A good start, but too many false alarms and design flaws to be functional.
Written: Aug 19 '05 (Updated Nov 14 '05)
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Pros: Solidly-made, compact size, pleasant voice announcements and bright LED's
Cons: Annoying self-test, excessive false alarms, problems with button functions
The Bottom Line: Too many false alarms leave you guessing over the location, proximity, and type of radar being used. Detection is average, at best--and just in time, if not too late.
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| makowals's Full Review: Whistler DE-1655 Radar Detector |
After getting a speeding ticket while I was using a Cobra radar detector, I promptly purchased a Whistler DE-1665 Radar Detector several years ago at Best Buy and have been using it ever since--with mixed results.
The unit is solidly made and has taken quite a few beatings from being tossed around and from the hot sun. (I also leave my radar detector in the window continuously) When plugged-in and powered-on, the unit goes through an annoying self-test of all of the LED's, verbal alerts, and sounds. While it only lasts a few seconds, there should be a way to bypass this completely. Once it's on--unless the user presses "City"--the unit will sound loudly after every detection from any band/laser. In 'City' mode, the unit announces an alert once--but then remains quiet unless the signal becomes closer and stronger or in the case of a lidar (laser) detection.
The "Mute" switch is an enigma. When the radar detector is on--and isn't sounding an alert, pressing this button does nothing. If it's currently sounding an alarm, the alarm will be silenced--but the unit produces an annoying 'beep' reminder that it's in silent mode (isn't that contradictory?) every few minutes. For that matter, the "City" switch is an enigma, too. Pressing it is supposed to help weed-out the number of false alarms, but comparing city to non-city...I get roughly the same number of alarms.
How good is the detection? Well, 50% of the time when I get a laser detection--I don't see a police car in either direction, which I should see--considering lidar can't be used by moving vehicles and is shot from close-range. There is a small 'bubble' lens on the top of the unit that is supposed to help pick-up lidar from behind, as well, but unless the unit is in the center of your windshield with a clear view out the rear, this doesn't seem 100% effective. I get a lot of X, K, and Ka detections while I'm driving down the road, presumably from businesses security systems. This is very annoying--and the very high occurrence of false alarms tends to make me not take the current alarm seriously. This defeats the purpose of having a radar detector if I can't rely on the warnings it's giving me and then adjust my speed accordingly. It's also frustrating to not have an idea of what direction the alerts are referring to. (ie: is there a police car behind me, to the right side, left side, in front, or even at all? What about laser--is it coming from in front or behind?) Another frustrating design flaw is--despite all of the LED's and spoken alerts, if it suddenly receives a very strong signal from radar--it just beeps several times--leaving me to guess what's going on and without a visual indicator to help get my attention.
The unit also offers VG-2 mode, which presumably is for getting away with using the detector in places where you're not allowed. While I've tested it out (not using it in illegal places--but the VG-2 function)--typically nothing happens. Although, sometimes, out of the blue, it will sound the VG-2 alarm (which can make you jump out of your seat--perhaps they should have made it a shorter/less obvious tone?)--which turns off radar detection for a period of 30 seconds--then checks for VG-2 again before turning it back on. Apparently while the VG-2 alert is on, your radar detector is not working--so be very careful during that time.
Another useful feature, but odd implementation--is the auto-off feature. After 2-3 hours of continuous use--the unit suddenly goes berserk--beeping and flashing--which instantly makes me hit the brakes, as I'm not sure what it's trying to tell me. The auto-off alert should be a little more discreet--without alarms and lights blaring. The unit uses voice, so why not implement an "auto off - switching off in 60 seconds, 30 seconds, etc." (unless a button is pressed) feature?
All-in-all, I think it's time to start looking for a new unit. Certainly a radar detector provides peace of mind--and is worth the cost, considering it can save you from the costs of a speeding ticket and/or increased insurance premiums. This detector too often leaves me guessing between whether or not I'm getting a false alarm or am being shot by lidar or radar. And with radar detectors--the ability to indicate this accurately and in a timely manner so that I can react appropriately is everything.
Recommended:
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Epinions.com ID:
makowals
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Member: Mathew K
Location: Midwest USA
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 0 members
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