Two Radar Detectors (includes Live Simulation)
July 2001WHISTLER 1780
The Whistler 1780 surprised me when I opened the box and found a cigarette lighter adapter that you could plug two devices into. I haven't used a radar detector for quite a while because I rely on the cigarette lighter to power my cell phone. Even with my short attention span for radar detectors in my everyday life, the adapter will come in handy many times over.
Also using spoken words to alert you to signals up ahead, the Whistler's "voice" was muffled and its beeps were startling. Even after turning the volume down, the beeping was so shrill that I repeatedly jumped in the driver's seat whenever the Whistler sent me a warning.
I used two small suction cups that were included with the detector to stick the Whistler to my windshield, but the suction cups weren't strong enough to keep the detector in place. Several times, the detector flew off of my windshield and violently sprung back toward my dash because of its coiled power cord. (The Cobra, however, had huge suction cups that firmly kept it anywhere I stuck it.)
The convenience feature of the 1780 is its memo function. Up to nine messages, totaling 90 seconds of recording, can be saved onto the device. Because my driving time is usually the most productive part of my day, I found the memo function helpful in remembering tiny details of a cell phone conversation until I was able to stop the car and write down the information I otherwise would have forgotten. However, the added functionality also complicated the controls of the detector. The six buttons on the 1780 do double and sometimes triple duty. Even after spending considerable time in the car with the detector and the owner's manual, I still stumbled through its features, which is slightly dangerous to do at 70 mph. (We don't recommend doing anything at 70 mph, especially driving. —ed.)
The 1780 uses the Safety Warning System to inform its drivers of road hazards and emergency vehicles. But again, since this feature is only available where Safety Warning System transmitters are installed and used, I didn't hear one Safety Warning System alert while testing the Whistler in the Philadelphia suburbs and en route from Atlantic City, N.J., and New York City.
The Whistler also includes the usual dim, quiet and city/highway settings. And you can customize the Whistler's chirps by holding the quiet button for two seconds and then scrolling through three tone options with the volume buttons.
The Whistler's final safety and convenience feature is an interesting RU Alert function. I stumbled upon the RU Alert feature while trying to erase old memos from the 1780's memory. RU Alert is activated by holding the city button for two seconds. Within 30 to 60 seconds of turning RU Alert on, the detector will beep twice, at which point it wants the driver to hit one of four buttons within three to five seconds of the beeps. If the driver's response is fast enough, the 1780 will repeat the game until the driver hits the power button to disengage RU Alert. However, if the response is too slow, the 1780 will tell the driver to "Get rest" and will warn that he "May not be alert enough to drive." What's next, a breathalizer?
By the way, I didn't get any speeding tickets during the time I was playing with both the Whistler and the Cobra radar detectors. Once a rebel, always a rebel.
Cobra XR-1010
Price: $329.95
www.cobra.com
Whistler 1780
Price: $219.95
www.whistlergroup.com II
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