In honor of our old friend Brock Yates, the impresario of the legendary Cannonball Run, we use a system of one to five cannonballs to rank the detectors.

* * ½   2.5 Cannonballs


Whistler XTR-690

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Pros: Decent detection range for a unit at this price level. Picks up POP mode radar and has a voice alert. Also, for whatever it’s worth, picks up the almost nonexistent Safety Warning System transmitters. Has the often convenient selectable band defeat feature. This detector has a compass, although we’re not really sure what the hell that has to do with avoiding speeding tickets.

Cons: Modest detection range, particularly on Ka band, which is the most commonly encountered nowadays. Modest false alarm filtering capability. Lacks a multiple threat/bogey counter.

Bottom Line: If you don’t mind giving up some detection range, filtering and other features, this unit has better performance than most in the under $200 price range.