Why this advice against cordless RDs?

**jerison** · 11-12-2006, 07:15 AM

I've read the forum here extensively and have come across, quite often, advice against using cordless RDs. I thought that cordless RDs are one up as they provide the needed stealth for people whose hometowns ban use of RDs.

Apart from batteries running out suddenly when you need it most, do cordless RDs possess other negative issues when compared to corded ones? If so, what are they?

**jimbonzzz** · 11-12-2006, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by jerison

I've read the forum here extensively and have come across, quite often, advice against using cordless RDs. I thought that cordless RDs are one up as they provide the needed stealth for people whose hometowns ban use of RDs.

Apart from batteries running out suddenly when you need it most, do cordless RDs possess other negative issues when compared to corded ones? If so, what are they?

In order to preserve battery life, cordless detectors generally "sleep" a large portion of the time, leaving their receive circuits turned off. This hurts performance, giving them less range and response time. There are no cordless detectors that offer performance similar to todays high-end corded units.

**proudNMAmember** · 11-12-2006, 06:21 PM

Nicely said professor Jim!

**RadarRick** · 11-12-2006, 06:25 PM

Like Jim said 8)
RR

**Won Hunglo** · 11-12-2006, 07:33 PM

To sum it up...performance sucks! Go corded.

**xxbillay** · 11-12-2006, 08:04 PM

and if your looking for stealth, you can be just as stealthy with a corded

**Grey_fox** · 11-12-2006, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by jerison

I thought that cordless RDs are one up as they provide the needed stealth for people whose hometowns ban use of RDs.

For stealth you could hardwire your RD
OR
You could run the power cord behind your car's interior.

**jerison** · 11-13-2006, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by jimbonzzz

In order to preserve battery life, cordless detectors generally "sleep" a large portion of the time, leaving their receive circuits turned off. This hurts performance, giving them less range and response time. There are no cordless detectors that offer performance similar to todays high-end corded units.

Already got myself a DE1788, so gotta make the best of it. By the way, when you say the cordless goes to "sleep", does it mean that the unit will power off? If it does, I am ok with it coz I will then know its sleeping and can just switch it back on.
If it doesn't power off when sleeping, then its a different ballgame althogether. In such an event, would plugging in the cord prevent it from sleeping?

**LookOut4TheYeti** · 11-13-2006, 05:46 AM

cordless detectors dont have a cord, so you can never plug it in.

Going to "sleep" means that instead of constantly scanning all of the radar frequencies, the detector rapidly turns itself off and on while searching, giving it longer battery life. However, this slows down the "reaction time" of the detector. What all this means is that you are losing performance because it is not ALWAYS searching for radar like a corded detector does.

Your best bet is to get a corded detector and hardwire it so that the wires are unexposed if you want it to be stealth.

**Michael B** · 11-13-2006, 06:50 AM

The 1788 does not "Go to Sleep". Because it is POP capable the unit is on FULL TIME when powered by the batteries as well as on the cord.

Because of this, the battery life is much less than that of the NON POP models that go to sleep 40 to 70% of the time.

You can expect somewhere around 20 working hours on a fully charged set of batteries.