WS1065: Did I get a dud?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Drachen_Fire

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
414
Location
Center Township, PA
Recently bought a WS1065, which replaced a PRO-2096.

I am trying to track ICORRS, which is the only halfway decent trunked system in my area. It's in a vehicle, with a hole-mounted NMO 800MHz antenna on the roof. I have seen many people having the problem I'm having, but no solutions have worked thus far, and I've seen no real solutions offered other than "fiddle with it".

It is not receiving the ICORRS system. At all. Parked in front of my house, and all around the local area. In these same areas, my PRO-2096 did fine. Also, the actual Motorola XTL1500 that I have for the ICORRS system works great. Just getting that out of the way. It is not a receive range issue.

I have manually tuned to the control channels, turned the squelch all the way down, and hear nothing but the usual white noise.

I have used the TSYS ---> Analyze features. Nothing. It does nothing when the XTL is booming the same traffic on the same talkgroup that I've manually held on. Nothing.

Programmed, reprogrammed, and reprogrammed again with ARC 500, WIN500 twice, and about to try PSREdit.

Was Whistler's business model to buy GRE and then ruin perfectly working scanners? This seems to be a widespread problem, and you'd think it'd be fixed by now, what with these things being pricier than Uniden.
 

ScannerSK

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
1,340
Location
Weld County, Colorado
I have manually tuned to the control channels, turned the squelch all the way down, and hear nothing but the usual white noise.

My first guess would be it is suffering from desense/signal overload. Try just a handheld whip antenna on the WS1065 and then see if you are able to receive the control channels instead of white noise. If yes, then it is desense/signal overload likely due to strong radio transmissions in that area.

The WS1065 suffers from densense/signal overload a lot more than many scanners.

Shawn
 

Ronaldski

MI DB Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
2,974
Location
Bay City MI
Assuming your trying these? Https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2594
"System Type: Project 25 Phase II"
Shows it is a phase II system, your radio is only able to do phase I.

Phase II scanners: Unidens - 325P2, 996P2(on sale at Amazon as I write), HomePatrol 2, 436HP, 536HP, Whistlers: WS1080, WS1088, WS1095, WS1098, TRX1 & TRX2 and discontinued Pro 668 are.
 

mcpetersen

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
17
Location
Indiana County, PA
P25 phase II

Re: Drachen-fire

I'm not aware of any Phase II usage in Indiana County. I think Lawrence County is Phase II, and there may be other counties, but I've never run across Phase II in Indiana County.

I've never owned a Whistler radio so I don't think I can help you there. I know they are more prone to desensing in the presence of strong signals.

Good luck,

Mike
 

Drachen_Fire

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
414
Location
Center Township, PA
The entire system is Phase 1, with the exception of Lawrence County, which utilizes VHF Phase 2. This is one of those odd systems where there is a regional central trunking controller, tied into individual county-level systems. As of now, Westmoreland, Armstrong, Somerset, Indiana, and Fayette are Phase 1 800MHz, and Lawrence is VHF Phase 2, with Butler looking to go 800MHz Phase 2 next year.

For note - The VHF site is not in my system frequencies. I am only targeting Phase 1 800MHz sites.
 

Drachen_Fire

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
414
Location
Center Township, PA
In any case, I think this thing is getting thrown on ebay ASAP, and a BCD996P2 will take it's place. This is the first Whistler GRE I have ever owned, and likely the last, if this is any indicator of Whistler's performance.
 

Ed6698

Active Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
1,262
Location
Evansville, Indiana
I am not familiar with Pennsylvania area. What county are you located in? I would like to see what is in the RR database for your area.
 

Ed6698

Active Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
1,262
Location
Evansville, Indiana
What is the Trunking Tables set to? I am using Win 500. For the Phase I system in my area I have it set to Custom, otherwise I will not receive anything.
 

Drachen_Fire

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
414
Location
Center Township, PA
Butler County.

You can find the ICORRS system under Armstrong County. The part of the system I am scanning is P25 9600 baud Phase 1.

The system is set to P25 Auto. I didn't need trunking tables with my 2096.

Oddly enough, there's no special tables or anything else in the programming with my XTL1500. You just put in your trunk ID, system key, and the control channels, talkgroups, and it just works.
 

Ed6698

Active Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
1,262
Location
Evansville, Indiana
Butler County.

You can find the ICORRS system under Armstrong County. The part of the system I am scanning is P25 9600 baud Phase 1.

The system is set to P25 Auto. I didn't need trunking tables with my 2096.

Oddly enough, there's no special tables or anything else in the programming with my XTL1500. You just put in your trunk ID, system key, and the control channels, talkgroups, and it just works.

Says some of that system is listed as a Phase II system, that cannot be monitored with a 1065. However I saw what you said in a previous post.. My best suggestion is to post this in the Pennsylvania State Forum, hopefully someone that is more familiar and can help you more. Has to be a setting that is missed somewhere. I think it has to do with the Trunking Tables, but I might be wrong

Take a look at this thread also.

http://forums.radioreference.com/pe...ystem-inter-county-regional-radio-system.html
 

Attachments

  • tables.jpg
    tables.jpg
    75.1 KB · Views: 655
Last edited:

MichaelBhere

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
151
Everything I have read would indicate Whistler did not change the operation of the WS1065 compared to the GRE PSR-600. It seems you are comparing apples and oranges to go to a Uniden P2. I am not putting down the Uniden, I am just saying that if you are going to consider a uniden P2, you may as well consider a Whistler P2 before making your decision. Both appear to be capable scanners, it just comes down to your specific needs.
 

Drachen_Fire

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
414
Location
Center Township, PA
One is time-tested and proven and $360. The other is new, manufactured by a radar detector company, and who's products just burned me, and is $600.

If I have to spend big money, I'm going with Uniden.

I'm going to look at this some more. I will do a read with PSREdit, and see what it says. This makes no sense at all. I shouldn't have to muck with tables and such. It's a P25 Phase 1 system that was being monitored perfectly by a much older scanner. I get the definite feeling that it's some kind of interference and front-end overload, as I can't hear a control channel signal when monitoring any of the control channels. I would think it's an antenna issue, if it weren't picking up conventional stuff, both analog and P25 from 5-50 miles away.

One thing - It's antenna sits in between two 4GLTE antennas for a mobile WiFi hotspot. There is 1/4 wave + spacing between them, at least 12 inches or maybe more. Would that cause desense and overload?
 

Ed6698

Active Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
1,262
Location
Evansville, Indiana
As far as the Trunking Table, there is no messing with it, just set it to custom in the drop down menu.

Also I don't know if all the 1065's come with updated firmware out of the box, but there is a update for the 1065.
 
Last edited:

Drachen_Fire

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
414
Location
Center Township, PA
Still nothing. Changed a bunch of stuff. No dice. I can't hear any of the control channels at all on tune mode, or in analyze.

I do now have a PSREdit file now, if anyone wants to take a look at it.

I'm vexed.
 

Ronaldski

MI DB Admin
Database Admin
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
2,974
Location
Bay City MI
Earlier I mentioned it possibly could be a phase II system that the 1065 can't get and it was said no "known" phase II systems aware in the area. The admin(s) put that designation there for a reason and some are. I'm not familiar with the setup there and am just going by what the database shows.
You mentioned other countries going phase II, to me its a slam dunk more are going P2 and the 1065 can't do it. If its still returnable, do it. Just a matter of time certainly til more counties go P2.
One item whistlers and those 651-652 radios are absolutely horrible in multi tower counties. If you click under fcc licenses, it shows all the towers at least in Anderson.
https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?siteId=20888

In my area I have had dozens of people get the pro652 same as your 1065 and whistler scanners and try to use them in the nearby phase I counties that have four towers and report the same thing - absolutely no reception on digital! Their radios work fine here listening to their neighboring county since they are far away and not being bombarded by so much signal from their county towers.
There wasn't a reported problem to me from others in these same counties with reception either same as you said with the 2096, pro 96, pro 106, 197 radios in the same counties.

I would try to see if you can take yours away from the towers several miles to see if they come in, if so then its due to being flooded with too much signal. If it still doesn't, might be there are on phase II?

Based on what I have seen so often here and especially in person the current Unidens will work in strong signal areas- all the current Unidens can do P2 short of the HP1. Yes an occasional garbled audio in simulcasts.

I have used prsedit500 for years, you can post the file.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top