I just got a new TRX-1 in yesterday, and have been fumbling around with it... Still don't know if I like it or not. I don't hate it, but, after using a Uniden for all these years, it most definitely isn't as easy to program as they are. Maybe once the learning curve is over, I'll feel different.
I thought I'd list a few pros and cons of mine. Granted, these are MY pros and cons, and derived from my own personal opinion. I'd be interested in hearing what others think too.
PROS:
quality of the build -- feels much beefier than the Uniden models. I don't feel like I would need to baby it as much, especially with the rubber sleeve on it.
audio quality -- so far, I think the audio is better than any of the Uniden radios I've ever had. The audio doesn't sound as "tinny" as Uniden radios did.
charging while powered on -- this was the thing that swayed me into buying the TRX-1 over the BCD426HP. If I take the radio to work with me, I like being able to keep it plugged in and listening without running the batteries down, that way when I take it home, I don't have to turn it off to charge it just to listen to it at home. I know I could get an external battery charger, and an extra set of batteries, but, the TRX-1 easily beats the 436HP on this.
CONS:
lack of volume knob -- first thing I found that I didn't like, was the volume being controlled by the arrow pad. I like adjusting the volume with a knob, that way I can reach over and either turn it up or down quickly when the need arises.
programming time -- to make the simplest of change to a scan list or setting on the scanner via the EZ-Scan software, it has to turn off the scanner, wait for the internal sd card reader to initialize, send a gob of information to the sd card, then turn the scanner back on, wait for the scanner to initialize the data, then you have to hit scan again, and wait for the scanner to parse through the scan lists. A simple change to the scanner via EZ-Scan can take 3-5 minutes.
EZ-Scan software -- probably my least favorite thing about the radio. Yeah, I know you don't have to use the software to program the radio, but, with all the scanners today can do, unless you have about a week of time to devote to the radio, you need the software. I've had to several times force quit the software due to it locking up, and the ease of use just isn't there yet. Sorry Whistler, if we're comparing apples to apples, the Sentinel software has you beat hands down. I give the software props on some nicities of importing from the clipboard, and being able to designate which column is the frequency and Alpha Tag... but, it doesn't make up for the clunkiness, sluggishness, and instability of the rest of the software suite.
lack of quick key designation - I like how it lists what scanlists are being scanned on the screen, and rolls the list across the screen. But, unless you know by memory what scanlist is assigned to which number, it's a guessing game as to which scanlist you're turning off or on. I think I'm just used to seeing the Uniden format on the screen where you had a better visual representation of what lists were being scanned and could be turned off/on via the keypad. You could probably add the number to the name of the scanlist, and get by with that, but, I feel the screen in scan mode is a bit lacking in telling what all it's scanning.
obtaining software from Whistler -- this is one of the worst implementations of obtaining free software I've seen, even worse than the "we will email you the link to download". You have to basically "buy" the free software from their point of sale website, by registering every time you download it. I may just be from the "old school" internet, but, if you have a piece of free software for people to download, host it on a simple website (or ftp server at least) to make it a simple one-click download, rather than asking for someone to fill out a bunch of info beforehand.
I thought I'd list a few pros and cons of mine. Granted, these are MY pros and cons, and derived from my own personal opinion. I'd be interested in hearing what others think too.
PROS:
quality of the build -- feels much beefier than the Uniden models. I don't feel like I would need to baby it as much, especially with the rubber sleeve on it.
audio quality -- so far, I think the audio is better than any of the Uniden radios I've ever had. The audio doesn't sound as "tinny" as Uniden radios did.
charging while powered on -- this was the thing that swayed me into buying the TRX-1 over the BCD426HP. If I take the radio to work with me, I like being able to keep it plugged in and listening without running the batteries down, that way when I take it home, I don't have to turn it off to charge it just to listen to it at home. I know I could get an external battery charger, and an extra set of batteries, but, the TRX-1 easily beats the 436HP on this.
CONS:
lack of volume knob -- first thing I found that I didn't like, was the volume being controlled by the arrow pad. I like adjusting the volume with a knob, that way I can reach over and either turn it up or down quickly when the need arises.
programming time -- to make the simplest of change to a scan list or setting on the scanner via the EZ-Scan software, it has to turn off the scanner, wait for the internal sd card reader to initialize, send a gob of information to the sd card, then turn the scanner back on, wait for the scanner to initialize the data, then you have to hit scan again, and wait for the scanner to parse through the scan lists. A simple change to the scanner via EZ-Scan can take 3-5 minutes.
EZ-Scan software -- probably my least favorite thing about the radio. Yeah, I know you don't have to use the software to program the radio, but, with all the scanners today can do, unless you have about a week of time to devote to the radio, you need the software. I've had to several times force quit the software due to it locking up, and the ease of use just isn't there yet. Sorry Whistler, if we're comparing apples to apples, the Sentinel software has you beat hands down. I give the software props on some nicities of importing from the clipboard, and being able to designate which column is the frequency and Alpha Tag... but, it doesn't make up for the clunkiness, sluggishness, and instability of the rest of the software suite.
lack of quick key designation - I like how it lists what scanlists are being scanned on the screen, and rolls the list across the screen. But, unless you know by memory what scanlist is assigned to which number, it's a guessing game as to which scanlist you're turning off or on. I think I'm just used to seeing the Uniden format on the screen where you had a better visual representation of what lists were being scanned and could be turned off/on via the keypad. You could probably add the number to the name of the scanlist, and get by with that, but, I feel the screen in scan mode is a bit lacking in telling what all it's scanning.
obtaining software from Whistler -- this is one of the worst implementations of obtaining free software I've seen, even worse than the "we will email you the link to download". You have to basically "buy" the free software from their point of sale website, by registering every time you download it. I may just be from the "old school" internet, but, if you have a piece of free software for people to download, host it on a simple website (or ftp server at least) to make it a simple one-click download, rather than asking for someone to fill out a bunch of info beforehand.