Radar detector

[Freejack2]

I have Escort 9500ix. It was a close call between the Valentine One and the 9500ix. In the end I really liked the idea of a GPS built in and I had an 8500 before. Add to that the fact now that it's blocked out most of the crap, when it goes off, odds are it's a cop.

Mind you a radar detector won't always save your ass. If you get a hot pencil they're probably going to snag your ass if you're going too fast. What it's good for is the cop who leaves his gun always on or when someone ahead of you gets clocked.

 

[zinfamous]

do you live in VA?

 

[TheNinja]

It also really depends where you live. I live in the East Bay and the idea of a radar detector seems worthless to me. Either I can't go fast enough b/c of traffic, or that things going to be going off non-stop anyway and I'll probably turn it off b/c it's annoying. I would not buy one.

 

[MotF Bane]

I float in between MA (home state), NH (just north of my house), and NY (college). Plenty of big open highways. Out of state is a problem with NY and NH, I don't speed at all in NH because they're cops are devious.

@ mugs - Nothing flashy, I tend to keep with my lane (hell, NH and NY are mostly two lanes), but out of state I can't change really.

 

[Saga]

Waste of money as 90% of the time if you are aimed at directly no amount of warning is going to matter because by the time the buzzer goes off you're already nailed - unless you're in some ass backwards redneck county where they still use radar in which case it can SOMETIMES be helpful. Laser will peg you dead on and it will not be detected.

But by all means, buy an Escort. I have stake in the company and make lots of money off suckers like you.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
I float in between MA (home state), NH (just north of my house), and NY (college). Plenty of big open highways. Out of state is a problem with NY and NH, I don't speed at all in NH because they're cops are devious.

@ mugs - Nothing flashy, I tend to keep with my lane (hell, NH and NY are mostly two lanes), but out of state I can't change really.

Those damned sneaks. :laugh:

 

[0roo0roo]

well one of those car mags or popular mechanics, i forget which one did a test a while back, performance seemed to scale with price sadly

 

[Barfo]

Thought they were illegal.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: barfo
Thought they were illegal.

In some states, yes- in most states, nope.

 

[dbk]

Not allowed in VA
but with all the traffic in NOVA - don't need it.. heh

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
I float in between MA (home state), NH (just north of my house), and NY (college). Plenty of big open highways. Out of state is a problem with NY and NH, I don't speed at all in NH because they're cops are devious.

@ mugs - Nothing flashy, I tend to keep with my lane (hell, NH and NY are mostly two lanes), but out of state I can't change really.

Those damned sneaks. :laugh:

:laugh:

 

[imported_weadjust]

I got an Escort 8500 Refurb direct from Escort listed on ebay. Looks brand new and has worked great for the 5 months that I have owned it. $150 bucks shipped with warranty.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Saga
Waste of money as 90% of the time if you are aimed at directly no amount of warning is going to matter because by the time the buzzer goes off you're already nailed - unless you're in some ass backwards redneck county where they still use radar in which case it can SOMETIMES be helpful. Laser will peg you dead on and it will not be detected.

But by all means, buy an Escort. I have stake in the company and make lots of money off suckers like you.

That's really funny because you always pick them up before they can even see you. Even laser, well, with laser you normally pick it up when they hit other cars, if you're all alone then not much you can do about it.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: Saga
Waste of money as 90% of the time if you are aimed at directly no amount of warning is going to matter because by the time the buzzer goes off you're already nailed - unless you're in some ass backwards redneck county where they still use radar in which case it can SOMETIMES be helpful. Laser will peg you dead on and it will not be detected.

For what it's worth, I routinely detect radar signals coming from cruisers in Fairfield, Perry, Hocking and Franklin Counties, Ohio. Also the OSHP.

I also found it useful when driving through Indiana and Illinois... I didn't see any cruisers at all - the entire drive between Columbus and Chicago and back - that I wasn't already warned about by the radar detector.

 

[bobdole369]

Anyone who has a RADAR detector is going to tell you that it's worth it, because everyone wants to feel like they didn't make a bad purchase. They think that any time the RADAR detector beeps and they slow down, that was an avoided ticket. The reality is, you can drive past dozens of cops while speeding and not get any tickets. Cops don't pull over every speeder.

Some things to consider -

1. In my experience, there are things that make you more likely to get pulled over. Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself. Speeding doesn't draw attention to you - everyone speeds. I drive ~80-85 on the interstate and don't ever get pulled over. Driving significantly faster than surrounding traffic draws attention to you. Frequent and abrupt lane changes draw attention to you. Following closely draws attention to you. Having a car with flashy external modifications draws attention to you. Having out of state plates draws attention to you, because you're less likely to contest the ticket.
2. Cops don't have to keep their RADAR on. They can turn it on when they see you speeding, and by the time your RADAR detector warns you, they already have your speed. Maybe you get lucky and your detector picks up the RADAR when he's checking someone else's speed, maybe he doesn't. Just realize that your RADAR detector is useless when there is no RADAR to detect, and the absence of RADAR does not mean you're not going to get a ticket.

To me, a RADAR detector is a waste of money. If I had a riced out car and drove like a jackass, it'd probably be a worthwhile expense. But all I do is speed (within reason), and I don't get tickets for it.

Quoted for motherfucking truth.

Laser gets you before your detector goes off. Thats all they use down here. No police force uses radar anymore where I live.

That's really funny because you always pick them up before they can even see you. Even laser, well, with laser you normally pick it up when they hit other cars, if you're all alone then not much you can do about it.

Um no ya don't. Laser (or Lidar) is virtually undetectable from a moving car. No major urban area uses anything but laser anymore. You'd have to be damn lucky to have an actual coherent beam scatter its way back to the eye of the detector, then it would have to be polarized the right way. It's marketing and gimmicky and it should be illegal to sell as only rubes and jackoffs actually think these things do anything but give you false alarms. Law enforcement usually doesn't care because it gives yahoo's license to speed, and they get to write bigger tickets. Well actually I made that last bit up - no LEO is going to like a device that causes "slow folk" to act in a more dangerous manner.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: bobdole369

Um no ya don't. Laser (or Lidar) is virtually undetectable from a moving car. No major urban area uses anything but laser anymore. You'd have to be damn lucky to have an actual coherent beam scatter its way back to the eye of the detector, then it would have to be polarized the right way. It's marketing and gimmicky and it should be illegal to sell as only rubes and jackoffs actually think these things do anything but give you false alarms. Law enforcement usually doesn't care because it gives yahoo's license to speed, and they get to write bigger tickets. Well actually I made that last bit up - no LEO is going to like a device that causes "slow folk" to act in a more dangerous manner.

I know what you have read on the internet, but I've picked up laser plenty of times before. If they are aiming it at you and tag you, then yeah, nothing you can do. But most times it goes off before they target me (most of them just leave it on all the time).

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: spidey07

I know what you have read on the internet, but I've picked up laser plenty of times before. If they are aiming it at you and tag you, then yeah, nothing you can do. But most times it goes off before they target me (most of them just leave it on all the time).

I've picked up laser also. It isn't as widely used in my area as radar is. You can usually see a good laser spot coming up. It'll have a nice long stretch of straightaway, and good places to park a car. You should be prepared....

 

[The Boston Dangler]

i don't use a radar/lidar detector. i agree with mugs' post. and yes, nh troopers are sneaky.

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
i don't use a radar/lidar detector. i agree with mugs' post. and yes, nh troopers are sneaky.

Yep, they're the sneaky ones, but the MA ones are just weak. Blue cars sitting up on the side of the road... please don't notice us.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: spidey07

I know what you have read on the internet, but I've picked up laser plenty of times before. If they are aiming it at you and tag you, then yeah, nothing you can do. But most times it goes off before they target me (most of them just leave it on all the time).

I've picked up laser also. It isn't as widely used in my area as radar is. You can usually see a good laser spot coming up. It'll have a nice long stretch of straightaway, and good places to park a car. You should be prepared....

It really depends on your state and how they use it. I drive interstate 75 miles each way to work and really rely on my radar detector driving 90-94 Mph with speed limit of 70. 25+ over and you're in trouble.

In KY cops are dug in like ticks on a hound dog, you don't see them until it's too late, entrance ramps are their favorite. They squat at the top of the entrance ramp (so you don't see them) and radar/laser people going past them. Or state troopers that just run up and down the interstate looking for speeders. The detector alerts me to their presence and I can slow down to 77. Anything under 10 over is a no point offense.

To me time is money and slowing down once or twice on my way to work and watching others get popped every single freaking day due to my detector paid for itself within a year. 94 Mph or 70? I'll take 94 Mph with an instance or two of 77. Time is money.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: MotF Bane

Originally posted by: The Boston Dangler
i don't use a radar/lidar detector. i agree with mugs' post. and yes, nh troopers are sneaky.

Yep, they're the sneaky ones, but the MA ones are just weak. Blue cars sitting up on the side of the road... please don't notice us.

they do alright with their lame hiding spots. they'd rather not bother, don't make them pull you over

my favorite exchange with an off-duty trooper:
me: "you guys are hiding on the left now, that's a cheap move! cheap!"
him: "hehe, yeah."

 

[Aquaman]

Also radar does not help when the cops have an eye in the sky and are measuring your speed without a radar.

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Newbian]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Also radar does not help when the cops have an eye in the sky and are measuring your speed without a radar.

Cheers,
Aquaman

I would say by the time they have a Copter after you that radar is the least of your worries.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Newbian

Originally posted by: Aquaman
Also radar does not help when the cops have an eye in the sky and are measuring your speed without a radar.

Cheers,
Aquaman

I would say by the time they have a Copter after you that radar is the least of your worries.

Some stretches of interstate use aircraft to monitor speed- if you see white lines painted across the road, watch out!

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: bobdole369

Um no ya don't. Laser (or Lidar) is virtually undetectable from a moving car. No major urban area uses anything but laser anymore. You'd have to be damn lucky to have an actual coherent beam scatter its way back to the eye of the detector, then it would have to be polarized the right way. It's marketing and gimmicky and it should be illegal to sell as only rubes and jackoffs actually think these things do anything but give you false alarms. Law enforcement usually doesn't care because it gives yahoo's license to speed, and they get to write bigger tickets. Well actually I made that last bit up - no LEO is going to like a device that causes "slow folk" to act in a more dangerous manner.

I know what you have read on the internet, but I've picked up laser plenty of times before. If they are aiming it at you and tag you, then yeah, nothing you can do. But most times it goes off before they target me (most of them just leave it on all the time).

Or..maybe they are targeting you and just not stopping you.