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
