XTR 195

steagall1000 · #6 (**permalink**) 2009-01-06

Michael,

Where do you get the XTR-195 is only equaled by the V1. Maybe I misunderstood, but the V1 crushes the whistlers in speed detection and range. I like the whistler products for the price, but their performance is not even close to the escorts or V1's. The XTR-195 is a good radar detector and I would never take anything away from it. You can't beat the price thats for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael B

The speed in which the XTR-195 and all other current whistler models report K band is only equaled by the V1.

If you are dissapointed in the reaction time of the Whistler K band then you will be severly dissapointed in most other brands as they take twice as long to confirm K band.

34.7 Ka is another area that the Whistler unit performs well in its speed of processing. The Whislter models alert in less than half the time of other brands of detectors.

Whistler Ka response typically in less than .3 seconds
Most other brands typical Ka response is from .5 seconds to a full second.

Veil Guy · #7 (**permalink**) 2009-01-06

Ah, as Mike is a lead design engineer for Whistler, I would suspect he knows something about his company's detectors relative performance(s).

And if you have actually lived with Whistler radar detectors as long and as intimately as I have, you too would know that they're one of the quickest responding radar detectors on the market. In fact Mike and his engineering team, take great pride in that fact (as well they should).

In so far as the Valentine 1 'crushing' Whistlers, I would suggest that you rethink such a sentiment, not only because it is rude to publicly address a representative of a participating manufacturer that way, but because it is also factually inaccurate.

I have owned a Beltronics STi Driver for a number of years and have found its performance on occasion exceed that of my Valentines (I've owned four of them over a 18-year period) and with the Whistler Pro 78/XTR-690/XTR-695 (I have six of them) I have occasionally observed these models to even outperform the Beltronics STI Drivers (of which I own two).

While we're at it, here's a refresher course (Whistler versus detectors costing 7 times as much).

Whistler XTR-695, Beltronics STI-R, Escort Passport 9500ci

Peace be da journey.

Veil Guy

Michael B · #8 (**permalink**) 2009-01-06

Steagall1000,

I think you may be confusing sensitivity with quickness to alert.
My statement was directed to the speed in which the Whistler units will validate a K band signal.
You are correct in that the V1 is a great performing detector.
I am not saying the 195 is equaled in performance to the V1.
My comments were directed specifically to the quickness to validate an alert.

Here is a test you can try.
Take a V1 and a K band radar gun, squeeze the trigger and release as quickly as you can and the V1 will most likely alert as I have tested this and find the V1 to do a great job.
Do the same on a Whistler and it will also alert whis is what led me to the comparison statement I made.
Try this with some other brands and they may not alert.

Now get a hold of a Ka band radar gun and try the same thing.
You will find the Whistler to alert more often and more consistantly to a quick trigger than many of the other brands tested.

You may also discover that some models will ignore brief Ka transmissions of 1/2 second or more.

Maximum sensitivity is great for CW radar, and triggered radar by a lazy LEO, but if you are targeted with instant on by a well trained LEO capable of getting on and off the trigger in less than 1/2 second, (easy to do) all the sensitivity in the world is not going to help you if your unit takes 600, 700, or 800ms of signal to respond otherwise it is ignored.

Hope this clears up any misunderstanding.

Veil Guy · #9 (**permalink**) 2009-01-06

^

I starting noticing the relative "slowness" of other radar detectors [to quick triggering] in the following real-world review of the flagship Cobra radar detectors of the time.

Ever since then, I consider this capability to be absolutely critically important to real-world radar detection performance.

At this point, I'd tend to take a radar detector which has the quicker response time to one that may exhibit superior sensitivity but is slower-to-respond when it sees radar.

It's a very fine point, one that has been historically completely overlooked by conventional radar detector reviews, perhaps because it is such a nuanced and subtle issue.

Building a radar detector which can exhibit such a performance characteristic yet remain relatively quiet is a very specialized art-form and is an ultimate high-wire balancing act.

In the realworld, where performance like this matters, it becomes much much more important, which is why it is a parameter I consider in all of my real-world reviews...

Veil Guy

steagall1000 · #10 (**permalink**) 2009-01-06

Yes Micheal,

I was confusing what you said to sensitivity versus speed. My apology I was just stating a test I saw at Speedzones.com where the V1 and Bel units seem to perform in some K and Ka band test alittle better. Don't feel like I was attacking you I was just making a statement based on other people results. Much respect!

Scott

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael B

Steagall1000,

I think you may be confusing sensitivity with quickness to alert.
My statement was directed to the speed in which the Whistler units will validate a K band signal.
You are correct in that the V1 is a great performing detector.
I am not saying the 195 is equaled in performance to the V1.
My comments were directed specifically to the quickness to validate an alert.

Here is a test you can try.
Take a V1 and a K band radar gun, squeeze the trigger and release as quickly as you can and the V1 will most likely alert as I have tested this and find the V1 to do a great job.
Do the same on a Whistler and it will also alert whis is what led me to the comparison statement I made.
Try this with some other brands and they may not alert.

Now get a hold of a Ka band radar gun and try the same thing.
You will find the Whistler to alert more often and more consistantly to a quick trigger than many of the other brands tested.

You may also discover that some models will ignore brief Ka transmissions of 1/2 second or more.

Maximum sensitivity is great for CW radar, and triggered radar by a lazy LEO, but if you are targeted with instant on by a well trained LEO capable of getting on and off the trigger in less than 1/2 second, (easy to do) all the sensitivity in the world is not going to help you if your unit takes 600, 700, or 800ms of signal to respond otherwise it is ignored.

Hope this clears up any misunderstanding.