Laser guns and radar detectors...

[archosman]

In this day and age is it worthless to use a radar detector? Not advocating fast speed or anything, but I'll be driving home for Thanksgiving and was wondering if it's even worth my time to pull my old detector out of mothball for the trip.

I've got an old Escort SOLO Model RD-5110... one of the early radar/laser detectors. I was under the impression that if the laser portion goes off then they know what you are doing. Is it pointless at this time to consider taking it on my trip?

Also where the heck can I find some new rubber cups for it?

 

[antiant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by archosman In this day and age is it worthless to use a radar detector? Not advocating fast speed or anything, but I'll be driving home for Thanksgiving and was wondering if it's even worth my time to pull my old detector out of mothball for the trip. I've got an old Escort SOLO Model RD-5110... one of the early radar/laser detectors. I was under the impression that if the laser portion goes off then they know what you are doing. Is it pointless at this time to consider taking it on my trip? Also where the heck can I find some new rubber cups for it?

no it's not pointless, i got a radar as well however i suggest you look here if you're serious http://www.valentine1.com/ & http://www.laserveil.com/radardetectorsbuyersguide/ i really want a better one...this detects from the front and back...i only have the front view, i want all around protection as much as possible and also you might want to look up "laser jammers/jamming" i think what is pointless is perhaps buying a "cheap radar" i mean it's a lot of money for the better ones yes, but i get the impression it's worth it i don't know

 

[Jmmmmm]

Well, the concensus seems to be along the 'you get what you pay for' lines. A cheap radar detector is fairly useless, but a good one can make a difference. If you've got an old one, sure, it doesn't hurt to fish it out. But I wouldn't rely on it to alert you of every upcoming officer or construction area. I think the biggest problem with cheap radar detectors is that they go off too much, so you end up having to disregard everything.

If you travel a lot, it might be worth it to spring for a good detector. The valentine1 and escort x50 (what I have) are very good. More effective than any radar detector, though, is just to drive smart. When anyone sees a police officer, they slam on their brakes, regardless of their speed. If someone 1/2 mile ahead of you puts on their brakes, your interest should be piqued.

I don't know about rubber cups (maybe autozone?), but you could try what I used to do and velcro the detector to your dashboard using something like this. Worked very well.

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Well, the concensus seems to be along the 'you get what you pay for' lines. ...The valentine1 ...are very good.

I second this - the Valentine1 is a tremendous asset to reducing the chances of a speeding ticket. There are a few other things to give you a fighting chance:

- Photoblocker license plate spray will be glossy enough for some photo radar systems and enforcement cams to obscure your tag info

- With Lidar (laser) most of the signals are reflected back from your license plate, so a laser dispersion front cover is illegal, but will reduce the range the officer will detect you and achieve a lock on, permitting you to react faster to your radar/laser detector.

- Understand the ways in which officers on radar detail trap you - over a hill, in a median, pacing a vehicle while they are hidden in the middle or right lane. Look periodically in your rear view mirror, and try never to be in the passing lane for an extended period of time.

 

[archosman]

While it's not the most current model I'll probably stick with my old one....

 

[antiant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Well, the concensus seems to be along the 'you get what you pay for' lines. A cheap radar detector is fairly useless, but a good one can make a difference. If you've got an old one, sure, it doesn't hurt to fish it out. But I wouldn't rely on it to alert you of every upcoming officer or construction area. I think the biggest problem with cheap radar detectors is that they go off too much, so you end up having to disregard everything.

have to agree here about "cheapness" mine is in one of those categories and it's annoying when it goes off everytime and after awhile you tend to ignore the whole thing because of it...i can't tell you how many times i've drived near supermarkets or stores with their automatic doors and my radar had a lovely affair with them...then there's the times where it completely goes off and your looking around trying to find out where exactly the cop is only to find out that he/she is hiding behind a large bush waiting for you or is hiding in some obscure parking lot, but by that time it's definitely too late

i've also heard of "illegal" radars that detect almost everything i wonder what that's all about...or if anyone knows anything about those?

 

[Stephonovich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by antiant i've also heard of "illegal" radars that detect almost everything i wonder what that's all about...or if anyone knows anything about those?

I believe you're referring to jammers. Active jammers, that is. There are legal devices that purport to passively jam radar/lidar, but they've been shown time and time again to be worthless. You can't "absorb all the radar", or whatever their absurd claims are.

Active jammers, OTOH, while highly illegal, are very, very effective. This is similar to military applications. The most basic system just overpowers the radar with noise. More advanced ones intercept the signal, mix it up, and return it, so the person gets a false reading rather than just gibberish. However, radar is advancing, and is now deliberately injecting noise into the signal, and then checking for it on the return. Basically, a CRC.

 

[raisin]

Radar detectors breed overconfidence and get you in big trouble at the real speed traps. Stevesurfs third point is the best, and remember, while in rome, drive like a roman- they know where the police lurk and slow down just in time!

 

[ken36]

I sure could have used one of these when i was 17.

 

[Hey_Its_Cole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisin Radar detectors breed overconfidence and get you in big trouble at the real speed traps. Stevesurfs third point is the best, and remember, while in rome, drive like a roman- they know where the police lurk and slow down just in time!

I disagree, I speed with or with out a radar detector 15mph over almost everywhere. My passport 8500 has saved me time and time again. Do I still get tickets? Yes but I have cut the number I get on average in a year from about 5 sown to 2. For chronic speeders they help but they will not prevent you from getting tickets, they just help reduce the number you get. If you speed ocasionally, you are better off saving your money. Basicly, if you speed you will get tickets, you can just greatly reduce that number by using a radar detector.

 

[marvin]

Or you could just drive with traffic and save yourself a few hundred dollars a year plus the cost of a radar detector. I drive 10-15 over on highways, and as long as you pay attention to your surroundings and don't get too far out of line with the rest of traffic, you shouldn't get any tickets.

 

[archosman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin Or you could just drive with traffic and save yourself a few hundred dollars a year plus the cost of a radar detector. I drive 10-15 over on highways, and as long as you pay attention to your surroundings and don't get too far out of line with the rest of traffic, you shouldn't get any tickets.

That's my plan as well!

 

[Mikey01]

I have been with a Valantine V1 ever since he left Cincinnati Microwave and stopped engineering the Escort which he invented. He is still accessible in an industrial park in Blue Ash, Ohio. The V1 is the best thing going. I had an original big as a brick Escort too.

 

[kramer5150]

I had a Bel Legend about 15 years ago... I think they were a Canadian company, now defunct. At the time it was over $200 model. This was before laser guns... X/K/Ka band radar.

I cant tell you how many times that thing saved me. Cool thing about it was it had a numeric scale from 0-10. I knew anything 3 or less was a false alarm. 4-8= Look out here it comes, above that and I was getting clocked. Cool thing about it was it would display 4-5, and start to chirp WELL ahead of the radar... I always had plenty of time to reduce my speed.

I had it on a sun-visor clip and I could swing it up or down and hide it whenever I wanted.

Garrett

 

[zachary80]

I believe with the new radars they can switch them off and on quick enough that there really isn't much you can do unless they clock the couple cars in front