Whistler Radar Detector Review
During the Radar Detector Shoot Out in El Paso this past weekend Marlin, a Whistler Representative, introduced me to their new XTR-695 Radar Detector.
Whistler has taken their Pro-78, which is one of my top picks in my Radar Detector Buyer’s Guide and improved the platform by adding several user customizable features that will even impress the hard core enthusiasts.
The first thing I noticed was the flat black “stealth” look of the XTR-695. Gone are the fancy chrome ribs and buttons that have a habit of causing windshield glare. Next was the SEVEN color LCD display that allows the user to select a color pleasing to the eye or to choose a distinctive color for each band.
Another feature is Whistler’s exclusive KA RSID that assists in taking out the guess work on Ka alerts. When the detector alerts on Ka it will determine if the frequency is close enough to the commonly used Ka frequency. If it is close enough it will display the normal operating frequency of the source, or it isn’t will simply display Ka.
With this new feature users can identify what commonly used frequencies are used by police in their area. Another advantage is if you have not received any 33.8 hits during your normal commute, you could rule out their use of the MPH Industries POP radar guns and disable POP mode entirely from your detector and further minimize false reporting.
And Whistler also added another exclusive feature called LSID that identifies and assigns the pulse rate the detector is seeing.
These two features are also a big plus as auto makers have been adding radar and laser cruise control systems. As some of these devices are K band based systems they have been causing radar detector alerts. As the RSID and LSID have been programmed with these known frequencies and pulse rates, thereby reducing these types of false alerts.
Whistler has also changed their laser programming to include detection of the Laser Atlanta stealth mode and have also included an audio out jack to accommodate the Cheetah Mirror as well as other new products coming on the market.
Whistler Radar Detector Review
Review Whistler Pro 78 Radar Detector
Driver Experience Test
Today I resumed my “under $200.00” radar detector review with the Whistler Pro 78 (Version C).
The Pro 78 retails for $179.00 and is a corded all band radar detector.
The Pro 78 does have the blue dual periscope LED lights and has a blue LED display with a Geiger counter read out.
The K band trailer that I have been referencing in my review was moved to a new location near my office, so I visually marked the alert of several other detectors to use in this test. The new location is in a business area that has a slight approaching curve. High end detectors such as the Bel RX65, Escort 9500i and the Bel STi were alerting to the trailer approximately a half mile away. The lower end units such as the Cobra models would alert approximately 1500 feet away.
As I approached the trailer today with the Whistler Pro 78, we received a short chirp and a reading of “pulse alert” at 2100 feet away. The detector then fell silent until it went into full K alert at approximately 1700 feet away.
I then headed south to Interstate 10 travelling through a sparsely populated area that is void of any devices that would normally activate a false alert on a radar detector. When compared to other detectors in the “under $200.00” price range, the Pro 78 did a superb job, only alerting twice to “pulse alert on K band.”
Upon reaching I-10 I headed east to the Phoenix metro area.
Just east of the SR85 turn off in Buckeye the Pro 78 flashed its first Ka alert. Three quarters of a mile ahead, I observed an Arizona Highway Patrol unit pulled behind a stopped vehicle in the west bound shoulder.
I turned off I-10 at the 101 loop and headed north. Just past the Cardinals football stadium I received my second Ka alert and rounding a curve observed another Arizona DPS unit parked at an exit ramp just a quarter mile ahead.
At US 60 we turned off and headed back to Wickenburg.
In the city of Surprise the Pro 78 alerted K band and in a few moments I observed an approaching patrol car in the opposite lane of traffic approximately 1300 feet ahead.
Being a veteran “Fireballer” where a quality radar detector is of utmost importance to avoid hefty speeding fines, I would classify the Whistler Pro 78 as being one of the only radar detectors costing less than $200.00 that I would ever consider using in my own car.
Even though the overall range and sensitivity is less than the higher end Bel and Escort units, it range is superior then most of the other models we have tested in the $200.00 price range.
I found that they blue LED was very easy to read even in bright sunlight and the flashing LED periscope is an attention grabber when it alerts.
The Pro 78 is a great value for the price and I feel that it will be one of my top picks when I complete the entire review in the coming weeks.
Radar Roy Badge Rating – Three Badges
Review Whistler XTR-500 Radar Detector
Driver Experience Test
This morning the XTR-500 was next up for my low priced radar detector review. We plugged in the detector, stuck it on the windshield and headed out on our seventy five mile testing route.
The XTR-500 retails for $139.95 and is a corded all band voice radar detector.
The XTR-500 does have the blue dual periscope led lights that I have found to be a plus with several of their other models in when they alerted, they were much easier to see visually. The XTR-500 also has a red led text display with a Geiger like counter that didn’t have a tendency to wash out in sun light as several of their other models did.
The K band trailer was still around the corner from my home, so we first headed north. In previous tests, I had visually marked out locations to where various radar detectors alerted to this trailer. This morning the Whistler began chirping around 1600 feet, 200 feet earlier then the two Cobra units and a little earlier then the cordless XTR-190 from Whistler.
We then headed south on Vulture Mine Road, through the sparsely populated desert area between Interstate 10 and Wickenburg. During this leg, there are no microwave towers or other devices that would commonly activate a radar detector. During this leg the XTR-500 alerted to nineteen false alerts with the majority being X band.
As we approached I-10, we switched the unit to city II mode to reduce the X band alerts for our return home.
East on I-10 the detector alerted Ka as we approached SR85 and we observed a marked DPS unit parked in the median area facing our location approximately 1400 feet ahead.
Shortly after this encounter we pulled off the highway into a truck stop to grab a cool drink. As I got off the freeway onto the surface road, I noticed what appeared to be an approaching black and white. The detector then alerted K band while the patrol car was still over 1200 feet to my south as I watched it turn west.
Our next encounter wasn’t until we returned to Wickenburg when we received our first K alert just east of town from an approaching Wickenburg Patrol unit.
During all the encounters experienced today, I feel that the Whistler XTR-500 gave adequate warning given our speed. After reducing the setting to City Mode II the detector still registered several false K band alerts, however it was silent on the noisy X band.
The pluses is the blue periscope LED lights that makes it easier to see visually when the detector is alerting and the Geiger counter display was nice, although it appeared slow to respond in several encounters.
Radar Roy’s Badge Rating – Two Badges
Review Whistler XTR-190 Radar Detector
Driver Experience Test
Over the past two weeks I have logged in over 1200 miles testing various low priced radar detectors for my “Low Priced Radar Detector Review”. This morning we are installing the Whistler XTR-190 for its road test.
The Whistler XTR-190’s retail price is $129.95 and is a cordless all band radar detector.
I’ve never been a big fan of cordless radar detectors because my experience has shown that performance wise, cordless have much less sensitivity then corded models when compared to other detectors in their same price range.
First up on my route, was the K band trailer that the Wickenburg Police Department placed on SR93, around the corner from my home.
The trailer is located approximately 1500 feet after a banking right turn at the bottom of a hill. The Escort 9500i alerted approximately 3000 feet north of the trailer and the Cobra gave its first chirp 1500 feet away.
This morning the Whistler XTR-190 gave its first alert just shy of the 1500 foot mark that the Cobra alerted to the day earlier.
Again at this distance and depending upon traffic flow and my speed, it is debatable if either the Cobra or the Whistler being tested today would have given me enough time to avoid the kill zone.
We headed south to Interstate 10 on Vulture Mine Road travelling through a sparsely populated area, void of any devices that would normally activate a false alert on a radar detector. During this 25 mile leg the Whistler logged in over 21 false alerts.
As noted with the XTR-140 and the XTR-185, the display is absolutely washed out in bright sun making it difficult if not impossible to read.
Heading into the Phoenix area on I-10, I encountered two Arizona DPS vehicles running Ka band radar, both parked facing toward my direction.
In each encounter the Whistler alerted K/Ka within a 2000 foot range. As flow of traffic was heavy to moderate, I was well outside the officer’s kill zone during both encounters.
We then headed north to Surprise to start our trek back home on US 60.
Outside Wittmann I began getting a K/Ka alert from an approaching Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office patrol car that was approximately 2100 feet ahead.
I feel that the overall performance and filtering of the Whistler was fair with my chief complaint being the LED display. I each encounter I received adequate warning as long as I wasn’t grossly going over the posted speed limit.
Radar Roy’s Badge Rating – Two Badges
Review Whistler XTR-140 Radar Detector
Driver Experience Test
Early this morning afternoon we took the Whistler XTR-140 out for its road test on my 85 mile test route for my “Low Priced Radar Detector Review.”
The XTR-140 retails for $79.95 and is a corded all band radar detector.
As I had a flight class scheduled at Buckeye airport at 8:00 and as the airport adds only a few miles to my normal test route, I took this time as a perfect opportunity to test out the XTR-140.
Installing the Whistler on my windshield I noticed that it had the dual blue LED periscope making the detector easier to notice during alerts. However I also observed that the main display of the detector had the same LED readout as XTR-185, one that I found very hard to read in bright sunlight.
Heading south from Wickenburg, I had an opportunity to see if the detector registered any false alerts in a sparsely populated area that is free of microwave towers and other devices that could set off a detector.
During this 25 mile leg, the XTR-140 shouted out over 11 X and K/Ka alerts that I would all suspect as being falses. As false alerts continue to be the chief complaint of radar detector owners, I enabled the detectors city mode III as we approached the Interstate. This mode disables X band, however as I passed a large truck stop in the area, I did receive a few chirps on K/Ka band that may had been false alerts.
The wind was picking up and being a student pilot, I was grounded at the airport; however I did get to practice a few pre-flight checklists with my instructor.
After a couple hours of ground school, I headed out to the downtown area of Buckeye for breakfast. Prior to passing a convenience store the XTR-140 started alerting K/Ka. A few moments later I observed a Buckeye Patrol car parked nose in.
I felt that this alert was a little better than expected, considering that the nose of the patrol car was facing away from my direction of travel.
However during this alert, the sun was very bright washing out the main display and if it wasn’t for the Blue LED lights on top of the detector I may had missed the visual display alert.
Heading back home, I did have two more encounters.
One the 101 loop the Whistler gave a K/Ka alert a few moments before I spotted an approaching Maricopa County Sheriff’s Patrol car heading the opposite side.
Then on US 60 the Whistler alerted K/Ka and within seconds, I observed an Arizona Trooper parked in the left turning lane in the median toward my direction.
In both these encounters I had seconds to react and slow down. So I feel that it is an important to mention that if you’re considering purchasing a lower priced detector to save money, you maybe spending that money you saved and more on a speeding ticket if you don’t react fast enough.
Higher ended detectors while costing more do provide much greater range and sensitivity while also providing better filtering.
Given the overall price of this detector I feel that it performed admirably, however it would not be a detector that I would count on if I was one to drive over the 10 M.P.H. posted speed limit.
Radar Roy’s Badge Rating – Two Badges
Review Whistler XTR-185 Radar Detector
Driver Experience Test
Yesterday afternoon we took the Whistler XTR-185 out for a spin on our 85 mile test route for my “Low Priced Radar Detector Review.”
The XTR-185 retails for $139.95 and is a cordless all band radar detector. For those of you that have not been following my reviews I am not a big fan of cordless radar detectors for the mere fact that in order to conserve battery life most turn themselves on and off in milliseconds. From experience this phasing in and out has a tendency to reduce sensitivity and range. Utilizing the power cord that comes with most cordless radar detectors does not change the fact that the circuitry is still designed to operate in cordless mode. Therefore unless you absolutely need a cordless consider a full time 12 volt detector instead.
I installed the Whistler on my windshield, set it for highway mode and started my leg on a desolate stretch of roadway that intersects Wickenburg and I-10. Here devices that are commonly found in more urban settings such as alarms and automatic door openers are that have a tendency to active false alarms are nowhere to be found. However the XTR-185 did register over 12 X and K/Ka devices that I would consider true false alerts.
As false alerts are a chief complaint of radar detector owners, I would consider the number of false alerts somewhat excessive.
I deviated from my normal leg to the downtown area of Buckeye to get a cold drink. In town I started receiving a K/Ka alert as I started approaching an intersection. A few moments later a Buckeye patrol car intersected my path. As this was not a straight on encounter posing no threat, I feel that the response from the Whistler was adequate for a detector in its price range.
After my stop, I headed back to the Interstate to continue my normal route.
A few minutes on the Interstate, I began receiving my second K/Ka alert. Across the median I observed a Arizona Department of Public Safety Pickup stopped behind another car. Considering that the DPS vehicle was parked behind another vehicle almost 1100 feet away, I felt that the alert of the XTR-185 was lagging.
After I passed the DPS cruiser, I removed the XTR-185 and pointed it directly to the rear of the vehicle to see if there was any increase in signal as perhaps the officer was using a fixed rear facing antenna; however the intensity of the alert was less then when I approached from the front of the officer’s truck.
As we approached the more populated area of the city, I switched the detector to city mode III to block out X band alerts. The detector seemed to chatter much less, however we still encountered several short K/Ka alerts that I would consider falses.
On my last leg, the detector did alert K/Ka as we entered back into Wickenburg on US 60 and almost immediately I observed a Wickenburg patrol car approaching within 1200 feet. Again considering the terrain and traffic this short range alert gave me minimal time to react.
Considering the low price of this detector and the fact that it is cordless, I would rate the detector average in its performance to other detectors in its price range and design.
I feel that when a consumer makes the choice of “fudging” on the price of a detector to save some money, that their next choice should be purchasing a detector that is powered full time by a 12 volt source and NOT consider cordless. From experience inexpensive cordless radar detectors do not provide adequate protection from the high end speed enforcement equipment police use today.
Radar Roy’s Badge Rating – One Badges
Review Whistler XTR-260 Radar Detector
Driver’s Experience Test
The Third Radar Detector tested for my “Low Priced Radar Detector Review” is the Whistler XTR 260
The XTR 260 retails for around $89.00 and is advertised as an all band radar detector.
I installed the Whistler programmed in highway mode in Tombstone Arizona for our 245 mile trip back home. This trip also included the normal 85 mile test that I normally use for the driver’s performance test.
My first impression when powering the unit up was the ease in being able to notice its visual bright blue display with the periscope LED eyes on top of the detector.
During the entire trip the XTR-260 seemed much quieter then the XTR-185 when it came to false alert reporting.
As we entered Benson the Whistler began alerting to a Ka band alert. Less than a half mile away, I observed an Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper parked at a gas station.
Ka alert number two came just outside of Tucson, however I was somewhat surprised that the detector was alerting on what I felt was a K band ADOT speed trailer. To confirm my suspicions I plugged in my Bel STi which gave the correct alert of K band.
From experience I have witnessed this same behavior before in lower priced radar detectors in misreporting bands; however I’m not overly concerned as the detector did alert.
Just outside of Tucson, the detector alerted three times to laser within a three mile stretch. It was still mid morning and we were driving west with the sun behind us, so I can only assume that this false was a reflection of some type that caused the detector to alert.
Once in the Phoenix metro area, the detector did give adequate warning on K band to a parked DPS cruiser on the shoulder of the highway.
My overall impression with the XTR-260 was fair. The detector did alert within reasonable limits for a detector in its price range. The filtering was good and the ease of reading the display was good.
Later this week I hope to do the range performance testing on my full arsenal of low priced detectors.
Radar Roy’s Badge Rating – Two Badges
Review Whistler XTR-185 Radar Detector
Driver’s Experience Test
Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be reviewing various radar detectors costing less than $100.00 for our Radar Detector Buying Guide.
First up in my review is the “Solar Enhanced” Cordless Whistler XTR. I first became acquainted with this detector at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) where it was a recipient of the “CES Best of Show” for its unique solar powered panel.
For those of you that have been following my past reviews you’ll know that I am not a big fan of cordless radar detectors. First off, many cordless must turn themselves on and off in milliseconds in order to preserve battery life. This cycling of power has a tendency of reducing the radar detectors sensitivity and range and is can be very deadly on the higher Ka bands.
Plugging in a cordless radar detector does not change the cycling properties of a cordless detector; it just means that you’ll be spending less for batteries.
One of the first things I noticed with the Whistler XTR-185 when I took it out of its packing was that the detector utilized three AA rechargeable batteries. Most of the cordless detectors that I have previously tested have only taken two AA batteries, so I was hopeful that perhaps this little extra voltage would help in the detectors overall performance.
I was interested in learning more about the ability of the solar panels ability to charge these batteries, however the manual mentions that the “panel provides an additional charge to the batteries” and was not functional when the unit was plugged in.
Therefore the day prior to doing this test, I placed the XTR-185 on my truck’s dash for twelve hours, to see if the solar panel had any effect in charging the batteries. Utilizing a digital volt meter I took readings from the batteries prior to and after this test and only observed a variance of approximately .1 to .2 volts. Therefore I doubt that the solar panel would be capable of maintaining a full charge on the detectors batteries, but admit the panel is a cool feature.
False alerts continue to be the chief complaint of radar detectors owners, specially the lower ended models. Therefore I started my day’s review of the XTR-185 with a normal route that I follow when I perform this test that involves 30 miles through remote desert area, 20 miles of Interstate Highway driving, 20 miles of city driving and then 35 miles of driving on a state highway. From experience a high end radar detector such as an Escort 8500 or a Beltronics RX65 may notice up to five false alerts during the entire trip. But from experience in testing low end radar detectors that do not utilize any filtering what so ever, I’ve had some radar detectors just go “wacko”, and just continually false until I finally turned them off.
Normally I keep my radar detectors in the highway mode at all times. This is when the radar detectors receiver is fully open wide. Also if the radar detector has the capability to disable bands, I disable X band and POP as it is not used in my area of test
At the onset of the test, I programmed the XTR-185 to highway mode.
The first leg of my test was south on Vulture Mine Road from Wickenburg Arizona to Interstate 10. Vulture Mine Road is sparsely populated with little or no traffic. Therefore I was somewhat dismayed during this 30 mile leg, when I logged over 12 short interval K/Ka alerts.
I also noticed while driving in the mid afternoon Arizona sun, the display was completely washed out by the sun. Therefore in order to see the LED alert and giguere counter display, I had to place a newspaper over the detector.
Once on the Interstate, heading into Phoenix, I started getting frequent X band alerts as I neared highway exits. Many would not consider these X band alerts as falses as the common culprit are gas stations, restaurants and/or other business establishments that have door openers or other devices that transmit on the same X band frequency; however I do find these alerts annoying.
The XTR-185’s manual related that when programmed in city mode II, X band was deleted and K and Ka sensitivity band remained the same. Also the audio alerts were shorter and not as frequent on K/Ka unless the strength of the signal increased. Therefore I switched the detector over to city II.
The frequent X band alerts did diminish, however they were now replaced with frequent K/Ka alerts. However since I was still utilizing the city mode II, the false alert beeps were very short in duration.
Once in the city and then back on the state highway back to the office, we kept the detector on city mode II.
From my experience, you’re going to be “hounded” by false alerts on any detector costing less the $250.00. So when compared to other detectors in the same price range, I would rate the filtering ability of the Whistler XTR-185 average.
During my seventy five mile loop, I did have a concern on performance of the unit. From experience driving this same route on a frequent basis, I knew of one “fishing hole” that is used by a Buckeye Police officer on the afternoon shift. Just off I-10 on the Sun Valley Parkway you can often find this officer typing out his reports while parked in the median, while running constant on 35.5 Ka band. As I began rounding a curve, I picked out the reflection of his windshield over a half mile away. Normally one of the high end Beltronics or Escorts that I normally use, would had been crying out before I ever started in the turn, but the Whistler was completely silent and remained so until the detector started picking the Ka alert up at as I closed in within a distance of 1600 feet. The detector did alert as I was entering the “kill zone”, but I would had been more at ease with having a longer alert that I have grown accustomed to.
At the completion of the “driving experience” tests with all of the detectors, we will be performing a range and sensitivity test on all the units.
My overall experience with the Whistler XTR-185 was fair with my chief complaint being that I could not read the LED display in bright sunlight. The alert tones were average and the overall performance was average to other detectors that I have tested in this price range. I doubt if the “solar panel” has the power output to keep the detector’s batteries fully charged, thus I cannot make the call that the panel is a true “value added” benefit, unless you want to look that “going green look” while driving your Hummer.
Radar Roy’s Rating – Two Badges
Fireball Day Four – Fried Transmission?
Houston to Oklahoma City
Day Four of the Fireball Rally started out with the Heart Stopper Breakfast, a Denver omelet, pancakes, biscuits and gravy. After chowing down, we headed to the morning briefing and checked in for today’s leg of the event.
We were handed our sealed FexEx express envelope that contained the clues for today’s run, instructed that we were not to open it until we were on the road. We knew that we would be heading up to the Dallas Forth Worth area so we contacted a member of the RadarDetector.net forum “Outrun” who lives in that area and made arrangements for his assistance in deciphering the clues.
Last night our overall team ranking moved to sixteenth place from third, after the track results. However other competitors were still impressed with our showing as Bob and I were both rookies, competing against veteran Cannonballers.
Today was my turn to burn-up the highway with Bob acting as navigator and we chose the Whistler Pro 78 and the Bel STi radar detector as the detectors of choice for today’s comparison.
After the morning briefing we lined up our cars and at 8:00 am the green flag was waved. As we were on our way, Bob opened the envelope and today’s first passage control point was the Dallas Lamborghini dealer, with our final destination reading: “Finding a boat house in Oklahoma City is like finding a needle in a haystack nonetheless, your mission is to lose the regatta and find the boat house, Once located find a boat to tow. You’ll then be provided an envelope containing the exact location of the finish line.”
We called “Outrun” and he was able to look up the address of the Lambo dealer and we programmed it into our GPS. Jason then said that he would try to figure out the clue for OK City stop.
Twenty minutes later “Outrun”called, saying that he was sure that it was the Chesapeake boathouse adding that after finding their address and telephone number, he called and they were being very evasive.
Having what I would consider the best in speed countermeasure equipment at our disposal, we had an edge over the other Fireballers. Therefore Bob and I decided to try our best to take back our ranking on the highway, prior to the next track event in Las Vegas.
Alert One – Ka
Just as I started burning up the I-45 Interstate, we received our first alert on the Beltronics STi on 38.8 Ka, with a second Ka alert on the Pro-78 ten seconds later. I slowed down and about one mile later we observed a Texas DPS unit on the southbound lane performing a traffic stop.
After traveling a safe distance away, I opened up the throttle “North Bound and Down!”
Several other Fireballers learned of our countermeasure equipment and related to us that they would try their best to position themselves a safe distance behind us, while we acted as their “Rabbit.”
False Alert Ka band?
The Whistler Pro-78 did remarkably well in filtering out false alerts when compared to the STi, as the only alert that I would even consider happened at mp 157. The Pro-78 lit up Ka full bar while the STi was silent. The alert lasted for approximately ten seconds.
There were no towers or buildings in the area that were visible, that I felt would cause such an alert. But to be sure I slowed down waiting for some response on the Bel STi but never received one.
Looking in the mirror at this point, I saw ten other Fireballer vehicles in my mirror, all staying behind and chatting on their CB radios.
When I felt that it was again safe from the previous alert and there was a break in traffic, I opened the 540i full throttle to distance myself from the pack.
Ka Alert Two
At mp 184 the Beltronics STi chirped a few 33.8 alerts which is normally an indication of instant on. A minute later the Ti and the Whistler then began chirping short bursts in unison. Three miles later, we spotted a trooper on off the parked in the tree line on the south side of the highway.
I had dropped down to a respectable speed at this point and checked my mirrors, no Fireballers were in site.
Ten minutes later, we began receiving text messages on our cell phone from other contestants, warning of the trooper we had just past and of a few others a few miles ahead.
Bob and I discussed if this was a ruse to try to slow us down, or a real warning of impending danger. Taking no chances we stayed with the flow of traffic.
We quickly learned that we fell for their trap as five Fireballers passed us in the slow lane.
As we were now entering a congested area, we allowed them to go while we increased our speed to the 80s level.
The congestion seemed to work in our favor as the other Fireballers got caught up and we were able close the gap.
Just as we were hair of taking back our front position, a vibration started in the engine area and we began hearing a loud grinding noise when I accelerated. I backed down to forty five entering Houston, hoping that we could limp into the Lambo dealer.
Fifteen minutes later we arrived at the Lambo shop while the other four cars that beat us were taking their lunch break. We contacted “Mike” the manager of the dealership and he related that he would call the BMW dealer around the corner and he would explain our situation and see if they could get us in right away.
As we pulled into the BMW Dallas service center, service writer Sue came out to great us with a small army of mechanics. Bob worked out the service details while the shops master mechanic pulled the 540i onto a lift and began plugging in computers. Another tech began checking fluid levels, and another began inspecting hoses! Bob and I looked at each other in amazement, as their entire shop became our very own pit crew.
The service manager Peter then came into the shop, offering us water or snacks!
The lead mechanic Phillip instructed his crew to check and replace several sensors and check various hoses and fittings. In forty five minutes, Peter had the BMW off the lift saying that the car was road ready and repaired. Sue had our address and credit card information and said that she would send us a bill after they figured out what to charge.
Peter commented, “We want our cars to lead the pack, so get out, drive safe and have fun.” We were back on the road.
We checked in with the Blinder Xtreme team for updates and he related that we were only twenty cars behind the lead car that were thirty five miles ahead.
We knew that these drivers would still need to get today’s Oklahoma newspaper for the state welcome sign photograph and to also find a Oklahoma State Trooper to photograph to gain bonus points for today’s leg. If we could figure out a way to accomplish these tasks in a timely manner, we would catch up and take the lead.
Alert Three – Ka
Just after leaving the Houston area, we received our next Ka alert on 34.7 on the Bel STi and a few seconds later the Whistler alerted Ka band. Approximately a mile later, we observed a Sheriff’s Office patrol car driving south.
Leon from the Blinder Xtreme team called us saying that they got today’s Oklahoma newspaper. They also related that the Oklahoma welcome sign was just past the state line, after a bridge and was difficult to see because an exit sign was posted right in front. Leon also related that there was a brick wall with “Oklahoma” text just past the sign and that other Fireballers were stopping at that for their photograph. Leon related that he would hide his paper in the area for our use.
We arrived at the state line to first recover the newspaper. As we did a Fireballer pulled up, snapped their photo at the wall and began running back to their car. I commented “That’s not a sign, that is a wall, the sign is back down the road.” The driver replied “You’re just trying to trick us and drove off.”
Fireballer rules state that the state signs must include a photo of the car, today’s state newpaper, and the driver. So we positioned ourselves in the proper position and snapped our photo. Just as we were walking back to our car another Fireballer pulled up asking to use our newspaper. Feeling charitable, I gave the co-driver the paper and the driver photographed his navigator without their car in frame. Knowing that their photo would not qualify, I asked for the paper back and we quickly drove off.
At mp 45 we were closing in behind a semi in the left lane. During the rally, we used the cover of other vehicles ahead to our advantage. As I was preparing to merge into the passing lane, the semi turned on […]
Whistler Institutes MAP Policy
The Whistler Group has introduced a new MAP Policy (Minimum Advertised Pricing Policy) on a number of their electronic devices, including radar detectors.
Mike Batton, an engineer with Whistler related to me Friday that they began their MAP Program one month ago and contacted all their distributors who in turn were responsible to contact their retailers.
Mike said that they have now started the second step of their enforcement program, by contacting internet retailers advising them of the program and asking for their compliance.
Retailers who comply with Whistler’s MAP program will be afforded “Authorized Dealer Status” for their products, allowing them to offer Whistler’s full warranty which in some instances is the longest in the industry, three years.
Those retailers who fail to comply will be “black listed” on Whistler’s website and they will NOT HONOR any warranty or service issues to those companies’ customers.
Whistler’s joins many other manufactures such as Tom Tom, Escort Inc., Alpine and Beltronics who have instituted such MAP programs over the past several years to protect their retail chain from unscrupulous merchants.
I also look for other manufactures to follow suit especially in the electronics industry, since the US Supreme Court has upheld MAP policies in a June 2007 decision.
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