Owner’s Manual Stay Alert X•K•Ka Superwide Radar/ Laser Detector Please read before using this equipment. Cat. No.
FEATURES Your RadioShack Stay Alert X•K•Ka Superwide Radar/Laser Detector can alert you to all known police traffic radar and laser systems. It receives X-, K-, and Ka-band radar signals and also detects both the instant-on and laser systems many police departments use to measure vehicle speed. Plus, your detector can give you advance warning of potential road hazards by detecting signals from transmitters that broadcast Safety Warning System alerts.
City/Highway Modes — let you minimize alerts when you are in areas that have false radar sources. FAST (False Alert Suppression Technology) — helps prevent false alarms caused by non-traffic radar sources. Auto Quiet — lets you set the radar detector to give you a fullvolume alert for about 5 seconds, then reduce its alert to minimum volume. Dim/Dark Modes — let you dim the display for nighttime operation, or have the radar detector go completely dark whenever it detects traffic radar signals.
CONTENTS A Quick Look . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mounting Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Hook-and-Loop Tape Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Windshield Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Connecting Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Operation . . . . . . . . . .
A QUICK LOOK 1 Power Jack — the power cable plugs in here. 2 Rear Laser Detection Lens — receives incoming laser signals from the rear. 3 Speaker — sounds distinct warnings. 4 MUTE Button — press before a radar/laser signal is detected to reduce the level of audio alerts that sound when there is a signal. Press after a signal is detected to silence the alert, while still showing visual alerts to keep you informed.
CITY Button — reduces false alerts typically encountered in urban driving areas. 7 DARK Button — changes the display to dim or dark, and turns the VG-2 option on or off. 8 PWR/VOL (Power/Volume) Control — turns the detector on and off and lets you adjust the volume. 9 Bracket Release Button — lets you quickly remove the detector’s bracket. 10 Front Laser Detection Lens — receives incoming laser signals from the front. 11 Radar Detection Antenna — receives incoming radar signals.
INSTALLATION MOUNTING GUIDELINES Follow these guidelines when selecting a location. • Choose a location that does not block the driver’s view of the road. • Mount the detector in a level position with a clear view to both the front and rear. • The detector’s view of the road must not be blocked by any metal object. • Some vehicles have InstaClear or ElectriClear defogging windshields, which have metal coatings that block signals.
HOOK-AND-LOOP TAPE MOUNTING For some dashboards, the hook-and-loop tape included with your detector might be best for mounting. Follow these steps to use the hook-and-loop tape. 1. Use a damp cloth to clean the bottom of the detector and the dashboard. Let both surfaces dry. Note: The tape’s adhesive might not stick to a surface treated with vinyl cleaner or protectant. 2. Remove the tape’s backing and stick the tape to the bottom of the detector.
WINDSHIELD MOUNTING The supplied suction-cup windshield bracket lets you easily mount the detector on the windshield. Caution: Do not use the bracket in a vehicle that has a plastic coating on the windshield designed to protect passengers during an accident. If you use the bracket on this type of windshield, you might permanently mar the windshield’s surface. 1. Align the groove in each suction cup with the slots in the windshield bracket and slide the suction cups out until they lock into place.
To level the detector, press the bracket release button to remove the detector from the bracket. Then bend the bracket.
CONNECTING POWER Caution: • Use only the supplied power cord. If your power cord is lost or damaged, you can order a replacement cord from your local RadioShack store. • Before plugging the power cord’s cigarette-lighter plug into your vehicle’s cigarette-lighter socket, make sure the plug’s tip is screwed firmly onto the plug. See “Replacing the Fuse” on Page 23 for more information about the cigarettelighter plug.
OPERATION TURNING THE DETECTOR ON AND OFF To turn on the detector, turn PWR/VOL clockwise. The detector sounds a distinctive alert and displays the indicators for each alert type as a self test, in this order: Alert Type Audible Alert Visual Alert X Low steady X 9 K High trill K 9 Ka Medium warble Ka 9 Safety Low-high SAFETY Laser High-low LASER VG-2 None HIGHWAY To turn off the detector, turn PWR/VOL counterclockwise.
MUTING ALERTS While a radar, laser, or safety warning alert is sounding, you can press MUTE to temporarily silence the detector for the current alert and any new alert that it receives within 20 seconds. Visual alerts are not affected. USING AUTO QUIET Auto Quiet reduces the selected audio level to a clicking alert about 5 seconds after it detects a radar signal. The clicking alert sounds at the minimum level for any new signal received within 20 seconds. VG-2 or laser alerts are not affected.
To select the CITY mode, press CITY once. The detector displays CITY. If the detector receives a weak speed/safety radar signal in the CITY mode, it beeps twice, then remains quiet unless the signal becomes very strong. If the signal strength increases, the detector again beeps twice. To select the CITY 1 mode, press CITY twice. The detector displays CITY 1. To cancel the city modes, press CITY a third time. The detector displays HIGHWAY.
SETTING THE VG-2 OPTION VG-2 is a system used by some law enforcement agencies to detect the use of radar detectors in vehicles. The VG-2 system detects the weak radio signals used in radar detectors. Your radar detector can sense a VG-2 system and shift its operating frequencies out of the range detected by VG-2, making your radar detector essentially invisible to this system. To turn on the VG-2 option, hold down DARK for 2 seconds. The detector displays VG2 ON.
Safety Radar Alerts Your radar detector detects all safety radar including the new Safety Warning System. This system provides advanced warning of hazards and lets you respond appropriately to potentially dangerous conditions. Note: Not all areas have Safety Warning System transmitters. Your radar detector only alerts you to hazards if the area you are in has transmitters sending signals. When your radar detector encounters safety radar, it sounds a distinctive tone and displays the signal strength.
Display LEFT LANE CLOSED Road Hazard Detected Left Lane Closed Ahead STANDING POLICE VEHICLE Stationary Police Vehicle Ahead TRAIN AT CROSSING Train Approaching/At Crossing LOW OVERPASS Low Overpass Ahead DRAW BRIDGE Drawbridge Up BRIDGE WEIGHT LIMIT Observe Bridge Weight Limit ROCK SLIDE AREA Rock Slide Area Ahead SCHOOL ZONE School Zone Ahead ROAD NARROWS Road Narrows Ahead SHARP CURVE Sharp Curve Ahead PEDEST CROSSING Pedestrian Crossing Ahead DEER CROSSING Deer/Moose Crossing BLIND
Display Road Hazard Detected HIGH WIND High Wind Ahead SEVERE WEATHER Severe Weather Ahead HEAVY FOG Heavy Fog Ahead WATER FLOODING High Water/Flooding Ahead ICE ON BRIDGE Ice On Bridge Ahead ICE ON ROAD Ice On Road Ahead BLOWING DUST Blowing Dust Ahead BLOWING SAND Blowing Sand Ahead BLOWING SNOW Blowing Snow White Out Ahead REST AREA Rest Area Ahead REST SERVICE AHEAD Rest Area With Service Ahead 24 HOUR FUEL SERVICE 24 Hour Fuel Service Ahead INSPECT STATION OPEN Inspection Sta
Display Road Hazard Detected EXPECT 1 HOUR DELAY Expect 1 Hour Delay TRAFFIC ALERT TUNE AM RADIO Traffic Alert/Tune AM Radio PAY TOLL Pay Toll Ahead TRUCKS EXIT RIGHT Trucks Exit Right TRUCKS EXIT LEFT Trucks Exit Left EMERGENCY VEHICLE Emergency Vehicle in Transit POLICE PURSUIT Police in Pursuit OVERSIZE VEHICLE Oversize Vehicle in Transit SLOW MOVING VEHICLE Slow Moving Vehicle CAUTION General Warning For An Unspecified Hazard Laser Audio/Visual Alerts When your radar detector detec
USING STAY ALERT Stay Alert helps you test your alertness behind the wheel by sounding beeps and asking if you are alert. Warning: Stay Alert is not intended as a substitute for adequate rest. You should not operate a motor vehicle if you are drowsy. During extended periods of vehicle operation, you should take frequent breaks. Improper reliance on the Stay Alert feature might result in vehicle damage, personal injury, or death. Never operate a vehicle if you are drowsy. 1.
TROUBLESHOOTING If you have problems operating your radar/laser detector, the suggestions in this section might help. If you cannot solve the problem after trying these suggestions, take your detector to your local RadioShack store for assistance. If the detector does not turn on: • Be sure all power connections are secure. • Check the fuse that controls power to the cigarette-lighter socket. See your vehicle’s owner’s manual. • Check the fuse in the cigarette-lighter plug.
If the detector gives a false alert when you use accessories such as power windows, motorized mirrors, brakes, and so on: • Check the vehicle’s electrical system, including the main battery cable and alternator connections. • Install a filter capacitor (1,000 µf, 35 volts, such as Cat. No. 272-1032) on the back of the cigarette-lighter socket, across the power connections.
REPLACING THE FUSE If the detector stops operating, check the fuse in the DC power cord’s cigarette-lighter plug. If it has blown, follow these steps to replace it with a 2-Amp, 11/4 × 1/4 mm, fast-acting fuse (Cat. No. 270-1007). Caution: Using a fuse that does not meet these ratings or defeating the fuse protection can damage your detector or the vehicle’s electrical system. 1. Carefully unscrew the tip of the cigarette-lighter plug. 2.
Limited One-Year Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for one (1) year from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers.
