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Reviews For: Whistler WS1098

Category: Receivers: Scanners

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Review Summary For : Whistler WS1098
Reviews: 4MSRP: 679.95
Description:
WHISTLER Digital Mobile Radio Scanner
Product is in production
More Info: http://https://www.whistlergroup.com/usa/product-catalog-us/radio-scanner/ws1098-digital-scanner.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044.8
KG5UN Rating: 2020-07-23
My new favorite Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
So I have been a scanner user for about 30 years and have owned many, but never a Whistler. A few months back I decided to try something modern and purchased a Uniden SDS100. I tried really hard to love it and I just couldnt. So I sold it and with the money I got I was able to pick up a TRX-1 and a Whistler WS1098. Wow. I feel like I won the lottery!
The WS-1098 has fantastic audio.
Scan speed is great.
The display is simple, functional and easy to read.
The big winner for me is the EZScan software. By far the best scanner software I have ever used. It is so easy to set up as well as to change and customize your listening on the fly. For the price I paid I dont think there is a better scanner out there, for my needs anyway.
K7NG Rating: 2018-12-11
Glad I got one Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I became interested in a scanner that would receive P25 Phase II systems, to replace the PSR-600 in my car. What motivated me to get the WS1098 was when Ham Radio Outlet sold them on clearance for $300.

Being familiar with the GRE scanners made me think the 1098 would be a clone, and I suppose it could be considered a next-generation PSR-something scanner.

Well, it does what I want, mostly. Like almost every scanner it has trouble with simulcast but I find myself so rarely in simulcast coverage it is almost a non-issue. It seems more crossmod immune than the PSR-600, which is a good thing. It's easier to do stuff on the front panel while driving than it is on the PSR-600. A firmware upgrade allows it to receive DMR format, but because I have zero / zip / neg interest in business band stuff I use the DMR capability to listen to a few ham repeaters that run that mode.

I REALLY like the detachable front panel.

I don't know what the deal is with the multicolor indicator LED on the front, I have never gotten it to be yellow, no matter what, and white is either faint blue or faint pink. Once you know what to do with the LED colors it's very useful... if yellow was yellow and white was white, etc.

There seems to be less audio to an external speaker than the PSR-600. I could use just a little more than I get.

I really, truly wish there was an equivalent software to 'WIN 500'. I can tolerate the Whistler EZ-Scan but it ain't WIN 500.

I gave it a '4' because someday I will need to receive simulcast, and the LED thing bugs me. And maybe Whistler could put D-star receive in their next firmware upgrade.
K4EJW Rating: 2017-11-12
Great Digital Scanner at a Great Price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After all the public services went digital in my 50 mile radius, I decided to get the Whistler 1098 after lots of research. It was very easy to program, easy to update everything (DBase, Firmware, etc.) Take it out of the box, attach an antenna, read the quick-start manual, plug it in, Turn it on, follow the small screen, punch in your Zip or City, Update your data, and you're good to go. I'm having more fun listening to the happenings around the city and county than I ever did before. If you are a Ham, or can set up your cellphone you shoud have absolutely no trouble getting the 1098 initialized. The EZ Scan software is great, and the data base is normally updated 2-3x a month. The USB jack is on the front and it is a lot easier updating this unit, than it is updating Icom, Kenwood, and Yaesu Ham radios. I will be licensed 30 years as a Ham this February, and I'm having lots of fun with this scanner. Get one, or its big brother the TRX-2, and enjoy!
WD6AWP Rating: 2016-07-14
Best Scanner Ever Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the best trunking scanner I own and the best on the market. The P25 audio is the best I've heard on any scanner even on a simulcast system. I can hear things I could not understand on my big brand name, top of the line scanner by you know who.

Scan lists are a strong feature of this scanner. Scan lists hold any combination of talk groups or conventional channels. They can be enabled or not depending on what you want to hear. One feature I'd like to see is for the programing software to be able to reorder the scan lists.

The programming software is very logical, well organized and easy to use. It programs much the same was as a commercial two-way radio. You program the trunk system control channels and add the talk groups associated with that system. Conventional channels are programmed into a conventional section. Then you add talk groups or conventional channels to as many scan lists as you like. If you're not into programming you can use the built-in database which is updated from Radio Reference.

The Whistler WS1098 is very easy to operate. Although I will say the buttons are small and harder to press than I'd like. I was expecting the buttons to operate easily like they do on the older GRECOM PSR800 (another fine scanner). As a desktop scanner it's rather small and I'd trade away the small size for bigger buttons. That said, this is not a big problem and is mitigated somewhat by the multi-function knob.

Amazon's price was as under $500.