SDS100E Setting Your Location, Range & Service Types

Summary: How the SDS100E chooses what to scan by location, how to set your location and range, and how to choose service types.

How Location and Range Work

Every system in the database carries a geotag: a latitude, longitude and range that describes a circle fully covering the area the system serves. The scanner selects channels from systems whose circle overlaps your own location circle. Each location method uses a different default range:

• Zip code: about 10 miles from the centre of the zip code. (The manual’s introduction says 20 miles; the location sections say 10.)
• Auto Locate: 30 miles from the tower it found.
• GPS or manual location: 0 miles. A system is only selected if its circle encloses your exact position, which is ideal when travelling: the scanner selects and deselects systems as you drive through each coverage zone.

You can change the range up or down in the Range menu (0-50 miles) to include more or fewer systems.

Set Your Location

Menu, Set Your Location (North America):

• Enter Zip/Postal Code – choose USA or Canada, then enter the zip code (or the first three characters of a postal code). You can also press the Zip button. Sets the centre of the code, not your exact spot.
• Auto Locate – listens for any Motorola or P25 system in your area that’s in the database and sets your location from it. You’re asked to accept each system found (E/yes or ./no; Menu cancels).
• Set Manual Location – enter your latitude (./no toggles N/S) and longitude (./no toggles E/W). Exact position, range 0 miles.
• Set Up GPS – Location Format (DMS or DEG) and Set Serial Port (default 4800 bps; Off, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 or 115200).
• Set Range – 0-50 miles.
• Edit Location and Save Location – create, name, use, delete, edit the coordinates and range of saved locations. You can only delete saved locations; the last location set is retained for scanning the database.

Selecting Service Types

By default only EMS Dispatch, Fire Dispatch, Law Dispatch, Custom 1 and Multi-Dispatch are enabled. To change them press Func then Zip/Services, scroll to each type, press E/yes to enable or disable, and press System to exit. If a service type isn’t in any active list the scanner shows “—” and you can’t set it. Descriptions of the types are in SDS100E Troubleshooting & Reference Tables. If you hear nothing, check service types first.

Outside North America

The database, zip code selection and weather/SAME functions only work in North America. Set a manual location if you want to use Location Control with your own lists, or simply turn Location Control off (see SDS100E Managing Favorites Lists & Location Control).