Will I need an update?

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KG4EMJ

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I just bought a used TRX-1 off ebay. I have no idea how old it is. The seller says it's completely functional, despite having some scuffs and scratches. My question is, do ALL TRX-1 scanners automatically have the ability to scan conventional NXDN?

My county is all NXDN and state police are P25. I plan to scan it all in a single list. Will I have to update any firmware on the radio to do this?
 

tvengr

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It will receive NXDN if the firmware is up to date. You will need the EZ Scan software for the TRX-1 to do that. Go to whistlergroup.com/downloads/scanner downloads/TRX-1 and download, save, and install TRX-1Install_3.34.0.669.exe
 
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Andyssonopie

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I'm pretty sure were in the same area, I haven't done a update in probably 3 years. My TRX2 is receiving great that's why I chose to leave well enough alone.
 

KG4EMJ

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OK thanks. I got the scanner connected to my laptop and everything is updated. BUT....I can't for the life of me figure out how to program it for my county. I saw some videos on YouTube but my EZ Scan window doesn't look like the one the guy from Zip Scanners has. I have all my conventional frequencies in a list, but my scanlist tab shows nothing. What am I doing wrong?

Whoever said EZ Scan is easier to use than the Kenwood NXDN software, I do not agree! Lol. This is complex.
 

KG4EMJ

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Anderson, KY

I got 177 imported. Now how do I get this over to the scanner?
 

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Wackyracer

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Anderson, KY

I got 177 imported. Now how do I get this over to the scanner?
2 ways, the super slow USB cable way or take the micro sd card out of the scanner, put it in a card reader then go to the upper left of ezscan and select scanner/sdcard, then from the drop down menu, select copy configuration TO scanner/sd card.
 

KG4EMJ

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OK so I finally got my scanlist into the radio. What a pain. EZ Scan is definitely a misnomer as somebody said ^^

Now I have a new problem. Reception is terrible. I have the unit sitting on the same table as my Kenwood. The Kenwood is picking up EMS/Fire traffic in town crystal clear. The Whistler doesn't make a peep. If I pick up the Whistler and hold it in odd orientations as I move around the room, I can get it to pick up transmissions simultaneously with the Kenwood. So apparently the reception is just horrendous. Is this a known issue with these Whistler radios? Would a different antenna make any noticeable difference? OH, and yes I've got the squelch turned down to try and pick up anything it can.
 

IC-R20

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Good antenna always helps, reception is fine. That's how all digital scanners are, you'll always get a better decode with the dedicated hardware of a commercial unit than the firmware based CPU decoding of a multimode scanner. It's like Swiss Army Knife. You can saw a log with it but you'll have a much easier time with a full sized saw.

Monoband antenna for the frequency you are receiving, directional with a bit of gain if you are able goes a long way. Scanners don't handle lower signal levels as well and can be more prone to out of band as well as adjancent frequency noise. Decent little preamp also helps with that as well when hooked up to Yagi. Little harder to find but I have got a patch antenna that covers the 850 MHz with 10db gain and it just a little square I can hang up on the wall like a picture frame, trouble is those are normally used for other stuff so have weird connectors and will need an adapter.
 

KG4EMJ

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I have a NOAA weather radio tower 15 miles to my east and another 7 miles to my north. This radio won't pick up any of them. I understand a scanner might not receive as well, but this one seems particularly poor.

I suppose I'll try a different antenna and if it doesn't get better I'll sell the radio because as it sits it's just a paperweight.
 

Andyssonopie

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I really think if you can come up with the right antenna setup you will really like the radio, as in the previous post made a comment some people get better reception out of a paper clip than the stock antenna. I have a Tram 1410 mounted about 25 feet up for my scanner and it picks up everything.
 

jonwienke

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A paper clip antenna is only useful if trying to receive simulcast, and even then, it only helps in very specific circumstances. For non-simulcast traffic, it's not going to help.
 

Wackyracer

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I have a NOAA weather radio tower 15 miles to my east and another 7 miles to my north. This radio won't pick up any of them. I understand a scanner might not receive as well, but this one seems particularly poor.

I suppose I'll try a different antenna and if it doesn't get better I'll sell the radio because as it sits it's just a paperweight.
the stock antenna is not that good or could be totally bad....lets work on getting noaa weather first, get a 36in piece of wire, put in the center pin of the bnc connector...try noaa again, if it still doesn't receive it zero bars, and squelch full CCW then check your programming in ezscan, fix itiif needed, ten prepare the card and copy the configuration to the scanner/sd/card, try noaa again, if it still doesn't work you have a hardware issue, possibly the antenna connection in the scanner.
 

svrstorm

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the stock antenna is not that good or could be totally bad....lets work on getting noaa weather first, get a 36in piece of wire, put in the center pin of the bnc connector...try noaa again, if it still doesn't receive it zero bars, and squelch full CCW then check your programming in ezscan, fix itiif needed, ten prepare the card and copy the configuration to the scanner/sd/card, try noaa again, if it still doesn't work you have a hardware issue, possibly the antenna connection in the scanner.
Have you tried the attenuation button. Maybe it’s overloading the front end of the receiver.
 

KG4EMJ

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I put a Diamond RH77CA antenna on it tonight and it's better. It's still not where I think it should be based on my prior experience mostly with Uniden and Kenwood products, but it is better. I finally heard an EMS dispatch call a few minutes ago.

I'll give this some time and see if it'll pick up KSP on the 400 MHz P25 band. If it'll pull that in, I'll be Ok with it.
 

TAbirdman

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Just make sure that you do not have the letters "GA" on the top of the display. if you do, press the ATT button to remove the "GA".
 

KG4EMJ

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Global Attenuation wasn't on. After playing with it for a week or so, I couldn't get it to do anything. It would receive if I was in town, literally a mile from the fire/EMS/police transmitting towers. But a few miles outside of town all I got was silence. If I heard an EMS call on my Kenwood, I could pick the Whistler up and hold it in my hands and it would then stop on the EMS channel and receive the same transmission. If I set it on the table again, nothing. The Diamond antenna allowed it to do that. With the stock antenna it wouldn't even receive if I held the radio.

So, seems to me that this radio is just really terrible at pulling in broadcasts. And that does me no good. So I threw it back on eBay and got all my money back. Actually made about $10 bucks on it.

Perhaps in the future I'll try a Uniden and see how that goes. Might even try a desktop unit with an outdoor antenna next time.
 
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