Whistler TRX-1 Digital Scanner Radio Handheld Review

Introduction

The Whistler TRX-1 Digital Scanner Radio Handheld is one of the latest on the market and one of the few if not only scanners available that does DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) and NXDN (Next Generation Digital Narrowband) modes, as well as Project 25 Phase 1 & 2.  Overall, I am pleased with this scanner and would buy it again knowing everything that I have learned so far after using it for a couple of weeks.  It has been a long time since I have owned a scanner, the last one being bought before digital transmissions were common, so I don’t' really have much to compare it to.  I would have to give at an 8.5 out of 10.

 While the Capitol Police are encrypted, I had no problem listening to the Metro Transit Police and DC Fire Department as I walked around the core of Washington DC.   By the way, encrypted transmissions give you a telephone like busy signal and a highlighted E on the display. 

Frequency Coverage

Covering almost all frequencies from 25 to 1300 megahertz picks up everything from the Citizens Band top of the 23 cm Amateur Radio band.  It skips cellular and broadcast radio and television, which is pretty standard for scanners.  In all, it is pretty standard for scanners in its price range.  I've yet to try it down in the HF band, or beyond the  800 MHz public safety bands, but from about 46 to 870 MHz it has exceeded my expectations both with receiving neighboring county systems, and its performance in the dense RF environment of downtown DC.  Coverage more common today than when I last purchased a scanner is military bands in the 300 MHz range.  Both aircraft and base trunked systems can be found there in the 216-420 MHz range that I had never scanned before. 

Analog and Digital Modes

This radio receives almost every mode you'll find in use in government and business, as well as many hams.  AM, FM, NFM, FM-MOT (Motorola), LTR (EF Johnson), CTCSS, DCS, NAC on P25, EDACS wide/narrow (GE/Ericsson/HARRIS), P25-Phase I, X2-TDMA, P25-Phase II, DMR, MotoTRBO Tier II, & NXDN.  DMR is a must have these days as many businesses have been moving to this technology.  NXDN still seems a little rare but it is out there, and growing.  If you are interested in railroad communications, NXDN is a must have for you.  While the rollout is slow, NXDN is the future standard on the railroad.

Other Features

I really like that, although it is a Mini-B connection, it can be powered and charged through USB.  The NiMh batteries to take a while (overnight) to fully charge through the radio.  It can also be powered by alkaline batteries, but swapping out batteries is a bit of an ordeal as you have to remove the belt clip, antenna, and the rubberized case and it can drain them rather quickly.  It has a 3.5 mm jack for audio out which I have used to connect to the AUX port in my car.  This 3.5mm jack can be converted to a discriminator tap for use with software decoders. 

Programming - Basic

The TRX-1 comes loaded with a fairly up to date database from radioreference.com which allows basic programming to be done with just a few button presses to select your location by county or zip code.  This easy programming has its advantages, quick, easy, requiring little knowledge of the frequencies and digital systems in the area.  Disadvantages are that when you use this method of programming, you are kind of stuck with what they give you.  It works, but in large suburban counties or cities, the scan list gets pretty long and it can take while to scan all the way through back to the beginning.

Programming – Intermediate

Using the software, it is easier to customize the scan lists with conventional frequencies and trunked system talk groups.  This is where you can set up the scanner for the way you want to use it.  I didn't find it completely intuitive, but it wasn't too hard to figure out, so, as software goes, it is about average.  I was able to set up my scan lists by county which suits my long commutes and frequent trips from Western Maryland to the Baltimore Area.

This is a screen grab of one of my scan lists that includes three trunked systems and a conventional frequency for Anne Arundel County Maryland.  It may be hard to see but I omitted the AAPD 11D Southern district police talk group as I don't really go to the south of the county, the same reason for eliminating AAFD 1C talk group.

I'm sure that there will be endless tweaking of my scan lists to try and find that sweet spot where I get to listen to what I find  interesting without wasting time scanning or listening to the more routine stuff.  I think my next project will be to create two scan lists for my home county, one for dispatch and major incidents, and the other for a lot of other types of traffic like, routine responses channels, highways, mall security, etc. 

Programming – Advanced

I haven't ventured into  this very much, but this scanner has the capability to program multiple virtual scanners that can be loaded from the supplied SD card.  When you load a different virtual scanner, it essentially wipes everything the memory and replaces it with something totally different, everything from settings, to conventional frequencies, to trunked systems.  I think this will be useful for experimenting with different settings and systems and for folks who travel.  I don't think it is for everyone, but it seems like a nice feature to have.

The Manual

The supplied manual was helpful, but it just didn't seem to be that great.  My understanding of the radio really improved when I found a manual online: http://new.marksscanners.com/1080_1095/1080_1088.shtml  the Easier to Read Whistler WS1080/1088 Handheld Digital Scanner and Programming Software Manual.  It was written for an older model, but it really helped me figure this thing out.

More Resources

There is really only one place where I've found a large enough community to ask questions where people will know  the answer.  The Radio Reference forum on Whistler scanners.

https://forums.radioreference.com/whistler-scanners/

A more comprehensive write up about the TRX-1 can be found here:

http://www.scannermaster.com/Whistler_TRX_1_Digital_Handheld_Police_Scanner_p/55-501926.htm