school me on radar detectors

[semlin]

ok after years of cruiser driving I have an unfamiliar problem.

It is becoming clear I can't easily keep the Ls400 at or near the speed limit on the highway. It prefers to go considerably faster and is very persuasive in getting its way. the route i have to drive is an old undivided highway through mountains with lots of turns and rocky outcrops creating places for radar traps and lots of patrol cars making bank on folks like me.

how do i protect themselves from this car? what is the best device to thwart the horsemen who may wait around every corner? do radar detectors work? do the cops know you are using them? which ones are best?

[NaterGator]

My vote is for the valentine 1. Mount it as high as possible.
more at www.radardetector.net

[calbo]

C'mon Semlin. Live on the edge. Learn to read the signs to watch out for speed traps. If other cars brake for no reason, then slow down. If you are being flashed by motorists traveling the opposite direction, be wary- they may be helping you out. Think like a cop: what's a good hiding place to clock speeders?

Lastly, you're driving an LS400, not an IROC. Unless you're going real fast, you probably won't draw much attention.

[NorCalDoug]

have you no regard for the law?

[semlin]

all good advice on the open highway with lots of traffic, but not so much on a highway through mountains where traffic is sporadic and there are lots of blind curves and other spots for radar traps offering full concealment. last time I drove it in the cruiser on a long weekend, at the speed limit, they had a traffic sweep on. I counted 5 encounters where I was a dead man before i could react if I was speeding and saw many more cops. and they are eager! i got pulled over for not having a front licence plate!

[semlin]

Originally Posted by NorCalDoug

have you no regard for the law?

like i said, it's not me, it's the car those older lexus engineers put too many gadgets in there and I can't seem to disable the don't be a wimp throttle override control.

[john_eckels]

My neighbor has this device that jams laser radar. He says you MUST turn it off after you slow down so you don't get caught using it. I guess it not all that legal. He told me to check out Radar Roy to get educated on the various detectors and jammers.

http://www.radarroy.com/

[semlin]

Originally Posted by john_eckels

My neighbor has this device that jams laser radar. He says you MUST turn it off after you slow down so you don't get caught using it. I guess it not all that legal. He told me to check out Radar Roy to get educated on the various detectors and jammers.

http://www.radarroy.com/

thanks for the link. your friend is obstructing justice by interfering with a legal law enforcement investigation tool. that could potentially be our equivalent of a felony here so i think i'll pass.

[calbo]

In that case, lots of people also swear by the top-of-line Passport radar, either wired or battery-powered are good. That's my suggestion as far as brand is concerned.

The whole radar industry (and legality thereof) is a big fat grey area. Some states in the US ban it outright... you get a ticket if something resembling a radar is on your dashboard... other places say they are illegal but don't really bother enforcing it.

I've never owned a radar detector, but from my readings a year or two back (when I owned a faster car), there are radar detectors, radar/laser detectors, radar detector detectors (for police), and radar detector detector detectors. It's a downward spiral. Then there are jammers. These are usually black market because they don't just tell you when you're being clocked, they actually disrupt by transmitting noise back at the clocker. (what john_eckels was referring to)

Last thing about this: many motorists will claim (correctly? not sure) that a clear line of sight needs to be established for a police officer to "justify" the citation he/she issues you. On the flip side, the range for this line of sight increases steadily as technology gets better. By the time you see him/her, you've already been clocked.
Plus, the human factor... in front of a judge it will be your persuasive skills against the word of a law enforcement officer.

[BHMCruiser]

Originally Posted by semlin

thanks for the link. your friend is obstructing justice by interfering with a legal law enforcement investigation tool. that could potentially be our equivalent of a felony here so i think i'll pass.

Make sure. In the states, this issue tends to be codified state-by-state. Your province or central government may allow you to use these.

Just FYI.

[cary]

There is the Valentine 1, and then there is everything else. Mike Valentine and a partner started Escort radar (makers of the Passport). Then Valentine (who was the engineering side) left about 15 years ago. About 5-7 years ago Escort sold to one of the other radar companies.

The passport wireless models have a horrible range. The wired models are ok, but they don't give the information of the Valentine.

[cary]

Originally Posted by BHMCruiser

Make sure. In the states, this issue tends to be codified state-by-state. Your province or central government may allow you to use these.

Just FYI.

Radar jammers (real ones not the fake passive ones) send out a radio wave and are hence transmitting and subject to FCC regulations. Something about Federal Preemption springs to mind.

[fsusteve]

buy one at walmart and return it after the trip....tell them you got a ticket...........I know people who have done this.

[Trunk Monkey]

Originally Posted by calbo

In that case, lots of people also swear by the top-of-line Passport radar, either wired or battery-powered are good. That's my suggestion as far as brand is concerned.

Friend of mine has the Passport hardwired into his Evo. He drives like a bat out of hell all the damn time, he says it's saved his butt numerous times, no tickets so far. He has it on the dash. Another friend with an M5 has the same one and has it mounted up by the rearview mirror. He commented that he kept it there so if he were pulled over it wouldn't be in plain view of the officer. Oh, he's a cop too. The joys of flashing your badge and getting out of tickets.

[reffug]

had a jammer when I was younger and a bit more reckless and the fawkin thing rocked.

on a different note, Semlin the fawking thing has cruise right?

USE IT...........................

ya dumb monkey.

[BHMCruiser]

Originally Posted by cary

Radar jammers (real ones not the fake passive ones) send out a radio wave and are hence transmitting and subject to FCC regulations. Something about Federal Preemption springs to mind.

Is there actual legislation on that? Or, are you speaking hypothetically?

Actually, I just looked this up, and there appears to be an FCC ban on "active" radar jammers. There appears to be no such problem with "passive" jammers, but they have to be very close to function properly.

Edit: In short, you were right, and I was stupid.

[calphi27]

I researched this too. Radar jammers are illegal due to an FCC thing. From when I looked into it, LIDAR(laser) jammers were legal in some places. They have to be mounted properly in front and rear on car. Once they go off, you should slow down and turn the unit off.

On mountain passes and curvy roads, detectors dont do that well. If the cops dont have their radar on active, you wont detect them until its usually too late. The only time they pickup lidar is when they have shot it near you. ( I think this is true to for POP radar.)

So ideally you would need a lidar jammer, depending on legality now, and a detector. Valentine 1 is good, but over priced and big. The high end passport/escort (can remember now) is just as good if not better. The V1 is nice though because it shows where the blast came from. So you are looking at around $1000 for both items and install. I would recommend a pro install to hide everything.

I didn't buy one because it wasnt worth it too me. People in Denver cruiser highways at 80 so that's good enough here. I also pay close attention to the traffic ahead and behind.

Maybe some of the nice police officers will chime in here with some stories of people stopped for speeding with detectors.

[calphi27]

Jammer

http://www.radarbusters.com/laser-ja...iew&key=BLI002

Detector

http://www.radarbusters.com/motorcyc...iew&key=ESO001

ok so more expensive than i thought.

[carboncycles]

Valentine1 has my vote. My gf has the passport and she even commented that the valentine is a better choice because of forward and rear receivers, and most important the bogey counter!

[semlin]

Originally Posted by reffug

on a different note, Semlin the fawking thing has cruise right?

USE IT...........................

ya dumb monkey.

cruise on a windy single lane undivided forst heaved mountain highway maintained by a private sector contractor?

[SR.GRINGO]

I have been researching this a bit as of late. The valentine 1 is great if you have $400.

Passport 8500 X50 is about $225 on ebay (this is my choice) rated highly on the forums.

[calphi27]

now why did they have to go and move this??? :(

[cary]

Originally Posted by BHMCruiser

Edit: In short, you were right, and I was stupid.

If you can think of a way to get my wife to say this, I will be your friend for life.

[KliersLC]

I have a 100 dollar cobra from walmart, and it has saved my butt several times. Radar Roy has tests published by model for range and function.

They don't work around corners, limited over the hill capability(see Roy's tests)

Pretty much all you need to know is on Radar Roy's website
http://www.radarbusters.com/

[ginericLC]

I used to have a need for speed and had several radar detectors: Escort, Valentine 1, Cobra, and Bell. Every time I've received a ticket I've had a radar detector in the car and it has gone off. Unfortunately, it has been going off because they were clocking me. If there is no traffic ahead of you it won't work until it is too late. Ooops! I was wrong there was one time I received a ticket and I didn't have one. I was supposedly going 32 mph in a 25 zone. I was probably 50 feet from a 45 mph zone and I was in the middle of about a 40 car line up. However I didn't have the right license plates for that county. The radar wouldn't have done me any good because it was on a visual. I've been pulled over a dozen times on visuals. Only that once I was ticketed. And some of them have been really bogus, like I got pulled over for going 23mph in a school zone (20mph). It happened to be on spring break (I am a teacher) and there were no children present and I was only really going 17mph in a76 FJ40 in 2nd gear. No ticket but I got hassled for 35 minutes. This is a local lady cop and she has pulled me over at least a dozen times for various things. Once she pulled me over for not having an exterior door handle. Never a ticket so far. My wife says she has the hots for me. To me a radar detector is like screwing someone with AIDS with a condom. It makes you feel safe but you aren't.

[aim]

Originally Posted by SR.GRINGO

I have been researching this a bit as of late. The valentine 1 is great if you have $400.

Passport 8500 X50 is about $225 on ebay (this is my choice) rated highly on the forums.

In the US, buying off of ebay is rumored to void your warranty...

[spressomon]

Been using radar detectors for 25-years+...ended up getting the Valentine about 5-years ago...the best 'investment' I have made regarding radar detectors. It has saved my butt many times. I use it with the conceal kit so I don't become the rabbit for others at night...works too! As above they do not eliminate risk...you still need to scope ahead and behind you...but as far as radar detectors go the arrows, just like they advertise, are great.