Is Whistler Still in the Scanner Business ?

[trentbob]

John at whistler. Interesting name😁 Glad they are in business, especially for those who own past products.
 

I think John at Whistler saying we are still in business means just that, they are there for support and repair.

If they don't have the product to sell anymore or distribute to vendors and Amazon is charging the price of a sds100 or 200 with several keys in it, pretty much speaks for itself. That's the true answer to the question. It answers itself.

I remember when they bought GRE Lock Stock and Barrel sight unseen and were learning themselves about the products they bought, everyone was waiting for the PSR 900 that never came out publicly for years after the PSR 800 was introduced by GRE.

Everything in my immediate area was Motorola type ll SmartZone. Whistler took the PSR 900 which already existed and was tested.. called ws1095 and quite a few people bought them, eventually they added the keyboard. Audio blew the doors off the muffled 536 and 436 of the day. A lot of that was cleaned up with firmware updates.


The remote head was pretty cool with its magnetic mount. I had it in my car for about 6 months and then everything started going phase ll simulcast, even though they had the firmware update for P2 capability, it made my PSR 800, ws1095 and trx1 obsolete for me.

Whistler knew what they had to do.. check out post 35 above for the rest of the story.😉

 

[a727469]

Is Whistler Still in the Scanner Business ?​

Whistler may be in business, but, unless other facts come forth, the answer must be “no“ on (current, competitive) scanners. As I have stated, I hope they stay to support past purchasers.

 

[RichM]

Last week I ordered a belt clip replacement for my Pro106 from Whistler. Good communication (status & shipping updates) and reasonably fast shipping (USPS), frankly I was shocked they would still have that part in stock! A commonly broken item like a belt clip from such an old design I would have thought they would have sold out of them years ago. Good to know they are still kicking.

I have a Pro106 and a Pro197 that I clone from that I bought new at Radio Shack. Great versatile scanners, still work like new and superior audio IMHO.

 

[IC-R20]

Last week I ordered a belt clip replacement for my Pro106 from Whistler. Good communication (status & shipping updates) and reasonably fast shipping (USPS), frankly I was shocked they would still have that part in stock! A commonly broken item like a belt clip from such an old design I would have thought they would have sold out of them years ago. Good to know they are still kicking.

I have a Pro106 and a Pro197 that I clone from that I bought new at Radio Shack. Great versatile scanners, still work like new and superior audio IMHO.

The pro-106 is just the WS1040 from whistler which is still made, the clip is also used on the ws1010 and a few other radios that don't have the swivel belt clip. The swivel belt clip which you can also buy as a replacement will also fit this radio and the others, it's the same slot dimensions. I used the swivel on my WS1040 until I got the scanner master leather case which requires you to take it off. I've also used the non-swivel clip on my TRX-1 with the case off to make it a little more compact for stealth listening from the inner jacket pocket.

 

[a727469]

Scannermaster and Zipscanners have no Whistlers in stock. Whistler says they only have 1040s(4) and 1010s in stock. Everything else is ‘check availability’.

Either problems with manufacturing or they are no longer carrying? I believe this status has been for awhile but I could be wrong.

Radio Scanners

Whistler is a leader in automotive radar detectors, power inverters, dash cameras, portable jump starters, rear-view cameras, police radio scanners and diagnostic inspection cameras.

whistlergroup.com

 

[Insulator]

I think I can see the writing on the wall for Whistler scanners. I was going to get a TRX-2, But I'm going to support Uniden. I'll just pay for the NXDN upgrade and stick with time-proven Uniden.

 

[a727469]

Good idea..I think you might like the sds200…

 

[Insulator]

After further investigation, I think I'll go with the SDS-200. Uniden has been a time-proven scanner manufacturer. Thanks for your input.

 

[ka3nxn]

He had nothing to say? Like "I dunno when we'll have more in stock" nothing to say or like "I plead the 5th" nothing to say? Or just an awkward silence?

You can only plead the 5th if you are being questioned after an arrest, or are going in front of a judge. Which should happen if whistler is going to drop their complete customer base like hot potatoes.

 

[tvengr]

The Whistler download site is up again, but I still get the socket error on updates.

 

[bubbaearle]

I honestly would like to get another TRX-1 & a TRX-2 for the house but I can't find any in stock at a reasonable price & I just don't see them being around much longer.

I've bought two BCD325P2's in the past month on Amazon - used / like new - fairly cheap even after the paid upgrades. I prefer the Whistler units though since they're easier (for me) to program without using the library database BS.

 

[tvengr]

I prefer the Whistler units though since they're easier (for me) to program without using the library database BS.

I prefer doing custom programming using EZ Scan for my WS1080 to set up everything exactly the way I like it. I don't use the library at all, so the updates don't make any difference to me. It would still be nice to be able to do firmware updates, but I doubt there will be any more for the 1080.

 

[bubbaearle]

I prefer doing custom programming using EZ Scan for my WS1080 to set up everything exactly the way I like it. I don't use the library at all, so the updates don't make any difference to me. It would still be nice to be able to do firmware updates, but I doubt there will be any more for the 1080.

I have Excel spreadsheets that I organize my programming & import into EZ Scan, so much easier than any of the third-party software packages for Uniden. I don't like being tied to Radio Reference for programming.

 

[tvengr]

I have Excel spreadsheets that I organize my programming & import into EZ Scan.

Same here!

 

[KR8MR]

Whistler Group of Bentonville Arkansas birthplace of Walmart has become unresponsive. Whistler had been providing radar detectors and radio scanners for half a century. The company became unresponsive to clients in mid 2024 and has been on life support since. Some have attempted to contact Whistler by phone. The company voice mail says it is closed until Oct 1st (2024?) which of course has already passed. It is likely that the owner will soon draft a letter like the one by the founder of MFJ which stopped production earlier this year. In it Martin Jue says he is looking forward to retiring. Times have changed since I started this business 52 years ago. Our product line grew and grew and prospered. Covid changed everything [for] businesses, including ours. It was the hardest hit that we have ever had, and we never fully recovered. An attempt to contact Whistler group by phone has gone unanswered.

 

[buddrousa]

Until it is announced by Whistler it is only RUMOR. I have 25 Unidens and 2 Whistlers and 4 GRE/RADIOSHACK. So that proves I am not a Whistler Fan Boy. It would not surprise me if your correct but we need to hear it from Whistler 1st hand.

 

[ka3jjz]

Didn't I read somewhere that they were in the process of moving?

You might start by outlining your issue, which Whistler scanners you have and the system(s) you are trying to hear. There's a lot of very smart folks here

Mike

 

[tvengr]

Didn't I read somewhere that they were in the process of moving?

Supposedly, they were in the process of moving to Rogers when their new building was destroyed by a tornado. The Whistler download site is up again, but I still get the socket error on updates.

 

[a727469]

As stated there is nothing official although I would not be surprised but it could just be circumstances with a move or something else, but no new scanners in years and not much inventory out there.
I enjoyed their radios at one time and hope they could support current users, but the market(Uniden) passed them by years ago. If so, might be some good deals out there if you want to take a chance😵‍💫

 

[bubbaearle]

.... might be some good deals out there if you want to take a chance

If I could find the "deals" I wouldn't have bought two Uniden BCD 325P2's!! I would much rather have gotten a few more TRX-1's at least. For my immediate area they work just fine.