Radar Detectors

[brazos parker]

OK, I put this in the Never Ending, Pointless Threads and hope it's the correct place.

I've read about all the "saves" riders claim when running w/ a radar detector but for the life of me, I cannot understand how one defeats a well-trained LEO w/ an "instant on" radar/lidar gun. I don't have a detector but it just seems logical to me that the radar detector will tell you the exact instant your speed was locked-in on the radar/lidar gun...and you're the SECOND one to know that you were nominated for a "performance" award...well, maybe you knew ahead of that moment but you know what I mean.

Can someone explain how a radar detector defeats a well trained officer w/ an "instant on" radar/lidar gun?

Does it depend on "stray" reflections? Does it depend on having another vehicle in front of or behind you?

Help me out here, Guys. I really would like to understand this before I spend my limited farkle money on something like a radar detector.

Thanx.

 

[Fencer]

About the only way it could work for you would be if it (the detector) picked up the LEO tagging a car in front of you and the detector pics it up with (hopefully) enough time to react.

I used to run a detector everywere, but with to many "false positives" it collects dust in drawer.

 

[MotorSWATCop]

Exactly. The detector can give you a warning as the officer pulses another driver. It will let you know there is radar in the area. If the officer pulses you, you've pretty much had it.

 

[smitty141]

That is correct... It will pick up radar from someone/thing in front of you. I love my Valintine V1, it is $400. bucks....or the price of a major speeding ticket... A V1 with a H.A.R.D. system in your helmet, as Taco Bell would say.... Your good to go. Smitty

 

[Groo]

Here's a good example from my recent trip out west. I am motoring along, and come to a T intersection... I turn left, noticing an unexceptional white vehicle coming along from the right... I'm in the middle of nowhere, and would have wicked it up fairly quickly... except that the V1 gave me a hit from behind... then a constant stream of hits from behind. Had it not, the officer in the unmarked car behind me would have had me dead as a doorknob when I sped up... as it was, he got to follow behind me as I did 5 under the limit for 10 miles, while I muted the full blast squeals he kept occasionally sending my way. He eventually made a U-turn, and I cranked the throttle.

Another was in Austin, Texas. Motorcycle cop had backed into a stand of trees and was popping cars as they came over a rise. I got indications he was there at least 1/2 a mile in advance and was at/under the speed limit when I went by, waving at him and getting a wave back...

Another was in New Mexico... cruising down a 2 lane road... approaching a caravan of vehicles... the LEO couldn't be seen 1/2 way back in the train of cars, but his radar gun made his presence known before I got to him, or knew which one he was.

Has anyone every been using a radar detector, and convinced themselves that a trucker had a radar detector mounted in their cab to mess with people who they thought were going too fast? I had a UPS truck that acted suspiciously like that coming back from KC... would be a pretty sick dude to pull something like that...

 

[radman]

Has anyone every been using a radar detector, and convinced themselves that a trucker had a radar detector mounted in their cab to mess with people who they thought were going too fast? I had a UPS truck that acted suspiciously like that coming back from KC... would be a pretty sick dude to pull something like that...

Time was, cheapie radar detectors put out such a strong signal of their own that they would set off other detectors in the near vicinity. False hits were the primary reason I quit using one, as motion detectors and burglar alarm systems would set it off, sometimes endlessly. And this was with a top of the line Escort, the grandpappy of the now legendary V-1. I know it saved me many, many thousands of dollars in fines and other costs, but the false hits, along with instant-on (for which there is NO defense if the cop is smart and spacing his hits well) pretty much ended it for me. The other factor is cost, the same escalation in technology that bankrupted the Soviets as the US kept cranking out the high-tech military goodies affects traffic radar/laser/plasma-ion beam defenses as well. The successful intercepts and obvious devotion to the V1 may change my mind however-but remember that there is still no substitute for smart riding. 15 years of detector use taught me much in the way of the wiley Revenue Swat Team, those lessons still serve me well, as evidenced by my flagrant violation of useless (as opposed to genuinely necessary) speedlimits, and no tickets for quite some time.

 

[Bounce]

Has anyone every been using a radar detector, and convinced themselves that a trucker had a radar detector mounted in their cab to mess with people who they thought were going too fast? I had a UPS truck that acted suspiciously like that coming back from KC... would be a pretty sick dude to pull something like that.

Get that occasionally. A ping that doesn't get stronger but indicates that it approaches and, then, passing you when an oncoming truck goes by. I've attributed it to a poorly-shielded detector in the truck.

 

[bmwhd]

Has anyone every been using a radar detector, and convinced themselves that a trucker had a radar detector mounted in their cab to mess with people who they thought were going too fast? I had a UPS truck that acted suspiciously like that coming back from KC... would be a pretty sick dude to pull something like that.

Get that occasionally. A ping that doesn't get stronger but indicates that it approaches and, then, passing you when an oncoming truck goes by. I've attributed it to a poorly-shielded detector in the truck.

My Passport 8500 has saved me at least a dozen "for sure" write ups. It has also been the first to laugh in my face when a cop has popped me with instant on and no other cars or bikes around for miles. You have to ride smart and if you're the "shakin' the trees" you gonna catch some bears no matter what.

I've noticed the DFW cops getting much better with Lidar lately. They used to spray that stuff around enough for the Passport to spot it. Now I sometimes don't detect it even pointed right at me :angry2:

 

[jestal]

A good radar detector can save you from a lot of situations. It cannot save you from all of them. It just increases your odds, that is all. I will not drive or ride without my V1 onboard. It has saved me many many times. There have also been a few cases of instant on and a wily cop that the only thing that saved me was my wits, not the detector. At night, with no traffic to shield you and long intervals between cars to get a stray warning off the guy in front of you you just have to slow down.

Get the detector, get a good one and ride with it for awhile to "learn" what it will tell you. You'll be surprised as you learn to interpret it's warnings as to what is going on. But never, ever, just wail down the road assuming the detector will save you. It just improves your odds of being warned in time, which is enough for me to recommend one.

 

[madmike2]

+1. The best device to keep you from getting a ticket is between your ears...and hopefully connected to an "instant response" on our right wrist.

My Escort merely warns me when there is "suspicious activity". Yes, in the city it goes of because of door openers and burglar alarms but the "City" mode works fairly well, along with the "mute" function which shuts off that particular band.

On the highway, it has warned me by reading a "reflection"(?) so I knew there was an officer in my area using radar.

Either way, because of the detector warnings, my deductive ability and knowledge that there will always be "revenooers" in small townships @ speed limit changes I think I am better protected. I'm not so foolish as to think that the detector alone will "save" me.

 

[slapnpop]

I echo what everyone else says.

Mike, if you want a first hand demonstration I'll take you for a ride in the SHO some time. Name the time/place

 

[Groo]

Has anyone every been using a radar detector, and convinced themselves that a trucker had a radar detector mounted in their cab to mess with people who they thought were going too fast? I had a UPS truck that acted suspiciously like that coming back from KC... would be a pretty sick dude to pull something like that.

Get that occasionally. A ping that doesn't get stronger but indicates that it approaches and, then, passing you when an oncoming truck goes by. I've attributed it to a poorly-shielded detector in the truck.

Well here's the situation I was in... 3 lane highway section... UPS 18 wheeler in the center lane... I'm trying to get by in the left lane, but some seasoned citizen has taken up residence and is matching the truck's speed there... I wait for like 2-3 minutes for the blue-hair to get the hint, but seeing no change, and no other cars/traffic, i swing all the way to the far right lane and pass them both at speed. Just as I get back into the center lane in front of the UPS truck, I get a STRONG Ka signal from the V1, showing directly behind me... I check my rearview mirrors, thinking maybe the blue-hair was really an LEO... nope... she can barely see over the wheel. The signal dies down after I slow down... and I don't see anyone else, or anything suspiscious behind me, so a mile or two later I start to wick it up... BAM another STRONG Ka signal from behind... now I'm really wondering so I slow way down... so much that the UPS truck passes me, right after the signal disappears again.

I wait for a while, and don't get any other hits... so I twist the throttle and pass the UPS truck again... 200 yards past it... you guessed it... Ka from behind... I look behind... nobody but the truck... and decide to heck with it... hit the throttle and Ka from behind... anytime I sped up, until I was out of sight of that truck, I got a strong Ka hit from behind. The only thing I could think of was that something in the truck was doing it. Didn't figure a cheap detector would emit on Ka, so my postulation was that the trucker wanted to put the fear of god in people he knew had detectors (mine's visible) that he thought were going too fast.

 

[twowheelnut]

Was glad to have my detector with me on this trip. At least 5 saves, including the one around a blind corner on 299. One ping, but I slowed to 55 and sure nuf, here comes Johnny Law right at me. He spun around and followed me, so I figger'd that he had me through the trees across the canyon or sumpin'. Nope, he just wanted to tail me for 30 miles. 55 for 30 miles on 299 is painful!

What I don't get is the laser hits in the middle of nowhere - not even a tower in site... :dntknw:

 

[Groo]

What I don't get is the laser hits in the middle of nowhere - not even a tower in site... :dntknw:

If you were in the vicinity of any recent year minivans or SUVs, they now have models with guided cruise control, that keeps a safe distance from cars in front using a laser signal that the V1 sees as a threat. If there was nobody else around you, it must have been your blinding personality...

 

[twowheelnut]

If you were in the vicinity of any recent year minivans or SUVs, they now have models with guided cruise control, that keeps a safe distance from cars in front using a laser signal that the V1 sees as a threat. If there was nobody else around you, it must have been your blinding personality...

Surely not the latter! :blink: When I say, 'nowhere', I mean it! Halfway into my 25 mile off-road foray (thanks to some hippy dude who offered up a short cut from 1 to 299), I'm getting serious hits. And I concur on the new cruise systems, Mercs, Lexii and a few other high end cars have 'em, so it won't be too long before more mainstream cars get 'em, too. Doesn't the FCC control the frequencies for these systems?

 

[Groo]

[so it won't be too long before more mainstream cars get 'em, too.

It's now. We're having to replace our Toyota Sienna Minivan with another one (160K miles later)... the laser guided cruise control is standard on the deluxe model, and an option on the XLE.... and probably the lower models too...

 

[tripletango]

Basically the thing will save you from bugger all. That is if you are not paying attention. It helps develop a picture of what is around you. Be vigilant because your adversary is a leo trying to increase the coffers of some state/municipality/church group or what ever.

You will get busted if you are alone for miles, they will shoot you front wise up yer *** from on ramps and a whole hell of a lot more idiotic places. Had a local jump out from behind what looked like a a dumpster to blaze away with his brand new laser gun. Sheesh.

Anyway use a rabbit - use the detector to get a feel for what is going on and don't speed through areas that appear to need money.

Towns on interstates, small country towns, places where your common sense tells you that it is accident prone.

The dam thing slows me down in 70% of situations unnecessarily. hell it goes off and the next thing I know I am doing 65 in a 70 impressing no one including myself.

however if you are blazing in a perfectly safe area and there is some money grabber out there, it may save yer ***.

It is a tool to be used intelligently not insurance against a ticket

 

[twowheelnut]

It's now. We're having to replace our Toyota Sienna Minivan with another one (160K miles later)... the laser guided cruise control is standard on the deluxe model, and an option on the XLE.... and probably the lower models too...

No ****? Faque, I'm gonna hafta add a few more auto rag 'scripts to my already lengthy list of toil, er, reading room material.

And, why is it that I just can't picture you behind the wheel of a mini van? Snicker. :haha:

 

[Rogue]

It's now. We're having to replace our Toyota Sienna Minivan with another one (160K miles later)... the laser guided cruise control is standard on the deluxe model, and an option on the XLE.... and probably the lower models too...

No ****? Faque, I'm gonna hafta add a few more auto rag 'scripts to my already lengthy list of toil, er, reading room material.

And, why is it that I just can't picture you behind the wheel of a mini van? Snicker. :haha:

I think he looks just like the type to drive one! :rofl: