New Legacy Scanner Upgrade Program

[KT4HX]

My response in Post 5 was for the posts above that regarding if it would EZ Scan, etc.

Thanks for the clarification Wendy. If I might make a suggestion - when responding to specific posts you may wish to use the quote or multi-quote function. That would negate the need for people to ask you which post you were responding to.

 

[DJ11DLN]

$60 + shipping to turn an unsupported radio that functions either on very out of date and limited firmware, or conversely on "bootleg" firmware whose future is at best uncertain, into a legitimate, supported radio, where no jiggery-pokery is needed to make it work, and with at least the tacit possibility of future updates? I'm in. I have one each Pro-18 and Pro-668 that I will be cycling through this program. Kudos to Whistler for offering this.

Also, I note that Eric hasn't posted in the threads pertaining to his updates for these radios in awhile...I really hope he did not get into trouble for merely trying to help out the people who got "stuck" with unsupported RS radios.

 

[Wackyracer]

Will this upgrade be more then just a firmware change ? I would rather have a true WS1080 and not have to worry about which scanner has the upgrade. It would just simplify the whole situation.

And I applaud Whistler for supporting their customers . A big Thank You !!!!

In ezscan you can change the opening screen to say Pro-668 or anything you want.

 

[milcom_chaser]

Ok, so all future firmware upgrades will be supported, and can be done directly thru EZscan.

Well, that sounds cool.

 

[milcom_chaser]

So, are we paying for what Eric provided for free? Or are you actually upgrading the hardware to handle the code more efficiently?

I doubt there would be any hardware changes. That happened when they released the TRX line of radios with larger processor flash space, and RF component replacements.

 

[fredva]

Would this upgrade give a PRO-18 P25 Phase 2 capability as well as DMR capability?

 

[WhistlerWendy]

Would this upgrade give a PRO-18 P25 Phase 2 capability as well as DMR capability?

Yep! It sure will.

 

[SCPD]

Yep! It sure will.

Great job Whistler stepping up and offering an upgrade path
This should calm some of the haters for a few days then the cry for
NXDN is next

 

[fredva]

Yep! It sure will.

Thanks!

 

[BrianG61UK]

So, are we paying for what Eric provided for free? Or are you actually upgrading the hardware to handle the code more efficiently?

I doubt much changes in the hardware. However Whistler can't just tell you how to put the DMR firmware in to a device where the license fees for the proprietary AMBR+2 codec haven't been paid. The owners of the codec would not be pleased and would expect Whistler to pay.

 

[GrumpyGuard]

Thank you, Whistler.

 

[IAmSixNine]

My guess is pretty much the $59.99 covers the cost of the return shipping plus the licensing fee for DMR as well as some engineering done on Whistlers side to make it compatible with EZ scan and future updates.
This seems like a legit win for the Pro-688 users who want to keep their unit going a bit longer.

 

[EricCottrell]

Hello,

This is surprising news from Whistler and I am planning on taking advantage of it. Why? Because it is easier to do upgrades through official channels.

I suspect the upgrade is replacing the bootloader in the scanner, so WS-1080 firmware can be loaded directly. There could also be firmware changes to handle the slight differences in hardware between the scanner models.

Thanks Whistler for offering this to past GRE/Radio Shack customers. I assume there is no LED support on the Pro-18?

73 Eric

 

[milcom_chaser]

Hello,



This is surprising news from Whistler and I am planning on taking advantage of it. Why? Because it is easier to do upgrades through official channels.



I suspect the upgrade is replacing the bootloader in the scanner, so WS-1080 firmware can be loaded directly. There could also be firmware changes to handle the slight differences in hardware between the scanner models.



Thanks Whistler for offering this to past GRE/Radio Shack customers. I assume there is no LED support on the Pro-18?



73 Eric

Was thinking that as well yesterday while downgrading firmware; they will change the boot-loader. As a side note, had to roll back to v4.5 to allow for 12.5khz step size in the 450-470 band via the Canadian Band Plan. Which beckons the question: can you roll back the firmware version once the radio is upgraded via EZscan? I know in the past you were limited to what is up on their website.

 

[tumegpc]

Hello,


Thanks Whistler for offering this to past GRE/Radio Shack customers. I assume there is no LED support on the Pro-18?

73 Eric

I'm hoping when we get a better clarification of the upgrade that it's going to be a WS1080. This would be the most logical scenario where future upgrades will be simple and hardware compatibility would not be an issue.

If Whistler wants to steal the show, releasing 3rd party software support like Win500 would do the trick.