Radio Shack 22-1696 Owner's Manual

www.radioshack.com SM
Thank you for purchasing a RadioShack Radar
Detector with Safety Alert. Your radar detector
can alert you to many traffic radar and laser
systems with its distinct visual and audio alerts.
It receives X-, K-, and Ka-band radar signals,
and detects both the instant-on and laser
systems many law enforcement agencies 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 Alert System™ alerts.
Ô Ô
Note
Before reading this Owner's Manual, read the supplied
booklet Questions and Answers About Vehicle Speed
Detection to familiarize yourself with the terms and uses
associated with your detector.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Windshield
Radar Detector
Bracket with
Suction Cups
Hook and
Loop Tape
Coiled Power Cord
Questions and Answers About
Vehicle Speed Detection Booklet
SAFETY ALERT SYSTEM
The Safety Alert System employs low-powered
transmitters used by some emergency services and
road crews to alert drivers to hazardous road
conditions. The system can indicate stationary,
moving, or railroad hazards.
The system has the potential to dramatically
decrease the occurrence of traffic accidents by
increasing drivers' awareness of local road hazards.
Having this safety alert compatible radar/laser
detector will ensure that you are ready to benefit from
this system wherever it is in use.
ARE RADAR DETECTORS
LEGAL?
Federal law lets you install and use a radar
detector in automobiles and light trucks under
10,000 pounds in the United States. Presently,
Virginia and the District of Columbia have some
laws regulating or prohibiting the use of radar
detectors in all vehicles.
CONTROLS & INDICATORS
Mute — silences the
Speaker — sounds the
alert tone and voice alert.
digital voice alert.
360° Laser Eye — receives
incoming laser signals
directed at your vehicle from
all directions.
Dim — controls the
brightness of the
indicators
VOLUME/OFF — turns the
detector on and off and lets SA
you adjust the volume.
Single-Digit Display — indicates
city/highway mode, signal strength,
safety alert, and laser alert.
INSTALLATION
S M L
ELECTING A OUNTING OCATION
For the best performance, select a location where the
detector has a direct view of the road. The detector's
radar antenna is at the opposite end of the indicators.
Mounting Guidelines
• Choose a location
Ô Ô
Note
that does not block
Though the detector has a
the driver's view of
360° laser and radar detection
the road.
range, the radar detection is
most sensitive in the front
• Mount the detector
range.
in a level position
with a clear view of
both the front and rear of your vehicle.
• Choose a location that gives the detector a view
unobstructed by metal objects.
® ®
• Some vehicles have InstaClear or ElectriClear defogging windshields, which
have metal coatings that block signals. Check your vehicle's owner's manual to
see if your vehicle has one of these features. A detector installed in a vehicle
with one of these features might not detect a signal.
• Since window tinting reduces the received strength of laser signals, you should
not mount the detector behind any tinted glass.
• Do not mount the detector where the driver or a passenger might hit it in a sudden
stop or accident.
W M
INDSHIELD OUNTING
1. Clean the selected windshield area,
position the bracket on the windshield,
and press firmly on each suction cup to
secure the bracket.
2. Slide the detector's bracket slot onto
Bracket Slot
the bracket until it snaps into place.
Voice Alert Radar Detector
Indicators
VG-2 — lights when a VG-2 signal is detected.
City (City/Highway) — X (X-Band Radar) — appears when the detector
switches between city encounters an X-band radar signal.
and highway modes.
K/Ka (K/Ka Band Radar) — appears when the detector
encounters either a K- or Ka-band radar signal.
SA (Safety Alert) — lights when a safety alert signal is
detected. The following also appear on the single-digit
display.
E
• (Emergency Vehicle) — flashes when the detector
encounters a signal related to an emergency vehicle
from a safety alert transmitter. The radar detector
announces "Caution, emergency vehicle".
h
VG-2
• (Road Hazard Situation) — flashes when the
detector encounters a signal related to a stationary
road hazard from a safety alert transmitter. The radar
K/Ka
detector announces "Caution, road hazard".
r
• (Railroad) — flashes when the detector encounters
X a signal related to a moving train from a safety alert
transmitter. The radar detector announces "Caution,
moving train".
Adjusting the Bracket
If the mounted detector is not at the optimum
viewing angle, you can adjust the mounting
CAUTION
bracket for better viewing. Carefully bend the
Do not use the mounting
bracket to adjust it to the desired angle.
bracket in a vehicle that
has a plastic safety
coating on the inside of
the windshield designed
to protect passengers
during an accident. If you
D M
use the bracket on this
ASHBOARD OUNTING
type of windshield, you
might permanently mar In some vehicles, the dashboard may be the best location to
the windshield's surface. mount the detector. Use the supplied hook-and-loop tape to
Mount the radar detector
mount your radar detector to the dash.
on the dashboard
instead. 1. Use a damp cloth to clean the bottom of the detector and the
dashboard. Let both surfaces dry.
2. Remove the tape's paper backing and
stick the tape to the bottom of the
detector.
3. Remove the backing from the other
side of the tape and firmly press your
detector onto the dashboard.
Ô Dashboard Mounting Notes
• The tape's adhesive might not stick to a surface treated with vinyl
cleaner or protectant.
• Do not place the hook-and-loop tape over the detector's serial
number.
• On a curved dashboard, cut the supplied strip in half and use one
strip on each side of the bottom of the detector.
• Be sure to place the detector out of view when you leave the
vehicle. This keeps the detector out of sight of thieves and prevents
exposure to extremely high temperatures, which can temporarily
impair your detector's performance.
22-1696
CONNECTING POWER
Plug the supplied power cord's
barrel plug into the detector's
12V DC jack. Then plug the cord's
cigarette-lighter plug into your
vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket.
Ô Note Ô
• To prevent the detector from draining
your vehicle's battery if you leave the
detector on when you turn off the
ignition, unplug the power cord from
your vehicle's cigarette lighter socket.
• If the detector does not operate when
you turn it on, remove the cigarette-
lighter plug from your vehicle's socket
and check the socket for debris. Also,
check the fuse in the detector's plug
and your vehicle's cigarette lighter
fuse.
OPERATION

TURNING ON THE DETECTOR

To turn on the detector, rotate
until it clicks. After self-testing, the detector says "Welcome!
Buckle your seat
H
belt." appears to
indicate that the
detector is in its
highway mode.
To turn off the
detector, rotate
VOLUME/OFF
toward
OFF
clicks and all the LEDs turn off.

ADJUSTING THE VOLUME

Rotate VOLUME/OFF
detector's volume, rotate it toward

OPERATION SETTINGS

S
ELECTING
Your detector has two operating modes: City and Highway.
• City mode requires a
stronger X-band signal
before the detector
sounds, or visually
indicates, an alert.
• Highway mode provides
Ô
maximum sensitivity for
open-road driving. The
detector is preset to
Highway mode when you turn it on.
1. To select City mode, press
mode" and
2. To return to Highway mode, press
detector says "Highway mode" and
OWNER'S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
12V DC Jack
CAUTION
• Use only the supplied 12V DC,
Positive (+) Tip power cord. Use of
any other power source may cause
damage.
• 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.
toward
VOLUME/OFF VOLUME
VOLUME/OFF
until it
toward VOLUME to increase the
to reduce the volume.
OFF
C H M
ITY AND IGHWAY ODES
Ô Ô
Note
• City mode helps prevent
false alerts in tightly
populated areas where laser/
radar signals can bounce off
surrounding structures.
• City mode has no effect on K
or Ka-band signals or laser
alerts or instant-on radar.
. The detector says "City
City
C
appears.
City again. The
H
appears.