Whistler WS1080 / WS1088 · Volume 3
Whistler WS1080 / WS1088 — Vol 3: Reference
The GRE PSR-800 platform under the Whistler badge, and the PRO-668 and upgraded units that share it
3.1 About this volume
Reference tables for the WS1080 family: the models side by side, shared specifications, FCC filings, what each model decodes, the firmware and software history, known issues, and where to find manuals and downloads. The full PSR-800-platform specification tables, error codes and troubleshooting guide are in the PSR-800 Reference volume; they apply to every model here. Narrative and context are in Vol 1 and Vol 2; upgrade and buying guidance is in Vol 4.
3.2 The models side by side
Table 1 — The models side by side
| GRE PSR-800 | RadioShack PRO-18 | Whistler WS1080 | RadioShack PRO-668 | Whistler WS1088 | Whistler TRX-1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built by | GRE | GRE | Whistler | Whistler | Whistler | Whistler, now Goliad |
| FCC ID | ADV0602902 | ADV0602903 | HSXSC10 | HSXSC10 | HSXSC10 | HSXSC10 |
| On sale | 2011 | by Nov 2011 | Sep/Oct 2014 | about Apr 2015 | Nov 2015 | Jun 2016 |
| Price | MSRP reportedly $499 | — | about $350 street (2016) | about $499.99 retail | about $449.95 street (2016) | $599.99 new (Goliad, 2026) |
| Status | Discontinued 2012 | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | In production |
| Keypad | 10 keys | 10 keys (different layout) | 10 keys | 10 keys | 23-key alphanumeric | Full alphanumeric |
| P25 Phase II / X2-TDMA | Yes (GRE firmware) | No; the upgrade adds Phase II | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DMR | Only via upgrade | Only via upgrade | Free update 2016 | Only via upgrade | Free update 2016 | Standard |
| NXDN | No | No | No | No | No | Free update Dec 2016 |
| CPU flash | 384K | 384K | 384K | 384K | 384K | 512K |
| PC software | GRE EZ Scan | iScan | EZ-Scan 2.51 | iScan | EZ-Scan 2.51 | EZ-Scan 3.48 |
A PSR-800, PRO-18 or PRO-668 that has been through the Whistler Official Upgrade becomes, for decoding and software purposes, a WS1080: CPU U4.8, DMR, P25 Phase II, no NXDN, and WS1080 EZ-Scan.
The 384K flash figures for the PSR-800 and PRO-18 come from a developer statement that all four pre-TRX radios share the same flash size; the PRO-18’s reduced feature set was withheld in firmware rather than hardware.
3.3 Shared specifications
From the WS1080 owner’s manual and the TRX-1 user guide, which agree with GRE’s PSR-800 manual:
Table 2 — From the WS1080 owner's manual and the TRX-1 user guide, which agree with GRE's PSR-800 manual
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Receiver | Triple-conversion PLL superheterodyne; IFs 380.8 MHz, 21.4 MHz, 455 kHz |
| Coverage | 25–54, 108–136.99 (AM aircraft), 137–174, 216–512, 764–782, 791–797, 806–824, 849–869, 894–960, 1240–1300 MHz; cellular 824–849 and 869–894 MHz blocked |
| Steps | 3.125, 5, 6.25, 7.5, 8.33, 10, 12.5 and 25 kHz, band-dependent |
| Sensitivity (12 dB SINAD) | VHF-Lo 0.2 µV; aircraft 0.4 µV; 137–174 0.3 µV; 216–300 0.4 µV; 300–406 0.8 µV; 406–512 0.4 µV; 764–960 0.5 µV; 1240–1300 0.5 µV |
| Spurious rejection | 40 dB at 154.1 MHz |
| Scan / search rate | 70 channels/s; 80 steps/s |
| Display | 132 × 65-dot LCD (6 lines × 16 characters), backlit |
| Alert LED | Programmable tri-color |
| Audio | 36 mm, 8 Ω speaker; 500 mW |
| Antenna | BNC |
| Power | 4 × AA (4.8 V NiMH or 6 V alkaline); USB 5 V, 500 mA for power and charging |
| PC connection | USB Mini-B (composite mass storage + serial) |
| Storage | microSD under the battery door |
| Size / weight | 135 × 67 × 28 mm; 7.4 oz (210 g) without antenna and batteries |
Universal Radio lists the WS1080 at 2.3 × 5.3 × 1.3 in; the extra depth probably includes the belt clip or knob. Universal Radio’s WS1080 page also omits the 1240–1300 MHz band that its WS1088 page, the manuals and the FCC grant all include.
3.4 FCC filings
Table 3 — FCC filings
| FCC ID | Grantee | Date | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADV0602902 | General Research of Electronics | 2011-01-28 | GRE PSR-800 |
| ADV0602903 | General Research of Electronics | 2011-01-28 | RadioShack PRO-18 |
| HSXSC03 | The Whistler Group | 2014-04-07 | WS1040 / PRO-651 (not this platform) |
| HSXSC10 | The Whistler Group | 2014-09-22 (original grant) | WS1080; WS1088 and PRO-668 exhibits in later filings |
| HSXSC10 | The Whistler Group | 2015-10-26 (Class II permissive change) | Adds a PRO-668 test report |
| HSXSC10 | The Whistler Group | 2016-05-09 (Class II permissive change) | “Replace several non-RF related parts”; exhibits labelled PRO-668 / WS1080 / WS1088 |
| HSXSC11 | The Whistler Group | 2015-04-09 | WS1095 / WS1098 base/mobile (and later TRX-2) |
The TRX-1 user guide prints FCC ID HSXSC10 (IC 1698A-SC10), so the TRX-1 is certified under the WS1080’s ID, although no TRX-named exhibit appears in the file. Whether the 2016-05-09 change covers the TRX-1 hardware is unconfirmed; its “non-RF related parts” wording argues against claims of a redesigned TRX front end. The grantee code HSX was still registered to The Whistler Group in 2026, with no filings since 2023.
3.5 What each model decodes
Table 4 — What each model decodes
| Mode | WS1080 / WS1088 | PRO-668 (stock) | Upgraded PSR-800 / PRO-18 / PRO-668 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional AM, FM, NFM; CTCSS, DCS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Broadcast FM (88–108 MHz) | No — band not covered | No | No |
| Motorola Type I/II, SmartNet, SmartZone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EDACS wide/narrow (analog voice), LTR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| P25 Phase I (conventional and trunked) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| P25 Phase II and X2-TDMA | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DMR / MotoTRBO (conventional, Capacity Plus, Connect Plus, Linked Capacity Plus, Hytera XPT) | Yes, from 2016, by site-frequency scanning | No | Yes, same method |
| MotoTRBO Capacity Max | No | No | No |
| NXDN / Icom IDAS | No | No | No |
| EDACS ProVoice | No | No | No |
| Encrypted voice (any algorithm) | Detected and muted | Detected and muted | Detected and muted |
3.6 Firmware and software history
Table 5 — Firmware and software history
| Date | WS1080 / WS1088 | PRO-668 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep/Oct 2014 | WS1080 ships | — |
| April 2015 | — | Ships with CPU 2.2 and iScan |
| 2015-06-04 | — | CPU 2.4 (EDACS patching fix) |
| 2015-09-08 | EZ-Scan 2.6 (display and attenuation-default fixes) | — |
| November 2015 | WS1088 ships on the same firmware line | — |
| 2016-01-03 | EZ-Scan 2.7 build 375 with CPU 3.1 (SD copy errors, trunk mapping) | iScan 2.5 build 357 |
| 2016-05-31 | DMR: PC application 2.8, CPU 3.3, DSP 2.1 | No DMR release |
| 2016-12-15 | DSP 3.0 (shared with the TRX line; its NXDN note does not apply to the WS radios) | — |
| 2017-05-19 | — | Whistler Official Upgrade announced (converts to WS1080 firmware) |
| June 2017 | Firmware adds the Get Active Channel remote command | — |
| by 2018 | CPU 4.8, the final release | — |
| 2026 | Goliad downloads page: EZ-Scan 2.51.0.707, CPU updater U4.8, U4.8 Boot 2.0 | — |
The release dates of CPU 4.8 and of EZ-Scan 2.51 were not found. The build number of EZ-Scan 2.51.0.707 matches the April–May 2026 domestic EZ-Scan refresh, so the WS1080 installer was probably updated then.
3.7 Known issues
Table 6 — Known issues
| Issue | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Front-end overload | Very sensitive; VHF overloads easily near strong transmitters. Use the attenuator. | Likely (multiple owner reports) |
| Card corruption during USB writes | Slow USB writes can corrupt the card; use a card reader. | Likely |
| Unsigned USB driver | Needs driver signature enforcement disabled; a WS1088 without it appears only as a card reader. | Likely |
| DMR misses call starts on large systems | A consequence of site-frequency scanning (Vol 2). | Confirmed mechanism; severity anecdotal |
| Serial-number label wears off | The printed label on the back rubs off with belt-clip use. | Unconfirmed |
| Weak-signal squelch behaviour | A RadioReference thread title reports a squelch problem across the PRO-668, PSR-800 and WS1080. | Unconfirmed |
| Repair unavailable | Goliad reportedly declined a WS1088 USB-port repair in April 2026 and suggested a TRX-1 trade-in. | Unconfirmed |
| Stale Library if not updated | Library data is a snapshot; weekly builds are available through EZ-Scan again since February 2025. | Confirmed |
The PSR-800 microSD error-code table (errors 01 through 05) and its card-compatibility notes apply to this family; see the PSR-800 Reference volume.
3.8 Resources
3.8.1 Manuals and documents in the Reference Library
Table 7 — Manuals and documents in the Reference Library
| Document | Contents |
|---|---|
| WS1080 / WS1088 Owner’s Manual, part 1 | FCC-filed Whistler manual (first half): controls, Library, scanlists, operation |
| WS1080 / WS1088 Owner’s Manual, part 2 | Second half: menus, settings, specifications |
| RadioShack PRO-668 Owner’s Manual | FCC-filed PRO-668 manual |
| Whistler Remote Control Protocol v1.7 | Remote control, CC Dump and audio file header formats |
| GRE PSR-800 Owner’s Manual | The original platform manual |
| RadioShack PRO-18 Owner’s Manual | GRE’s RadioShack version |
3.8.2 On the web
- Whistler/Goliad downloads (EZ-Scan and CPU updaters): https://whistlergroup.com/pages/downloads
- FCC ID HSXSC10 exhibits, including external photos of the WS1080, WS1088 and PRO-668: https://fccid.io/HSXSC10
- RadioReference wiki: GRE PSR-800 based scanners · WS1080 · WS1088 · PRO-668 · Whistler EZ Scan FAQ · Whistler Official Upgrade
- Mark’s Scanners, a third-party rewrite of the WS1080/WS1088 manual: http://new.marksscanners.com/1080_1095/1080_1088.shtml
- Related deep dives: GRE PSR-800 · Whistler WS1095 / WS1098 · Whistler TRX-1 / TRX-2
Sources
- WS1080/WS1088 owner’s manual (FCC exhibits, HSXSC10) and TRX-1 user guide SCA-TRX-1-UG-08A18 (specifications, coverage, FCC ID), in the Reference Library (links above)
- FCC grants: https://fccid.io/HSXSC10 · https://fccid.io/ADV0602902 · https://fccid.io/ADV0602903 · https://fccid.io/HSXSC03 · https://fccid.io/HSX
- Universal Radio WS1080 and WS1088 pages (dimensions, coverage listing): https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners/6080.html · https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanners/6088.html
- RadioReference forums, PRO-668 CPU firmware and PC application updates: https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/pro-668-cpu-firmware-and-pc-application-updates.326781/
- RadioReference forums, DMR update release notes (2016-05-31): https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/todays-the-day-dmr-update-available.334136/
- RadioReference forums, Whistler WS1088 thread (CPU 4.8 as the long-term final version; driver symptoms): https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/whistler-ws1088.367323/
- RadioReference forums, official DMR upgrade for the PRO-18 and PRO-668 (2017-05-19): https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/official-dmr-upgrade-for-pro-18-and-pro-668-by-whistler.353418/
- RadioReference forums, anecdotal PRO-668 market values (December 2016): https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/anecdotal-pro-668-market-value-observations-ebay.344343/
- RadioReference forums, WS-1088 repair (April 2026): https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/ws-1088-repair.499224/
- njscanning blog, “Another look at the Whistler WS1080” (overload, card writes): http://njscanning.blogspot.com/2014/11/another-look-at-whistler-ws1080-aka-gre.html
- Whistler/Goliad downloads page: https://whistlergroup.com/pages/downloads
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