SDS100 Hints, Tips and FAQ’s

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Rich Carlson

Here are a Baker’s Dozen of hints and tips to make life with your new SDS100 scanner happier. If your question is not answered let us know and maybe we can add it to Part 2!

1) What is the deal with the battery?

Uniden designed the radio with a new Lithium Polymer battery pack, getting away from using common AA cells. While a lot of people preferred the AA cells since they can be easily obtained and swapped out, they just could not provide enough current to run the radio for a decent amount of time. The Lithium Polymer pack that comes with the radio was supposed to be sufficient but Uniden was not happy with the results so they designed a larger pack to be used. Unfortunately the radio was already on the assembly line by the time it was discovered that the battery life was not up to snuff.

Uniden decided to allow the radio to be sold and distributed as it was but included a notice in the box to advise purchasers to sign up for a FREE larger battery pack once they are available, likely in August 2018. Sign up at Uniden’s website and they will send you the new larger battery as well as a replacement battery door at no cost.

Once these batteries are available there should also be available for sale extra batteries. Eventually some sort of external charging device will also be available so you can charge one battery while using another.

2) Can I charge the battery and run the radio at the same time?

Actually, on the SDS100 you can! While other Uniden scanners do not support this, as long as your charger has sufficient current capability you can charge the battery with the radio on as long as you have that option turned on in the Settings>Battery Options>Set Charge While On menu.

Why would you not want this option turned on? The only reason I see is that the red or green charge light will be on all the time when the radio is plugged in. It might take a while longer to charge the battery when the radio is on but it should not be a big issue.

3) What else can I use to charge the battery?

The SDS100 comes with a USB charger. Alternately any USB charger will power and/or charge the SDS100 battery. If you have a smartphone or other USB device charger you can use it if you don’t want to use the charger that came with the radio.

In the car you can use any USB port to power/charge the radio. Most cars these days will have a USB port to charge your phones and other devices, these work well with USB powered scanners like the SDS100.

4) What is the deal with the raised ridge by the antenna connector?

That ridge is part of the water proofing of the radio. When used with the supplied rubber duck antenna this helps provide a seal to block water from getting into the radio. The supplied SDS10 antenna has a rubber gasket that fits this ridge.

This does however block use of many third-party antennas and adapters. The SDS100 comes with an SMA-BNC adapter so you can use your BNC antennas but with this adapter you will not have the water resistance provided with the supplied antenna.

5) What is that little hole on the back of the radio? Am I missing a screw?

That hole below the belt clip knob is there to provide a case breather to prevent pressure issues. The radio is still water resistant due to other parts inside the case. On some radios there have been issues with elevation changes causing the case to pressurize and damaging components. This pressure relief helps to prevent these issues.

6) It is hard to see the color screen in sunlight, what can I do?

The SDS100 color screen is a thing of beauty but can be difficult to read in direct sun. If you go into display settings you can select white on black or black on white instead.

7) What are the “Detail” and “Simple” screen modes?

The SDS100 has a fully customizable display. You can set it up to display just the basic information (Simple) or all kinds of special information (Detail) when receiving. Almost every item can be positioned where YOU want to put it. You can even select the colors each item is displayed in.

Simple Mode shows just basic information in an uncluttered way. Detail Mode allows you to show many different details about what you are listening to, such as trunking ID’s, PL tones etc. so you can analyze systems you are listening to. You can switch between these at will and change the way they look on the radio via the keypad or Sentinel.

8) What are the software options?

The SDS100 uses the free Sentinel software to do the database and firmware updates. This is the same version as used on the BCD436HP and BCD536HP scanners and you can share files back and forth among all 3 radios. There is a separate version of Sentinel used for the HomePatrol models. The HomePatrol modes Sentinel has a brown icon, the 436/536/SDS version uses a green icon. Sentinel can also be used for programming Favorites lists as well.

ARC536 by Butel can be used to also program Favorites Lists, it provides the familiar Butel interface so if you have used other ARC products you will feel right at home. The Pro version also supports Virtual Control as well as other features.

9) Will there be a base/mobile version of the SDS100?

Yes! The SDS200 is identical in operation and programming to the SDS200, but in a mobile package with a larger display.

10) How does the GPS unit connect to the SDS100?

The Uniden BC-GPSK GPS receiver works on many different Uniden scanners and comes with several cables to adapt it to these scanners. With the SDS100 (as well as the BCD325P2) however you need a different cable. This special adapter cable, available at scannermaster.com, replaces everything but the GPS disk and attached cable. Plug the round plug from the GPS into this cable, the USB plug into a USB power source and the small plug into the Charge/USB jack on the radio. The radio will be powered/charged from the GPS cable as will the GPS itself.

11) Sharing Favorites Lists with other scanners

The SDS100 can share the same Favorites Lists as the BCD436HP and BCG536HP, and since they all use the same version of Sentinel, it is really easy to share. You can create different Profiles for each scanner if you want or just program them all the same.

To share files from other radios you would need third party software and import/export those files with that software.

12) If I have many Talkgroups or Sites in my trunked system will it slow down the scanner?

If you have many TALKGROUPS then no, it will not slow the scanner down. The SDS100 (and other Uniden scanners) does not actually scan talkgroups, it scans SITES and if it sees an active Talkgroup it looks to see if it is in an active Favorites list and Department. If it is it displays the name and listens to the talkgroup. If not it ignores it and moves on. All this is done in fractions of a millisecond.

If you have that trunked system’s Favorites List set to Trunked Search the scanner will look for the talkgroup and see if it is listed. If it is in the radio it will show the name etc. and hear the traffic. If it is not already programmed into the radio it will display it as “Unknown” with the Talkgroup number. If you can identify the user you can add it to your Favorites List.

What can slow down your scanner is if you have a lot of SITES programmed into the radio that you have no chance of hearing. If your area uses a large regional or statewide system then either turn off or delete the sites you would not be able to hear. (The radio’s manual describes how to do this…). The fewer sites the radio has to go thru the faster it will get to them.

13) Do I need ProVoice, DMR or NXDN?

Well, maybe, maybe not… Check the RadioReference database and see if anything in that area use these modes. If they use them in the areas you want to listen to then you might want to get the upgrades. ProVoice is used mostly by public safety agencies in specific areas including Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver and Albuquerque.

DMR and NXDN are mostly used by business operations and campus installations but are occasionally used by smaller police and fire departments as it is less expensive than P25 digital systems.

14) Where can I go for more information?

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/SDS100_and_SDS200_FAQ_Page has a ton of info on the SDS100 and SDS200

The SDS-100 and why it is so revolutionary

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Rich Carlson

If you haven’t heard already, the new Uniden SDS-100 handheld digital scanner has taken the prize as the most desired scanner available. Introduced in the spring of 2018 and finally available in June, we sold every one we had and were promised and just now are able to keep them in stock for regular purchases.

What makes the SDS-100 so special? Why does it work so well? Why is it worth all the extra money it costs? Glad you asked!

The biggest advantage to the SDS-100 has over other scanners is it’s ability to monitor Linear Simulcast Modulation (LSM, also known as P25 Simulcast) systems. Traditional scanners do not work very well often with LSM systems but the SDS-100 handles them much better, almost as well as a regular system radio like the police use. Other scanners tend to break up, miss words or phrases or just not hear it al all.

Why, you might ask, does this happen? Simply put, a simulcast system transmits the same traffic on the same frequencies at the same time from 2 or more locations. A simulcast system would transmit from multiple sites to provide better coverage within its intended operational area. These signals then tend to arrive at your scanner with slightly different time delays. Even though these time differences are almost indescribably small, the fact that they are digital1’s and 0’s makes them interfere with each other. The 1’s from one tower tend to block the 0’s from another tower. This causes interference and sometimes the interference is so bad as to block the entire conversation.

The SDS-100 uses a totally different internal architecture than other scanners, basically using a Software Defined Radio (SDR) with True-IQ processing to more properly decode LSM transmissions. This means that the SDS-100 will receive these simulcast systems with little to no distortion or interference.

There are other advantages to the SDS-100 SDR-based architecture. It allows other features and capabilities to be added down the road. While Uniden has not announced any of these features yet the possibilities are endless.

The SDS-100 works much like the BCD436/536 series scanners, the interface is very similar and they use an updated version of the Sentinel software so you can share your Favorites Lists between them.

The other big feature with the SDS-100 is the color display. This display can be used in either a “Simple” or “Detail” mode. The Detail mode is entirely customizable. You can place any of dozens of different fields almost anywhere on the screen and assign any color to just about any item. You can switch back to Simple mode and just have the basics, still in color or even switch to a simpler black and white scheme that works better in bright sunlight.

The SDS-100 is an amazing radio. If you have simulcast systems in your area then it works much better than other scanners. While it is more expensive than other scanners it is well worth it!

The BearTracker 885: Is it a scanner or not?

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Rich Carlson

Uniden recently released its new BearTracker 885 CB-Scanner combination. Here are a few things to know about it:

1) It has a LIMITED FUNCTION scanner.

The 885 has a specially designed scanner built in that will receive local police, fire, EMS and Highway Department channels based on your location. The radio will tell you whether the channel is Police, Fire etc. but it does not indicate the agency or channel name. You can hear the traffic, the display will tell you that it is police or whatever, but it won’t tell you whether it is Mayberry or the Highway Patrol.

2) You can UPDATE but not program the scanner part.

The 885 has a free software program that simply updates the database the radio uses to hear local traffic. You cannot add/delete or modify channels. To update the radio is fairly simple, take out the full-size SD card, insert it into an SD-Card reader attached to your computer and run the updater program. (The radio does not come with an SD-Card reader, if your computer doesn’t have one you can get them for a few dollars.) The updater software pulls the latest data from the RadioReference database and loads it onto the SD-Card. The database is updated weekly but you only need to bother updating the database once or twice a year.

3) How does the 885 know where I am?

The 885 comes with a GPS receiver. The small receiver is connected to the GPS by an included cable, just put the little box in view of the sky (on the dashboard etc.) and plug it in. If this won’t work for you then you can manually enter in the location from the front panel controls of the radio. When using the GPS the radio’s location is updated regularly and the scanner part will reload itself with the local channels.

4) What about the CB?

The 885 is a basic 40 channel CB. It does not do SSB but it has the typical CB features needed to communicate or listen to other vehicles so equipped. It can also be used as a PA (PA Speaker not included) or as a weather receiver.

5) Is it legal?

We are not lawyers and do not offer legal advice. That said, CB’s are legal for use in the USA and Canada without a license. As far as the scanner goes check with your state and local authorities about whether a scanner is allowed in a vehicle. Laws may vary for commercial vehicles. Since this device has no radar detector it is not prohibited from commercial vehicles for that reason.

If you are interested in scanning specific agencies or want a scanner that allows you more choice then perhaps the 885 is not the radio for you. If you are looking for a CB and like the idea of hearing local emergency scanner traffic then this radio could be ideal.

Download Uniden BearTracker 885 Flyer

When the best scanner isn’t a scanner (Unication Receivers)

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Rich Carlson

If you live in an area covered by a Simulcast P-25 radio system you likely have suffered from Simulcast Distortion. This is the interference and missed calls caused by simulcast sites of these radio systems interfering with each other. All scanners have this issue and there are various things one can do to remedy the situation. This includes relocating or reducing the antenna, use of a directional antenna or turning on the attenuator.

Sometimes even this doesn’t help. If you really get in a bind there are other ways to get better reception. For some this means getting a specially programmed two-way radio set up on the system and using it as a monitor. While sometimes these can be programmed for receive only there are problems with this approach. First off is legality. Unless authorized by the system owner it may be illegal to have such a radio set up on the system due to the use of a “System Key”. Some states even This is considered to be intellectual property and restricted to authorized personnel. Even if you got past this hurdle two-way radios for these systems are expensive, sometimes over $5000. Add into that programming software ($300) and cables ($200) and pretty soon you are talking about real money.

The Unication receivers provide a possible solution that is much more reasonably priced, does not require permission or special codes or keys for the system but with reception rivaling that of the expensive radios at a fraction of the cost. The downside is that the Unication is not as flexible as a scanner and does not allow for field programming.

The Unication provides professional quality reception at a hobbyist price. While more expensive than scanners, it receives P25 Simulcast systems as well as the expensive two-way radios do at a much lower price.

ScannerMaster can program the Unication radio for you, be sure to select this option at the time of purchase if you want it. You can also do the programming yourself with a Windows computer, the software is free from Unication. Of course if there are any questions our knowledgeable staff is here to help!

The Unication G4 works in the 700 and 800 MHz. bands. The G5 works in these bands plus another, such as VHF or 2 different UHF bands. Currently they work on Phase 1 systems only but a Phase 2 upgrade will be available soon. This will be a paid update but pricing has not yet been announced.

ProVoice, DMR, MotoTRBO, NXDN and scanners FAQ

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Rich Carlson

Recently Uniden and Whistler announced scanners with capabilities of handling new digital formats. Each company has announced updates to their top-tier scanners and Whistler has also announced new models.

Here are some of the more frequently asked questions:

Q: What is DMR?

A: Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) is a digital format, similar in function to APCO P-25. It is mostly used by businesses but occasionally by public safety users. It is less expensive than P25 for the end user but it is not compatible with P-25 radios. It can be used in conventional or trunked modes.

Q: What is MotoTRBO?

A: It is Motorola’s implementation of DMR. They added a few features to the DMR standard and named it TRBO. DMR scanners can handle TRBO.

Q: What about encryption?

A: If the user selects the Encrypted mode then scanners cannot monitor it. There are no modifications or upgrades that can be made to get past radio encryption.

Q: What is Uniden offering?

A: Uniden has announced updates to its BCD436HP (handheld) and BCD536HP (desktop/mobile) scanners. One update is for ProVoice, a digital format used for some public safety purposes in parts of the country. They have also announced updates for DMR and MotoTRBO formats occasionally used by public safety but more often used by business users. Each of these updates are paid and ScannerMaster can install them for you.

Q: What is Whistler offering?

A: Whistler has announced updates for its WS1080 and WS1088 (handheld) and WS1095 and WS1098 (Desktop/mobile) scanners for DMR and MotoTRBO. These are free updates that are installed by updating the firmware in EZ-Scan. Again, ScannerMaster will be happy to install these for you as part of our Setup & Optimize service. No ProVoice upgrades have been announced for Whistler scanners.

In addition, Whistler has announced 2 new scanners. The TRX-1 (handheld) and TRX-2 (desktop/mobile) will work on DMR and MotoTRBO out of the box and will be updatable later for NXDN. (Expected about January 2017.)

Q: What about NXDN?

A: NXDN is a separate digital format used by some public safety agencies and businesses. It is slated to be used by the nations railroads once the required updates are made to the railroad’s infrastructure and radio fleet.

Whistler has already announced that NXDN will be available sometime in late 2016/early 2017 for its TRX-1 and TRX-2 scanners but will not be available for others. Uniden has not announced any NXDN updates yet but has said they are working on “other formats”.

Q: What about DMR trunking?

A: Both the Uniden and Whistler scanners will track DMR trunking systems.

Q: My question isn’t answered here. Where can I go for more information on these scanners or to buy them?

A: You can send your questions via email or call 1-800-SCANNER.

First Look @ Uniden HomePatrol

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Jonathan Higgins

First Look @ Uniden HomePatrol
By Jonathan Higgins

Release Date: Early Fall 2010 – 09/30/10
Price: $495.00

Uniden HomePatrol
Recently I had the opportunity to see the New Uniden HomePatrol in action. This product is very simple to operate, you can be up and running within 3 minutes or less. No programming needed all you need is your zip code. Once your Zip Code is entered, HomePatrol will load Police, Fire and EMS channels in your area and you have the option to also scan Utilities, Airports, Railroads, Businesses, schools and other services in your area that area listed on the Radio Reference database.

My initial thoughts of the HomePatrol:
This cutting edge technology from Uniden will take the work out of programming. The menus are very straight forward and simple. The reception was amazing with the stock antenna that came with the unit. This product would be ideal for someone just getting into the hobby, or just looking for something that is very simple to operate.

Advanced Users
Advanced users may find the HomePatrol limits your ability to customize the programming. I would still recommend the Uniden BCD396XT or BCD996XT to advanced users. For myself HomePatrol would be great for traveling outside of my listening area, because I wouldn’t need to spend time setting up the programming.

GPS ScanningHomePatrol would be a great for Road Trips too! By connecting a GPS Receiver the system will select all of the agencies in your area and it will keep updating as you travel.

Building Favorites Lists
You can make your own favorites Lists from the database in HomePatrol. If you only like to listen to fire call you can go into the database and select those departments. You can name and save each favorites list. I really like this option because you can customize what you’re monitoring.

Instant Replay
Did you miss a transmission? You can replay radio transmission from the last 30 Seconds to 240 seconds; you can set the replay time through the Advanced Menu options.

Updating HomePatrol
With the HomePatrol Sentinel PC Software you can update the internal database within minutes. When needed HomePatrol may need a Firmware update, these are simple and done through the software. Also with-in the software you can make and save your own custom Favorites Lists.

HomePatrol Appearance and Jacks
Screen:Full Color Touch Screen

Buttons:

Volume Control and Power Buttons
Jacks:

Left to Right – SMA Antenna Jack, Head Phone Jack, and Line Out Jack

Left to Right – GPS Jack, DC 9V Power Jack Jack, and USB – Programming/Updating Jack

In the Box:
HomePatrol will come with Flex Antenna, AC Adapter, DC Cigarette Lighter Adapter, 4 AA Rechargeable batteries USB Cable, Desk Stand, and a quick Start Guide.