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Whistler TRX-1 / TRX-2 · Volume 1

Whistler TRX-1 / TRX-2 — Vol 1: Introduction & Hardware

The last PSR-800-lineage scanners, with DMR and NXDN, sold new under Goliad Products

Figure 1 — The GRE PSR-800 platform family, 2011–2026: handheld and base/mobile models with their firmware milestones, set against the GRE, Whistler and Goliad company eras. The TRX-1 and TRX-2 are…
Figure 1 — The GRE PSR-800 platform family, 2011–2026: handheld and base/mobile models with their firmware milestones, set against the GRE, Whistler and Goliad company eras. The TRX-1 and TRX-2 are the only members still sold new. Original diagram for this site.

1.1 About this volume

The Whistler TRX-1 (handheld) and TRX-2 (base/mobile) are the final revision of the scanner platform GRE America launched with the PSR-800 in 2011. Whistler announced both on 17 May 2016 and shipped them in late June 2016. They are the only models of that family still manufactured. The Whistler Group stopped operating at the end of 2024, and Goliad Products LLC of Cincinnati bought its assets in January 2025. Goliad resumed selling both radios under the unchanged Whistler name. In September 2026 whistlergroup.com lists the TRX-1 at $599.99 and the TRX-2 at $679.99, both in stock.

Technically, the TRX line is a revision, not a redesign.

  • Same receiver: triple-conversion superheterodyne with IFs of 380.8 MHz, 21.4 MHz and 455 kHz, the same frequency coverage, and a sensitivity table identical to the WS1080’s and the PSR-800’s.
  • Same cases: the TRX-1 uses the WS1080 handheld case, and the TRX-2 uses the two-piece WS1095/WS1098 chassis with its detachable magnetic head.
  • Same certification: the FCC treats them as revisions. The TRX-1 guide prints FCC ID HSXSC10, the WS1080’s grant, and the TRX-2 guide prints HSXSC11, the WS1095’s grant.

What changed:

  • CPU flash: 512K against the WS series’ 384K. This figure comes from the developer of the unofficial PSR-800 firmware patches and is likely but not confirmed by Whistler.
  • DMR from launch.
  • NXDN, added free in December 2016. It needed the extra flash.
  • Full alphanumeric keypad on both models.
  • Protective case included with the TRX-1.

For a buyer in 2026, the TRX radios are the only members of the family with:

  • a living manufacturer
  • current firmware and library downloads
  • a new-unit warranty
  • NXDN

They also inherit the platform’s limits:

  • DMR and NXDN: the scanner follows calls by scanning each site’s frequencies rather than tracking a control channel.
  • P25 simulcast: owner reports describe weak performance.

Both limits are covered in Vol 2 and Vol 4.

This dive concentrates on what the TRX adds and on the Goliad era. Material shared with the rest of the family lives elsewhere:

  • Receiver, object model, scanlists, Scan Sets, V-Scanner II, Spectrum Sweeper, SAME weather, and the microSD card and EZ Scan basics: the GRE PSR-800 dive.
  • The two-piece chassis and its installation: the WS1095/WS1098 dive.

1.2 The family, and where the TRX fits

Table 1 — The family, and where the TRX fits

ModelMaker / brandTypeIntroducedRelationship
PSR-800GREHandheld2011The original design (dive)
PRO-18GRE for RadioShackHandheld2011Reduced-feature badge variant
PSR-900GREBase/mobileShown 2012Cancelled when GRE stopped making scanners in October 2012
WS1080WhistlerHandheldSep/Oct 2014PSR-800 with obsolete parts replaced (dive)
PRO-668Whistler for RadioShackHandheld2015Relabelled WS1080
WS1095WhistlerBase/mobileJune 2015The PSR-900 completed (dive)
WS1088WhistlerHandheldNovember 2015WS1080 with a 23-key alphanumeric keypad
WS1098WhistlerBase/mobileNovember 2015WS1095 with a full alphanumeric keypad
TRX-1Whistler (Goliad since 2025)HandheldJune 2016WS1088 hardware revision: more flash, DMR at launch, NXDN
TRX-2Whistler (Goliad since 2025)Base/mobileJune 2016WS1098 hardware revision: more flash, DMR at launch, NXDN
TRX-1E / TRX-2EWhistlerBoth2019International firmware and band plans for existing hardware

The TRX-1 replaced the WS1088 and the TRX-2 replaced the WS1098; dealers list each as the successor. Whistler went on to announce successors called the TRX-100 and TRX-200 in 2018. Both are reported to have been abandoned before 2020, and neither was sold. No later model has been announced, by Whistler before 2024 or by Goliad since.

1.3 TRX-1 compared with the WS1080 and WS1088

Table 2 — TRX-1 compared with the WS1080 and WS1088

ItemWS1080WS1088TRX-1
FCC IDHSXSC10HSXSC10HSXSC10
Keypad10-key simple pad23-key backlit alphanumericFull backlit alphanumeric
CPU flash384K (likely)384K (likely)512K (likely)
DMR / MotoTRBOFree update, 31 May 2016Free update, 31 May 2016At launch
NXDNNever (flash too small)NeverFree update, 15 December 2016
Protective case in the boxNoNoYes
Software on Goliad’s download page (2026)EZ-Scan 2.51.0.707, CPU updater U4.8Shares the WS1080 packageEZ-Scan 3.48.0.708, CPU updater U5.9
Status in 2026DiscontinuedDiscontinuedSold new, $599.99

The TRX-1 guide’s specification page matches the WS1080’s line for line:

  • Size and weight: 135 × 67 × 28 mm (5.31 × 2.12 × 1.06 in); 210 g (7.4 oz) without antenna and batteries.
  • Display: 132 × 65-dot LCD.
  • Audio: 36 mm 8 Ω speaker, 500 mW.
  • Power:
    • Four AA cells: 4.8 V NiMH or 6 V alkaline.
    • External power and charging over USB at 5 V, 500 mA.
    • Current drain of 170 mA squelched.
  • Card: microSD, supported up to 32 GB. Cards larger than 2 GB must be formatted as the guide instructs.
  • Alert LED: programmable tri-color. The RadioReference wiki notes that the preset yellow renders as yellow-green and suggests RGB F84035 for a true yellow.
  • Battery life: dealer copy gives 7–13 hours on four AA cells.

The keypad is the WS1088’s layout, the WS1080’s design in a different faceplate. It allows systems, sites and talkgroups to be created and edited without a PC.

The front-end question. The RadioReference family page and some forum posts say the TRX added better front-end filtering against overload. The evidence does not settle it:

  • The published specifications are identical.
  • The only FCC permissive change filed near the TRX launch (9 May 2016) describes replacing “several non-RF related parts”.
  • A 2017 forum comparison of a TRX-1 against a WS1088 found little or no difference.

The claim remains unconfirmed. At most the improvement is minor, and it would matter mainly for overload from local FM broadcast transmitters.

1.4 TRX-2 compared with the WS1095 and WS1098

Table 3 — TRX-2 compared with the WS1095 and WS1098

ItemWS1095WS1098TRX-2
FCC IDHSXSC11HSXSC11HSXSC11
Head keypadSimplified function keysFull backlit alphanumericFull backlit alphanumeric
DMR / MotoTRBOFree update, 31 May 2016Free update, 31 May 2016At launch
NXDNNeverNeverFree update, 15 December 2016
Software on Goliad’s download page (2026)EZ-Scan 2.51.0.707, CPU updater U4.0Uses the WS1095 package (inferred)EZ-Scan 3.48.0.708, CPU updater U5.0
Launch priceNo MSRP foundNo MSRP found$729.95 MSRP (Whistler, December 2016)
Status in 2026DiscontinuedDiscontinuedSold new, $679.99

The TRX-2 guide’s specification page is the WS1095/WS1098 page with DMR, MotoTRBO Tier II and NXDN added to the receiving modes.

  • Remote head: detaches with a release button on the left side and re-attaches on guide pins, held by rare-earth magnets. It connects to the base over an RS-485 link on a straight 8P8C cable. The supplied cable is 6½ ft, and straight CAT5/CAT6 cables work up to 100 ft. A crossover cable can damage both the head and the base.

  • Where things are:

    • Head: headphone jack, USB port and LCD.
    • Base, behind the head: full-size SD card slot, taking cards up to 32 GB.
    • Rear panel: BNC antenna jack, 3.5 mm external-speaker jack, and a 13.8 V DC jack.

  • Power: 12–14.4 V DC, rated 600 mA, centre positive. The DC cord has bare leads and an in-line 3 A slow-blow fuse; there is no cigarette-lighter plug.

  • Audio: 500 mW into 8 Ω from a speaker in the base unit; the head has none.

    • Speaker size: the manual says 77 mm, the RadioReference wiki says 36 mm.
    • Mobile installs: a head mounted away from the base usually needs an external speaker.

  • Missing ports:

    • no GPS port
    • no serial port
    • no separate line or record output

    The discriminator signal is routed to the headphone jack through the IF Out setting.

  • Size and weight: 45 × 180 × 135 mm (1.75 × 7.125 × 5.31 in). The manual prints “33.5 oz (9500g)”, a typo for about 950 g.

  • Bundled SD card: 4 GB in some sources and 2 GB in others. It probably varied between production runs.

The quick start guide lists the contents:

  • scanner, antenna, AC adapter, USB cable
  • mounting bracket with two knobs and five rubber feet
  • remote head mounting bracket and the LAN cable for the head
  • DC cable with fuse
  • screws and washers
  • SD card, installed

Mounting the base and head, running the head cable, and wiring DC power are the same as on the WS1095/WS1098; the WS1095/WS1098 dive covers them.

1.5 The international TRX-1E and TRX-2E

The TRX-1E and TRX-2E are not separate hardware. In August 2019 a Whistler representative described them as a firmware and PC-application conversion of existing TRX-1 and TRX-2 units. This rests on a forum announcement and is likely rather than confirmed. The conversion:

  • adds non-US band plans
  • removes the US and Canada band plans and the weather radio
  • can be reversed

Whistler’s band-plan addendum (revision 09C22, 2022, “Compatible with CPU Version 7.4”) gives coverage tables for eighteen countries: the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, South Africa, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, India, Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Israel, Switzerland and Turkey. Each country gets its own ranges, steps and service searches. For example:

  • United Kingdom: 25–88, 108–512, 806–960 and 1240–1300 MHz, with UK service searches including PMR446 and UK CB.
  • Australia: 25–54, 70–87.5, 108–174, 216–520, 758–960 and 1240–1300 MHz.

Every E band plan still excludes the North American cellular blocks, 824–849 and 869–894 MHz.

In 2026 Goliad’s download page carries:

  • a separate international EZ-Scan (3.45.0.723)
  • a CPU updater (U7.4) for each E model
  • per-country configuration archives, several dated as recently as 2026

Vol 2 covers loading them.

1.6 Against the Uniden SDS100 and SDS200

The TRX radios are usually compared with Uniden’s SDS100 handheld and SDS200 base/mobile, which occupy the same price tier. The Uniden facts here follow this project’s SDS100 and SDS200 dives.

Table 4 — Against the Uniden SDS100 and SDS200

ItemWhistler TRX-1 / TRX-2Uniden SDS100 / SDS200
ReceiverTriple-conversion superheterodyne with DSP decodingTrueIQ I/Q baseband processing
P25 simulcast (LSM)Owner reports describe weak performanceUniden’s strength; the usual forum recommendation for simulcast areas
DMR / MotoTRBOIncluded; followed by scanning site frequenciesPaid key (about $60); control-channel trunking
NXDNIncluded free since December 2016; site-frequency scanningPaid key (about $50)
EDACS ProVoiceNot supportedPaid key
Display132 × 65-dot monochrome LCDColor (240 × 320 on the SDS100; 3.5 in, 480 × 320 on the SDS200)
Programming dataEZ-Scan with the RadioReference library; no RadioReference account neededSentinel with Uniden’s free weekly database
Launch list price$649.95 / $729.95 (2016)$699 (2018) / $749 (2019)
New price, September 2026$599.99 / $679.99 from GoliadNot surveyed here

The trade-off is simple to state:

  • TRX: DMR and NXDN come in the box, at a lower price, with a keypad-driven radio that can be programmed without a PC.
  • SDS: better P25 simulcast reception and real control-channel trunking on DMR and NXDN, backed by a larger manufacturer.

Vol 4 turns this into buying guidance.

Sources

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