I kind of winged the format here. If you need more info, PM me!
Whistler Pro 73 Review
Mounting:
Whistler provides the suction-cup mount, a no-slip dash mat, the standard lighter plug, and a hardwire kit for mounting this RD. I used the hardwire kid and the suction cups.
The suction cup bracket needed to be bent a little so my RD wasn't pointing at a GPS satellite, but once I did that, all was well. I hardwired into the mooroof power wires for my car. The kit Whistler supplied is PLENTY long enough that I could have run it down the A pillar to the driver's side kick panel fuse box, but this was easier. I had to remove a metal tab on the hardwire kit's positive wire, then strip the rubber so it would fit into the back of the plastic plug for my moonroof. Once that was done, all went quickly.
I mounted mine in two places. First, I went OVER the RVM, peeking out under the paint and tint strip. This was very stealthy, but blocked laser alerts when LEOs were on bridges shooting down at me. So I moved it left of the RVM, and in this position, it detects both radar and laser very nicely.
Features:
The blue display on the Pro 73 is superb. On full bright mode, I can easily see it on sunny days. When it's dark out, I use DIM mode, which reduces its effect on night vision. If I don't want it seen by people behind me, the DARK mode works wonderfully.
The voice alerts are excellent! Whistler chose a female voice, which is used in combat aircraft for their warning systems since it is scientifically proven that men react better to a female voice than a male one. The voice is clear and easy to understand.
However, on the downside, the volume on the Pro 73 does not go loud enough to be heard over loud music. I don't crank half as much as most people, and I still have trouble hearing the RD over my music. Whistler needs to work on this for the future!
The laser alert system has a strength meter, something I found interesting. Basically, the more bars displayed during an alert, the closer the laser is. Nice feature!
However, the buttonology is difficult to learn and hard to use efficiently. All buttons have multiple functions. You have to push, push-hold-release, or push-hold to make various functions happen. Half the time I try to switch from DIM to DARK mode, I end up turning the unit off. This needs worked on too.
Falses:
The Pro 73 is VERY VERY sensitive to X-band. I get FULL STRENGTH falses off banks, credit unions, and mortgage company security systems. The ATC radar at the Springs airport gives the RD fits, too.
K and Ka falses are much more rare. I do get them off Crapras (the RD of the DEVIL!), and some door openers, but rarely. Most of my K/Ka falses are simply signals for which I can't ID the source. Could be a door opener, could be a LEO I can't see. I do get WEAK alerts off some railroad warning radars.
Laser falses occur with airport VASI or laser systems, but that happens with all RDs if I read correctly.
One thing I like about this RD is its handling of falses. 95% of falses go away in less than 2 seconds. Only the ones from stronger sources stick around. I like the fact that it alerts first, then turns off when it figures out its fake.
City 1 mode does reduce the X-band falses by probably 50%, and that makes the RD effective in most situations. When you're in a heavy false-x area, City 2 mode eliminates x-band sensitivity.
Probably 90% of the falses I get are x-band, with 8% being K, and 1% each to Ka and Laser (*BEEP* airport!). Very manageable. Probably not as good as a Top-Three, but nothing to shake a stick at.
LEO Encounters
My Pro-73 has never failed to alert except for one laser encounter when it was obstructed by the tint strip.
Its first save was a very nice over-hill .6 mile K-band save. I was on a flat portion of road, but the road dipped into a valley about 100 feet deep ahead. LEO was at the bottom shooting K-band instant on at something (no idea what...I was the ONLY car on the road) and I got the alert a good .3-.4 miles prior to cresting the hill, with plenty of time to slow from 6-over to 1-under.
The next week, he was in the same spot and I got no alert until I was headed down the hill toward him, so I'm fairly certain it was instant-on.
Second save was a LUCKY LIDAR save. I picked up scatter off a silver car between my car and LEO I had just spotted (simultaneous see-him, laser-alert). I managed to slow down enough that when the LEO had a clear shot at me, I was only 3 over. The strength meter was NICE during this, as I could tell when he had me versus the other car. FIrst alert was about 800m from the LEO.
I've had a couple other encounters, but not enough to give distances for each band. I hope that will come!
Overall
Overall, I LOVE this RD. I'd rather have a few more falses with increased sensitivity than the reverse. I plan to find a couple of "your speed" signs in the near future and put this through some distance testing, but at this point, I'm very stasfied with its performance. It's a little hard to use, and definitely needs to be louder. But for the $110 I paid for it -- cannot be beat! It's already paid for itself and kept my license for me!
Pro 73 Review
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Originally Posted by Stealthcb
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