jps246's Full Review: Whistler DE-1733 Radar Detector
Happen to have a lead foot?
I always laughed at radar detectors and the people that had them. I would say, “I don’t need one.” Even though I’ve gotten some pretty shaky tickets (let's see, speeding on a Vermont road in a blizzard comes to mind), I never had the desire to pick up a detector. But times change (and so do attitudes I guess), especially now that I live in Massachusetts, the land where tickets are used to fill budget gaps. Plus it turns out, that I didn’t have to pay for it – so that made my Whistler 1733 even better.
I’ve been a member of the Online Harris Poll forever and each time you complete a survey, they give you points in this account where you can redeem them for different items. I had oodles of points and I wanted something, so I found radar detector and ordered it. Didn’t even cost me shipping and handling.
The Details
Let us start with a little radar detector information and some myth-busting. According to Whistler’s information radar detectors are legal in every state when used in vehicles that are less than 10,000 pounds (your average cars and small trucks are under that). The only exceptions are Virginia and Washington DC, which have regulations pertaining to the use of detectors in any vehicle. Personally, I always thought that they were illegal in many states, especially in the Northeast, but it turns out not to be true. So unless you’re in Virginia or DC, don’t worry about the legality of the detector.
The 1733 offers detection of X-Band, K-Band, Ka-Band, VG-2 Signals, and Laser signals. This basically covers anything that the police would be using to check your speed. The only other methods include pacing (where the police car follows you to get your speed) and airborne measurements (where they measure the time it takes your car to get from point A to point B).
Whenever a signal from a band is obtained, the 1733, gives off both an audible warning (different for each band) and a visual signal (again, different for each band). There is a volume control to change the volume of the audible alerts and there is also a quiet mode for the 1733, where there are only visual alerts provided.
The 1733 also offers a “stealth/quiet” mode where the signal that the radar detector gives off (which can be detected by some police equipment) is off. The 1733 will only be able to detect the VG-2, which is a “radar detector detector.” But if you know there’s a police officer out there with a VG-2, then you can assume he also has a regular detector and thus you should slow down.
You also have the option of having a “highway” or a “city” mode on the 1733. In city mode, many of the triggers for the detector (such as electric doors, alarm systems, etc.) are ignored. Therefore you have fewer false alerts.
The 1733 comes with a suction cup mountain bracket for your windshield. The suction cup bracket fits anywhere on the windshield, but I would suggest mounting it in the middle, towards the bottom of the windshield. The radar guns are shooting for your license plate or any other reflective material on your car, so the lower in your windshield, the better the detection. The suction cups are quite good and in 3 months of driving, haven’t fallen off yet.
The range of the 1733 is about a mile to two miles, depending on the line of site between you and the radar gun. The more open it is and the fewer obstructions (other cars, ground, trees, etc), the better the detection from a distance.
Power to the 1733 is provided through the included cigarette lighter adapter. In my vehicle (a Rav4 - http://www.epinions.com/content_71646219908), I have two separate adapters (one for a cigarette lighter, and another open one), so I have no trouble plugging in the 1733, even if I am already charging my cell phone or using some other electric device.
If you were to purchase the 1733, it runs from about $50 to $65 in the various stores where it is available.
Does It Work?
Not that I am a speed demon, but I guess that do tend to drive fast (or at least that’s what I’m told). Here in Massachusetts most of the speed limits on the highways are 65 and I’m probably somewhere between 70 and 75 miles per hour, so I guess that I am pushing it, but I personally don’t think that’s really all that fast.
The 1st time that I used the detector in a long drive was along the MassPike, and it actually saved me several times. I often follow a series of fast cars and with the 1733, I was able to tell when there was an officer up ahead and I could slow down and drop into the right lane. The same goes since then, on or off the highway. I do not find myself driving faster, but I am definitely more aware of what is going on around me.
Should I Get One?
I don’t think a radar detector should be purchased so that you can speed – but if you are a conscientious driver who wants to make sure that they stay out of tickets, a radar detector, and specifically the Whistler 1733 is a worthwhile purchase. It gives you a bigger picture look at the road you are on and it will hopefully save you a buck or two should you find yourself going a bit faster than you are supposed to.
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