is the SDS-100 hard to learn? How does it do on VHF/UHF systems?
jimg

 

[Hit_Factor]

The SDS100/200 is a bit of a challenge at first. Plenty of people here will get you started. Browsing the topics will help you hone your favorite lists for the optimal monitoring experience.

If you want to learn, it will happen.

 

[trentbob]

The SDS series is a learning curve if you never owned the x36... if you did own the BCD 436 or 536 then you just take it out of the box and use it, it's identical.

You will get different views on this but before the filters came out and before a critical firmware update there were some issues with some people on VHF and UHF. I personally listen to a lot of VHF and UHF conventional, Marine, Aviation, UHF repeaters excetera and it works good for me. Some overload with rooftops but there are ways around that.

One thing is for sure, I do use filters on VHF and UHF on problematic objects. Every Aviation frequency I listen to I have to apply IFX. That's just me in my IF environment.

Nothing beats the display, I personally use white on black and clear off most of the information on the display so it's a nice clean uncluttered look. I have also renamed the alpha tags to be in capital letters and simple. Everybody's different.

Lots of factors to look at here including your pocketbook and if you're married don't let your wife know the real cost of the SDS

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Is the SDS-100 hard to learn?
jimg

I can't necessarily speak from a beginner's standpoint as I already had about 2 decades experience operating various scanner radios upon purchasing my SDS but yes there is a bit of a learning curve to get adjusted to dynamic memory allocation of the SDS series vs the object-oriented or bank/memory channel oriented programming structures. If you're already familiar with the x36's then the SDS's are quite similar

 

[sallen07]

Thanks for all the many replies! Is the SDS-100 hard to learn?

Actually concept-wise the two (TRX-1 and SDS-100) are quite similar to program, and since you already have a WS-1088 it probably won't be that big a leap for you.

 

[trentbob]

I can't necessarily speak from a beginner's standpoint as I already had about 2 decades experience operating various scanner radios upon purchasing my SDS but yes there is a bit of a learning curve to get adjusted to dynamic memory allocation of the SDS series vs the object-oriented or bank/memory channel oriented programming structures. If you're already familiar with the x36's then the SDS's are quite similar

Yep as I was saying if you didn't own the 436 or 536 there will be a learning curve. You have RR to help you with that.

A lot of experience does help, I started young with tunable monitors then moved into Crystal controled scanners that you didn't program you just plugged in and unplugged crystals or just tuned what you wanted on the dial LOL. I didn't program a radio until the Electra Bearcat 101 in 1974.

Again there's a lot of people here on this site that will help you. RR is like your extended manual. So much information on the SDS series just there for the tapping.

 

[minasha]

Another thing to consider is although the SDS 100 is a must for LSM systems if you don't have any LSM systems in your area and you go with the SDS 100 You will discover how bad reception is on VHF / UHF analog channels. The audio is horrible,
scratchy noisy and tinny. If the WS 1088 is working for you get the TRX-1.

 

[fxdscon]

You will discover how bad reception is on VHF / UHF analog channels. The audio is horrible,
scratchy noisy and tinny.

Another case of YMMV... I have never experienced what you describe with the SDS scanners.

.

 

[u2brent]

nope I got the large battery but I have heard other folks on here say the same thing. Now it could be my settings plus I like to listen loud so it could be other thing besides just being a lith...battery.

There's always the option to have a spare battery/charged and ready to go..

Uniden Bearcat Battery & Charger kit for SDS100 [EBC100] | Scanner Master

Uniden Bearcat Battery & Charger kit for SDS100 [EBC100]

www.scannermaster.com

 

[trentbob]

Another thing to consider is although the SDS 100 is a must for LSM systems if you don't have any LSM systems in your area and you go with the SDS 100 You will discover how bad reception is on VHF / UHF analog channels. The audio is horrible,
scratchy noisy and tinny. If the WS 1088 is working for you get the TRX-1.

You should check out post 24 above. I do not experience any of those issues on VHF and UHF with proper use of filters.

 

[jimg]

Yep as I was saying if you didn't own the 436 or 536 there will be a learning curve. You have RR to help you with that.

A lot of experience does help, I started young with tunable monitors then moved into Crystal controled scanners that you didn't program you just plugged in and unplugged crystals or just tuned what you wanted on the dial LOL. I didn't program a radio until the Electra Bearcat 101 in 1974.

Again there's a lot of people here on this site that will help you. RR is like your extended manual. So much information on the SDS series just there for the tapping.

Yep, me too! I started off with the Electra "Eavesdropper" converter, where you would put it in back of a transistor radio and tune in to the VHF band! Then went to tunable receivers, Lafayette, then to crystal control monitors, like Sonar! I also have the Uniden 396XT.

 

[trentbob]

I had that same converter from Electra. That and an old tube zenith stand up shortwave radio but removed from the case, the tubes exposed on my desk. I'm guessing about early to mid sixties? Started at 11,12 years old I'm 66. Progressed the same way you did to where we are today LOL

Look at what we're talking about today and the equipment that we are using!

 

[tumegpc]

You should check out post 24 above. I do not experience any of those issues on VHF and UHF with proper use of filters.

Can you explain the proper use of the filters? What settings are you using to achieve such great VHF and UHF performance?

 

[trentbob]

Can you explain the proper use of the filters? What settings are you using to achieve such great VHF and UHF performance?

Sure no problem, first of all keep in mind what works for me won't necessarily work for you as you are responding to the IF environment that you are in.

I don't look at filters that are something that you have to use. I use them for troubleshooting when there is an issue.

Leave Global filter on normal. Unless you go into a site of a system or the department of a conventional item and manually change it to something else then all objects will be normal filter.

If I'm having reception problems on a VHF or UHF frequency and it's not coming in like it does on other radios or there's noise or interference I go to the department that that frequency is in and just start playing with the filters in Department options watching the RSSI and noise and listen for an improvement.

In my particular case I find that railroad frequencies on VHF High improve with wide normal. I find aircraft frequencies are terrible on any filter so I leave them on normal and use ifx on every aircraft frequency. I also find that the weather band, and I happen to be able to pick up at least four of them sound awful unless I put on ifx. I have a UHF repeater channel used by our local police for an off the system car to car. Comes in great on the default normal filter that is applied because the global filter is normal by default.

I have had cases where distant VHF frequencies did not come in well on any filter so I shut the filter off just in that department affecting that frequency and it came in louder and clearer.

It's unfortunate that you can't change the filter on a single conventional object and can only do it in the department options that that frequency is in so you get around that by the way you program the radio so that you group conventional items in a department where they all call for the same filter setting.

I remember having my filters set the way I wanted them and after the tax day firmware update it all got screwed up and I had to do it all over again. PIA!

PS... I find that all of the simulcast systems in my area benefit from invert or wide invert. You have to go into every site on multicast and apply the filter so it's good to have the least amount of sites that you can... My hometown P2 simulcast system has one site called simulcast and benefits from wide invert.

On another system I listen to two sites 1 site is set to invert and the other site is wide invert.

One thing's for sure, it's a lot of work.

I almost forgot... Make sure that you put the filter indicator on the display so you can see what filter is on each object.

 

[djeplett]

When you're mobile I think the TRX-1 is better monitoring analog.

The reason I say that is because I have used both on long trips from Wisconsin through Illinois & Indiana and then into Michigan to Detroit. When I owned a TRX-1 I programmed a scanlist for each county along the way and I turned lists on and off as I went. On simulcast systems along the way the TRX-1 was virtually useless. The SDS100 is virtually flawless. The TRX-1 however, had better audio along the way when the transmissions are analog. I agree with minasha in this case. The filters on the SDS100 are useless in this case because your RF environment is constantly changing.

Given that, I would still recommend the SDS100 for mobile because it can be used with a GPS. It is difficult understanding analog transmissions sometimes along the road, but it's not so bad that analog reception is useless in the same way that the TRX-1 was useless in simulcast areas. And not having to turn scanlists on & off is not just nice but safer.

 

[tumegpc]

Sure no problem, first of all keep in mind what works for me won't necessarily work for you as you are responding to the IF environment that you are in.

I don't look at filters that are something that you have to use. I use them for troubleshooting when there is an issue.

Leave Global filter on normal. Unless you go into a site of a system or the department of a conventional item and manually change it to something else then all objects will be normal filter.

If I'm having reception problems on a VHF or UHF frequency and it's not coming in like it does on other radios or there's noise or interference I go to the department that that frequency is in and just start playing with the filters in Department options watching the RSSI and noise and listen for an improvement.

In my particular case I find that railroad frequencies on VHF High improve with wide normal. I find aircraft frequencies are terrible on any filter so I leave them on normal and use ifx on every aircraft frequency. I also find that the weather band, and I happen to be able to pick up at least four of them sound awful unless I put on ifx. I have a UHF repeater channel used by our local police for an off the system car to car. Comes in great on the default normal filter that is applied because the global filter is normal by default.

I have had cases where distant VHF frequencies did not come in well on any filter so I shut the filter off just in that department affecting that frequency and it came in louder and clearer.

It's unfortunate that you can't change the filter on a single conventional object and can only do it in the department options that that frequency is in so you get around that by the way you program the radio so that you group conventional items in a department where they all call for the same filter setting.

I remember having my filters set the way I wanted them and after the tax day firmware update it all got screwed up and I had to do it all over again. PIA!

PS... I find that all of the simulcast systems in my area benefit from invert or wide invert. You have to go into every site on multicast and apply the filter so it's good to have the least amount of sites that you can... My hometown P2 simulcast system has one site called simulcast and benefits from wide invert.

On another system I listen to two sites 1 site is set to invert and the other site is wide invert.

One thing's for sure, it's a lot of work.

I almost forgot... Make sure that you put the filter indicator on the display so you can see what filter is on each object.

Trentbob , thank you for offering such great advice. I'm going to copy and paste your suggestions and make a reference sheet to go by. I've been trying to fine-tune my SDS100 for better VHF/UHF reception for awhile.

 

[trentbob]

Trentbob , thank you for offering such great advice. I'm going to copy and paste your suggestions and make a reference sheet to go by. I've been trying to fine-tune my SDS100 for better VHF/UHF reception for awhile.

Yep all results are different for everybody depending where you are and what kind of environment you're in but I have to say on both the SDS 100 and 200 I am getting excellent results on VHF and UHF but only after intervention.

I can surely see that right out of the box with global filter on normal and no other changes made to the radio how in some locations one could say the VHF and UHF is not good.

Filters not only need to be used but need to be mastered. Glad you liked it.

 

[minasha]

I am not talking about VHF/UHF reception problems I receive the analog conventional and analog trunking system
with full signal levels and no interference the Quality of the audio is what I and many others are complaining about. The audio output is
tinny and hollow sounding like from a cheap scanner. My Pro-164 or even my BC245 sound incredibly better.
You can play with the filters for weeks on end and will never improve a problem that is in the audio output circuit.
All the marbles were put into the LSM problem and like I said the audio on those are excellent but the analog audio output
was short changed.

 

[trentbob]

I am not talking about VHF/UHF reception problems I receive the analog conventional and analog trunking system
with full signal levels and no interference the Quality of the audio is what I and many others are complaining about. The audio output is
tinny and hollow sounding like from a cheap scanner. My Pro-164 or even my BC245 sound incredibly better.
You can play with the filters for weeks on end and will never improve a problem that is in the audio output circuit.
All the marbles were put into the LSM problem and like I said the audio on those are excellent but the analog audio output
was short changed.

I'm sorry to hear that you are having this issue and I have heard the same complaints but when questioned about the use of filters those individuals did not use them at all or didn't use them properly.

I looked at your previous posts on other threads and you have said digital simulcast sound good but the audio output on conventional was bad.

When I hear that problem on my radio that's what I feel filter intervention is called for, especially the scratchy sounds you describe.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being muddy and muffled and 10 being too tinny I would rate it about a 6 or 7 on all audio. I interprete it as crisp or sharp on both simulcast and conventional.

There were firmware updates that addressed audio output and conventional crackling but I'm sure you have all of your updates installed.

I personally know somebody that had the exact problem you are describing on all audio and they returned their radio within the window of the vendors return policy and the radio that replaced it was like night and day and without the issue.

If you have not tried using the filters as I described above on conventional you might want to try it. It's tedious and methodical and takes a lot of time but I hope it helps you.

I have been impressed with the VHF and UHF performance after I became proficient with the filters. Using the same exact rooftop VHF, UHF, 800 ground plane on side-by-side tests of the 436 and 100 or the 536 and 200 I was pleased to see better performance on the SDS radios on VHF, Aviation and UHF. That certainly was not the case when the 100 was first released before the filters were introduced and there were no updates yet addressing audio output and analog performance which came later.

Sorry you're disappointed with the radio. There was a time I was too but that was quite a while ago.