radar detectors?

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt

Originally posted by: l RusH l
Some places on the internet sell laser blocking devices that are placed on the front grill and block the laser from taking a reading....seems fishy to me though.

I think these are generally illegal.

I always wondered if cops get pissed off if they walk up to a car and see a radar detector stuck to the windshield (whether they pulled you over for speeding, broken tail light, or whatever).

None here that I know of. The guy with the detector that was pulled over was none too thrilled, though. 😛

Cops up here tend to keep radar off and tag you quickly..so by the time your detector goes off, you're already hit.

Originally posted by: Rastus
Get a jammer.

I can picture the scene now. Dusk. Cop parked on the 45 mph road. Half asleep. All of a sudden his radar goes off, but it says 45 on it. There is nobody around for miles. He scratches his head and get out of his car to get a better look. All of a sudden, brikis98 goes screaming by at about 130.

Reckless driving -- no radar reading needed. 😉 Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, though.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
I used to have one but got annoyed with the false positives it would give. It had different levels from 1-9 and I would get way too many 1's from alarm systems and automatic doors and stuff like that. I haven't looked at them in years but if someone would have invented one that simply beeped on level 2 instead of 1 I would have paid a mint for it.

There are four different bands that I know of: K, Ka, X, and Pop. K is usually those roadside speed cameras, Ka is DEFINITELY a cop, Pop is DEFINITELY a cop, and X is very very rarely a cop. You'll get a ton of false X band warnings, and you just have to learn to intelligently ignore them. If X goes off in a heavy shopping area or near a grocery store or something, you can ignore it fairly safely. If it goes off in the middle of nowhere... it's probably a cop.

One reason i love the Escort X50, you can turn off the bands you don't want. X-band has been off since day 1.

I really need to upgrade my Bel 985 🙁 It doesn't get Pop, which makes me scared, and it gets a bunch of false X band warnings. There have been numerous times where I've passed cops on the highway shooting some kind of speed gun and it just doesn't go off 🙁

Old tech...

 

[Ragnarok2]

Originally posted by: Rastus
Get a jammer.

I can picture the scene now. Dusk. Cop parked on the 45 mph road. Half asleep. All of a sudden his radar goes off, but it says 45 on it. There is nobody around for miles. He scratches his head and get out of his car to get a better look. All of a sudden, brikis98 goes screaming by at about 130.

NO don't get a jammer. None of them work, and they have been tested
http://www.radarbusters.com/support/jammers/Default.asp
Some nice videos of them in action, and some cool stuff like stealth coating for you car and awesome license plate covers that reflect light back at the camera so it cant see your plate #(for speed cameras usually positioned in construction zones)

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: chambersc
All they do is notify you when your car gets tagged with "the beam." It's snake oil.

Totally wrong. I have been saved MANY times doing 15 or so over and slowed down for the detector and have yet to get a ticket with one.

Especially so with radar. You detect it before you are close enough for it to get a reading for the cop.

I have an Escort Passport 8500 X50. I don't regret buying it a bit, I'm convinced that it's helped me avoid tickets several times.

Most people argue about laser... some jurisdictions use it a lot, some do not. In my area, laser is used, but radar is still far more prevalent... meaning the radar detector is put to good use.

I've only been hit by laser one time, and that was in a construction zone, by a worker whose job was to fire laser at vehicles, hoping to slow them down by sounding their alarms.

As for false positives... my radar detector has Auto/City/Highway mode for sensitivity... use the one that's appropriate. If you're still getting false positives, you can manually adjust sensitivity too, IIRC.

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt

Originally posted by: l RusH l
Some places on the internet sell laser blocking devices that are placed on the front grill and block the laser from taking a reading....seems fishy to me though.

I think these are generally illegal.

Radar jammers are illegal due to FCC regulations. Laser "jammers" are not illegal, because laser is regulated by the FDA, and they have not declared them illegal.

 

[chambersc]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: DeviousTrap

Originally posted by: chambersc
All they do is notify you when your car gets tagged with "the beam." It's snake oil.

With laser yes, with radar you'll get a decent amount of notice.

The cheap ones are a waste of money, but if you can afford something a $400 Escort or Valentine One they might pay off.

I got hit with laser, 75 in a 55 construction zone, and did not get a ticket.

This has NOTHING to do with the detector but rather the officer's discretion. Apples to oranges, buddy.

 

[Indolent]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: chambersc
All they do is notify you when your car gets tagged with "the beam." It's snake oil.

Totally wrong. I have been saved MANY times doing 15 or so over and slowed down for the detector and have yet to get a ticket with one.

Especially so with radar. You detect it before you are close enough for it to get a reading for the cop.

I have an Escort Passport 8500 X50. I don't regret buying it a bit, I'm convinced that it's helped me avoid tickets several times.

Most people argue about laser... some jurisdictions use it a lot, some do not. In my area, laser is used, but radar is still far more prevalent... meaning the radar detector is put to good use.

I've only been hit by laser one time, and that was in a construction zone, by a worker whose job was to fire laser at vehicles, hoping to slow them down by sounding their alarms.

As for false positives... my radar detector has Auto/City/Highway mode for sensitivity... use the one that's appropriate. If you're still getting false positives, you can manually adjust sensitivity too, IIRC.

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt

Originally posted by: l RusH l
Some places on the internet sell laser blocking devices that are placed on the front grill and block the laser from taking a reading....seems fishy to me though.

I think these are generally illegal.

Radar jammers are illegal due to FCC regulations. Laser "jammers" are not illegal, because laser is regulated by the FDA, and they have not declared them illegal.

Laser jammers are illegal in Virginia, Minnesota, and DC if I remember correctly.

 

[Juno]

no, cops are smart enough.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: Indolent

Originally posted by: GeekDrew

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: chambersc
All they do is notify you when your car gets tagged with "the beam." It's snake oil.

Totally wrong. I have been saved MANY times doing 15 or so over and slowed down for the detector and have yet to get a ticket with one.

Especially so with radar. You detect it before you are close enough for it to get a reading for the cop.

I have an Escort Passport 8500 X50. I don't regret buying it a bit, I'm convinced that it's helped me avoid tickets several times.

Most people argue about laser... some jurisdictions use it a lot, some do not. In my area, laser is used, but radar is still far more prevalent... meaning the radar detector is put to good use.

I've only been hit by laser one time, and that was in a construction zone, by a worker whose job was to fire laser at vehicles, hoping to slow them down by sounding their alarms.

As for false positives... my radar detector has Auto/City/Highway mode for sensitivity... use the one that's appropriate. If you're still getting false positives, you can manually adjust sensitivity too, IIRC.

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt

Originally posted by: l RusH l
Some places on the internet sell laser blocking devices that are placed on the front grill and block the laser from taking a reading....seems fishy to me though.

I think these are generally illegal.

Radar jammers are illegal due to FCC regulations. Laser "jammers" are not illegal, because laser is regulated by the FDA, and they have not declared them illegal.

Laser jammers are illegal in Virginia, Minnesota, and DC if I remember correctly.

I was obviously speaking as broadly as possible. I can't care about everyone.

Radar Busters:

Laser Jammers and Radar Jammers are illegal in the states of Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC.

 

[udonoogen]

my $25 whistler saved me about 3-4 times. and then it broke ...

 

[uberman]

They work, I use a top of the line Bel radar/laser detector with cloaking technology. They'll alert you of radar before you're seen because of the wide beam of radar. Laser is a narrow beam so I think you're out of luck. I've used a radar gun for several thousand hours to study speed patterns. The beam is wide and yes I've clocked a stationary microwave tower at 90 mph, the technology is not perfect.I was the guy who did the speed studies so that they could give you a speeding ticket using radar in CA legally. I'm guessing about 33 percent of the tickets issued are bogus, but people just pay them. A cop got me and I told him that he should not be using radar here due to the absense of an engineering speed survey, since I was the one that does the surveys. The ticket was thrown out. My guess is everyone else paid. It was a speed trap. For further protection you could use a bearcat scanner with trunk tracking technology. They're preprogrammed with state police frequencies. If a cop fires up his radio within four miles you are listening to him, which means you have the planes covered too. The model of the one I use is BCT8. Speed trap websights offer some good info. I used to use one to track stealth vehicles they were moving around the state, they even had a volvo stationwagon.

As soon as you get any idea you are going to be pulled over, grab the detector from the velcro and stash it. Do not go for the glove box, perception could tell the cop you're reaching for a weapon. Keep your hands high and the cop happy.