Very interesting, I was under the impression that the Whistler version scanners only had one firmware version. But if I understand this right, you're saying there is two firmware versions, 2.6, and 2.8. I wonder when they changed. My 651, purchased last week has a May 2014 date code in the battery box. It shows firmware version. 2.6. If later date codes have ver. 2.8, then obviously Whistler has a upgrade file they haven't released to the public. Even if they released the older 2.6 firmware, it would be welcomed for those folks who have bricked radios. This is of extreme interest, since RadioShack will no longer be a source for firmware, or service.