TRX-1: What Features Does The Whistler TRX-1 Have That Might Convince Me To Buy It?

[JASII]

I already have a Uniden SDS-100. I am pondering getting another scanner. What features does the Whistler TRX-1 or TRX-2 have that might convince me to add it to my collection?

 

[buddrousa]

If it was still at the $499 price when introduced, it would be a good deal but selling it at the same price as a SDS200 not a good deal.

 

[pgates]

It has a completely different style of operation. This is technology that was purchased from General Research in Electronics, GRE. GRE somehow lost their manufacturing capability and could no longer function. Whistler purchased their intellectual property, made some incremental changes and succeeded in marketing these products. I have always preferred them to the Uniden radios, historically. I've owned both. I would say that the current flagship Uniden receivers do a fine job and employ current technology whereas the Whistlers are a legacy design. You would need to look at the receiver specifications and compare. The Whistler receivers come fully entitled for reception modes for which Uniden charges extra. I find that the stored scanner configurations ("virtual scanners" on the Whistler TRX radios) are much easier to implement and use than on the Uniden SDS receivers. I also like the Whistler computer software interface better. Between my SDS receiver and a Whistler TRX-2, the Whistler sounds so much better to my ear than the Uniden SDS. Doesn't matter what mode, when they are both running simultaneously, the Whistler has better audio. Recording is easier to setup.

Just some random thoughts for you. I have the SDS desktop, two TRX-2s and a TRX-1, among other things. As was noted elsewhere, it would be good to pick one up on sale or, from Whistler's scratch and dent sales.

One other note, I find the charging method on the TRX-1 to be really lousy. I don't know what the deal is with that but, it's slow and, little feedback, and, I swear it has no way to actually fully charge the batteries. I always keep extra rechargeable batteries ready and just swap them out.

 

[hiegtx]

I already have a Uniden SDS-100. I am pondering getting another scanner. What features does the Whistler TRX-1 or TRX-2 have that might convince me to add it to my collection?

We all know that "simulcast systems" are this scanner's Achilles Heel. However, I find mine useful for several other things.

I does well in helping me "sniff-out" new, undocumented, DMR trunked systems. I can enter the frequencies that appear to be a possible system, such as a cluster of 4 or 5 licensed for the same location., and set the scanner to record activity. Later, I can look at what was captured, seeing if the same TGID is showing up on more than one frequency at the location, and listen to the recordings to get an idea of what the possible channel is used for. The scanner will not trunk track DMR or NXDN systems, but listening to recordings, noting the same TGID showing up on more than one frequency, is an indication that a system, rather than just individual frequencies, is in use.

The TRX is more sensitive on conventional channels, which helps when looking at a possible 'system' that while not terribly far away, it isn't exactly next door to you.

With the TRX scanners, you can set specific frequencies, or TGID channels, to record, and later review to determine how they are being used. For the Uniden scanners, it's record all, or nothing. The exception (for Uniden database scanners) is being if you have the scanner connected to a PC, and are running ProScan (or ARC) to control which are recorded and which are not. On the TRX, you can set individual channels (frequencies or talkgroups) to record. You can also specify a wild card to be recorded, even if nothing else for a given set of channels, is set to record. On the Uniden database scanners, again, with the exception of using virtual control, it's recording everything, both "new" talkgroups found by 'ID Search', that have not yet been identified & confirmed, as well as known, existing, frequency channels & talkgroups.

The TRX-1 has a good "hand friendly" size, and feels very sturdy. It also has 4 batteries, for longer operating time than most comparable Uniden scanners with either three batteries, or the SDS unit's specialized battery. (While the 325P3 also has a nice 'hand friendly' size. it only has two batteries, with a somewhat limited run time, and, of course, no 'on scanner' record capability. No recording unless connected to a PC.

 

[Ubbe]

I haven't measured TRX scanners 800MHz performance and I have no system to listen to in that frequency band. But for 400MHz and VHF a TRX isn't as sensitive as a Uniden 436/536 scanner and there are some issues in VHF that they easily overloads, de-sense and have intermodulation issues that a strong signal can be heard on other frequencies.

If you set the squelch so that it opens at the same noise level as a Uniden scanner then the squelch will never close again when the signal disappears. If you set the squelch so it closes at the same noise level as a Uniden it will open first when the signal are completely noise free. It's a huge difference set between when squelch opens and closes that force you to set it high and then need higher signal levels than a Uniden to operate as a scanner. Uniden uses a calibration table for it's squelch so it will have the same setting on all frequency bands. TRX doesn't do that and squelch works uneven and can be too loose at one frequency range and too tight at others.

If I turn squelch down to 0 on a TRX-2 and listen to an analog signal with a faint background noise and then start to increase the squelch it will add noise to the reception with each step of the squelch until it sounds as a real weak signal at squelch 9 and finally closes squelch at 10. It's some kind of design mistake in the scanner. TRX scanners have a general poor performance as a radio receiver and for me are impossible to use with weak signal monitoring.

Functions and features are great, as other have mentioned, and most are much better implemented than what Uniden have managed to do and some of it are patent related. TRX scanners digital decode quality of DMR and NXDN are way better than Unidens. I don't have enough P25 systems to test. It TG tracks voice channels in DMR trunk systems and never miss a call but it can take longer to find the call it is looking for depending of how busy a site are. For a Uniden that tracks using only the control channel they miss out of some calls if you have both scanners side by side or listen to both's recording logs. On a control channel the info of TG activity on voice channels only repeats at longer intervals and a Uniden scanner might not catch that when it lands on a system that already have ongoing conversations. For private calls radio-to-radio that info are only sent once on the control channel so if a Uniden scanner wasn't monitoring the control channel at that time it will miss it. A TRX scans voice channels and always catch those private calls.

TRX uses a very aggressive audio AGC compared to Uniden, if they at all have one, but maybe too much at times. But speaker audio quality are way better than from Uniden scanners. There's no real need to use external speakers.

It's Spectrum Sweep do searches at a very high speed looking at a wide frequency chunk and when it finds something it will switch over to a more normal search with finer steps. It makes it work much slower than CloseCall but are also more sensitive and works as a medium distance catcher, so can be both good and bad.

In most Uniden scanners you can set a step size and modulation type in a bandplan but TRX uses a fixed one that a user haven't access to.

A TRX discriminator signal, callad IF out, are great for connecting to external decode programs, but have limited use due to its poor radio receiver performance but are anyhow better than a SDR dongle.

TRX scanners have a totally different user interface, programming software and scanning functions and perform differently to Uniden scanners and might have a steep learning curve as I feel they are not as easy to understand as a Uniden scanner that feels more logical to operate and program. The general feel and looks of a TRX makes me think it should be a $100 cheaper scanner than a Uniden 436/536. When I bought my TRX-2 from US it was $50 below a Uniden 536, that I also bough from US.

Uniden and TRX are so different that you really at one time need to have both and you will then probably keep both as they excel at different things.

/Ubbe