Radar Detectors: Which one do you have?

[MotF Bane]

Got a Spectre Mk IV in your car?

06 LS : Valentine One
98 Cavvy : Whistler Pro-78SE (purchased first)

Cost of a radar detector is peanuts compared to the ticket, court costs and insurance premiums, even with the "right to speed" law in IA (no insurance hit for <= 10mph over, but ONLY in a 35-55mph zone). Those of you in VA (or if you're a commercial driver) don't have much of a choice besides a Bell STi Driver, since AFAIK it's the only radar detector not seen by a Spectre IV.

If I won the lotto, I'd get a Blinder M40.

I believe the Blinder M45 is available now.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

I believe the Blinder M45 is available now.

Same difference, ie. me no can afford it

 

[The Stigenator]

I have an Escort 8500 x50 in Red. I use it for long distance driving, kinda useless within LA since CHP / LAPD uses it rarely unless they are camping to pick off speeders. Plus I rarely speed in the city.

Its saved me countless times though, you can rely on it, you have to be a smart driver. React as soon as you hear the sound. If you are thumping to the banging music and you dont hear the laser alert, you are fucked!

Personally I like it when it gives me a warning (Ka) miles away from where the cop is. It makes the searching all the more fun.

Funny Anecdote:

I was driving CA-85 from Redwood city to Santa Cruz. Leading a pack of 6 cars, speed limit 45, I was going 70. I crested the hill, immediately got hit by Laser. I braked, so did the rest of the pack. I didnt even see the. CHP guy was over 1/4 mile away behind a tree. As I drove by he kinda looked at me funny.

I think the Laser and Radar systems require a 2nd verification pulse. If you change speed immediately it doesn't register right away.

I find the POP system irritating, but my last trip to vegas, every time i hear it go POP, there was a cop sitting on a ramp popping someone, it seems its more like a 'RF' blast and lets ppl around even if its not pointed at know there is a cop.

 

[jlee]

I think the Laser and Radar systems require a 2nd verification pulse. If you change speed immediately it doesn't register right away.

I don't use laser, but radar will give me a reading before you're able to move your foot from the gas to the brake.

 

[JMapleton]

You're relying on what you read on the intarweb. Yes, you do pick up laser even if it isn't aimed at you. Sure, normally it's too late but you get a warning.

Don't mean to be a jerk, but I'm relying on what the Escort and Beltronics chief product trainers told me when I trained to sell their product.

And you can get a lot of false signals from laser. Near where I live, my laser goes off near a certain Burger King almost everytime I drive by it.

Laser is very very specific and while it can happen, it's super rare to pick up laser pointed at someone else. I think the police who had you on laser just didn't want to pull you over for some reason.

 

[JMapleton]

Complete waste of money. I've never found one that didn't give tons of false alarms...after a while you just stop using it or stop trusting it when it does go off.

9500ix. Has a built in GPS feature that after you drive by a false signal 3 times, it filters it out. It's a must for inter-city driving.

The Valentine, while has more range than the 9500ix, has more false signals.

I can drive for hours with my 9500ix around the city and not get a false signal.

 

[JMapleton]

I believe the Blinder M45 is available now.

It's the Blinder M47 now. Basically the same as the 45, but a bit more effective.

But yeah, laser jammers are about 99% effective. If you can afford one and are willing to modify your car so it fits, and you're willing to take the legal risk (it's illegal in about 15 states), it's def worth it.

 

[JMapleton]

Besides, speeding in a car is for losers. The motorcycle is where I have my fun and you can have a lot of fun on a bike without attracting much attention from the police if you know what you're doing and where to do it. Beyond that, take it to the track.

I don't speed at super high speeds, like I would at a track. But I don't need a cop nabbing me for doing 31 in a 25 or for some other nonsense reason.

Most police where I am at are very mellow, but believe me, I've heard horror stories on the east coast about police, especially in NJ and VA. Nabbing people for going 5 over or other similar things.

 

[JMapleton]

I don't use laser, but radar will give me a reading before you're able to move your foot from the gas to the brake.

On a flat surface, most Beltronics and Escort products will detect your radar up to 5 times the distance you can detect them. Plenty of time to slow down. I've spoken to the people who've tested these products in the Arizona desert during the annual radar detector convention (where police and radar detector companies come together to test their products).

 

[JMapleton]

You are correct on all aspects (including your other posts) except the beam spread; there is no maximum, it's a continually expanding cone, as would fit for any energy emission really. You're still on the right idea though, it's very precise, especially when compared to laser.

You may be right, I wasn't 100 percent sure, it does make sense the beam would continously expand. I've heard many different answers, I'm not sure.

 

[jlee]

On a flat surface, most Beltronics and Escort products will detect your radar up to 5 times the distance you can detect them. Plenty of time to slow down. I've spoken to the people who've tested these products in the Arizona desert during the annual radar detector convention (where police and radar detector companies come together to test their products).

I said that the radar will give a reading before you can react. If you're not the one targeted, then obviously you'll have a chance to slow down.

 

[Raizinman]

I have the Escort Passport 9500ix which I have owned for about 6 months. There are things I like and dislike about it. I do not like how it is updated. About every 2 or 3 weeks I get an email from Escort telling me to update the detector. This requires that I bring the detector to the computer, hookup the USB cable and a 12 volt cigarette lighter power supply. Do you have a 12 volt cigarette lighter power supply near your computer? I don't and didn't have access to a laptop to bring to the car. I would have preferred that Escort power the detector for updates through the USB cable. The red light camera feature is a great benefit.

Having had other Escorts, BEL's, Radio Shack, Valentine, and other radar detectors over the years, I will have to say that this one is the best in detecting radar. I'm not a speeder, but there is the occasion that going down a long hill, my vehicle will pick up speed. Having a police officer shooting radar at the bottom of the hill is not really speed enforcement. I would call it money collecting instead. With police budgets being cut and everyone out for more money, I prefer to invest in a good detector rather than taking time off work to go to court with an attorney, paying a fine and perhaps having my insurance going up.

I have not had a ticket or accident in over 20 years and I want to keep it that way. A good radar detector is a good investment and will likely save you thousands of dollars. I know in the last 6 months of using this radar detector that it has saved me about 3 possible tickets.

Don't try and save money by purchasing a used or cheaper radar detector. Also, watch out for the exotic detectors which can change the speed on the radar gun. Do you really think passing a police officer at 95 mph and having his radar gun show 55 is really going to fool him? Most traffic enforcement officers can estimate the speed of a vehicle within a few miles, and their testimony is accepted in court even without radar.

 

[jlee]

Got a Spectre Mk IV in your car?

Nope- radar detectors are legal in NH.

 

[SearchMaster]

I don't use laser, but radar will give me a reading before you're able to move your foot from the gas to the brake.

Of course it will, but radar has such a wide spread that the detector will generally sense you aiming at other cars first. Laser is more targeted so you don't get that advantage as a driver.

Of course you knew that, but still...

 

[JDub02]

Those of you in VA (or if you're a commercial driver) don't have much of a choice besides a Bell STi Driver, since AFAIK it's the only radar detector not seen by a Spectre IV.

If I won the lotto, I'd get a Blinder M40.

I live in VA. I've been thinking about the STi Driver, but I've found that most of the time, traffic is heavy enough to either prevent me from speeding, or to give me some blockers so I don't get caught speeding.

 

[jlee]

Of course it will, but radar has such a wide spread that the detector will generally sense you aiming at other cars first. Laser is more targeted so you don't get that advantage as a driver.

Of course you knew that, but still...

lol radar goes everywhere and bounces off of all sorts of stuff - I can actually get a reading while parked with a handheld by pointing it at a side mirror and getting a car behind me. Obviously I'm not going to use that result in any official capacity whatsoever, but when I tried it just for kicks, IIRC it matched the car's radar. I've never owned a radar detector, but I have no doubts as to their ability to detect radar. If you're the only car on the road, though, it's not going to help a whole lot. I work nights in north/central NH -- there's not much traffic.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Never needed one, always assumed if I was caught, I was screwed anyway...now add a rader into the mix, and the cops will for sure give you a ticket.

 

[Gibson486]

Works for Radar, but not LIDAR (laser). Once you detect the laser signal, it's too late, they have already clocked you.

 

[Vetterin]

Two eyes, two feet, and cruise control.

Plus staying within 6-7 mph of the speed limit (on expressways) has kept me ticket free for almost 40 years.

 

[StageLeft]

None. I think they are not reliable enough plus would give me a false sense of power. I've heard a lot of people get more tickets when they have one. I've so far never had a ticket in 16 years of driving, unbelievably, since I speed all the time. I'm just fairly careful with when I do it and to what degree.

 

[Imported]

I may end up getting an 8500 x50 to replace my 965.. way too many false positives and its to the point where I'd rather turn it off.

 

[crab]

I have a Valentine One and love it, but common sense usually works best anyway. Its mostly handy out on these country roads.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

The Valentine, while has more range than the 9500ix, has more false signals.

This is true, but can be largely alleviated by operating it in Logic mode.

Works for Radar, but not LIDAR (laser). Once you detect the laser signal, it's too late, they have already clocked you.

That's why they call 'em ticket detectors

 

[Saga]

Got a Spectre Mk IV in your car?

If I won the lotto, I'd get a Blinder M40.

Why would you need to win the Lotto for something that costs about as much as a PS3?

 

[Zap]

I have a Beltronics Vector 940. Doesn't have many features, but supposedly the whole Vector series (which the 940 is the cheapest model) has the same detection hardware so the differences are the features. It has tested reasonably well, behind the industry leaders of course, but costs a fraction. It was a reasonable tradeoff for me.

I've been pulled over once (got a warning). On a familiar road that has no known source of radar, the 940 got a K-band blip. I guess one of the more feature-filled detectors might make a big deal of it, but I heard/saw the detector's blip and kind of tuned it out. I remember thinking to myself, "that's odd, there's no automatic doors around here." Of course that should have tipped me off, but my mind didn't make the connection. The officer got me several blocks later, after he was sure I wasn't going to slow down.

I'm not sure what you saw, but you cannot slow down for laser. Once they got you, they've got you. Once in a while you can get false laser alerts or you can get reflection from another laser signal, but it's extremely rare. The only exception is using Veil, which is a product you smother on your headlights and license plate, which delays the laser return and gives you about 4 seconds to slow down.

You need a laser jammer to outdo laser without worry.

LaserVeil + radar/laser detector + laser jammer + brake pedal = no worries

AFAIK the way LaserVeil works is that it is a paint you put over certain parts of your vehicle. Front license and lights for sure, but some cover the whole front of their vehicle. It is a translucent-ish paint, and will somewhat darken whatever you paint it on.

How it works is to disperse the laser a bit. It does not have the capability to delay or slow down laser (how do you slow down light?). It just disperses it enough so that the initial reading or two, which is hopefully near maximum range, will not have enough of a reflection to work. So, the officer has to laser you again as you come closer, by which time you would have (hopefully) slowed down.

Fine. Don't believe me. I got a blip (the 8500 makes it very clear for laser), and slammed on the brakes only to see a half-second later a guy with a gun on me. When the laser goes off, I know it's real...unless I'm coming up on an accident or a cop SUV which always trips my laser like crazy.

I'll take personal experience over what one reads on the intarweb. If all those times they didn't want to pull me over going 15+, well I guess they didn't want to pull me.

Here in SE Wisconsin they seemed to be testing out laser for a while. I encountered it numerous times over a couple month period, and then haven't seen/detected it since. Been clocked on I-94 going about 15 over with the rest of traffic, but not a single person was pulled over. Also clocked going about 10 over on Green Bay Road.

Once in Southern Illinois on I-57, a couple miles into the state I got hit with laser. Had the cruise control set, so I didn't worry about it. Next couple miles had around FIVE state troopers pulling people over. Can't outrun laser+Motorola. :twisted:

This requires that I bring the detector to the computer, hookup the USB cable and a 12 volt cigarette lighter power supply. Do you have a 12 volt cigarette lighter power supply near your computer? ... I would have preferred that Escort power the detector for updates through the USB cable.

USB is 5v.

Out of stock but that should give you some ideas.