Some noob questions I couldn't find answers for.

[pikeshouse88]

Hi guys. First off I want to thank you all for saving me from making a stupid purchase. I almost bought a Cobra 9440. I had always heard of Cobra and I had no idea how shoddy they were. So thanks to research mainly from these forums, I decided on a Pro 78 as my first RD. I used it for the first time today from north of Atlanta to south of Atlanta. I'm no speed demon, but I hate Atlanta cops and Atlanta traffic, so the Pro 78 seemed like just the right choice. I mounted the Pro 78 horizontally straight right in the middle of the windshield. Default settings currently apply. Anyways, a few questions:

1. I ended up right behind a prisoner transport police van, and zero alerts. Is this normal? Do they not have radar on in these types of police vehicles?

2. I passed by Peachtree and Lenox Road intersection, which is extremely important to the area and photo light enforced, zero alerts. Again, should I be concerned here?

3. On 75 South, two bogeys had pulled over the same guy and flashing lights. No alerts. This one in particular had me worried. Maybe both their radars were off?

4. I did get some alerts on other photo light enforced intersections. How far away from these cameras should the first alert begin? I felt a little too close to them before I was alerted.

5. Finally, how durable is the Pro 78, and how much possible damage would dropping it cause (I have not dropped mine so far).

Thanks for your response. Cheers.

[V1 on the go]

First of all t is not a cop detector it is a radar detector, so give it a little time. 2nd the pro 78 would not alert to any photo or speed cameras. The only RD's that would alert would be a 9500ix and 9500CI. If photo is imported in your area I would then suggests that you would invest in a cheetha mirrior or there latest gagdet C100.

[djrams80]

Hi guys. First off I want to thank you all for saving me from making a stupid purchase. I almost bought a Cobra 9440. I had always heard of Cobra and I had no idea how shoddy they were. So thanks to research mainly from these forums, I decided on a Pro 78 as my first RD. I used it for the first time today from north of Atlanta to south of Atlanta. I'm no speed demon, but I hate Atlanta cops and Atlanta traffic, so the Pro 78 seemed like just the right choice. I mounted the Pro 78 horizontally straight right in the middle of the windshield. Default settings currently apply. Anyways, a few questions:

1. I ended up right behind a prisoner transport police van, and zero alerts. Is this normal? Do they not have radar on in these types of police vehicles?

No radar at all on a vehicle like that.

2. I passed by Peachtree and Lenox Road intersection, which is extremely important to the area and photo light enforced, zero alerts. Again, should I be concerned here?

Photo lights are not monitored by radar. They are monitored by strips in the pavement that you run over. The most popular way to get alerted to these locations is with a GPS type device, such as an Escort 9500 series RD, a Cheetah product or Navalert.

3. On 75 South, two bogeys had pulled over the same guy and flashing lights. No alerts. This one in particular had me worried. Maybe both their radars were off?

Totally normal. I'd say that about 80% of the LEOs that I see are not running radar, so there is nothing to detect. Your Whistler RD is just that, a radar detector, not a cop detector.

4. I did get some alerts on other photo light enforced intersections. How far away from these cameras should the first alert begin? I felt a little too close to them before I was alerted.

Whatever you were alerted to was not the camera. Most likely there was a radar operated automatic door nearby, like at a local grocery store or pharmacy. These are referred to around here as false alerts. While they are operated by radar at the same frequency such as LEOs use, they are not radar from a LEO, so they are considered false alerts.

5. Finally, how durable is the Pro 78, and how much possible damage would dropping it cause (I have not dropped mine so far).

Thanks for your response. Cheers.

RDs are pretty tough in general from drops and such. Usually when they have problems, it is from an internal electronic part that goes bad.

[Ck15]

you will be able to tell real alerts from false alerts as you get use to the radar. typically false alerts are K band door openers from CVS or walgreens or other retailers. A ramp up on a real police K band alert will last much longer and stronger than a door opener alert.

a Ka band alert is always a brake check if your speeding. very few false alerts are on ka with the exception of leaving pop mode turned on. my first suggestion is to turn off pop mode in the settings. the second would be to turn the voice mode off but that is entirely up to you

also two units on a stop on a highway usually indicates a search or arrest is going to take place. their radar was probably off if they even had it

[Jag42]

It will take you a good while to have a excellant Radar save. Everyone in this forum has had expierenes where they want to throw there detectors out the window from Instant on radar with no advanced warning. I spotted 3 speed traps
a few months ago. Scan the roads,overpasses,access roads,bridges and peoples brake lights for Laser/radar traps. Look at my videos at my link below and it will show you how the Pro 78 is in the real world I have been ticket free for 3 years now from Whistler products. Your always going to doubt your detector or think its not working for a few weeks. This is normal cause its not a cop detector. I have been on trips where i have seen as many as 15 cops and not one had there radar on.