Whistler 1675 Manuel d'utilisateur télécharger pdf (Page 7)

Rear Radar Antenna

Any detector will warn of

radar coming from behind when the

microwave signal reflects back to the

detector from metallic surfaces inside

the vehicle and from nearby cars, road

signs and other structures. One hyper-

expensive model has a second antenna

pointed toward the rear. But this

works only if the detector is mounted

squarely in the middle of the wind-

shield with a clear view through the

back glass, our least favorite mount-

ing location. Dash-mounted, this

detector has little better rearward

range than any other model.

Safety Radar reception

There are two types of safety

radar, Cobra Electronics’ Safety Alert

and the Safety Warning System,

developed jointly by the other detec-

tor manufacturers. The two operate

similarly: transmitters mounted on

emergency vehicles or at roadside

broadcast coded messages that Safety

Alert- or SWS-enabled detectors pick

up. Trouble is, there are so few trans-

mitters nationwide that you stand a

better chance of being hit by lightning

than of receiving a real safety radar

alert.

9-band detection (or 10-band

or 11-band)

This marketing hype can be

credited to the clever folks at Cobra

Electronics who, rather than spend big

bucks to develop more sensitive

detectors, instead created pseudo

threats. Their 11-band models,

according to the company, can detect

no fewer than five radar signals, four

laser signals and two safety signals.

Oh, please, let’s get a grip

here. In the U.S. there are only three

radar frequencies and one for laser. As

for the two safety signals, one is

Cobra’s Safety Alert, most of whose

transmitters are sitting on storeroom

shelves in police departments nation-

wide and the second is Strobe Alert,

claimed to be able to detect the optical

transmitters used by some ambulances

and fire trucks to change traffic lights

to green. Count them all up and voila,

an 11-band detector. Is 11-band recep-

tion important? Only to a marketing

executive. To the average consumer

it’s simply confusing.

The Road Test

Okay, you’ve bought a detec-

tor and now you’re sitting in your car.

First decision: where do you mount it?

Nearly all detectors come with a strip

of Velcro for dash mounting. Others

also have windshield suction cup

mounts and a few have visor mounts

as well. Given the three options,

where should you mount it?

Conventional wisdom dictates

that the detector should be as high

above the road as possible to enhance

radar detection. So much for conven-

tional wisdom. In all our years of test-

ing detectors we’ve never seen one

whose range is increased in the slight-

est by changing its position from the

dash to high on the windshield. If

you’re driving a cab-over Peterbilt,

there may be some increase in range

but since we don’t routinely use 18-

wheelers as target vehicles during

tests, we can’t say.

But we do know that the high-

er you mount a detector the poorer its

laser detection capability. Keep in

mind that the favored aiming point for

a laser-toting officer is the front

license plate. In states with no front

plate, the grille area or a headlight are

popular targets. But in every case the

pinpoint laser beam—only 2.4 feet

wide at 800 feet—won’t reach as high

as the dash. Only the faint scatter from

the main beam will waft up that high

and, if you’ve got a sensitive detector,

cause it to alert. But move it up anoth-

er two feet to the upper windshield

and it will likely fall silent. This is

particularly true in trucks and SUVs

with their added height.

So keep it where you can both

see it and reach its primary controls—

and keep it as low as possible. Our

least favorite location is in the center

of the windshield. Why? Simple: put a

detector out in the open and everyone

can see it, including inquisitive police

officers, passing thieves and detector-

poor drivers who see you as their sal-

vation, often glomming onto your

bumper and refusing to leave. And

Page 7

Escort Passport 8500 has three X-band City

modes: normal, Low X and No X, progressively

lowering and then eliminating X-band reception.

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Whistler 1675 Manuel d'utilisateur Page 7

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