How to Create Favorites Lists on Uniden SDS200

Let’s be honest — the first time you open the SDS200’s menus, it feels like you’re looking at an aircraft control panel.
There are “Systems,” “Departments,” “Channels,” “Favorites Lists,” and all kinds of mysterious soft key labels flashing at the bottom of the screen.

If that sounds familiar, take a deep breath. You’re not alone — every SDS200 owner has had that “what did I just buy?” moment.
But once you learn how Favorites Lists work, the scanner starts making perfect sense.

This guide walks you through what Favorites Lists actually are, how to create your first one, and how to add, edit, and manage channels without wanting to throw the manual out the window.

What a Favorites List Actually Is (in Simple Words)

Think of a Favorites List as a playlist — but for radio channels.

You know how you don’t listen to every song on Spotify, only the ones you like?
Same idea here. Instead of scanning thousands of random frequencies, you create a short, personalized list of the channels you actually care about — like:

• Your city’s police & fire departments
• Local EMS dispatch
• County sheriff
• Airport ATC tower
• Rail or marine channels (if that’s your thing)

Favorites Lists make your scanner yours.
They also help reduce the “dead air” problem where you’re waiting forever for something interesting.

Two Ways to Build a Favorites List

There are two main paths:

1. Directly on the scanner (simple, but slower)
2. Using Sentinel software (faster, easier for big lists)

We’ll go through both.

Option 1: Creating a Favorites List Directly on the SDS200

You can do everything right from the scanner — it just takes a few button presses.

Here’s the step-by-step:

1. Press the “Menu” button
2. Scroll to Manage Favorites → press E/Yes
3. Choose New Favorites List
4. Name it something clear (like “City PD/FD”)
   • Use the scroll knob to select letters. Press E/Yes for each one.
5. Once saved, go back to the main menu.
6. Select Add Channels → From Database.
7. Choose your state → county → city/system.
8. Scroll to find your department or agency (e.g., “Police Dispatch”) and press E/Yes to add it.

When done, you’ll see your new Favorites List under Manage Favorites.
Hit Scan, and you’ll hear only the systems you added.
Pro Tip: Don’t overload your first list. Add 3–5 key departments only. You can always expand later.

Option 2: Using Sentinel Software (Highly Recommended)

If you have a computer nearby, Sentinel makes life a hundred times easier.
It’s Uniden’s free software for managing databases, lists, and firmware updates.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Sentinel on your computer.
2. Connect your SDS200 via USB (or insert the SD card).
3. Click Edit → Add Favorites List.
4. Name your new list — e.g., “My County Channels.”
5. Click Database → Select Location → choose your state & county.
6. Expand the tree view and find the systems or agencies you want.
7. Right-click and select Append to Favorites List → [Your List Name].

You’ll see them appear under the Favorites Lists panel.

Once you’ve built your list:

• Click File → Save
• Then Scanner → Write to Scanner to send it to your SDS200.

Unplug your scanner, press Scan, and you’re officially running your own curated list.
Optional Tip: You can create multiple Favorites Lists — one for your city, one for neighboring counties, one for air traffic, etc. Toggle them on or off individually while scanning.

How to Enable or Disable a Favorites List

Sometimes you’ll want to listen to only one list — say, just Fire/EMS tonight instead of everything.

On your SDS200:

1. Press Menu → Set Scan Selection → Select Lists to Monitor
2. Toggle ON/OFF any Favorites List
3. Press Scan to resume

That’s it. It’s that simple.

Adding a New Channel to an Existing Favorites List

You’ll eventually find new frequencies or want to tweak what you hear. Here’s how to add them later.

On the scanner:

1. Press Menu → Manage Favorites → [Your List]
2. Select Edit Channels
3. Choose Add Channel → Manual or From Database

Manual entry is more advanced — start with database additions first.

Adjusting Priorities & Avoiding Noise

If you’re hearing too much chatter, or irrelevant agencies:

• Press Avoid on any unwanted channel while scanning.
• You can later “unavoid” it in your Favorites List settings.
• Adjust Priority Scan under the Menu if you want some channels checked more often.

Favorites Lists let you fine-tune what gets airtime — use that to your advantage.

Organizing Multiple Lists (Optional Advanced Tip)

Once you’ve got the hang of one list, you can get creative.

Example setup:

• List 1: City Police + Fire
• List 2: County Sheriff + EMS
• List 3: Airport + Aviation Channels
• List 4: Rail + Marine

Then, when traveling or in the mood for something specific, just enable the list you want.

This setup also speeds up scanning because the radio isn’t cycling through hundreds of channels.

Troubleshooting Favorites Lists