Adaptiv TPX motorcycle radar detector is designed especially for riders. Remote display (left) uses bright LEDs for alerts. |
Motorcycle riders historically have had to make do with radar detectors designed for cars. Favorites are the Escort Passport Solo S2, Escort Passport 8500 X50, the Beltronics (BEL) RX65 and Valentine One. All but the V1 have
earphone jacks, a prerequisite if the audible alerts are to be heard inside a helmet. (Valentine offers a remote audio
adapter for the V1 for $49.)
The Escort Passport Solo has the added benefit of being cordless, freeing the rider from having to string power wires.
Some savvy riders have recently turned to remote radar detectors like the
Escort Passport Qi45 ($550) which can also protect from lasers when equipped with the optional Laser Shifter Pack. This
sophisticated system is literally built into the motorcycle. Its discrete components include a low-profile radar antenna and remote display and control module that can be easily hidden. The latter can be augmented with a multi-colored alert LED that's able to distinguish which radar frequency is being encountered, something other motorcycle systems can't do. But it's not water-proof and needs some protection.
Motorcycle-specific radar detectors have come and gone over the past two decades, but none has lasted more than a
few years. Some were good designs boasting waterproof construction, extra-loud speakers, earphone jacks, you name
it. But none attracted a following.
Most of these radar detectors were made by major manufacturers - Escort and Whistler were the last two - but none
could surmount the problems intrinsic to the motorcycle radar detector market. Specifically: requirements for different
feature sets, tiny sales volume, and higher manufacturing and product costs.
That daunting history hasn't deterred industry newcomer Adaptiv Technologies, which has introduced the Adaptiv
TPX motorcycle radar detector ($394 as tested). According to the Adaptiv Web site, the TPX is "designed by
motorcyclists for motorcyclists".
It looks the part. The control buttons are large, top-mounted and easy to locate, even with gloves on. They're backlit to simplify operation
after dark. Its LCD display is angled upward for better legibility. Although the Adaptiv TPX has an internal speaker and
a visual display and can function as a standalone radar detector, it is appropriately dubbed the Main Console, part of a
modular system for motorcyclists. The other key components are the wireless headset ($70), Visual Alert ($45) and one
of a variety of motorcycle mounts ($70).
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The Adaptiv TPX wireless headset conveys radar or laser audible alerts and consists of a thin speaker, powered by a lithium-ion
battery, to be attached to the inside of the helmet. It's connected by a wire to a tiny transceiver that communicates by
RF to the radar detector. I didn't try the wireless headset and can't vouch for its effectiveness. But the design appears
to be sound and I'd be surprised if it can't be heard inside a helmet.
The TPX visual alert module contains a cluster of red LEDs and connects to the detector by wires. The LEDs are
described as "ultra bright", which is not an overstatement. Set to full bright, in total darkness they can wake the
neighbors. This no doubt is why the manual cautions new users to adjust the intensity before use, a task easily done
via three buttons on the detector.
The detector sits on a well-designed quick-release plate that slides into any of the TPX motorcycle mounts. And there
is a mount to convert it for use in a car.
The TPX main console (radar detector unit) ships with a study wiring harness to get the various bits communicating
with one another and with the motorcycle power supply. Its connection to the detector is by an elegant water-resistant
plug that looks like it'll stay put in anything short of a freefall off the side of a mountain. The others are simple plug-in RCA
connectors.
As a motorcycle radar detector the Adaptiv TPX is fairly well thought-out. But it does have some shortcomings. For
instance, mode changes require a three-second-long press of a button, a long time to be multi-tasking, particularly at
night or under difficult riding conditions. In comparison, many radar detectors today can change modes within 0.25
second.
The LCD display tends to wash out in sunlight, making visual alerts of radar or laser attacks impossible to decipher. It also
leaves doubt about what operating mode it's in: City, City NoX or Highway.
Alert Systems
That issue could be dismissed if the optional audible and visual alerts could shoulder the burden, clearly one of the
central design criteria. But the flashing red LEDs only warn that a microwave signal is being detected. This could be
generated by a number of sources other than police radar. Included are automatic door openers (they operate on both
X and K band), perimeter intrusion alarms (usually X band) and, most often, other radar detectors. Some radar
detectors, many of them earlier Cobra models, can set off a radar detector from 500 feet away. It's the emissions
from their local oscillators causing the ruckus, but since the signal is within the frequency limits assigned to police
radar, all but a few high-end radar detectors think it's a real attack and understandably go nuts in reaction to it.
More important, there's no visual band identification to signify whether the alert is X, K or Ka band. This is unfortunate
since it gives the rider two options in reacting to an alert: lock the brakes instantly - or ignore it. There are different
audible tones for band ID, better than nothing, but you'd better be listening intently when they arrive. Under the best
of conditions this takes time, usually more than the 0.40 second required by instant-on radar to get your speed.
X-band radar detection isn't a big deal. X-band radar has almost disappeared in the U.S. with only two states still
using it in any quantity. A possible solution is to set the Adaptiv TPX to City NoX, deactivating X-band detection and eliminating many
urban false alarms from door openers.
And there's no radar threat prioritization; all bands are considered equally important. A better idea would be to mimic
the strategy used by automotive radar detectors with laser the top threat, followed by Ka band, K and last, X band.
An auto-mute function is absent, a feature common today on most $60 radar detectors. To mute an alert you'll need to press a
button on the detector. Unfortunately, once muting is engaged the TPX is blind to a new radar or laser signal for 20
seconds. This usually won't be a problem but if you mute it to kill an alert from that Safeway store you're passing,
you'll be unprotected for that 20-second period should a radar- or laser-toting officer take a bead on you.
Spectre RDD (called Stalcar outside the U.S.), an Australian-made radar detector detector, excels at spotting radar detectors. It can detect models like the Adaptiv TPX at one mile or more. This makes the Adaptiv TPX a very risky bet for those who drive in Virginia, Washington, D.C. and other locales where detector use is forbidden. |
One other note: radar detector detectors can spot the Adaptiv TPX at a considerable distance. The Technisonics VG-2 Interceptor, still used by several state highway patrols, detected the TPX from 2,606 feet. Although I didn't test it
against the much newer, far more sophisticated Stealth Microsystems Spectre (called Stalcar outside the States), previous tests against similar radar detectors suggest that it'll spot the TPX at up to one mile. My suggestion: Don't
plan to use the Adaptiv TPX in the sole state or in the Canadian provinces where detector use is illegal. Internationally, the list of countries banning radar detectors is getting longer each year.
Performance
I checked the performance of the Adaptiv TPX by running it through my usual battery of tests at our test sites outside
Phoenix. This measured sensitivity, the distance at which a radar detector can spot police radar.
First stop was the Curve Test Site, a particularly difficult challenge. Here the radar vehicle is parked in mid-curve, its
radar aimed uphill and at a 45-degree angle away from oncoming traffic. The police vehicle isn't visible until the
moment the radar operator has already locked-in the speed of an approaching car, at about 650 feet. With nothing to
deflect the radar beam toward the detectors' antennae, only extreme sensitivity can deliver enough warning distance.
Here the Adaptiv TPX displayed stellar X-band sensitivity, easily spotting the radar in time. But it had great
difficulty in detecting K band and both of the prevalent Ka-band frequencies (34.7 GHz and 35.5 GHz). Against all three
it gave an average of 791 feet of range, barely 140 feet before the radar had a lock on our speed and too little to be
helpful.
Our next stop was the Straightaway Test Site, a no-brainer. It's a series of 3-mile-long and almost perfectly flat
straightaways, linked by plunging downhill S-curves at low-water crossings where it intersects the same river several
times over the course of 10 miles. (Bridges are uncommon on secondary roads in the Southwest. Most rivers remain
dry 51 weeks out of the year, leading road builders to run the pavement right through the stream beds. Wood posts
marked in inches are thoughtfully provided as depth gauges.)
In recent tests several under-$150 radar detectors could sniff out all of our radars from the limit of this site, some 5.3
miles in length. Again, the Adaptiv TPX performed well on X band. But it was very weak on both K band and 34.7
GHz Ka-band radar.
Faced with 35.5 GHz Ka-band radar, it alerted at 3,738 feet, compared with an average of 25,000 feet for the under-$150 detectors tested there this year. Even under ideal conditions that's barely enough to save you. (These radars can easily clock a motorcycle at 2,000 feet or more.) And keep in mind that 35.5 GHz Ka band is used by more than half of all Ka-band radar in service, meaning that it's the most likely to be encountered on the road today.
The Adaptiv TPX is a creditable first effort for a company new to the radar detector business. But with significant design shortcomings and major gaps in its performance envelope, I'd suggest looking realistically at your riding style and personal threat level. If you generally cruise in laid-back style, almost never speed and take little notice of what your radar detector is trying to tell you, a low-performance radar detector might be acceptable. On rare occasions it might even prevent a ticket. Everyone else, particularly those with an elevated level of risk, may want to consider alternatives.
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| K Radar Sensitivity
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