Anybody run radar detectors?

I need to make a quick run to Muncie - I65. Anybody use these? Waste of money?

IIRC, the cliff notes on radar detectors...

If laser, it lets you know you've already been clocked.

Go cheap or top of the line, the mid range isn't worth it.

That said, I have no personal experience, but have been wondering myself. Some of the stretches of I-88 are always empty and very boring at 70.

they will not save you from a ticket, they will let you know the popo is about, also you get what you pay for I use a $30 cobra and it is worth about $30

I've heard good things about the app "Waze". It alerts you to "traffic hazards" by crowd sourcing the road ahead. No actual experience though.

I've had a V1 for years. It's been very good to me. These days, I prefer the V1 on empty highways (far north), but in traffic, I think Waze is more informative. Waze is only as helpful as the people ahead of you who are using it. Waze kills your phone battery in a hurry though.

On long trips, I use both.

Also, don't bother changing the Waze voice to Schwarzenegger's. You'll be completely sick of it in a few miles.

I had a nice Beltronics one for a while, but since companies like Audi started using radar cruise control, it would go nuts every time I got close to one. It got so annoying with the false alerts that I just ditched it and now I use Waze and mind the speed limit. On long trips, I will still bust it out.

I just drive with a "rabbit" lead vehicle. keep one person going slightly faster about 1/2 mile up the road.

In reply to Datsun310Guy:

Not sure how far south you're planning on taking I-65 before you head over to Muncie, but you know about I65 northbound being closed by Lafayette, correct? You'll be ok heading down to Indy & back up to Muncie on the way there, but you definitely don't want to go back via the detour - it's adding ~3 hours to the travel time.

If I were you, on the way back I'd take I465 around the north side of Indy, then take I865 to I65 north, Hwy 32 west at Lebanon to I74 at Crawfordsville, then Hwy 63 north just before the IL state line...that's no-mans' land, 4-lane in(mostly) good condition, and with very little traffic or stops. You can run it as far back north as you want. It's probably quicker than going back to Champaign and picking up I57.

In reply to petegossett:

I got burned by that bridge 2 weeks ago. Thanks for the great tips!

I use an Escort 8500 in my truck, though God knows why. I barely speed anymore, especially in that thing. I guess I just like knowing they are out there.

Woody wrote: I've had a V1 for years. It's been very good to me. These days, I prefer the V1 on empty highways (far north), but in traffic, I think Waze is more informative. Waze is only as helpful as the people ahead of you who are using it. Waze kills your phone battery in a hurry though. On long trips, I use both.

Woody wrote exactly what I was about to.

My friend uses the most expensive ones and has good results. He doesn't drive fast often, but expiraments. He has gone as far has bought a lazer gun to test his jammer.

I agree with Neon. If you really want to drop some cash, go ahead and get a good lazer jamemr too. They do work most of the time.

Waze is pretty handy, too.

Go V1 or go home.

Dr. Hess wrote: Go V1 or go home.

Yep, it's officially a radar detector thread now.

I want to get a V1 in the worst way, but I am broke I use Waze, has saved me several times for sure

KyAllroad wrote: I've heard good things about the app "Waze". It alerts you to "traffic hazards" by crowd sourcing the road ahead. No actual experience though.

my problem with "Waze" is that folk are updating it WHILE they're driving

SilverFleet wrote: I had a nice Beltronics one for a while, but since companies like Audi started using radar cruise control, it would go nuts every time I got close to one. It got so annoying with the false alerts that I just ditched it and now I use Waze and mind the speed limit. On long trips, I will still bust it out.

I also had a Beltronics many yrs ago … liked it ..

I now have (and have had for ~ 15 yr) a Valentine 1 … love it

and yes to the earlier poster .. if they use laser … odds are you're already caught … very little splatter to be picked up by your detector

the advantage of the V1 is that it A) tells you how many radars and B) whether they are in front or behind

N Sperlo wrote: My friend uses the most expensive ones and has good results. He doesn't drive fast often, but expiraments. He has gone as far has bought a lazer gun to test his jammer. I agree with Neon. If you really want to drop some cash, go ahead and get a good lazer jamemr too. They do work most of the time. Waze is pretty handy, too.

the Po-Po can tell if you're using a jammer .. and you can (odds are you will) end up in jail if you're using one

My V1 was a bit too sensitive in my area/commute. After it was stolen I decided to try the Escort competition. Been using a 9500 for the past year and I'm happy with it. It'll tell you about red light intersections and speed cameras as you get close to them. The database gets updated regularly. I use it along with Waze if I'm really paranoid.

In reply to wbjones:

The Escort 8500 & 9500 will also tell you how many radar signals there are. In addition they'll ignore junk signals after seeing them a few times on your typical driving routes.

I used to run one back in the early 90s. Prior to having one I got 1 speeding ticket. During the several years I had one, I got 7 speeding tickets. Ditched the radar detector and haven't had one since.

In my experience, they do a great job of letting you know that you've already been clocked.

The other problem is that police and DOT do a fantastic job of crying wolf. Every one of those portable construction light-up message signs has an X-band radar on it. Its partly because those signs have the capability to say "your speed is..." but they are lit up whenever the sign is active. Every time you pass a store with automatic doors, your radar detector will light up with X band. Many stop lights use radar to verify approaching traffic. In short, for every 150 times your detector lights up, only one will be an actual speed trap. Its incredibly unreliable information. You either respond to every single beep (which endangers traffic, tells you that you just got a ticket, and doesn't save you any time on the road) or you become desensitized to the alarms (and just get tickets). Either way, you get tickets.

My suggestion is to get a CB and put it on channel 19. They aren't as commonly used these days with truckers, but you'll know where every single state, local, and county police car or airplane is for 200 miles in both directions, and it updates in real time as police get on and off the interstate. If you are listening to a CB on an interstate and you get a ticket, you weren't really listening.

Waze works pretty well, but it relies on users to update police locations. It has a pretty high level of inaccuracy. Still better than a radar detector, but not as good as a CB.

In reply to curtis73:

The revenue generators don't really use X band. These days they're on Ka band. The Escort can be told to completely ignore X band frequencies by plugging into your pc and checking a box. The only false positives I get are from K band on certain car makers blind spot detection.

I used to use a Cobra with no issues but i'd say go w/V1.

I love my V1. You have to know how to use it and you have to trust it. Often, it will signal and I will not see any source at all and assume that it is a false read, but then a mile later, there's smokey hiding behind a sign. Nothing is foolproof, you still have to constantly scan the horizon ahead and behind and drive like a German. (Drive Right, Pass Left, don't tailgate, don't weave, don't be an a-hole...)