Uniden SDS100 True I/Q Digital Handheld Scanner, Designed for Improved Digital Performance in Weak-Signal and Simulcast Areas, Rugged / Weather Resistant JIS 4 Construction

After reading some of these interviews, there is a lot of fanboy BS, so I wanted to share my take. My hopes were high when I bought this scanner in June but it was returned within two weeks for a variety of reasons. In any case, I have been involved in scanning for about 40 years, and I have owned just about every digital scanner made as well as many analog scanners as well as a Unication G4 just to give you a little background on my experience. With my good programming skills, I programmed the SDS100 in no time at all After evaluating the 436 program, I noticed that the scanner failed to switch from control channels to voice channels about half the time on the simulcast service that carries Phoenix police. There were no problems with the 436 or Unication G4 sitting nearby. If it was at home in Glendale, Arizona, it would not pick up Glendale PD (just as the 436 and other scanners did). This glitch was unable to lock onto a control channel at a good range, regardless of whether it is stationary or moving. The transmitter had a hard time picking up the simulcast it was sitting within, especially if it was sitting in some distance away from the transmitter. I was not satisfied with the UHF performance After monitoring the same system (AZ DPS) for years, I now hear strange noises that I had never heard before. In the past, Airband and VHF were popular In other words, it is the same scanner as any other. Taking my Unication G4 as an example, it can lock onto simulcast systems from much further away than it normally can. It was very satisfying to meet a Uniden beta tester, and talk to new owners who confirmed the same results with the SDS100 scanners as compared with the 436 and Unication, and even older units like the PSR-300. It is important to emphasize that the behavior I observed did not just affect my scanner it was seen with the three other SDS100 scanners owned by others in the Phoenix area, including a There are several reasons why 700 MHz reception is weak. The top of the list is that it's prone to The VHF and UHF models are good, but do not fare better than the This was also confirmed in person by other owners of the same antenna, using known equipment. The MCSO 800 MHz system had a completely lost cause reception. It will be said that updating firmware will fix everything, but it is just a myth. Bad receivers with poor components are simply bad receivers with poor This can't be fixed by firmware and won't be fixed by firmware. It has all the bells and whistles, pretty colors, waterproof (as if the average scanner user really needs a waterproof scanner), tons of options, etc. Unfortunately it fails to work as a radio receiver, and I'm more concerned with that than with the pretty colors. *The amount of heat generated by this device is simply absurd. There is no way that the processor on this device can compare to a brand new high-end system. It is a low-end cell phone whose screen has no hope of competing with the sharpness of a new high-end A cell phone screen has no heat, but in a much larger device than a cell phone, the heat produced The reason for this is simply inexcusable since there is no reason for this to happen. My original small battery gave me a few hours use, before needing to be charged again for many hours. But the charger now gives me many hours of usage. It took a ridiculous amount of time to use the site. Now Uniden has released an extremely huge battery for this unit, which looks totally ridiculous and is totally unproportioned in size. They came up with that as a solution. If I were to charge that huge beast for a day before getting 5-stars that would be very tiring It is good for six hours of use. Thanks, but not now. There are many fanboys (like most of the reviewers here) who would tell you this thing is the best thing since sliced bread, and how the firmware fixed all of the early issues. But it hasn't, as people I know recently test the SDS100s. * If you care about the disadvantaged, please click here Put something else in place of a simultaneous broadcast. Buying a G4 or G5 Unication is a good idea if you care about simulcast. Just ensure you understand the program limitations before you purchase. I have video documentation of my testing, and unlike others, I know exactly what I did in my Look up my youtube channel's video with multiple videos illustrating the problems by searching for "SDS100 Phoenix Review" on Google or YouTube. The videos I make do not have any commercial intent, they were simply created to provide information to others. Nothing is played, there is no talking, there is no funny graphics, just head to head competition. You can check this out It was the Uniden tech guy working on Radio Reference that I worked with trying different ideas, and it didn't work. If you are a Uniden person getting ready to reply by going down that road, save your breath. I have tested multiple units in the last month and firmware did NOT resolve the issues. Is this problem confined to Phoenix or does it affect other regions as well? My knowledge of this topic is limited. It is said that some have gotten good results from the SDS100, but I have seen too much firsthand evidence of the contrary to even.

Shane Blair

| Feb 12, 2021

With its color screen, you can customize it very easily. Besides having a loud speaker, it also has an integrated microphone. Rather than a rechargeable battery, this scanner has a liion battery you can charge while using it. Using a real scanner, it performs as expected on simulcast systems and digital networks. Does it perform as well as the dispatch pagers (Unication G5) set to a restricted channel list? The scanner was developed to scan a much larger number of frequencies, so you wouldn't expect it would be limited to just a few. It is remarkable that location-based scanning is offered. Use it to your advantage! When using a simulcast system that has a lot of sites (repeaters), make sure you enable your location-based scanning in your favorites list, and in that order, set your current location. The traffic can start at the start of the journey, so you won't miss it. In addition, the close call alerts are a really neat feature. As soon as my scanner beeped at me and started playing audio from nearby police units talking on simplex analog, I felt quite sleuthy. What is the deal with Uniden scanners? For what reason is this one so badass? It's not a great shape or design, especially in regards to the shape of the battery. The feel of it in the hand is ok, I feel like the 436 series is a lot more commercial. If you install a phone mount in your car, you'll have a hard time keeping it in place. Those of you who wear your belt on your belt like I do will have trouble not bumping into every door frame and corner.

Stephanie Gibson

| Jul 13, 2020

It was a couple of months ago that I bought this scanner. liked it very much! Almost any music I like could be heard on the radio, no matter where I was in the country, and I travel a lot for work. I was using it fine until about an hour ago, when it suddenly stopped working. Well, I gave up. I couldn't turn the computer on due to a blank screen, no sound, and no power. The battery was tried with a different one, the battery was tried without any power Wart or cable, the cables were and other power supplies rated 2 were all tried. A minimum of 1 amp is required The solution is not working. As long as I have the radio on, it will still tell me via LED when the battery is charging or fully charged. In spite of my payment for the radio and all of its upgrades, the system sits unused There is an $80-worth of paperweight here. As I won't get the money I paid for the upgrades back if I send it back to Amazon, I will likely need to contact the manufacturer to see if they can fix it for me. I will probably have to wait months for that to happen, and I can never be sure the problem won't return. Currently I'm very disappointed with this, so I don't recommend buying one at the moment.

Kiaan Wyatt

| Sep 22, 2020

In addition to it, I upgraded from my Uniden BCD436HP, which is also a decent You'd be better off with this one! Despite being 40 miles away, it is able to pick up P25 trunked systems This BCD436HP I am using doesn't pick up any signal at all from these It is worth it whether you want to get this or not. This is a decision you will never regret.

Scott O’BRIEN

| Sep 24, 2020

After upgrading from a GRE PSR 800, this is a fantastic scanner, and because it is SDR it will only get better as more firmware updates and features are added to it. It worked great on local 144/440 repeaters as well as 800mhz trunked systems, and it installs easily in a window or rolls up for use on the go. I highly recommend this product from Nelson Antennas (SMA Male end). The following sentences are in English.

Camila Love

| Jan 14, 2021