WhistlerWS1040 Handheld Digital Scanner – P25 Phase I, Trunking, Same Weather Alerts, Multi-System Support, Programmable, PC Interface, LED & Audio Alerts

If programming a scanner scares you, maybe I can help and save you a few bucks. I’ve been there. I’ll explain later.First off, the WS-1040 is a fantastic scanner. When programmed correctly, it has more bells and whistles than a circus train and leaves nothing to be desired in the way of a scanner. The specs are on the money and correct to a T.The most difficult part is the programming.If you wish to do it yourself, WIN500 from Radio Reference or Starrsoft is highly recommended but it is a PC based program. It will not work on Mac.Butel, ARC500 software is what I use. It is also PC based.Here's a WARNING based on my 4 years of experience starting as a dummy knowing nothing.In 2012, I didn't know anyone who could program a scanner for me. Numerous negative reviews stating “difficult to program” scared me away from trying it myself. So, I ordered a GRE PSR500 from an online SCANNER retailer that offered pre-programming for 1 county for $70.00. I thought it would be great to have my scanner working right out of the box. This was a huge mistake. I felt like I’d just had a bad night at Vegas and didn’t even get a kiss.The scanner did not work out of the box. An expensive amplifier was a waste. I emailed the seller twice and explained my problem. They told me to call them.Having worked on an I.T. help desk for a major corporation for years, I fully understand the obstacles involved in communication between the trained and untrained even when both parties speak the same language fluently. That's seldom the case anymore. I've written trouble-shooting flow charts and know they exist on any help desk, however, they are not about to email them to a customer. Programming a digital scanner is a complicated process. Attempting to do so over the telephone was more than I was willing to endure.Finally, through an Internet search, I located a local HAM radio club. Almost immediately, a half dozen members responded who were willing to help me out. I was totally impressed and pleasantly surprised.Amateur (ham) radio operators are a great group of guys. As Yogi Bear might say, “They are smarter than the average bear.”I live in a small county with only eight frequencies. The SCANNER seller had not programmed any of them. The amateur (ham) operator deleted all incorrect data and cloned my GRE PSR500 to his. The results were amazing.Whistler bought GRE. GRE made Radio Shack scanners. Therefore, the Pro106, Pro107 and GRE PSR500 are internally the same as the WS-1040. They can all be cloned from each other by pressing 3 keys. The SIMPLE instructions are on page 19 of the WS-1040 owner’s manual. All that’s needed is a cable with a 1/8-inch(3.5 mm) male stereo phone plug on each end, NOT INCLUDED. I use Amazon Basics.The WS1040 is compatible with the following scannermodels: PRO-106, PRO-197, PRO-651, PRO-652, GREPSR-500, PSR-600, WS1040, and WS1065.To clone a scanner: 1. Connect the two scanners at their PC/IF ports. 2. Turn on both scanners. 3. On the source scanner, press PGM. 4. Press the GLOB softkey. 5. Use the 4-direction keypad to locate the CloneSend option. 6. Press SEL to transfer data.Since my GRE PSR500 settings were saved on ARC500 software in my PC. I plugged in my WS-1040 with the supplied data cable and uploaded. I was scanning in one minute.The WS-1040 has 7 color coded lights that can be set by the programmer to flash or stay steady indicating which agency is transmitting. I love this feature. I listen to two police departments, county sheriff’s office, EMS and Fire. I can tell by the color and flashing sequence of the lights which agency is transmitting from across the room. This is really helpful anytime you're not holding the scanner in your hand. The LED and keypad can also be programmed to illuminate as the user desires. This is a great amenity in low light conditions.Pre-programming services do NOT program such luxury features.There is NO refund on pre-programming service whether it works or not. A pre-programming service is not for the benefit of the buyer, it merely helps the online retailer make more sales to nervous first-time buyers like myself. And making sales is what business is all about.Had the SCANNER online help desk been able to get me up and running over the phone, I would have never realized what I was missing and would have probably been willing to accept the very minimum this scanner has to offer.If a new, pre-programmed scanner DOES work out of the box, it will be the very minimum at best and most users will probably be willing to accept it. As a result, they will never know what they're missing.Here’s the SUGAR FROSTING: Someone in your area owns one of the above mentioned radios and probably has it programmed exactly as you would like. Start by searching the Internet for local HAM Radio clubs and send them an email. They are willing to help beginners get started and will clone it for you in a heartbeat at NO charge. If they have a frequency that you do not want like the FAA tower, delete it.Do it right from the beginning and you will be a HAPPY SCANNER.I didn’t do it right from the beginning and it cost me big.In 2012, the GRE PSR500 was $500.00.IN 2016, the WS-1040 is about $265.00.SCANNING IS GETTING CHEAPER AND THAT MAKES ME A HAPPY SCANNER.UPDATE 9/9/21. I cloned 2 WS1040 scanners. Here are easier-to-follow instructions on cloning.CLONING WHISTLER WS1040 SCANNERAll that’s needed is a cable with a 1/8-inch(3.5 mm) male stereo phone plug on each end.Connect the two scanners at their PC/IF ports.Turn on both scanners.On the source scanner, press PGM.Press the GLOB softkey F3. Will be lit.GLOB will appear on screen above.Use the 4-direction keypad to locate the CloneSend option.Press SEL to transfer data.Disconnect cable.Press SCAN key and you’re in business.

Very good scanner. Audio is clear and seems to pick up channels good. Programming is easy if done on a computer. Manually is a bit hard. Would recommend to those just starting out with a scanner.

I have been scanning public safety for about 40 years now My first scanner was a Bearcat 101 (just missing out on the "crystal era").... Anyway let me say a few important words about this Whistler1040 and its big brother, the Whistler 1065.... This radio can be either 5 stars or no stars depending on the type of digital radio signal you intend to listen to...To avoid disappointment, it is imperative that you first do your homework by determining the specifics of what you intend to scan...First and foremost, make sure that the agencies that you want to listen to have not "shut you out" by hiding behind full time encryption- which more and more are sadly doing nowadays... If that is the case then no scanner will work for you thus if the police are searching for an armed and dangerous killer somewhere nearby, you will have no way of knowing to be on guard until it may be too late...Secondly, make sure that what you want to listen to does not use the P25 Phase 2 standard for their radio system because this scanner WILL NOT work for any P25 PHASE 2 radio systems.Third, if your local area uses a digital simulcast (which is one "site" consisting of multiple towers in different locations) then this scanner may or may not work for you depending on your specific location within the coverage area of the "site"- for example, my area currently uses a three tower P25 phase 1 simulcast. I live only 1 mile from one of the towers in a location that is further away from the other two towers and this scanner works wonderfully for me at my residence... But when I use the scanner in my vehicle or use it at another location closer to the center of the simulcast area then the scanner will always drop out when someone is talking and the radio even misses many transmissions altogether... If that is the case then you may need to get a Uniden SDS model scanner (which also will receive P25 Phase 2)....Much more information about what I have just briefed can be read on the radioreference.com forums and radioeference wiki.....With that out of the way, as for my personal review of this WS1040 scanner and the functionally identical desktop model- WS1065, I will say that the digital audio clarity of these scanners are supremely superb when compared to that of all Uniden digital scanners.. One problem I have with this 1040 handheld portable scanner is that the volume on the unit's speaker does not go up nearly loud enough... The volume is fine for around the house or in a vehicle with closed windows but when in a moving vehicle with the windows open or other noisy environs, the speaker is way too quiet. (the 1065 model speaker is plenty loud however)... The volume deficiency of this scanner can be corrected by using an external speaker or headphones of some type..When compared to the simple programmable scanners of the 1990's, all current digital trunking scanners will present the novice user a rather impressive learning curve when related to the programming and operation of the unit and its features, but once that has been learned I can say that this scanner is actually pretty good...To program this scanner I highly recommend using readily available computer programming software as it avoids a huge headache and allows the unit to be fully programmed and operational in 1/100th the time it would take to do it manually...* but take note that if using software to program this scanner you may need to adjust the 5 settings of the RSSI bar signal strength threshold and adjust them to what it was set at the factory because earlier versions of this scanner made by GRE use different values than what may be listed in your program.... If you do purchase this scanner and do intend on using computer software to program it, before you do anything, first download the memory of your freshly unboxed scanner to the computer before you make any changes so you can later reference those settings if need be...As I have already twice stated, the main reason why I prefer the Whistler scanner over the Uniden scanner is because of the unparalleled crispness of Whistler's decoded digital audio, albeit with more and more places moving to simulcast trunking sites, the Uniden SDS models are becoming the go to radio because they do a superior job of decoding digital simulcast radio transmissions which all other digital scanners, including this one, cannot...