Anybody run radar detectors?

I think they make you paranoid . I was following my step son up I95 in Florida. Driving a little over the limit ,but normal. Every so often his brake lights would go on and he would slow down to 65. Shortly after he would be back to our cruising speed. Happened several time. When we stopped, I asked him about it. He said his radar detector went off.

Had a similar circumstance when riding with a friend.

I have driven many miles driving 9 over the posted limit and never got a ticket.

Even driven by sitting troopers at that speed.

Another vote for V1. We just got a newer one that has more programming options, and allows you lots of filter options to block out the annoying X band traffic watch radars in OH, among other things. We get very few falses now. Eventually I'll send in the old one for an upgrade.

Side note/rant, on my way home just now what looked like the majority of OHP and one city's PD were all on I71 along with an airplane. 5 cars stopped within a 1 mile stretch, including a car going maybe 72 in a 70 (the one I had just passed ) It was actually setting up a dangerous situation with everyone slowing down to 50, police cruisers coming up behind at 90-100, and cops standing outside their cruisers.

clutchsmoke wrote: 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.

you're right … I'd forgotten that they would do that .. but my only complaint about them or the Beltronic that I had (and it wasn't a complaint until I got the V1) was that they couldn't tell me if the radar was upcoming or somewhere behind me …

that is reason enough for me to stick with the V1

curtis73 wrote: 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.

I don't have any falseing from automatic doors … and none of the traffic lights around here use radar .. they all use under ground sensors …

as for any false returns, that's what all the lights are for on the face of the detector … one or two lights .. I'm ignoring it .. as the lights increase, my speed decreases … of course instant on will still get me … which is why I'm running < 5 over if I'm the only car on the highway … if heavy traffic, then I'm pretty sure I'll still have warning if an officer is using instant on … (a different warning sound from the detector)

again, around here, the construction signs don't set off my detector

wbjones wrote:

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

I thought that lazer jammers were perfectly legal, because lazer isn't under the jurisdiction of the FCC. Has that changed?

I know that radar jamming is illegal, and easily tracked, but it also seems that a radar jammer should be DIYable with some basic electronics.

In reply to HappyAndy:

I was researching this recently, it seems like laser jammers aren't illegal, but if the PO has a jammer-detector you'll not be receiving any sympathy. I saw that some of the jammers turn off automatically if the detector picks up that you've been tagged, supposedly to make it difficult for them to pinpoint it was you.

HappyAndy wrote:

wbjones wrote:

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

I thought that lazer jammers were perfectly legal, because lazer isn't under the jurisdiction of the FCC. Has that changed? I know that radar jamming is illegal, and easily tracked, but it also seems that a radar jammer should be DIYable with some basic electronics.

petegossett wrote: In reply to HappyAndy: I was researching this recently, it seems like laser jammers aren't illegal, but if the PO has a jammer-detector you'll not be receiving any sympathy. I saw that some of the jammers turn off automatically if the detector picks up that you've been tagged, supposedly to make it difficult for them to pinpoint it was you.

this is the first thing on the googles when you type in "are laser jammers illegal"

several states have passed laws that specifically prohibit the use of laser jammers, including: Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. The legality of laser jammers in Nebraska and Washington, D.C. is disputed.

the there is this … makes it a bit easier to see

http://www.guysoflidar.com/usa-laser-jammer-laws.html

V1. I have never gotten a ticket while using it.

curtis73 wrote: 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.

That's been about my experience when running a radar detector as well. Very easy to get lulled into complacency and to over drive the road.

the last SPEEDING ticket I got was in 1973 … I've avoided a few, due mostly to a radar detector …

short story … I was hammering down the mountain from Asheville to Greenville on US 25 in my '76 Civic (bought new ) and I was coming up on an older couple in their XK6 … no window tint back then … I could see their radar detector on the windshield … and as I started to pass them (20+ over the limit) I saw the red lights come on on the detector … immediately I slowed down and pulled back in behind them … one more curve and there he was … I smiled and waved to him and drove the rest of the way down the mountain behind the Jag

I've run Escorts (first an 8500 and then a 9500) for the past 15 years, and have been pleased with their performance. Nothing is perfect, but they're a big help. I try to keep my speed reasonable, use situational awareness, and I also use Waze when I'm in the car. The last long trip I had, Waze was more useful than the detector.

With the 9500i and newer Escorts, you have a ability to mark locations for either a false signal or speed traps.

If you're in Virginia, they're illegal. Even though the Supreme Court ruled that ban was unconstitutional, the Communistwealth of Virginia will still hand you a ticket for it.

If you're in Maryland or any other location where the cops use laser, radar detectors are about as useful as screen doors on a submarine.

I guess I use my radar detector differently than some of you. I've had them in every car basically since I started driving, so I'm used to it being there and it doesn't change my driving style. It's not a cloaking device, you still have to be aware and watching. It's another tool, a source of information, like Waze, like GPS, like the car's gauges, like anything else. If it goes off when I'm puttering around town, I assume it's a false alarm, hit the mute button, and go on with my business. If it goes off on a country road when there's nobody else around, odds are pretty good that that's a cop.

In reply to wbjones:

Perfectly legal here. My friend enjoys watching the police with lasers follow his car as he passes with confused faces. How they can detect them, I don't know, though.

N Sperlo wrote: In reply to wbjones: Perfectly legal here. My friend enjoys watching the police with lasers follow his car as he passes with confused faces. How they can detect them, I don't know, though.

true … MO is one of the states with "no know laws"

http://www.guysoflidar.com/usa-laser-jammer-laws.html

I used to know the electronics behind this … it's been a LONG time since I worked as bench tech … but they can read the emissions from your radar detector and know you have one … I would assume that there is some sort of receiver at their end that would tell them that you're running a jammer also

Radar detector detectors work by picking up on the emissions from the frequency oscillator in your detector. It's basically a commercial application of TEMPEST.

thank you … it had been so long I had forgotten the term "frequency oscillator"

Sky_Render wrote: If you're in Virginia, they're illegal. Even though the Supreme Court ruled that ban was unconstitutional, the Communistwealth of Virginia will still hand you a ticket for it. If you're in Maryland or any other location where the cops use laser, radar detectors are about as useful as screen doors on a submarine.

In the early 1980's my buddy sold me his useless Fuzzbuster for $5 and we were going on a family trip all over the DC area. My dad gets pulled over in our rented van not sure what happened and the cop confiscated my RD and told my dad he can pay the fine at the station and get it back. ($50-$75?). If he doesn't show there will be a warrant out.

Another one of my shenanigans that gave my parents great stories to tell their friends.

the "normal" thing I've heard about VA troopers is that they will ask to see the RD … when you comply, they'll "oops" it slipped out of my hand … usually to be destroyed on hitting the pavement … one way is to keep a $5 Fuzzbuster or the like and hand them that (after you've pulled the V1 from the windshield and put it on the floor boards) and let him smash your el-cheapO

It was back in 1982 and it was useless. I don't remember us speeding in a rented Ford Econoline passenger van with my parents, four kids, and all our camping gear.

wbjones wrote: the "normal" thing I've heard about VA troopers is that they will ask to see the RD … when you comply, they'll "oops" it slipped out of my hand … usually to be destroyed on hitting the pavement … one way is to keep a $5 Fuzzbuster or the like and hand them that (after you've pulled the V1 from the windshield and put it on the floor boards) and let him smash your el-cheapO

I heard similar stories, including they put it in front of your tire and demand that you drive off. I got pulled by a VA state trooper some years ago and he was nice enough to enlighten me. Legally, they can confiscate it until you either pay the fine or go to court and resolve the issue. If you don't have warrants, a serious criminal past, or act like an shiny happy person, they generally will have you put it away where you cannot access it while driving and send you off with a ticket. At the time I had NC tags, a TX drivers license, but no warrants, outstanding tickets, or such and he had me put it in the trunk and sent me on my way with a ticket that was not terribly expensive and carried no points. I think for VA licenses the ticket may have carried a couple of points.

since the only VA driving I do is US58 from where US29 intersects (just east of Danville) to my motel and then back and forth to VIR … all this is maybe 10 miles of VA roads … I just pull it off my windshield and set it on the passenger seat … that's assuming I want to use it while driving back and forth from the track … otherwise I just unplug it AND remove it from my windshield and make sure there are cars passing me so that I'm not the one that gets pulled over

I haven't had a detector in a long time. Just got an Escort Solo3 last week because of the cordless feature (FR-S is very limited in # of power ports). When in VA I'll just take it down and put it away.

I normally drive 6-7 mph over the speed limit so I don't even worry about it, but every time I take a trip I run into several shiny happy people that are driving along 1-2 mph over until you roll up next to them. Then you're going 15 mph over and still can't get past them. I want to have some idea if there's a cop around when that happens. Also, on my daily commute we have a section where the speed limit drops where there are several closely spaced interchanges and lots of traffic shifting lanes. As you clear all the exits it is downhill and still 55 mph and everybody wants to go 70. Once a month or so about 10 cops line up on the side with one running radar from an overpass. They tend to do pretty well at revenue generation.