Question, if I'm gonna be traveling bout 150 miles away from my home area, wud the gps kit help? I'm new to this so please don't roast me. And I'm talking bout using scanner in my car, thanks.
SDS100/SDS200: Uniden sds100 away from home area
- Thread starter Dirtblaster44
- Start date
Using the location-based database with the GPS unit will help you scan whatever is in the area. This beats having to dial in a new ZIP code each time and potentially taking your eyes off the road to adjust.
Ubbe
Member
If you travel alone then GPS are the best solution.
If you only plan on using your scanner on long trips just a couple of times, then if you have travel company you can create a list with zip codes and have a passenger enter zip codes for you when the scanner gets too quiet.
If you go by yourself it is a bit more work but you can, using Sentinel, create different favorite lists from the database by selecting different counties and cities and append to a favorite list and set a quick key number to it.
You then select, and deselect, a list in the scanner by entering its number followed by E that you probably can do without even looking. For a 150 mile trip its probably enough with a single digit list 0-9.
I suggest to add a dummy list #99 with one dummy frequency and CTCSS and have that selected at all times. If you deselect all your normal lists you might get a "nothing to scan" message that needs you to go into the scanners menu system and enable a list, but you avoid that by having that #99 list enabled.
On you phone you can use a navigation app, or if you have a separate GPS navigator, to create POI's when preparing for the trip that announce to you when its time to select, and what number to enter, for a new favorite list and to remind you to switch off the old list. You can usually create a new user defined category for POI's just for the scanner. For that dummy #99 list you can have it name tags say "NO LIST SELECTED" and when you first deselect a favorite list you will get that text to confirm that you really have no extra favorite lists in scan before enabling a new one.
/Ubbe
If you only plan on using your scanner on long trips just a couple of times, then if you have travel company you can create a list with zip codes and have a passenger enter zip codes for you when the scanner gets too quiet.
If you go by yourself it is a bit more work but you can, using Sentinel, create different favorite lists from the database by selecting different counties and cities and append to a favorite list and set a quick key number to it.
You then select, and deselect, a list in the scanner by entering its number followed by E that you probably can do without even looking. For a 150 mile trip its probably enough with a single digit list 0-9.
I suggest to add a dummy list #99 with one dummy frequency and CTCSS and have that selected at all times. If you deselect all your normal lists you might get a "nothing to scan" message that needs you to go into the scanners menu system and enable a list, but you avoid that by having that #99 list enabled.
On you phone you can use a navigation app, or if you have a separate GPS navigator, to create POI's when preparing for the trip that announce to you when its time to select, and what number to enter, for a new favorite list and to remind you to switch off the old list. You can usually create a new user defined category for POI's just for the scanner. For that dummy #99 list you can have it name tags say "NO LIST SELECTED" and when you first deselect a favorite list you will get that text to confirm that you really have no extra favorite lists in scan before enabling a new one.
/Ubbe
Ok, so if I have my sds100 in my viechle while driving in my home town I shud be able to hear the same stuff that I hear at home then?
jtwalker
Member
No. It would allow you to hear stuff in the area you are traveling through, not from home.
So I wud need the gps kit right?
tvengr
Well Known Member
If you are using the same scanner and antenna at home and while driving in the area of your home, you should hear the same thing. Signal strength may vary while driving. The GPS is useful while travelling over long distances.
Ok , wud it pay to get an external antenna for my car?
tvengr
Well Known Member
All of my local trunked systems are 700 and 800 MHz. I use my SDS100 with the Remtronix REM-820S antenna sitting in a cup holder and it works great. For greater range on VHF high and UHF, an external tri-band antenna may help.
It's mostly 700/800 I'm my area, but there are several 400 MHz trunking systems nearby. The Remtronix 920s works well for those sitting in the cup holder driving around, as well as the 700/800 systems. On VHF, an external antenna will make a world of difference.
Either the previous responder or I am misreading the question. If you are in your home town, you should be able to hear the same stuff that you do at home.
Only when you venture out of your home town would you need to update the scanner's location. Either manually by changing the zip code or automatically with a GPS device.
Probably yes to external antenna. There is a lot of signal soaking metal in vehicles.
Please note Minnesota is one of those scanner unfriendly states. You'll need a ham license or BCA permit to possess a scanner in your vehicle, legally.
wtp
Member
The GPS device must have a serial (RS-232) output, and be capable of outputting standard NMEA-0183 v3.01 compliant location data, and GGA/RMC data sentences at 4800 bps.
and it is not just plug it in and it works there are some settings.
and it is not just plug it in and it works there are some settings.
Ubbe
Member
Modern vehicles are like a metal screen can, even the glass in windows could have some sun reflecting material in them that also reflect radio waves, it's just on another frequency, and all the support electronics from computer circuits emits RF signals that interfere with a radios reception. Older cars, considered to be vintage or veteran, use standard glass and have almost no electronics and there's almost no attenuation to signals, but roof antennas are usually bigger and have higher gain and a bit higher up above ground that also improve reception.
There's cheap small magnet antennas with a thin RG174 coax you can have out your window to try and quickly and easy compare to your current reception quality.
/Ubbe
There's cheap small magnet antennas with a thin RG174 coax you can have out your window to try and quickly and easy compare to your current reception quality.
/Ubbe
Ubbe
Member
If only driving around in your own town you could have your scanner at home and use a good roof antenna and then stream the scanner to your mobile phone in your vehicle. You get much better reception and avoid that ban about scanner use in vehicles. Proscan have some free streaming software to use, very easy to configure, and some streaming softwares allows full control of the scanner to do avoids and select scanlists, as well as the virtual scanner feature that are included in many scanner program softwares.
/Ubbe
/Ubbe
I hate using GPS on the SDS 100 due to the extra wires & tendency for the plug in the radio keeps falling out.
After dealing with this annoying problem, I decided to utilize "range" & "zip codes." I make sure that the various service types are the target talk groups. Yes, you or your copilot will simply find the zip code of the next county/city. I don't bother programing KC, MO on the way to Iowa due to the pervasive encryption. I threw the GPS in the trash.
I use the "startup configuration keys" in many ways. Most of the time, I will assign a route to a configuration key.
When I leave Oklahoma, I activate the next configuration key for Missouri. When I hit Iowa, I hit the Iowa configuration key.
Oh, & if you set your range too far, it can muddy up the waters in a dense scanner environment like KC, MO.
After dealing with this annoying problem, I decided to utilize "range" & "zip codes." I make sure that the various service types are the target talk groups. Yes, you or your copilot will simply find the zip code of the next county/city. I don't bother programing KC, MO on the way to Iowa due to the pervasive encryption. I threw the GPS in the trash.
I use the "startup configuration keys" in many ways. Most of the time, I will assign a route to a configuration key.
When I leave Oklahoma, I activate the next configuration key for Missouri. When I hit Iowa, I hit the Iowa configuration key.
Oh, & if you set your range too far, it can muddy up the waters in a dense scanner environment like KC, MO.
Last edited:
Thank you
You are certainly welcome.
Thank you
wtp
Member
a long time ago, in a land that you are on, there were things called phonebooks that had zip code maps in them !
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