Review on 📻 Black Whistler WS1065 Desktop Digital Scanner for Improved Scanning Experience by Richard Simmons

EDIT** I'm completely amazed by the number of bad reviews blaming the scanner for a misunderstanding on the part of the buyer. This scanner arrives at your door unprogrammed and you need to enter the required data in order for it to work. The data is freely available. There is no need to pay a monthly fee or subscription to program this scanner. You can program this scanner manually. But the days of introducing an analog frequency pair are mostly over. Most systems require at least control channel and talkgroup information to be entered. Although it's possible with the keyboard, it will take a LONG time to enter more than a few "channels". Modern trunking systems require a lot of data for operation. THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' ANALOG SCANNER. If any of the terms are unfamiliar to you, expect to spend some time reading online forums and playing around with things. Again, this is not the fault of the scanner. This is the nature of scanning in the 21st century. There is software that makes programming easier, but you still need to know the required data and enter it correctly. Just because neither you nor 1200 of your closest IT friends have the experience/understanding to program that radio doesn't mean the scanner won't work. in the wine. It's like saying that heart surgery is pointless because you don't know how to do it. You have to learn. And Revane, Whistler, a guy down the street, or a salesman can't just magically program it when it shows up at your door. Every system is unique. Every interest in scanning is unique. Would you buy a car with the clerk's seat adjusted (and locked) and the radio on his favorite station? No of course not. This scanner works great for its price. And 90% of negative reviews are written by people who don't understand modern scanning and don't seem to want to learn it. You can purchase pre-programmed scanners for double the price. Or you can spend a few hours learning the information you need to program your own radio. When it comes to scanning modern systems, free lunches don't exist. I am sorry.--------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- - --- -------------------------------- Whistler took over the design from GRE, but the heart of this radio is still there the same. Thus, all accessories such as programming cables and holders work with all GRE/Radio Shack/Whistler devices. The scanner is a phase 1 digital trunked radio. It doesn't have the most reliable front end (especially on VHF) but works very well on other bands. It works well on VHF if you tinker with the programming and understand how it works with strong signals like simulcast systems. Considering the price, that's a minor annoyance. For about half the price of a scanner that handles crowded RF environments only marginally better, I can easily forget about the downsides. However, note that if you need to receive TDMA (Phase 2 or DMR), NeXTEL or several other newer protocols, this scanner cannot and will not receive them. Also note that this does not decrypt the encryption. If your local agencies are encrypted, you cannot eavesdrop on them with this or any other scanner. Expect to spend some time with this device to get everything up to speed. If you're a longtime scanner lover, this thing can track your local system within minutes of opening the box. Everything is simple and intuitive. If all you need is phase 1, for the price this scanner is hard to beat. It's also probably the most convenient option for those who want to get into modern scanning but still want to mess around with things. Without any prior knowledge, you can get touch scanners that work with a database. But if you're willing to tinker with settings and not afraid to learn new things, this is a great scanner to sharpen your teeth.