Is whistler 1080 top of line for now?

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Dusco25

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Is phase 2 included with It? I still love my Pro 106 but want that and a longer distance antenna

yes it supports phase 2 and no it is not the top of the line scanner.. It is the VERY same scanner as the PSR-800
 

bailly2

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if the ws1080 is a replica of the gre psr 800 then i would consider that whistler model top of the line. so many features, best scanner i have ever owned. fix the simulcast distortion and add the ability to enter frequencies on a keypad and i'd say its perfect
 

arjay1

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What would you consider the current top of the line, if not the Ws1080?

Fwiw, I concur with the wish for a keypad, both to enter frequencies and to enable/disable scan lists.
 

APX8000

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That's basically what they are telling me and it came directly from high up at Whistler...
"The WS1080/1095 will have the same DVSI vocoder. We have made some further firmware enhancements. The WS1080 is more than a rebranded scanner. The DVSI code is the same. Our reputation for best audio on digital signals suggests there is something more to it than just the codec."

They did not answer if they actually use a different vocoder than the PSR-800, just that the 1080 and 1095 are using the same one. I won't make any assumptions until someone opens it up and looks at the internals. But I'm guessing they are using a newer DVSI DSP vocoder chip like Uniden does in the 436/536 series and they confirmed they updated the firmware to decipher the codec better.

I'd like to hear some field reports and comparisons to the PSR-800 on the same system. And of course a comparison to Uniden.

I've been a GRE fan for a long time and it's good I see some competition.








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troymail

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if the ws1080 is a replica of the gre psr 800 then i would consider that whistler model top of the line. so many features, best scanner i have ever owned. fix the simulcast distortion and add the ability to enter frequencies on a keypad and i'd say its perfect

Although there are one or two things I do like about the BCD436 (mostly to do with the buttons to enable/disable systems/departments/groups, and sites), I concur with the above.

I'd be happy with a fix for digital simulcast and at that point I've be extremely happy and call the PSR800/WS1080 damn near perfect.
 

kmurphy41

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There's a simulcast system in my area , you can't understand any of the conversation with the 1080, it sounds like encryption. if there's a fix I will be a fan for life
 

AA6IO

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I just bought the 1080 a few weeks ago and have been comparing it to my 436HP. I initially said the 436HP was by far and away the winner, but after a few weeks, there are many things I like about the 1080 in terms of displaying frequencies, ability to program from the Library without need for a computer, and the audio quality that I really like. The sticking point is the P25 decode quality. In some cases, it is as good as the 436HP, then the superior audio makes the 1080 a winner. But I still have many P25 stations here in LA (notably LAPD) where some stations are really garbled on the 1080, and are clearly decoded with the 436HP. I experienced the same problem in Phoenix last week on their RWC simulcast sites when we visited our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild there. In some cases, the 1080 was great, in other cases, pretty garbled (Donald Duck sounds).
Fix that issue, and write some third-party software for the PSR-800/WS-1080, then it would be a much better radio. I like having both the 1080 and 436HP, which are probably the "top-of-the-line" non-commercial (eg, Motorola) portable scanners around. But if P25 is a big issue, I would still stick with the 436HP if only had my choice of one scanner.
Steve AA6IO
 

kmurphy41

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I'm in Los Angeles and I get terrible reception on the new Los Angeles City STRS simulcast trunked Radio system . It's completely garbled. have you tried that system? I am using the whistler 1080
 

bailly2

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if your getting simulcast distortion with the whistler 1080, buy a yagi for the same frequency range your trying to scan, or build one out of coat hangers. of course have the rods vertical, i got simulcast distortion when the yagi rods horizontal. turn up the squelch halfway or all the way up, maybe turn on the attenuator
 

torontokris

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It currently IS Whistlers top of the line radio....
The 1095 I guess will be the soon top of the line scanner (but its a base/remote head).

Its up to your own opinion if the Whistler is top of the line over the Uniden 436/536 Phase 2 radios
 

Ersin

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I wouldn't say that the 1080 is THE top of the line. Rather it is one of the top of the line scanners along with the GRE PSR-800 (which the 1080 replaces and is almost the same radio) and the Uniden 436/536.

As for the 1095, it will be the same as the PSR-900 that GRE was showing a couple of years ago but never brought out, the same way that the 1080 is to the PSR-800. We never got much information on the PSR-900, but it seems that it is the same as the GRE-800, just repackaged into a base with remote head case. There may be some differences from the 800/1080 but I don't know what or if there really is. It would be cool if they added some modern stuff to the new 1095 like gps, bluetooth, and wifi (although not wifi like Uniden ;)). Here's to hoping ...


Cheers.
 

APX8000

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Those of you using the 1080 that are having garbled audio on simulcast systems...change your DSP LEVEL ADAPT from the default 64 to 16. Please report results. It helped a lot with my PSR-800.


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Grego

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Comparisons: 436HP and the 1080

Washington State is converting to some Phase II systems. Has anyone made good comparisons between these two scanners. I am behind most of you folks as I still have a PSR500 and love it.
 

JD21960

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Is Whistler 1080 Top of the line for now?

@Signal-ZERO. I'm glad someone has decided to mention those settings as I just got the WS1080. I made some youtube videos too. I know from the manual "64" is the default setting. You can access those on the EZScan software and the radio itself manually. I saw you could manipulate the ADC gain and DAC gain and the Enclevel default is -24. I'll give 16 a try and see over the next few days. I also wonder about the settings "Multi-Site" threshold levels on the EZScan software those are set at 88-95. Thanks for the advice.
 
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W6KRU

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I listen to a simulcast system that sounds terrible on my Uniden 396T and XT. It sounds really good on my WS-1080 with the default setting of 64 on the DSP Level Adapt.
 

KSDeputy

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I am so thankful that you guys that know a lot more about these new scanners than I do, are making these comparisons. I am waiting before buying a new portable to listen to my former employers new P 25 system. It is on air, and the Sheriff promised that dispatch channels would remain unencrypted. I do know that talk to talk has been encrypted in some instances, and it is a good idea. Bad guys have scanners too.Please keep the comparisons coming and thanks.
 
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