2003 Radar Detector Buyer's Guide
Our Opinions: Favorable and Otherwise - Part 4 of 4
1/1/2003
Uniden
LRD 937
 |
Major LRD 937 features include:
- City/Highway
- Dark mode
- Manual mute
- Auto mute
- Memory
- SWS reception
- VG-2 Detection/Alert
- Rear laser detection
Standard Accessories
- 6-foot straight power cord
- Windshield mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Uniden
LRD 957
|
Major LRD 957 features include:
- City/Highway
- Dark mode
- Manual mute
- Auto mute
- Memory
- SWS reception
- VG-2 Detection/Alert
- Rear laser detection
Standard Accessories
- 6-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Uniden
LRD 967
|
Major LRD 967 features include:
- City/Highway
- Dark mode
- Manual mute
- Voice alerts
- Auto mute
- Memory
- SWS reception
- VG-2 Detection/Alert
- Rear laser detection
Standard Accessories
- 6-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Uniden
LRD 987
|
Major LRD 987 features include:
- City/Highway
- Dark mode
- Manual mute
- Voice alerts
- Text display
- Auto mute
- Memory
- SWS reception
- VG-2 Detection/Alert
- Rear laser detection
Standard Accessories
- 6-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1655
|
Major 1655 features include:
- SWS reception
- Auto mute
- Manual mute
- Settings memory
- Rear laser detection
- VG-2 protection and alert
Standard Accessories
- 5-foot straight power cord
- Windshield mount
- Velcro dash mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1675
|
Major 1675 features include:
- Text display
- Digital compass
- Vehicle battery saver
- Auto mute
- Tutorial mode
- VG-2 Cloaking Technology
- SWS reception
- Memory
- Rear laser detection
- 3-user programmable features
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1740
|
Major 1740 features include:
- SWS reception
- Tutorial mode
- Auto mute
- Manual mute
- Alternate City modes
- Abbreviated self-test
- Stay Alert
- Vehicle Battery Saver mode
- Rear laser detection
- VG-2 protection
Standard Accessories
- 7-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
- Velcro dash mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1745
|
Major 1745 features include:
- SWS reception
- Tutorial mode
- Auto mute
- Manual mute
- Settings memory
- Rear laser detection
- VG-2 protection
- Alternate City modes
- Abbreviated self-test
- Vehicle Battery Saver Mode
- Stay Alert
Standard Accessories
- 7-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
- Velcro dash mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1750
|
Major 1750 features include:
- SWS reception
- Voice Alerts
- Alternate City modes
- Tutorial mode
- Auto mute
- Manual mute
- Abbreviated self-test
- Rear laser detection
- Vehicle Battery Saver Mode
- Stay Alert
- Settings memory
- VG-2 protection
Standard Accessories
- 7-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
- Velcro dash mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1760
|
Major 1760 features include:
- Digital Compass
- SWS reception
- Voice Alerts
- Alternate City modes
- Tutorial mode
- Auto mute
- Manual mute
- Abbreviated self-test
- Rear laser detection
- Vehicle Battery Saver Mode
- Stay Alert
- Settings memory
- VG-2 protection
Standard Accessories
- 7-foot coiled power cord
- Windshield mount
- Velcro dash mount
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
Whistler
1780
|
Major 1780 features include:
- Text display
- Auto mute
- 4-step dim/dark
- Digital signal strength display\
- Voice alerts
- 60 SWS text messages
- VG-2 Cloaking Technology
- Vehicle battery saver mode
- 6 user-programmable features
- Memo Mode records up to nine messages totaling 90 seconds
|
| Ratings |
| Maximum Possible |
|
| Features |
|
| Ka
Radar Sensitivity |
|
| Laser
Sensitivity |
|
| False
alarms |
|
| Audio
level |
|
|
How we Rated Them
 |
unacceptable |
|
marginal |
|
acceptable |
|
superior |
|
excellent |
Features to look for
Today even most inexpensive detectors come with the features we'd
consider the absolute minimum for the serious road warrior:
- Audible band ID provides separate
audio tones for each of the three radar frequencies plus laser
- Visual band ID provides individual
lights or icons for each band
- Memory retains preferred settings
between uses
- Manual mute silences audio alerts
during extended radar encounters
- Rear laser detection on dash-mount
models is not all that great although some remote models are superb
at this task.
As the price tag goes up, expect to find features that increase
a detector's utility. These include:
- Auto mute reduces or silences
the audio alerts after a brief initial blast to get your attention.
Found today on nearly all high-end models.
- Dim/dark mode lowers or extinguishes
the status lights for low-profile nighttime operation. A few models
offer multi-step manual adjustment, some dim the display automatically
and a few offer both options.
- Tutorial mode cycles through the
repertoire of audio/visual alerts to speed acclimatization.
- User-selectable features allow
you to tailor the detector to your preferences. These include
alternate sets of audio tones, an abbreviated power-up self-test
sequence, optional visual displays, selectable band defeat, multiple
city mode sensitivity levels and others.
- Selectable band defeat offers
the ability to disable one or more radar bands for quieter operation
in extra-noisy environments.
- VG-2 immunity makes the detector
invisible to this radar detector-detector (a feature found on
all but the lowest-priced models today).
- Safety Radar reception (either
SWS or Safety Alert)
Ka Radar Sensitivity
This separates the wannabe detectors from the truly good stuff.
Ka is hard to detect but with the rapid spread of Ka radar, your
detector had better be able to hear it coming from far away.
Laser Sensitivity
Even some pricey detectors fail miserably when faced with a laser.
Don't expect protection from the marginal performers.
False alarms
A chatty detector is worse than none at all since most users quickly
disregard the warnings. The more resistant it is to falses, particularly
in town, the more useful a detector becomes. On the flip side, the
quietest detectors we've ever tested were absolute bricks, so low
in radar sensitivity that they never falsed at all. The trick is
to marry high sensitivity with low false alerts, achieved through
sophisticated signal processing, an art that many companies have
yet to master.
Audio Level
Detectors with superb sensitivity are worthless if you can't hear
them. The noisier your driving environment, the more audio volume
you'll need.
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