Which Scanner Do I Need?
- Thread starter Sidclark
- Start date
Hello Sir, I sent you a PM.
The answer depends on what you want to listen to, and where you want the scanner to "live" while being used.
Assuming you want to listen to local public safety agencies, Horry County public safety, along with municipalities, us a APCO 25 Phase I digital trunked radio system. Additionally, this system uses simulcast technology, which means it transmits the same information on the same frequency from mulitple tower sites simultaneously. Unfortunately, this type of radio system is difficult for most consumer scanners to reliably receive.
The Uniden SDS100 and SDS200 would be the "best" options at this time. The SDS100 is a handheld model, while the SDS200 is a base/tabletop/mobile model. Functionally, they are essentially the same. If you want the ability to easily and quickly move the scanner from one location to another, select the handheld/battery powered SDS100. If it's mostly going to remain stationary, select the SDS200.
Generally speaking, the Horry County radio system is fairly easy to receive signal-wise throughout the county. But if the scanner is located indoors, there may be signal strength issues. You may require an after--market specialized antenna. You won't know that until you receive the scanner, program it, and test it in its intended use area.
There are other options for simulcast. The Unication series of pagers is one such option. They only come in handheld models but can be used in a semi-permanent charging cradle. The Unications have some limitations in functionality as compared to the SDS line of scanners, but those may not be significant in your use case. There are also several computer software applications that can be used in conjunction with SDR dongles (small radio receiver in a USB form factor). These software/SDR options are a bit more complicated to set up than a traditional scanner, but are also notably less expensive.
Hope this helps. Good luck in your research. If you can provide more details of your intended use, we can provide more specific answers.
Assuming you want to listen to local public safety agencies, Horry County public safety, along with municipalities, us a APCO 25 Phase I digital trunked radio system. Additionally, this system uses simulcast technology, which means it transmits the same information on the same frequency from mulitple tower sites simultaneously. Unfortunately, this type of radio system is difficult for most consumer scanners to reliably receive.
The Uniden SDS100 and SDS200 would be the "best" options at this time. The SDS100 is a handheld model, while the SDS200 is a base/tabletop/mobile model. Functionally, they are essentially the same. If you want the ability to easily and quickly move the scanner from one location to another, select the handheld/battery powered SDS100. If it's mostly going to remain stationary, select the SDS200.
Generally speaking, the Horry County radio system is fairly easy to receive signal-wise throughout the county. But if the scanner is located indoors, there may be signal strength issues. You may require an after--market specialized antenna. You won't know that until you receive the scanner, program it, and test it in its intended use area.
There are other options for simulcast. The Unication series of pagers is one such option. They only come in handheld models but can be used in a semi-permanent charging cradle. The Unications have some limitations in functionality as compared to the SDS line of scanners, but those may not be significant in your use case. There are also several computer software applications that can be used in conjunction with SDR dongles (small radio receiver in a USB form factor). These software/SDR options are a bit more complicated to set up than a traditional scanner, but are also notably less expensive.
Hope this helps. Good luck in your research. If you can provide more details of your intended use, we can provide more specific answers.
tvengr
Well Known Member
I agree that the SDS100 and SDS200 are the best scanners for your area. Other scanners may or may not work depending upon your location. The Unication pagers are excellent at receiving the simulcast sites of the Horry County system but have limited scanning capabilities. The pagers are ruggedly built, have long battery life, and can be worn on your belt or set in an amplified charger. You can monitor only one system and one site at a time and are limited to 64 talkgroups on each knob position. The pagers have adequate resources to monitor Myrtle Beach Fire, Myrtle Beach Police, Horry County Fire, Horry County Sheriff, and Horry County Police. The Unication G4 will cover the 800 MHz frequencies used by the Horry County system. If you want to monitor SC Highway Patrol, that is on the Palmetto 800 system. To monitor both systems at the same time, you would need the SDS100 or SDS200.
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Ok, a little clarity as to what the purpose would be. I'm in charge or church security and we're aways looking for ways to prevent an incident at church. The idea for a scanner came from a church in Virginia. Because they were monitoring a scanner, they knew a shooter was on the way to the church to carry out his plan. He had a long gun and a handgun. A citizen reported this, and the dispatcher sent it out. The security team was able to identify him and detain him before the police even arrived. This was believed to have averted an active shooter situation. Thus, the idea to start monitoring a scanner. Since we're in Horry County and not the city of Myrtle Beach proper, I think it may be best to monitor just Horry County. I could be wrong in this thinking. If this is right, then maybe the pager would work for us. The drawback being able to only monitor one agency at a time. Is this correct? If monitoring more than one is necessary, then probably we're looking at a scanner. Thoughts on this with the updated info?
tvengr
Well Known Member
The 5 agencies I mentioned are all on the Horry County system and can be monitored at the same time. SC Highway Patrol is on a different system. If you wish to monitor Highway Patrol also, you will need the SDS100 handheld or SDS200 base/mobile. Which city is closest to you? Do you just want law enforcement? The pager is very compact and has a short stubby antenna making it easy to carry and keep out of sight. The charging base is used to recharge the battery and has an additional audio amp. The pager or scanner will need to be programmed. The programming software is free. Someone in your area may offer to share their programming file or program the pager or scanner for you. I have both the SDS100 and SDS200. I also have 2 Unication G5's. The scanners and pagers both work very well on the simulcast sites in my local area. The G5's are dual band. I have one for VHF/700/800 and another for UHF/700/800. The G4 is 700/800 only which is all you will need for your local area and will save you some money. The dual band pagers will still receive only one system and one site at a time. I already have an excel file with all of the Horry County talkgroups. It would be very easy to copy and paste into Uniden Sentinel to create a programming file for the SDS100 and SDS200. Programming the pagers is a lot more time consuming. I would recommend getting a Remtronix REM-820S antenna for the SDS100 and REM-830B antenna for the SDS200. They work much better than the stock antennas for 800 MHz.
Sounds like you're only interested in monitoring local law enforcement. You can accomplish that task with any of the devices mentioned previously - SDS100 or 200, Unication Pager or SDR dongles and software. An SDS100 or Unication pager may be advantageous if the person assigned to monitor the scanner needs to be mobile. If that person is stationary, SDR dongles+software or SDS200 may be more appropriate, but the SDS100 and pager can also be used in stationary scenarios also.
A few additional comments:
Understand that the scenario you reference from another state is probably not be typical. There's no guarantee that monitoring a scanner will give you actionable intelligence in all situations. That's not really how law enforcement communications typically work. But it's certainly possible that it can happen that way, and monitoring nearby law enforcement activity can be very insightful for a variety of reasons.
Also understand that law enforcement uses their own "language" on the radio. Not just codes, which you can likely find on this site or through a google search, but they have a manner of speaking and phrases that may not be easily understood by someone who is a casual listener for a couple of hours a week. You'll find that you need a "skilled listener" to interpret what's being heard.
One more comment - today, Horry County Law Enforcement radio traffic is "in the clear" and able to be monitored by anyone within range and with the proper knowledge and equipment. That may not always be the case. Encryption of law enforcement communications is more and more common. You might want to establish a relationship with local law enforcement and run this idea by them before investing what I consider to be substantial funds in a scanner. You'll be disappointed to buy one, only to lose the ability to listen after a short time if they have the intention of encrypting their radio traffic. Only officials within the HCPD would be able to answer this question. Don't take anyone's word on a hobby radio site.
A few additional comments:
Understand that the scenario you reference from another state is probably not be typical. There's no guarantee that monitoring a scanner will give you actionable intelligence in all situations. That's not really how law enforcement communications typically work. But it's certainly possible that it can happen that way, and monitoring nearby law enforcement activity can be very insightful for a variety of reasons.
Also understand that law enforcement uses their own "language" on the radio. Not just codes, which you can likely find on this site or through a google search, but they have a manner of speaking and phrases that may not be easily understood by someone who is a casual listener for a couple of hours a week. You'll find that you need a "skilled listener" to interpret what's being heard.
One more comment - today, Horry County Law Enforcement radio traffic is "in the clear" and able to be monitored by anyone within range and with the proper knowledge and equipment. That may not always be the case. Encryption of law enforcement communications is more and more common. You might want to establish a relationship with local law enforcement and run this idea by them before investing what I consider to be substantial funds in a scanner. You'll be disappointed to buy one, only to lose the ability to listen after a short time if they have the intention of encrypting their radio traffic. Only officials within the HCPD would be able to answer this question. Don't take anyone's word on a hobby radio site.
I would not classify the SDR dongle/software route to be "easy" by any measure, to be honest, unless you have a pretty high skill level and confidence with computers. It is not something for the computer novice. The software you'll use is developed separately (by different people) than the hardware, so it's not a plug and play solution. The software applications (there are several choices) are generally developed by individuals or small groups and are not "commercially" produced. The installation is tricky, and the documentation is sparse. There are lots of videos on YouTube, but most are either out of date, are not applicable to your specific scenario, or leave out certain important steps that you can get stuck on. Also, the dongles (you likely will need at least two of them) don't come with great antennas, so you'll need to give some thought to an antenna system.
Once you get it set up and working, it can be very reliable and relatively easy to use. But the process of getting to that point can be somewhat daunting. And yes, it can be a notable cost savings over a traditional scanner.
I would also argue that an SDS scanner isn't exactly "easy" to set up by someone with no radio/scanner experience. Yes, it has a database included in the radio and you can enter a zip code to load monitoring data. You can even specific only law enforcement channels, if that's your preference. But this process isn't perfect, and it's likely to load a lot of systems and channels you're not interested in. To get the most from it, you'll need to load computer software, understand the memory structure of the radio, and create customized Favorites lists of channels to scan. It's probably easier than the SDR dongle/software route. But it can still be challenging.
Don't let any of my comments deter you, but instead go into this project with accurate expectations and preparation. The good news is you can hear what you want to hear (for now) and you've come to the right place to get the information you need to accomplish it.
Once you get it set up and working, it can be very reliable and relatively easy to use. But the process of getting to that point can be somewhat daunting. And yes, it can be a notable cost savings over a traditional scanner.
I would also argue that an SDS scanner isn't exactly "easy" to set up by someone with no radio/scanner experience. Yes, it has a database included in the radio and you can enter a zip code to load monitoring data. You can even specific only law enforcement channels, if that's your preference. But this process isn't perfect, and it's likely to load a lot of systems and channels you're not interested in. To get the most from it, you'll need to load computer software, understand the memory structure of the radio, and create customized Favorites lists of channels to scan. It's probably easier than the SDR dongle/software route. But it can still be challenging.
Don't let any of my comments deter you, but instead go into this project with accurate expectations and preparation. The good news is you can hear what you want to hear (for now) and you've come to the right place to get the information you need to accomplish it.
KQ4TMT
Newbie
Can the Uniden BCD325P2 be used as well as the SDS100?
The SDS100 is preferred over the 325P2 for simulcast systems. Welcome to the RR forums
KQ4TMT
Newbie
Thanks very much, W3JMC. I'm glad to be here.
tvengr
Well Known Member
Myrtle Beach PD is now fully encrypted and cannot be received by any scanner. Most everything else in Horry County is in the clear to receive. I agree that the SDS100 handheld and SDS200 base/mobile are the best scanners for Horry County.
