Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)PROS: no frills, solid detector with decent sensitivity/range, only modest false-alarming
CONS: unless on sale, better value can be found elsewhere in the Whistler lineup
This XTR-145 is a no-frills, good quality detector. As someone who goes only 5-10 MPH at most over the speed limit, I wanted something that would give me a heads-up about speed traps -- and thus far, this detector has met my expectations.
Over the Labor Day weekend, it snuffed out a couple of local cops hiding out. In both cases, I got a short one or two bar warning in the K/Ka band. The first instance was over the crest of a small hill in a residential section (virtually no false alarms here), and the advance warning was no more than a a few hundred feet. I suspect the hill decreased the range significantly; fortunately, my speed up the hill was well below the limit, so no problem there. The second case occurred on a busier local thoroughfare, flanked by stores on both sides. There were scattered false alarms from the automatic doors (switching to City II mode, which doesn't detect X-band -- more on that later -- helps cut these false alarms), but a quick burst of the K/Ka alert gave me a 1/2 mile warning about a cop car tucked away in a speed trap. That was enough time for me to slow down to the limit.
I just had two highway alerts tonight -- in the first case, it warned me 1/2 mile in advance of a cop driving in the opposite lanes while tailing and pulling over a car. The warning illustrated the XTR-145's 360-degree detection, i.e. not necessarily your course of traffic. The second case was also a 1/2 mile in advance, this time a cop who had already pulled over a car to the shoulder in my course of traffic.
As noted earlier, the City modes can cut down detection of X band, but this is problematic in states like NJ and OH, where cops still use X band radar (sticking to Highway mode is likely the best bet there). And this unit, like most of its peers across the price range, will detect laser, but this feature comes with a catch: any laser warning likely indicates your car has just been tagged, so hope for their laser gun to malfunction as you hit the brakes. This gaping hole in laser "detection" is why radar detectors in general are not a free pass for speeding.
But the XTR-145 does provide a little more cushion and advance warning about many imminent speed traps. Higher priced detectors seem to have far better sensitivity and may be more useful for the leadfooted folks. But for those who speed 5-10 MPH over the limit and like useful gadgets, this fits the bill.
FYI, I found the Handstands Jelly Sticky Pad to be perfectly sized and capable of holding it on the dashboard. This allows you to avoid using the more obvious suction cup mount. And the power cord for this unit is a thin, straight cable. At first, I thought this would be a disadvantage (more expensive units use a coiled cord), but I've found the thinness of the cable to be less obstructive to the center console controls.
If you shop around, the XTR-145 can be an excellent value. I found it for $25 at another electronics/computer site (with vowels removed, N-w-gg). But at the current price of around $40, definitely get the XTR-265, which is around $10 more. It seems to have the same detection circuitry, but with a much better feature set.
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Whistler's XTR-145 is an affordable, full-featured laser/radar detector. With total band protection from radar signals, 360-degree laser detection, Whistler's patented VG-2 cloaking technology, and plenty more, you'll get an effective detector that doesn't break the bank.
Total Band Protection Provides Complete Band Coverage of all Laser, Radar (X, K, and Ka bands), VG-2, and Safety Radar bands.
Icon Display The XTR-145's bright icon display offers easy-to-read display to indicate power, city mode, radar band identification, and signal strength.
360 Degree Protection Units with 360 protection detect signals from all radar, laser, VG-2 and safety radar systems wherever they come from; front, rear or from the side.
VG-2 Cloaking The VG-2, also known as a "radar detector detector," is a special receiver used by police to detect signals radiated by a radar detector. Thanks to Whistler's patented VG-2 cloaking technology, your detector will remain invisible to VG-2 detection.
3 City Modes/Highway Mode Highway mode provides full audio and visual warning of laser/radar systems while maintaining full sensitivity, and is the default setting of Whistler laser/radar detectors. City mode helps reduce the annoyance of automatic door openers and burglar alarm alerts by providing an initial alert (same distance as Highway Mode) then remaining quiet unless the signal strength becomes very strong. When the signal increases the unit will alert briefly to notify you of the change in signal strength.
Quiet/Auto Quiet Modes Pressing QUIET before a signal is detected engages Auto Quiet Mode, which automatically reduces the audio level after the initial warning to a low audio level setting. Pressing QUIET during a radar/laser encounter silences audio alerts, while allowing visual alerts to keep you informed.
Vehicle Battery Saver Mode The Vehicle Battery Saver Mode automatically shuts off your detector within 3 hours if you forget to turn it off. The timer is reset if the detector is turned off, unplugged or any button is pressed before the 6 hours have expired. The detector will alert you with an audible and visual warning before it shuts off.
Alert Priority When two or more signals are received at the same time, the alert priority is: Laser, VG-2, Speed Radar, Safety Radar.
Example: If X band is alerting, then suddenly a VG-2 signal is detected, the VG-2 warning will override the X band alert.
Twin Alert Periscopes Whistler's Low Profile Alert Periscopes provide an added attention getting visual alert. The two extra LEDs flash on and off when the unit alarms to provide a unique visual alert.
What's in the Box Whistler XTR-145 Radar/Laser Detector, Windshield Mount, Power Cord, User's Manual
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