Firmware · 2022-06-29

Uniden SDS200 firmware 1.21.00 main / 1.02.01 sub

Verified — manufacturer file

Download zip (2.1 MB) Manufacturer's page ↗

Main firmware 1.21.00 (29 June 2022) with sub firmware 1.02.01 (7 March 2019), as Uniden packaged them for a manual install. 1.21.00 added 2.5 kHz and 3.125 kHz steps to Custom Search and Discovery and was a "housekeeping update to accommodate revised hardware". It is the last release before Waterfall support.

Product

SDS200 firmware

Version

1.21.00 main / 1.02.01 sub

Released

2022-06-29

Runs on

Any PC that can copy files to a USB mass-storage device (Uniden's steps use Windows Explorer)

Applies to

Uniden SDS200

Zip SHA-256

534d0c5c76d12e14ef847017d68eb806303d2ba53c14c0a679faaaad0b61fb70

Contents

Instructions

The complete README.txt included in the zip:

Uniden SDS200 firmware 1.21.00 main / 1.02.01 sub
=================================================

WHAT THIS IS
Main firmware 1.21.00 (29 June 2022) with sub firmware 1.02.01 (7 March 2019),
as Uniden packaged them for a manual install. 1.21.00 added 2.5 kHz and 3.125
kHz steps to Custom Search and Discovery and was a "housekeeping update to
accommodate revised hardware". It is the last release before Waterfall
support.

IMPORTANT: Manual-install package posted by Uniden in January 2024 for owners
who want to return to pre-Waterfall firmware. Main and sub must be downgraded
together. Waterfall does not work on this version; a purchased Waterfall key
stays stored in the scanner. The files inside are dated 29 December 2023;
whether they are byte-identical to the 2022 Sentinel-delivered release could
not be confirmed.

Uniden normally delivers firmware only through Sentinel (UPDATE -> Update
Firmware), which always installs the newest version. Uniden published this
package on its change-log page so that owners can install this specific
version by hand - in practice, to go back to it. To bring a scanner up to
date, use Sentinel instead.

APPLIES TO
The Uniden SDS200 (US model) only. Every firmware file carries the model name
(SDS200_...). Do not use it on the SDS100, SDS150, BCD436HP or BCD536HP. The
European SDS200E uses separately named firmware files (e.g.
SDS200E_V1_23_09.bin, per RadioReference owners) and must not be given these
files.

BEFORE STARTING
  - A Windows PC. Uniden's instructions use Windows Explorer; the scanner
    appears as an ordinary removable disk.
  - The supplied USB cable, in the mini-USB port on the scanner's front panel.
  - The SDS200's power supply connected for the whole update. (Some of
    Uniden's SDS200 readmes say "make sure the battery is fully charged"; the
    SDS200 has no battery, so this is carried over from the SDS100 text.)
  - A backup: copy the whole microSD card to the PC and save the Favorites
    Lists in Sentinel first (Uniden's readme asks for both).

CONTENTS OF THIS ZIP
The download zip holds the vendor file exactly as Uniden published it, plus
this README.txt and SHA256SUMS.

  SDS200 V1.21.00 Main V1.02.01 Sub.zip  (2220930 bytes)
    SHA-256 8f7b330eff76852c8fdb04ac7a89ec28e69faa64809e6acd09b8b993579fd326

  Inside SDS200 V1.21.00 Main V1.02.01 Sub.zip:
    Readme SDS200 V1_21_00.txt
      Uniden's own instructions (downgrade to 1.21.00)
      2486 bytes
      SHA-256 4fd1ca5be23b0a0b0ca18e5f16bb1ab85ac5f481e1f5a05d9e50deb417121c4f
    SDS200_V1_21_00.bin
      main (CPU) firmware 1.21.00
      2162688 bytes
      SHA-256 fe92779d49cddd0f205f39542ff106a70f5199f6ba163809851d0d9cfa428bd0
    SDS200-SUB_V1_02_01.firm
      sub-processor firmware 1.02.01
      82992 bytes
      SHA-256 aedd8ae74617a778a663ea4a1123c827c915065f53a290fc7e06f0b6c0171125

INSTALLATION
  1. Turn the scanner on.
  2. Connect it to the PC with the USB cable. The scanner shows "USB Cable
     Detected / Select USB mode" with "Mass Storage = E" and "Serial Port =
     .".
  3. Press E (Yes) to choose Mass Storage. The scanner shows "USB Mass
     Storage".
  4. In Windows Explorer, open the new removable disk, then the "BCDx36HP"
     folder, then its "firmware" folder. It already holds CitiTable_V00_00.dat
     and ZipTable_V00_00.dat - do not touch or delete them.
  5. Unzip the download on the PC and copy SDS200_V1_21_00.bin and
     SDS200-SUB_V1_02_01.firm into the "firmware" folder. Only one main (.bin)
     and one sub (.firm) file may be in the folder at a time; with several
     versions present the update will not start or will load incorrectly.
  6. Restart the scanner ("reset the power", in Uniden's words). The update
     starts automatically as it boots. Do not turn the scanner off until the
     update has finished.
  7. When it has finished, the scanner deletes the firmware file(s) from the
     "firmware" folder by itself.

VERIFYING
Menu -> Settings -> See Scanner Information -> Firmware Version shows the main
and sub versions now installed. The firmware file(s) will also have gone from
the card's "firmware" folder.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
  - Update did not start: check that only one main and one sub file are in the
    "firmware" folder and that the file names are exactly as supplied.
  - Scanner will not start properly after files were deleted from the
    "firmware" folder: the two .dat files were probably removed. Uniden's
    remedy is Sentinel -> Clear User Data, which rebuilds the card but erases
    all user data (hence the backup).
  - USB connection fails or is slow: take the microSD card out and use a card
    reader; Sentinel can work on the card directly (see Vol 5 on this site).
    The same folder layout applies.
  - Card errors: back up what is readable, format the card with the SD
    Association's SD Memory Card Formatter (cards up to 32 GB), run Sentinel
    -> Clear User Data, then Update Firmware.
  - Uniden does not document a recovery procedure for an update interrupted by
    power loss; this could not be confirmed from any source. Uniden's readme
    closes with "Please use these files on your risk."

DOWNGRADING
This package exists for going back: Uniden's readme covers moving from any
later version. Main and sub must be changed together. To return to the current
version afterwards, run Sentinel -> UPDATE -> Update Firmware.

Waterfall stops working on 1.21.00; a purchased Waterfall key stays in the
scanner and works again after updating to current firmware.

PROVENANCE
  - Official source:
    https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/SDS200FirmwareUpdate/SDS200%20V1.21.00%20Main%20V1.02.01%20Sub.zip
  - Listed on:
    https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/SDS200FirmwareUpdate
  - Wayback copy:
    https://web.archive.org/web/20240724021551/https://info.uniden.com/twiki/pub/UnidenMan4/SDS200FirmwareUpdate/SDS200%20V1.21.00%20Main%20V1.02.01%20Sub.zip
  - Retrieved: 2026-09-18. Status: verified (downloaded from Uniden's own
    server; SHA-1 matches the Wayback capture).

MORE INFORMATION
  - scanners.fubsypoly.com, Uniden SDS200 - Vol 5, Upgrades & Firmware:
    https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/uniden-sds200/vol-5/
  - Reference Library, SDS200 Owner's Manual:
    https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/library/sds200om/
  - Reference Library, Easier to Read SDS100/SDS200 Manual:
    https://scanners.fubsypoly.com/library/easier-to-read-sds100-200-manual/
  - Uniden change log:
    https://info.uniden.com/twiki/bin/view/UnidenMan4/SDS200FirmwareUpdate

Other versions of SDS200 firmware

• 1.26.01 main / 1.03.15 sub · 2026-03-27Recommended
• 1.24.00 main · 2025-12-20
• 1.23.20 main · 2025-10-17
• 1.23.15 main / 1.03.06 sub · 2025-03-24
• 1.23.07 main · 2024-03-22
• 1.03.05 sub · 2024-01-19
• 1.03.04 sub / 1.23.03A main (Motorola Type II test) · 2024-01-12
• 1.03.03 sub (Motorola Type II test) · 2024-01
• 1.23.02 main / 1.03.02 sub · 2023-12

← All Uniden SDS200 downloads