Whistler Pro-78SE High-Performance Radar Detector

• Total Band protection with selectable bands
• Exclusive twin alert periscopes
• Intellicord-ready
• Real Voice alerts
• Radar Signature ID (RSID)
• Enhanced High Performance!
• Detects Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode
• Three (3) Filter Modes Provides extra filtering
• INTELLICORD Ready - Program which features INTELLICORD controls
• Vehicle Battery Saver - selectable

I initially had the pro 78 detector which was excellent. So when that got stolen from my wrecked car it was a no brainer to get the Pro 78se. When I came to Amazon and saw the negative reviews because of false alarms I was skeptical but figured I would give it a try for the price. I used the pro 78se in DE, NJ, PA, NJ and the false alarms were unbearable. I wanted to get a refund from Amazon but since I bought it from another merchant thru Amazon they would not accept a return. I then contacted Whistler directly via email. I informed them that I tried the following modes: City, City1, City2, Filter1, Filter2, KA Max off and none stopped the false alarms. He told me to try and turn the POP Mode off, I did and it is 1000% better. I love this radar detector now. If you have this radar and have false alert issue then TURN OFF THE POP MODE.

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I have been using this radar detector for about a month now, and it is great. I would like to start off by saying that I think many people have unrealistic ideas of what a radar detector will do for them. It isn't the Police Spotter 2000, no radar detector will pick up any and every police car in a 5 mile radius of you, it is unrealistic and wishful to believe that it will. I looked at the 9500i and the V1, and guess what, there are bad customer reviews on both of them, people saying that they are the worst radar detectors on the market. It is important to understand what a radar detector will do for you, once you do, you can more fully grasp the Whistler Pro 78SE.

I enjoy the voice alerts, it's useful to not always have to take your eyes off the road and still be able to tell what band the detector is picking up. Other people have really enjoyed the blue LED "periscopes" on top of the detector, that blink when it is alerting, but I have it mounted high on the windshield near the rear view mirror, so I do not really see the blinking LED lights.

EDIT: After driving with this detector for over a year, I have become very comfortable in its abilities to give good warning on K band in nearly all conditions ( I regularly drive on windy rural roads and picking up a K-band constant-on around a curve or two is normal) and when it isn't giving false Ka band alerts it gives GREAT Ka band detection in all modes. I leave it in Ka RSID (Radar Signature I.D.) I don't usually have it in Ka Max mode because of the falses. After a bit of research and plenty of hours driving with it, most of the Ka false alerts have been on the highway in heavy traffic, I now believe that it was alerting because of leaky low-end (e.g. Cobra) detectors in the vehicles around me. This theory makes sense and is consistent with others' findings and experiences throughout the many forums and boards I have visited.

Things I like/dislike after experience with another radar detector (Bel rx65):

-the blue display is generally better than the red display, although the red is readable in almost any lighting condition whereas the blue kind of washes out in strong sunlight.

--automatic brightness. I never even thought about it till I had to start manually cycling the brightness on the RX65.

--Good voice alerts, very clear even with loud music. It begins the alert by announcing verbally what band it's detecting, then proceeds with the beeps/chirps. my RX65 has creepy male-voice band alerts that are hard to distinguish.

--black casing, has very little reflection onto the windshield, and doesn't look gimmicky or cheap. the RX65 does feel a little more solid and hefty though.

--detection range not on par with the RX65 (no-brainer, look at the price difference, must be for a reason) for K-band on the Whistler i'm used to about 3-7 seconds of notice. For the RX65, it picked it up so far off I thought it was falsing.

--It has a little more chatty nature than the Bel. They both light up when I pass the local gas station that uses a k-band door opener but other than that the RX65 has better filtering.

--Both times I have been clocked with laser, it has actually alerted, with pretty good range (yes I know the cop already had my speed but it picked it up probably 500ft off.) only going 45mph that's pretty decent I think.

Overall I am still very happy with this detector, It's pretty easy to live with when you turn POP off, and put Ka in normal or RSID mode. Here are the settings I use: Filter 1 mode (it's actually the 2nd filter setting, somewhat confusing), Xoff, Kon, Ka-RSID, POP-off, Laser-LSID (laser signature I.D.), SWS-off, battery saver-off, voice alerts-on, periscope blinking-on.

If you're looking for a radar detector, and you've even considered a Cobra or similar detector, save your money and spring for this (or the Bel, which I prefer for its superior detection range and more quiet nature) depending on where you live, the first time this detects radar, and you're 5-10+ over the speed limit, I'd consider this investment already paid off.

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I had an old Uniden detector and decided it was time to get a new one. Too many false alarms and not enough range on the old one. I did an extensive research, and I established a price point, no more than $200 for a radar detector. That put me to the range of a few Whistler models, as well as two Beltronics models. I just do not drive that much to justify $400+ in a top line Valentine One, nor in a Escort or Bel at that price range. I checked many internet sources before deciding.

During XMAS 2010 I drove around 20 hours back and forth, including states such as GA, SC, NC, VA, DC.

On the road, not many false alarms... figured filter 2 works nice to eliminate interference. A cop coming from a rest area triggered KA band with voice and frequency display, enough for me to slow down a bit. When crossed to VA, I turned it off and moved it to the trunk. I know it has a good SPECTRA IV filtering (detectable only close to the radar detector detector), but I just did not want to be on the wrong side of the law. The BLUE DISPLAY IS GREAT !!!! I decided to pass on the 695SE exactly because of the display. I just could not visualize the LCD display on the 695SE being effective during the day. I believe I made the right choice in choosing the 78SE over the 695SE.

Overall it seems to be a keeper. I got the intelligent power cord to control mute and power on/off from a more convenient position, as well as spare suction cups, a spare windshield support for the other car, and the whistler case. Overall, the final price was close to the Beltronics v995, but I am very happy with my purchase.

UPDATE JUNE 2011 -> The unit still performs like a champ, on the road or in the city. I am very happy with this purchase !!!

UPDATE DEC 2011 -> Recent trip to Florida... Got a direct laser from a police car, the unit captured it and I was able to at least remove the right foot from the gas and engage 3rd gear... just in case.

Detected the Ka band all around Orlando. I have never seen that many police cars since my days in Western NY state. Ah, forgot to mention, a small road was blocked and the WARNING message and loud alarm went off... Very nice !!!

UPDATE SEPT 2012 ->> Still rocking !!! No problems at all. Good on the cold and under the sun. Saved me TWICE this past labor day weekend.

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I have been a fan of Whistler Radar Detectors for a long time. I have owned 5 going back several, several years. Police get better equipment, we get better equipment. Well, I can say starting with the Pro 68SE I had that things are going downhill for Whistler. The speaker in that blew after only a few months and they wouldn't fix it, so I picked this up because I didn't want to change my direct wiring. Okay, I get the Pro78SE, get it all tweaked and start using it. I live way out in the country so false alarms aren't that common. With this one, it would false in the middle of a farm field. I thought I might have a setting wrong so I turned off POP and X and tried it. Well, the next couple of falses blew the speaker. Didn't ever even pick up legit radar. Okay, must be a bad unit, let's get another one shipped in. Drove around with it for a few days, same falses, but this time more and more. I look like the idiot with the cheap detector because I am slamming on my brakes for no reason. Okay, on to what worked. The RSID does work, and it will detect radar, but if you are going just a bit over the limit you don't stand a chance with this thing. I really don't speed or if I do it's only 5 or so over, but this thing might only give a couple hundred feet. Not good. Even my old 1610 had better range, and just for fun I took it out and compared, the 1610 won hands down. Now I wouldn't rely on that model, but it proves a point. Anyhow, after just a couple of weeks this speaker started going out, so back it went. With the speaker problems, and the KA9 falses which are documented, I couldn't take it anymore and asked for a refund this time and not a replacement. I was a die-hard Whistler fan and they saved me a whole lot of money over the years, but this one can neither be trusted nor is it going to last you. YMMV, but that is my experience, and I have moved on to a different brand. If they ever come out with some newer ones with a different design especially the speaker, I may be back, but not for now, save your money and get something that will last and works.

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A short notice driving trip from Tulsa to Washington DC came up and I knew that I was going to be driving many miles. I used to own a radar detector back when the national speed limit was 55. When the 55 mph limit was relaxed I was satisfied driving 5 mph over the limit and didn't need a radar detector. That was until I was caught in a Waskom, Texas speed trap. I was ticketed for going 5 mph over the speed limit at a cost of $180.00. Many municipalities are hurting for money and tickets are a source of revenue. "Warning tickets" are a thing of the past.

On to my review of the Whistler PRO-78 SE High-Performance Radar Detector with Blue Text Display. It combines effectiveness, ease of use and an affordable price. The trip to DC and back was great. The Whistler performed admirably. There were a few false positives but not many. I travelled mostly interstates and the traffic was all speeding so I was a fish among many. I travel in my job so I expect many care free miles with my new Whistler Pro-78 SE. Unless you are driving a Ferrari or a Porshe and have $2,000.00 to spend on a state of the art radar detector I recommend this one as a best bang-for-your-buck deal out there! The only reason I didn't give it 5 starts is the short amount of time I have had to evaluate the product. Happy Motoring ;o)