OWNER'S MANUAL 1788 / 1788R / XTR-280 Battery Powered Dear Whistler Owner, If you have questions concerning the operation of this Whistler product please call: Model Features Summary .................... 2 - 4 Installation ........................................... 4 - 6 ·Battery Installation ·Mounting Guidelines ·Windshield Mounting ·Power Connection and Fuse Replacement ·Battery Life ·Battery Charging/External Power ·Power On and Self-Test ·Setting Saver ·Feature Engaged Confirmation ·Audio Level Adjustment ·Auto Quiet Mode ·Quiet Mode ·City/City 1/ City 2 Mode ·Highway Mode ·Backlight Setting ·Teach/Tutorial Mode ·Engaging/Disengaging VG-2 ·Battery Saver Mode ·Option Select Mode ·Stay Alert Feature 4-5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 12 13 CuSTOmer SeRVICE LASER-RADAR DETECTOR 1-800-531-0004 Monday - Friday · 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CT Operation .......................................... 7 - 13 or visit our website www.whistlergroup.com Please keep the receipt in a safe place. You may regisw ter your product online at www.whistlergroup.com. For warranty verification purposes, a copy of your dated store receipt must still accompany any unit sent in for warranty work. If the unit is returned without a dated store receipt an out of warranty service charge applies. Note: Your warranty period begins at the time of purchase. The warranty is validated only by the dated store receipt! Now is the time to record the serial number of the unit in the space provided in the warranty section of the manual. To fully acquaint yourself with the operation of your Whistler and to better understand the differences between detecting radar, laser and safety radar signals, we recommend reading this entire manual or visit our FAQ page on our website www.whistlergroup.com Enjoy your Whistler and please drive safely. Sincerely, The Whistler Group, Inc. Safety Warning SystemTM ......................... 13 POPTM Mode Alerts ................................. 14 Laser/Radar Alerts ................................. 14 ·Speed Radar Audio/Visual Alerts ·Laser Audio/Visual Alerts ·Pulse Protection® ·Alert Priority 14 14 14 The Whistler Group Corporate Headquarters 13016 N. Walton Blvd. · Bentonville, AR 72712 Tel 479.273.6012 · Fax 479.273.2927 1201 N. Dixieland Rd. · Rogers, AR 72756 Customer Service Tel 800.531.0004 VG-2 Alerts ............................................ 15 Reset Features ....................................... 16 Troubleshooting Guide ..................... 16 - 17 Care and Maintenance ........................... 18 Are Detectors Legal? ............................. 18 FCC Information ..................................... 19 Speed Monitoring ............................ 19 - 22 ·Radar Facts ·POPTM Mode ·Total Band ProtectionTM ·Laser Facts ·Other Speed Detection Systems 19 19 20 20 21 -22 15 Customer Return Center www.whistlergroup.com P/N 203322, © 2006 The Whistler Group, Inc. Warranty Information ....................... 22 - 25 Specifications ......................................... 25 Accessories ............................................ 26 WHISTLER FEATURES 1788/1788R/XTR-280 6 13 2 1 9 10 8 12 7 11 FEATURE DESCRIPTIONS Whistler's ergonomic and user-friendly design provides a new level of operating convenience. Special features include: 1. Bracket Release Button ­ Provides quick and easy release of the mounting bracket. 2. Speaker ­ Provides distinct audio warnings for X, K, Ka band radar, safety radar, laser and VG-2. 3. Mounting Bracket Location ­ Slot holds mounting bracket firmly. 4. Radar Antenna ­ Compact, high-efficiency antenna receives radar signals. 5. Front Laser Antenna ­ High gain optical lens provides increased sensitivity and field of view for leading-edge laser detection 6. Rear Laser Antenna ­ An integrated optical waveguide provides superior detection of laser signals transmitted from behind. 7. City Button - Reduces the annoyance of false alerts typically encountered in urban driving areas. 8. Quiet/Menu Button - Pressing QUIET before a signal is detected engages Auto Quiet Mode. Pressing QUIET during a radar/laser encounter silences audio alerts.(Pressing and holding for 2 seconds allows you to enter Option Select Mode--see page 12) 9. Power/Dim -Turns unit on/off and engages Backlight settings (press and hold). 10. Volume Down Button ­ Adjust volume down. 11. Volume Up Button ­ Adjust volume up. 12. Blue LCD Text Display ­ Provides distinct visual confirmation of signals detected, signal strength, and indicates engaged modes of operation. 13. Power Jack ­ Provides connection for the power cord. 14. Battery Compartment ­ Compartment for which you place the batteries. 3 INSTALLATION Units requires 4 AA rechargeable batteries (included). Please charge batteries overnight before first use! Remove the battery compartment cover by sliding the cover to the edge of the unit and lift up. Observing correct polarity (+) and (-), insert batteries as shown. Reinstall battery compartment cover. For best performance we recommend using the highest capacity rechargeable AA batteries available. Alkaline batteries are not recommended. Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are recommended and are included with the unit. Common rechargeable batteries have a power rating of 2100 mA or higher. Note: DO NOT mix battery types as this can damage the batteries. Lithium batteries are recommended for use in cold temperatures. Important: Ni-Cd batteries are not recommended. These batteries will not provide enough capacity to be useful. Replace the Ni-Cd's with Ni-MH type rechargeable batteries. Caution: Only use rechargeable batteries in the optional home battery charger. Charging non-rechargeable batteries can damage the charger or possibly cause the batteries to explode. See battery charging section (page 7) to either charge batteries with the power cord or home battery charger (optional with the 1788R) Battery Installation · Battery Operated With Built-in Battery Charger · Total Band ProtectionTM · POPTM Mode Detection · Blue LCD Text Display · High Gain Optical Lens · Stay AlertTM · 360° Total Perimeter ProtectionTM · VG-2 CloakingTM Technology · 3 City Modes · Quiet/Auto Quiet Modes · Battery Saver · Setting Saver · Alert Priority · Safety Warning SystemTM 14 3 Accessories: Windshield Bracket Kit, Rechargeable Batteries, Straight Power Cord & Home Battery Charger * Home Battery Charger (Included with 1788 and XTR-280, NOT with 1788R) 2 4 5 4 INSTALLATION Mounting Guidelines · Mount the unit as low as possible near the center of the windshield. · Do not mount your unit behind wipers, ornaments, mirrored sunscreens, etc. These obstructions have metal surfaces which can affect radar and laser signals and reduce critical warning time. (Regular tinted glass does not affect reception.) · Some windshields have an InstaclearTM or ElectriclearTM type coating, which affect radar signals. Consult your dealer or the owner's manual supplied with your vehicle to determine if your windshield has this coating. · Avoid placing unit in direct contact with wind shield. · To reduce the possibility of theft, conceal your unit when not in use. INSTALLATION · Slide the detector onto the bracket until it locks into place. · If necessary, the unit may be leveled by bending the windshield bracket. · Press the bracket release button and remove the detector before bending. OPERATION Battery Life The unit can provide over 20 hours of laser/radar detection. There are settings that can maximize battery life. 1) Backlighting set to OFF-OFF 2) Auto Quiet to ON 3) Battery saver set to 1 hour 4) Using a lower volume setting 5) Using Mute whenever possible External/Home Battery Charger - The home battery charger (optional with the 1788R) provides approximately 10 hour recharge time for Ni-MH batteries. Simply observe the battery polarity when installing the batteries into the charger and plug the home charger into a convenient outlet. Internal/Power Cord - While traveling, plug your included power cord into your detector and into your lighter socket to slowly charge the rechargeable batteries. This will also provide power to the detector. The display will show an asterisk, i.e., when the unit is charging the batteries. The asterisk will flash during charging and go out when charging is complete.* Note: Regular batteries (not Ni-Cd) can be used but NOT with the power cord and NOT with the home battery charger. When the power cable is removed from the detector or the vehicle's lighter socket is switched off, the unit will alarm and display then simply turns off. Note: As with all battery operated devices, remove the batteries when this unit will not be used for an extended period of time. Damage caused by leaky or improperly charged batteries are not covered under warranty. Check with the battery manufacturer about their specific product warranty and disposal recommendations. 7 Power Cord Connection · Plug the small end of the power cord into the unit's power jack. · Plug the large end into the vehicle's cigarette lighter. Note: Cord fits tightly into detector. When installing the cord, expect some resistance. Do NOT put alkaline batteries in the detector if using the power cord. The lighter socket plug is equipped with a replaceable 2 amp 3AG fuse located behind the silver tip. To replace the fuse, carefully unscrew the tip of the plug. Important: Unscrew slowly. The tip contains a spring which may fly out when disassembling. Insert the new fuse with the spring and screw on the tip. With use, screw cap on plug may loosen. Retighten occasionally. Unscrew the tip of the lighter socket plug carefully when replacing the 2 amp fuse. Battery Charging Fuse Replacement Windshield Mounting · Install the two suction cups and rubber bumper onto the bracket by fitting them into their holes. Rubber Bumper · Press the suction cups onto the windshield at the location you have chosen. Windshield Mounting 5 6 OPERATION Power On and Self-Test Each time your Whistler detector is turned on, an automatic self-test sequence confirms that the speaker and visual displays are functional. · Press Power. Display shows in order: 1. WHISTLER 2. X-Band 3. K-Band 4. Ka-Band 6.POP ON 7. VG2 OFF 8. SR OFF 5. LASER 9. Bat Full - This will display the battery status. 10. Highway OPERATION Quiet Mode Quiet cancels audio during an alert and any new alert within 20 seconds. After 20 seconds, approximately 2 beeps are provided on any new alert and unit then remains quiet. · Press Quiet to cancel the audio. · Press Quiet a second time during an alert to restore the standard audio alert pattern; or turn the unit off, then on. Whistler's Three Stage City Mode is designed to reduce the annoyance of automatic door openers, intrusion alarms and other devices which share frequencies with police radar. Generally, X band is used for these devices. · Press City to cancel Highway mode and engage City. · Press City again to enter City 1 Mode - display shows `C1 Lo X'. · Press City again to enter City 2 Mode - display shows `C2 No X' · Pressing City a fourth time cancels City 2 Mode and returns the unit to Highway Mode. In City Mode, weak speed/safety radar signal give an initial alarm of two beeps, and then remains quiet unless the signal becomes very strong. When the signal strength increases, two additional beeps are provided. City 1 and City 2 Modes operate the same as Highway Mode, but in City 1 Mode, only the X band sensitivity is lowered. In City 2 Mode, X-band is not detected. Caution: Some towns/small cities may still be using X band radar. City Modes do not change the audio alert for laser or VG-2. OPERATION Highway Mode Highway mode provides full audio warnings any time radar (X, K, Ka, Safety Radar) or laser signals are detected, and is recommended for open road driving.( Highway mode lets every signal in) For more information on City and Highway mode, please visit our FAQ page on our website: Setting Saver www.whistlergroup.com Setting Saver saves your personalized settings so that when the detector is turned off and then on again, you do not have to re-enter them. City/City 1/City 2 Mode Teach/Tutorial Mode Feature Engaged Confirmation Audio Level Adjustment Each time a button is pressed one beep confirms feature "on", two beeps confirm feature "off". The audio levels can be adjusted high to low or low to high. · Press Volume up to increase audio level. · Press Volume down to decrease audio level. As audio level is adjusted, beeps are provided and the display indicates volume level. Auto Quiet reduces the selected audio level to level (1) approximately 5 seconds after a radar or safety radar signal is detected. The alert for any new signal within 20 seconds will resume at level (1). Auto Quiet does not affect VG-2 or laser alerts. · Press Quiet/Menu (before a signal is detected) to engage Auto Quiet. · Once ...