Radar Detectors merged threadfest

[sbaker]

Hello ALL;

Since radar detectors are not legal in many states... I was wondering what brand of radar detector "wouldn't" you use on trips to .... say.... nationals????
  , nudge nudge, say no more, know what I mean ?? 

[oldbike54]

 Sam , just how fast were you "not" going that earned you a performance award ?

 Dusty

[sbaker]

Which Time?????

So there have a few... Mostly getting caught is a "slow zone" at a 'regular speed... 65 in a 50 along Idaho scenic route 12 ... They are NEVER around when at the TON... just when Im not paying attention.... :(

[Tom]

IIRC only Virginia has a ban on VHF receivers aka radar detector use.  The rest of the states are okay with the receivers.  There may be some local city and/or county bans but you'd have to do your homework.  There are motorcycle specific brands but off hand I don't remember the names.

[jksymz75]

I use a Passport in my car (can't remember the model number, bought it about 7 years ago) and it works fine except now it picks up a bunch of junk on the K band, which used to be where the cops were, but now is mostly proximity sensors from other, newer vehicles. I think a newer detector would be able to filter that out. I think the best you can buy is the Valentine. my friend got one and I don't love the interface but he doesn't pick up the same junk I do when we go out for a drive.

[ITSec]

What brand wouldn't I use? Any.

I won't say I've never exceeded the speed limit (or even just in the last 24 hours!) but a combination of luck, selectivity and luck have left me with no moving violations. I did get a speeding ticket once, but I fought it as 'selective enforcement' (tourist trap set-up on the Interstate near Disney World, only rentals and tourists were being ticketed) - judge was busily throwing out a bunch from that day, I'm told.

Once, these devices had value - sort of like CB radios. I'm not sure they are really all that useful any more unless you're taking up speed as a profession.

[Tom]

Another useful purpose is that they'll pick up any of those automated signs on trailers advising of roadwork.

[canuck750]

In Canada most of the RCMP highway cruisers, provincial Sheriff's etc, now have laser detectors. A couple years ago I was designing a new building for a regional RCMP detachment and got on well with the commander. I asked his crew one day over coffee what they though of radar detectors, I have a Valentine that I use in my car and bike.

 They basically told me that nothing, other than a laser jammer is going to be of any use in a line of site reading. Laser jammers are illegal and the detector knows its being jammed. The RCMP can take your car apart looking for a hidden jammer.

The new radar detectors that some cruisers still have are almost as good as the laser. The only time a radar detector may be of use is if it picks up the ping of a cruiser taking a bead on another vehicle and gives you a heads up that a cruiser is in the area. This instance has worked for me a couple times.

I got nailed passing through Calgary with my Valentine on by a City cop using laser on an overpass. I think he gave me as large of a ticket as he could when he noticed the (legal) detector on my windshield.

Technology, ... it's taken the fun out of speeding.

[normzone]

works fine except now it picks up a bunch of junk on the K band, which used to be where the cops were, but now is mostly proximity sensors from other, newer vehicles. I think a newer detector would be able to filter that out. I think the best you can buy is the Valentine. my friend got one and I don't love the interface but he doesn't pick up the same junk I do when we go out for a drive.

Good to know, thanks, that's why I removed mine from my car.

[canuck750]

This is the point of a detector. If your the first person that gets hit you may be toast. The radar guns will usually pick up the largest moving object and motos are hard to get a good reading if there is other larger traffic like cars and trucks. So you hope you will get a warning from someone else that is getting scanned and react to that.
Allot of the police units run the radar all the time while driving so when you meet one it will give the officer your speed. But that is good because it the radar is active there is a good chance you will detect it before you get busted.
A game of wits and just a tool that might save you from a fine. If you have a tendency to go 10 to 20 over no matter what the limit is they can help.
Its the slower places 35 to 65 that they do a good job of keeping you out of trouble.(maybe).
I used them for years when traveling by serious sport bike.
I don't have the enthusiasm for such thing these days.

The new radar detectors do not default to the largest vehicle, similar to the laser, the new technology is line of site accurate.

[oldbike54]

 Having been in my trooper buddy's car with their latest generation radar , don't waste your money . Also , unlike older radars , the new stuff picks up multiple targets at once . My friend can tell you what each vehicle is , a car , a motorcycle , a large truck , pretty amazing to watch . Of course he has a very liberal "15 over" tolerance , the vast majority of what he writes are warnings .

 Dusty

[PJPR01]

Cough cough...I'm a big fan of detectors...they work quite well and often times where you least expect it...

If going wired...then Beltronics or Valentine---invaluable in cars/motos...will save you a ton.  X, K, KA and Laser in both brands available....

If going battery powered/mounted on a RAM mount - Passport Escort Solo - it's just not waterproof, so stuff it into the tank bag when it starts to rain.  Mine is not wired into any microphone, just has volume turned up to max...so you can hear it when it beeps.

[oldbike54]

Not a waste of money if you like to go fast or over the limit significantly. Multiple targets, come on! They see many targets and give the speed of all??? How do they determine which is which do we have transponders.
I have traveled this country at hi speed for years and sophisticated target radars you describe for police  are are a pipe dream my friend..How they could determine anything that complicated while driving is doubtful.
Picking up multiple targets and being able to determine which is which is only found in fighter aircraft and they are on autopilot most likely and a computer id's everything.
Even todays police traffic radar will be mask somewhat by larger moving objects 'cause motos are a small target.
I don't ride around with police but I know what has kept me out of trouble for a long time.

 :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu

 Sorry Mike , no idea how it works , but it does . Have sat on the side of the road with the trooper and watched as he identified targets , and watched as they actually went by us and he was invariably correct .

 As for going fast , well , we won't go there , but you have ridden with me , so...and I've never had a ticket , luck , a sixth sense , know when to slow down , dunno .

 Dusty

[oldbike54]

What I am say'in is that with a detector you have the advantage without doubt. If the guy is sitting on the side of the road he still can't say in court if he has multiple speeds, which is witch.
If he is shooting on the side of the road and your approaching you will most likely be warned in time to react. Worth the money if you feel the need for speed.
BTW
I would only ride in a police if I was arrested.

Slow night.

:-)

 This trooper is a fellow bug smasher , as is my retired po po bud . Neither one are hard asses , pretty regular blokes . Besides , having a trooper bud is better than a radar detector for taking care of tickets , although maybe not so effective outside of Oklahoma 

 Glad it is a quiet night 

 Dusty

[oldbike54]

Yes its been crazy. Break to night.

 More later.

Guess I'm an outlaw. (Texas)

Yipeeee

:-)

 So am I , but it never hurts to have a friend on the other side when things go awry 

 Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

I used to run two when I was on the road in the car all the time. They mostly gave me a false sense of security, made me not pay attention like I should and tell me when I've been nailed. I do just as well paying attention to my surroundings with my eyes open, which are much better at a distance since laser surgery a few years ago. Haven't had a ticket in prolly 15 yrs. I don't speed all the time, but when I do................. ...

[oldbike54]

... I'm usually with you 

 Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

... I'm usually with you 

 Dusty

We have been known to

[Gliderjohn]

Visual responses are getting harder and harder with the low profile light bars or totally hidden lights. Don't know either if that oncoming Crown Vic, SUV, Dodge Charger, or Ford Fusion is a cop car. Was much easier back in the day when they had a big cherry on top.
GliderJohn

[canuck750]

This site pretty much explains the futility of radar detectors up against the new LIDAR system.

http://www.lasertech.com/TruCAM-Laser-Speed-Gun.aspx

It gets a reading almost instantly, emits no radar signal that can be detected, records the image of each 'hit'

"For speeds greater than or equal to a preset value, a video motion clip and a high resolution still image are automatically recorded and saved along with attribute data." And this happens with each click of the camera the officer takes through the scope of the LIDAR gun. This is how the officer can pick out one vehicle after another, record the image and speed and then decide if he will apprehend the speeder.

In my neck of the woods this is the technology law enforcement is using.

[canuck750]

Don't be a PUSSY!!

LOL

Sometimes I drive fast, on open highways, but not on my old Guzzi's so much but my 4 wheeled daily transport pushes 450 hp and has a 0 ~ 60 of 4.2 seconds, no 'big' tickets recently but I don't bother plugging in the Valentine any more.

carry on

[Orange Guzzi]

Buy a CB radio.  Much better.  I have a detector.  The biggest problem I found is the x band.  Cars have back up sensors and mirror side sensors that cause the detector to go off constantly.  Up to 1 mile away.  Now put several vehicle on the road with sensors and the detector is useless.  I use a combo of the CB, radar and gps.  Gps is the best for traffic reports followed by the CB.  Many people have CB's, but do not communicate on them until it is too late. 

[sbaker]

Hello All;

Interesting discussion... Clearly not a guarantee, but I can't spot the patrol cars any more... The light bar is too low profile to been seen until it's too late. And too many SUV's with roof racks that "look" ominous. I generally get caught not when maxed out, but when the posted speed limits are lower than the road could handle. Like RT 12 ... 50MPH  yes it's a tourist 'scenic" byway, but really !!!! And he was hidden behind a berm just past a curve.. I had no chance.. :) .... No other traffic, in the area, a warning would have helped... :) :(

[oldbike54]

 Sam , if he was using the latest tech nothing would have helped . I mentioned earlier about riding with my trooper buddy , I've watched the Lidar that Oklahoma employs . The other factor , true pro LEO's don't need anything but their eyes to tell if a vehicle is speeding , my buddy has demonstrated that ability to me by turning off his Radar , observing a vehicle and estimating its speed , and then turning his radar on to verify his estimate . He is invariably accurate to within a two MPH range , remember , these guys do this all day every day .

 Dusty

[ken farr]

My .02 cents.

Don't waste your money.  By the time your detector cooks off, you have been detected. Peroid.
The signal is transmitted and bounced back to the unit, calibrated before your light or buzzer goes off.

How the system works. 
You make the speed stop based on your observations and estimation. 
Yep, radar cites are speed estimations.  You observe traffic, estimated the speed of your target and
confirm it with the calibration unit.  You have to certify and re certify, and be within 2 mph of  your estimation.
I know someone will flame on this, but that is how it is to be done.
Do you really think that the officer just sit there looking at the screen and when he sees x mph, looks up and picks the first vehicle he sees ?  Relative movement, the blue car is visibly faster that the others, they are moving at about x, and Mr. Blue looks to be x+, look at the counter and yep that is him.
Radar picks the biggest target.  It will pick up a semi before a corvette.  There are dual counters and displays for this.
Radar doesn't have to continuously transmit a signal, there is an on/hold button.
See something, make an estimation, hit transmit see the result, act accordingly.
Go by a radar trailer, and see if it picks you up on your motor.  I am about 50/50 on those.
Yes Radar is accurate, no they do not clock trees at 80 mph, and don't point the antenna at, well anything you don't want cooked.....

Lidar, target specific, speed of light, accurate.

I used to hit the transmit button once in a while, just to see who had a detector. Push the button and 1 or 2 vehicles would hit their brakes.  I would giggle, and they would think, man this MagnumPlus Radar Sqisheer just saved me a ticket.
Nope, but it was entertaining.

Best detector is riding heads up and aware.

Off my sop box, flame away....


kjf

[rocker59]

Best detector is riding heads up and aware.

 :1:

since the speed limits have been raised where I mostly ride, and the officers mostly use instant-on types of radar, I haven't messed with a radar detector.

Yeah.  Everyone had one in the 1980s.  I had a couple.  Haven't ever used a detector on a motorcycle.

Honestly, around here, as speed limits have been raised, visible enforcement has actually gone down.  They seem to focus mainly on drug interdiction, speed in construction areas, and call outs for wrecks/accidents.

[drw916]

If I had been riding "heads up and aware" last Sunday I wouldn't have got my 65 in a 55 ticket.  One car flashed his lights at me, a motorcycle rider jumped up and down waving ( I just thought he was being overly friendly) and I drove right past the LEO without a concern.

Earlier I had been riding much faster and paying better attention and I probably would have slowed down.

Moral of this story: Ride faster and pay better attention.

[charlie b]

The newer radar in the cars is far better than the detectors.  IF the LEO is using one of the older sets then the detector will work ok.

The instant on and narrow focus, as well as other stuff, makes them hard to detect if you are not the target.  Yes, they can pick out a specific vehicle in a group.  If you are the target the best that happens is you know you've been tagged.  Whether or not he goes after you is up to the LEO.  I know I've blown by a few that were doing paperwork and not interested in another speeder.

Just because you have not been pulled over does not mean your detector is doing it's job.

And just to add to the confusion, some departments will set up an older radar unit on a road somewhere to get people with detectors to slow down.  They know that if a speeder puts on the brakes most everyone else will too.

Lasers are used when the department is serious, usually with several 'chase' cars/bikes.  Or, in some places in CA they use a plane with chase cars.

Many LEOs just consider the act of stopping you and taking up some of your time to be worth the stop, ie, you are in a hurry to get somewhere so you get stopped.  They take some time to run your plates and write out a warning, you miss your appt or whatever you were in a hurry to get to.

Last, don't know about all states, but in NM and AZ if you are above a certain speed you can be arrested and your vehicle impounded.  Is running that fast worth it?

Yes, I have been over 100 on several roads out here, on bike and in car.  But, I make sure I can see at least a mile in front of me and it is clear of all cars.  And, yes, that is kinda 'normal' on some roads out here.  And, I don't do it very often.  Just not very exciting anymore.  Kind of a BTDT kind of thing.

[Vagrant]

I've used the Valentine 1 for over 20 years. It was and still might be the best there is. they did a warranty fix a couple of years after purchase and again at about 6 years old after taking a skid down the high way after a low slide. all done for free. now that's a great company. the older units like mine from any brand will drive you nuts now. the Chevy trail blazer tail lights set it off. the new toll road near Atlanta sets it off and the new cars with the lane warring's do to so you need to buy new not used.
the guys above are right about all the new radar stuff. A great detector will get you out of the old radars and about 1/2 of the instant on. the laser will get you most of the time but it seems like they hold the trigger a lot longer on a bike and if you hit the brakes "I think" it tosses the reading out because of the dramatic change in speed. considering that a lot of tickets cost $300-400 now I still consider it a good investment.
more importantly I too have changed some of my evil ways. I now consider it stupid to get a ticket when I'm not having fun. an interstate ticket or main highway ticket is nuts. now 55 in a 35 curve, well at least I was enjoying myself. kind of like having to pay to go to Disney world. it's like a old biker once told me "when I pass in the double yellow I just figure it equals out to about 2 cents a pass when I do get a ticket." 

[PJPR01]

Moral of this story: Ride faster and pay better attention.

...and get a radar detector that you pay attention to!