Before starting the whistler scanner review, let’s know some basics about radio scanners. A radio scanner is a device, using which you can check so many radio channels quickly and you can hear two-way radio conversations.
A radio scanner is used in many works. To call fire service or emergency medical service you can use a radio scanner. It is also used to monitor police. This can be used in the field of journalism and crime investigation too. Many people use it for hobbies. A radio scanner helps you to check every channel automatically one after another to check if there is any activity going on. If any activity is going on any channel, then the radio locks the frequency and sends it to the speaker to hear it. That’s how a radio scanner works.
There are so many radio scanners in the market. But the whistler group always produced the best radio scanners. In this article, I will give you the 3 best whistler scanners review. Let’s dive into the details.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Whistler Scanners
Best 3 Whistler Scanners Review in Details
Whistler WS1040 Handheld Digital Scanner Radio Review
When you are looking for a radio scanner, you have to choose between a desktop digital radio scanner and a handheld digital radio scanner. Handheld digital radio scanners are more convenient than desktop digital radio scanners. One of the best handheld radio scanners is Whistler WS1040 Handheld Digital Scanner.
There are so many amazing features in this radio scanner. This comes with the Motorola P25 Phase I capabilities. This scanner is easy to program and use because of its object-oriented programming feature. The storage capacity of this scanner is over 38,000. There is a spectrum sweeper and a dedicated Skywarn button.
Before starting the whistler scanners review, let’s know the product information of Whistler WS1040. The product dimensions are 1.65 x 2.56 x 5.71 inches. The item weight is 8.5 ounces. This is a black color radio scanner. Today I will review this radio scanner. I will let you know the features, pros, cons, etc. Let’s start the review.
Some amazing features of Whistler WS1040 make this one of the best mid-range portable police scanners. Let’s know more details about the features in this Whistler scanners review.
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Design
This is a handheld digital radio scanner. So it is easy to carry this scanner with you anywhere. The keypad and the LCD screen both are backlit so that you can easily operate them in low light. Other scanners just have a backlit LCD screen. So here the backlit keypad is a real advantage for the users.
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Coverage
It covers 25-1300 MHz with its broad spectrum. It can detect different signals like DCS, CTCSS, NFM, P25, AM, and FM. During searching, this scanner can decode P25 and DCS/CTCSS. But Uniden can not do both jobs at the same time. There is a multi trunking system available in this scanner. It scans the most trunked radio system signaling format. Whistler WS1040 covers a wide range of channels so that you don’t miss any channels.
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Free-Form Memory
This radio scanner uses the most dynamic and efficient free form memory, while there are rigid memory banks in old scanner models. This device scans objects instead of frequency. To have access later, you can add up to 20 scan lists. You can name, structure, or organize the lists any way you want. They are the core of Whistler WS1040. Though all known whistlers can scan 18,000 frequencies, it has space for 38,000 scannable objects.
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Object-Oriented User Interface
As you know, Whistler WS1040 scans for objects. This can be trunked system talk group, channel, spectrum sweep, limit search, service search, etc. This object-oriented user interface makes things easier to operate.
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Multi-Colour LED Alert
In this radio scanner, there are multi-color LED lights to show different colors for different notifications. This is one of my favorite features of Whistler WS1040. You set a color for different channels. For example red for fire and other emergencies, blue for police, green for radio, etc.
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Programming
If you are a beginner, you can program the Whistler WS1040 manually. You just need to follow the instructions from the manual. You can take help from video tutorials also. You do not need any software.
There are more features in this scanner like One-touch weather access, Digital AGC, Automatic Adaptive Digital Tracking, V–Scanner Technology, Audible Alarms, etc. These features make this Whistler WS1040 a fantastic scanner.
pros & Cons
- Portable and handheld
- Backlit keypad and LED
- Free-Form memory
- V scanner technology
- Audible and LED alert
- Object-oriented user interface
- Bulkier than others
- Can be overwhelming for beginners
This Product Specialty
Every product has some specialty, because of that, you choose the product. The specialty of Whistler WS1040 is that it is easy to carry. You can carry this handheld radio scanner anywhere comfortably. Another specialty of this product is there is LED light alert. So you can set different color LED lights for different channels. These are the specialties of Whistler WS1040.
Bottom Line
In the mid-range plane, Whistler WS1040 is one of the best handheld digital radio scanners. In this whistler scanners review, you have heard of the fantastic product Whistler WS1040. This product has some amazing features, which can convince you to buy this one.
Whistler WS1065 Desktop Digital Scanner Review
The Whistler WS1065 is a digital radio scanner. A user can use this desktop scanner with his mobile or desktop. You can store up to more than 1,800 frequencies using this scanner. You can hear the weather before it is broadcast on Radio or TV. You will find some additional things with this scanner, such as an AC adapter, DC cable, DIN E adapter, mobile mounting bracket, telescopic antenna, and PC/IF cable. This product is produced by Whistler. The product dimensions are 5.3 x 7.3 x 2.2 inches. Considering its size this is a heavy product. The weight of this scanner is 2.64 pounds. This scanner is made in China. The model of this scanner is WS1065.
There are some fantastic features of Whistler WS1065. Those who have little idea about radio scanners can not understand these features, because the features are top quality features like V-scanner capability, object-oriented scanning, Skywarn functions, and many more. This is similar to a police scanner because Whistler WS1065 has everything a police scanner has. Let’s discuss the features in this Whistler scanner review.
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Build Quality and Design
Those who have ideas about desktop scanners are familiar with this Whistler WS1065 design. The dimensions of this scanner are 5.3 x 2.2 x 7.3 inches. The weight of this scanner is 2.64 pounds. The size of the Whistler WS1065 is ideal for a desktop model. The buttons are nicely placed and the display is not so large. Because of its mounting bracket, it is slightly raised and angled to you. The built quality of this scanner is pretty the same as other whistler scanners. Every part of this scanner is placed solidly. You can easily handle this scanner. Whistler WS1065 is a premium model scanner with perfect built-in quality.
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Frequency
This radio scanner comes with a fantastic range of frequency coverage. This is one of the best features of this scanner. The range of frequency coverage of this scanner is given below –
25-54 MHz
108-117 MHz
137-174 MHz
216-512 MHz
764-776 MHz
795-805 MHz
849-869 MHz
896-960 MHz
1240-1300 MHz
This scanner can cover VHF and UHF better than any other scanner. You can store up to 18,000 individual frequencies in this. You can add other virtual scanners to add more than 20,000 extra frequencies.
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Display
Compared to other radio scanners, the display of the Whistler WS1065 is pretty good. The display is an LCD backlit display. The display color is orange. In the display, there are 4 separate lines and each of them has 16 characters. The brightness of this display is good enough to see in low light conditions. You can see the display properly. The display is 2 inches big. It is very easy to use this in total darkness as the backlit keys also added to the convenience.
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Scanning Speed
It provides you with fantastic scanning speed. You can search for many channels at the same time. You don’t have to face any difficulties. This is a special feature of Whistler WS1065. That’s why it makes a place in this Whistler scanners review.
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Memory and Frequency Search
Whistler WS1065 will provide you with very intuitive scanning. There are two modes in this scanner. One is manual mode and another one is automatic mode. Using manual mode, you can toggle different frequencies. The automatic mode is to look for the nearby frequency transmissions and jump into one. On the front side of the scanner, there is a W/X button. Using that button you can directly jump into the NOAA channel. The memory of this scanner is amazing. By adding an extra scanner, you can store up to 38,000 frequencies.
pros & Cons
- Storage of 1,800 frequencies
- AGC audio level compensation
- Well built and durable
- Menu-driven programming
- Covers a good range with a good signal clarity
- Perfect for radio enthusiasts
- Don’t work in some specific areas
- High price
This Product Specialty
Whistler WS1065 is a fantastic product with some special features. The special features make it different and better from others. The frequency coverage range is a top specialty of this radio scanner.
Bottom Line
This radio scanner is the perfect desktop radio scanner for you. In this radio scanners review, I let you know about this scanner. Now you know how good this is.
Whistler WS1010 Analog Handheld Scanner
In this whistler scanners review, you have already seen the two best scanners. Now it’s time to see the final one. This is the Whistler WS1010 analog handheld scanner. This is another handheld scanner. But it is different from the Whistler WS1040. Let’s know about the features.
Whistler WS1010 is a fantastic product with some fantastic features. The features will attract you to buy this product.
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Memory
This scanner has a huge 400 channel memory. You can save your favorite frequencies in 10 different storage banks. This is a fantastic feature for the users.
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Display
The display of this radio scanner is a backlit liquid crystal display. You can easily read the data on the display even in low-light conditions.
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Data Cloning
Whistler WS1010 handheld digital radio scanner allows you to clone data. That means you can transfer data from one WS1010 scanner to another WS1010 scanner.
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Flexible Antenna with BNC connector
This scanner can receive strong local signals. There is also an antenna to receive distant or weak signals. This feature makes communication easy for you.
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Spectrum Sweeper
For transmissions from nearby sources spectrum sweeper quickly sweeps the frequency ranges.
pros & Cons
- 200 channels memory
- Backlit liquid crystal display
- Data cloning
- Antenna with BNC connector
- Lockout function
- PC Programmable
- Memory backup
- High price
This Product Specialty
The specialty of this Whistler scanner is, that there is a Backlit liquid crystal display in this scanner. This display makes it easy for you to read the data even in low light.
Bottom Line
Whistler WS1010 is a perfect scanner for users. There are some attractive and effective features in this scanner. So it is worth buying this scanner.
Final Word
In this whistler scanners review, I reviewed the three best whistler scanners. You have read the features, pros, cons, and specialty of the whistler scanners. Now you can choose your favorite one from these scanners.
FAQs
How To Program A Whistler Scanner?
To program a whistler scanner, you have to put the scanner in manual mode. After you press the ‘Manual’ button, you have to enter the channel number you want to hear. If you don’t have the list of frequencies, then you should press the ‘Scan’ button. Then it will scan the available frequencies.
How Does The Whistler Scanner Work?
The Whistler scanner works like other radio scanners. The radio scanner scans the nearby channel and if it finds any activity in any channel then it locks the channel. Then you can hear it. If you like the channel, you can save it in your channel list.
What Is The Easiest Digital Police Scanner To Use?
All the whistler scanners are easy to use. You can easily set it up and program it. But the Uniden BCD536HP is much easier for programming.
Is A Digital Or Analog Police Scanner Better?
Of these two types of police scanners, a Digital police scanner is far better than an analog police scanner. You can easily use the digital one. You don’t have to program the scanner, because it comes pre-programmed. That’s why a digital police scanner is better.