WS-1095 Out in the Wild

There have been some reports, and pictures as well of the Whistler WS-1095 mobile finally ending up in the hands of the users.  Reports have been limited so far, but over all people seem happy with it.  The main feature here is the remote head.   In today's vehicles, it is very difficult to mount anything.  The head is thin enough to be able to be mounted just about anywhere.  This is also a superior design, compared to Uniden's RH-96 head sold for the old T/XT scanners.

Not that this is a surprise, but despite the awesome remote head, unfortunately scanner isn't any different from the WS-1080 scanner (and RS Pro668), and has the same limitations.    Even still, it makes the base/mobile playing field that much more crowded.  Uniden's lack of a decent remote head gives this scanner an advantage, despite the lack of GPS and quick keys to easily change scan lists.   Uniden's iPhone app, although works, doesn't even let you change the volume on the radio itself.   Comparing this against the Home Patrol, the HP has more install options due to its unique form factor, however the need to use an amplified speaker and the awkward setup of cables coming out both sides complicates that as well.

The big issue I find with the scanner (and it's hand held cousins) are that you cannot put a trunk site in a favorite list.  If I were to set this scanner of for all of NJ, I would have to duplicate the NJICS system at least 6 times, and the NJSP system 3 times (not including any of the IR sites).  I have tried to use the multi-site settings, however I found that more often than not, it tends to sit there for up to 5 minutes at a time polling all the sites and never worked well.  This feature goes back to the PSR-500 radios and as far as I can tell, has never really worked right.  If they can make that work, the need for quick keys becomes less important (and GPS to an extent).   Aside from that, having to turn scan lists on and off manually through the menu isn't really something I would want to do, however with more flexible mounting options, that will negate that to a degree.

If you want to talk desktop scanner only, it really comes down to preference if you like Whistler over Uniden.  Reports are still pending, however you may run into the same intermod issues when using an external antenna, similar to the hand held models.

Overall, for a mobile install, it is worth considering, especially if you do not need/want the GPS feature.  The remote head puts it ahead of Uniden as far as mounting wise.

Pros:
Remote Head
Bright Clear Display

Cons:
No GPS
No Quick keys
Quirky software

On a semi-related note, there are rumors circulating that Uniden is preparing a hardware update to the x36 line, to address the battery and possibly the display issues.   Hopefully this will put an end to some of the issues with these radios.