I live in the Bay Area in California. I am looking for somebody that can program my SDS100 that I just recently purchased. I am so confused at this point. Can you email me at terryg5201@gmail.com.
Uniden SDS100
- Thread starter Terryg5201
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Terryg:
Have you gone to RR (here) and looked at what systems are in your area? That is the best place to start. All the same info is in Uniden's Sentinel program, but I think it's much easier to see and comprehend at RR. You need to know what you want to listen to / program.
It is intimidating at first, but it will all make sense. In my opinion, you need to learn the radio. Just having someone program it may not be enough. It is complex and one wrong push of a button and you will be in the weeds. (You won't break it, but you may be unable to scan anything and get frustrated). I'd spend time reading and learning.
BCDX36HP Sentinel Software Manual
Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual
Also, please remember that there are state specific forums, where it may be better to ask this.
Have you gone to RR (here) and looked at what systems are in your area? That is the best place to start. All the same info is in Uniden's Sentinel program, but I think it's much easier to see and comprehend at RR. You need to know what you want to listen to / program.
It is intimidating at first, but it will all make sense. In my opinion, you need to learn the radio. Just having someone program it may not be enough. It is complex and one wrong push of a button and you will be in the weeds. (You won't break it, but you may be unable to scan anything and get frustrated). I'd spend time reading and learning.
BCDX36HP Sentinel Software Manual
Easier to Read SDS100/200 Digital Scanner Manual
Also, please remember that there are state specific forums, where it may be better to ask this.
iMONITOR
Silent Key
Try the Zip Code method of programing, it's so simple even a cave man can do it. Check your manual. You enter your Zip Code, enable/disable the services and set range to 2 miles and your done! That should be satisfactory for starters.
Terry, while I see posts like this fairly often, there's one thing that I guess new users are not really considering if they have somebody else program their radio. You have to know things to be able to operate it also. And programming will help you learn what you need to know. You're better off to ask questions that you're not sure about as you go through the manual trying to learn how to do it because even if someone else programs your radio for you you're going to have a difficult time knowing what to do with the programmed radio. It takes time to learn how to do this stuff but it is a necessity.
And actually, your radio is programmed with the nationwide database already. But you can customize it much better with the self-created favorites lists.But I recommend getting used to using the nationwide database first and then moving on to customizing it with the favorites lists later.
These modern-day scanners come with a lot more information and features but they do take someone who is unfamiliar with them some time to learn how to program and operate them. You're doing yourself a big disfavor if you don't learn to program it. I'm not complaining or trying to be down on you but it's something you need to know how to do in order to even really be able to use it.
This is just my recommendation, and again, I'm not saying somebody out there won't take you up on the offer to program it. But what I recommend is turning on the nationwide database, looking in the manual and determining how to set a range for how far out you're wanting to receive (I recommend using 0 or 10 miles...and this doesn't mean it's only going to receive 10 miles out honestly), pressing the function key on the side of the radio and then the zip/services button near the bottom right. And then look look at the categories/services you want to monitor and choose them using the Ent/Enter key to turn off / on the various services you're interested in receiving or not receiving. And since you are using the bationwide database doing this, press the zip/services button again, but without pressing the function button first, and putting your ZIP code in. That last step I mentioned probably should have been the first one I mentioned.
When you're setting up the range you want to use, 0 through 10, by going into the scanners menu, you'll see the option there where you can put your ZIP code in also. It's not difficult once you've done it a time or two. This will get you scanning the nationwide database and you should hear the things that you selected under services in the area that you are living in or monitoring in. You probably don't care to hear public works, so you'll turn that off as you go down the list on the radio. You probably do want to hear fire dispatch or multi dispatch so you would leave that on or turn it on if it needed to be turned on.The services are what helped the radio determine what it's going to scan or skip. It's all up to the user.
Since you just said Bay Area and nothing more specific, this link here goes to the same information that's in your nationwide database for San Francisco anyway.
There are plenty of people here that would be happy to help you with questions that you might come across and even things like terminology that you find in the manual. It's not as difficult as it seems either. And while you will be limited to what you can do just using the nationwide database, this will still allow you to listen to what's going on in your area, providing it's not encrypted, and get used to how the radio works. It looks like the stuff that is encrypted in San Francisco was more of the Harry Callahan, AKA Dirty Harry, types of channels. It look like Narcotics, CID, and undercover type stuff is digitally encrypted from the brief look I had at the link I sent you. And anything encrypted you will not be able to hear the traffic on.
But getting back on topic here, once you start scanning and figuring out some of the features on the radio, you can then start building your own favorites lists and importing what you want to from the nationwide database into your own favorites list. There you will be able to control / change a lot more and do a lot more. Not all of the stuff is necessary but it can be helpful. And a lot of things you don't even need to worry about Right now like the NAC codes or CTCSS tones. That will all come with time in the hobby and it's not a necessity to be able to hear anything.
It's not going to do you a lot of good if somebody else programs your radio for you. But I'm sure there are people out there that might take you up on the offer. I'm nowhere near San Francisco myself so I don't know how things are set up other than the data that's on radioreference.com. But using the radio is not going to be easier just because somebody else programmed it for you in most cases.
Keep in mind that the three buttons at the top, Systems, Departments, and Channels will be buttons you use a lot. These buttons correspond with the three primary lines on the screen. If you press one you will see whatever it corresponds to changes color and the radio holds on that system, department, or channel. And to get it going again when you're ready, just press that same button again and it will resume whatever you were scanning.
Most buttons have dual functionality and the F or Function button is what controls which feature you're trying to access through the keypad. You can also go in through the menu and do all of these same things but the dual keypad functions are just shortcuts. The function button is one that you will also likely used quite often and it's on the left side of your radio at the top of the main button you press to get into the menu. You can feel a little raise at the top left of the radio on the big button on the side.
Good luck whichever route you take!
Brian
COMMSCAN
And actually, your radio is programmed with the nationwide database already. But you can customize it much better with the self-created favorites lists.But I recommend getting used to using the nationwide database first and then moving on to customizing it with the favorites lists later.
These modern-day scanners come with a lot more information and features but they do take someone who is unfamiliar with them some time to learn how to program and operate them. You're doing yourself a big disfavor if you don't learn to program it. I'm not complaining or trying to be down on you but it's something you need to know how to do in order to even really be able to use it.
This is just my recommendation, and again, I'm not saying somebody out there won't take you up on the offer to program it. But what I recommend is turning on the nationwide database, looking in the manual and determining how to set a range for how far out you're wanting to receive (I recommend using 0 or 10 miles...and this doesn't mean it's only going to receive 10 miles out honestly), pressing the function key on the side of the radio and then the zip/services button near the bottom right. And then look look at the categories/services you want to monitor and choose them using the Ent/Enter key to turn off / on the various services you're interested in receiving or not receiving. And since you are using the bationwide database doing this, press the zip/services button again, but without pressing the function button first, and putting your ZIP code in. That last step I mentioned probably should have been the first one I mentioned.
When you're setting up the range you want to use, 0 through 10, by going into the scanners menu, you'll see the option there where you can put your ZIP code in also. It's not difficult once you've done it a time or two. This will get you scanning the nationwide database and you should hear the things that you selected under services in the area that you are living in or monitoring in. You probably don't care to hear public works, so you'll turn that off as you go down the list on the radio. You probably do want to hear fire dispatch or multi dispatch so you would leave that on or turn it on if it needed to be turned on.The services are what helped the radio determine what it's going to scan or skip. It's all up to the user.
Since you just said Bay Area and nothing more specific, this link here goes to the same information that's in your nationwide database for San Francisco anyway.
San Francisco County/City Trunking System, San Francisco, California
San Francisco County/City Trunking System Profile
www.radioreference.com
There are plenty of people here that would be happy to help you with questions that you might come across and even things like terminology that you find in the manual. It's not as difficult as it seems either. And while you will be limited to what you can do just using the nationwide database, this will still allow you to listen to what's going on in your area, providing it's not encrypted, and get used to how the radio works. It looks like the stuff that is encrypted in San Francisco was more of the Harry Callahan, AKA Dirty Harry, types of channels. It look like Narcotics, CID, and undercover type stuff is digitally encrypted from the brief look I had at the link I sent you. And anything encrypted you will not be able to hear the traffic on.
But getting back on topic here, once you start scanning and figuring out some of the features on the radio, you can then start building your own favorites lists and importing what you want to from the nationwide database into your own favorites list. There you will be able to control / change a lot more and do a lot more. Not all of the stuff is necessary but it can be helpful. And a lot of things you don't even need to worry about Right now like the NAC codes or CTCSS tones. That will all come with time in the hobby and it's not a necessity to be able to hear anything.
It's not going to do you a lot of good if somebody else programs your radio for you. But I'm sure there are people out there that might take you up on the offer. I'm nowhere near San Francisco myself so I don't know how things are set up other than the data that's on radioreference.com. But using the radio is not going to be easier just because somebody else programmed it for you in most cases.
Keep in mind that the three buttons at the top, Systems, Departments, and Channels will be buttons you use a lot. These buttons correspond with the three primary lines on the screen. If you press one you will see whatever it corresponds to changes color and the radio holds on that system, department, or channel. And to get it going again when you're ready, just press that same button again and it will resume whatever you were scanning.
Most buttons have dual functionality and the F or Function button is what controls which feature you're trying to access through the keypad. You can also go in through the menu and do all of these same things but the dual keypad functions are just shortcuts. The function button is one that you will also likely used quite often and it's on the left side of your radio at the top of the main button you press to get into the menu. You can feel a little raise at the top left of the radio on the big button on the side.
Good luck whichever route you take!
Brian
COMMSCAN
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