Radar detector...

[bainecotec]

I have been considering getting a radar detector recently, so I did a search through the forum and came across some information that was useful. From what I read Cobra is bad, but Beltronics is good - so I searched their products and found a lot of stuff, but this is like a foreign language to me. I found a Beltronics 795 on ebay for $40ish, and that sounds a bit low compared to the actual retail price of the rest of them... but what I'm trying to figure out is if it'll do the same things that the rest of them do. It said it works on the X, K, and Super Wide Ka bands.. I dont know if thats a commonly used frquency or not... any help with this matter would be GREATLY appreciated.

OH! and 1 other concern - not sure how true it is, but somewhere along the line I heard that cops have something (I dont know what that something is) where they can detect radar detecors and fry them or your car? Now, that seems a little extreme but its just one of those things that would sit in the back of my head until I heard a for sure yes/no answer. haha.

[Hudson]

Re: Radar detector...

viewtopic.php?t=9796

lots of info here and here

http://www.radardetector.net

[coolmanvette75]

Re: Radar detector...

This is a bit subjective, but the best radar detector out there is the VALANTINE 1. The company was started by an engineer that used to work for ESCORT and then started his own company. It's not cheap, but works. Keep in mind that with instant on and lazer radar, your already caught when the detector goes off. Also, all cops don't use radar. They sometimes sit on the side of the road and just watch for guys with their detectors on the dashboard and focus on them. A kit to hide the detector would also be recommended. Valantine makes one also. Any search engine will provide you info on them. They are located in Ohio.

The item you talk about that cops use, will detect if your car has a radar detector in it. It will not blow it up!!!! That device is usually used in states where radar detectors are illegal so the cop knows if you have one with a hidden kit. I believe that there are only two states where they are not permitted in CARS. Connecticut is one of them and I'm not sure on the other, maybe West Virginia. Also not sure in Canada but know that they are illeagle in some areas up there too.

Hope that helps.....OLDMANVETTE75, JEFF not MATT

[popsicle]

Re: Radar detector...

The radar detector "detector" that they use is more commonly built into alot of the units the cops have in most states. My Cobra detects this. It's called VG-2. I think alot of the brands do it also.
And there are actually like 5 or 6 states where radar detectors are illegal. I believe also Neb. Wash. DC and I can't rememeber the other 1 or 2.

[Konthek]

Re: Radar detector...

The radar detector I have is wonderful, it picks up radar signals around some corners and even up hills... You have to understand that cops hide in these specific locations for reasons such as they are either not seen at all, or BAM there they are, their radar signals cannot go through objects... Neither can a radar detector... So just to be on the safer side of things, dont hall tushy through hidden corners or up hills... Just cus. Also cops use what Ive read to be known as an "instant" on technique, which means they turn their detector off, but as soon as you fly by your detector is buzzing and they got you, it is just something that no one can avoid. But other than that I have found my detector (Beltronics Vector 955) to be very helpful.

Now this could be incorrect but I believe radar signals are relefective.. In a sense that if you are behind a car being gunned, the signal can quite simply "bounce" off that vehicle and alert your detector... I thnk that is how they work, I could be mistaken tho =P.

But here in Texas, they are not illegal, lol in fact I had a cop write a courtesy note on my windshield telling me that it would be in my best interest to conceal it from the public to avoid burglary =P

[pezzy]

Re: Radar detector...

1- Alright look for something that has VG2 cloaking. That's the radar detector detector.

2- Look for something that has "pop" or "instant on" protection. Some of the newer radar guns we use automatically shut off and then all we have to do is trigger them when a car comes by....if your detector lights up all of a sudden, we've got you.

3- Look for one that watches for lazar, radar, X, K, and KA bands. Basically the more it covers, the better.


Look at brands like Beltronics, Escort, I personally haven't heard much about Valantine but if they were tied in with Escort they should be good, I personally really like a small brand called Rocky Mountain Radar. They offer detectors and scramblers, and gaurantee to pay your speeding ticket as long as it's not too extreme.

There's my .02 for your consideration

[Interfire]

Re: Radar detector...

Escort, Bel, Valentine are the top teir detectors, you don't find any that are better from different brands. Neither of them are the best so don't go around saying the V1 is top dog, because while the Valentine 1 has usually had best laser detection is has always usually lost to the other guys in Ka band which is just as important. The best defense is to just obey the limits, these don't make you invisible rather just give you slightly more time to react. Find out what law enforcement most commonly use and find a radar that detects best in THAT category.

Oh man Rocky mountain radar is the worst detector on the market, please don't buy those. They are almost as bad as Cobra.

As for detecting and VG2, that doesn't really matter much. That's pretty much the most basic when it comes to detecting, spectre 2 and now 3 is now pretty much becoming the new standard as it's coverage is rapidly growing. Spectre 1 is old and they've already have 2 out for quite a while so you can see the issue, but in terms of that the ONLY radar detector that is undetectable by this is the Bel STi driver. All other detectors, even the V1 and x50... are all detectable by this.

Actually the Valentine 1 is among the worst for being detected, meaning it was picked up quite a bit farther than others. Also the V1 has worse filtering than Escort and Bel, even with recent version changes they are still sketchy. But it has dual antennas with directional display so that's very handy as well to see where you are being hit.

Unless you live somewhere in which radar detectors are illegal, this won't have a lot of meaning. But don't think that anything less than a STi driver is going to be invisible to detection, the STI is the ONLY detector on the market that is undetectable.

[Richb0i]

Re: Radar detector...

Dude... Valentine is the way to go... it is the absolute best of the best... the $400 pricetag will more than pay for itself once you see all your other friends and their $100 radars getting pulled over... Only thing.. at night the small red light is dim.. but once you have it for awhile you learn what each light means... It is the best investment I have ever made!

[Interfire]

Re: Radar detector...

[c01lnp3dd13]

Re: Radar detector...

Unless you live somewhere in which radar detectors are illegal, this won't have a lot of meaning. But don't think that anything less than a STi driver is going to be invisible to detection, the STI is the ONLY detector on the market that is undetectable.

And the sti-r and the 9500ci.. both of which are $1000+ and are complete remote stealth installs.

[wormhole]

Re: Radar detector...

I've got an escort passport 8500 x50 and I love it. My mother and brother have cobra models, and my passport blew them away on our recent road trip to FL (we had three cars running together, two with cobras and the one I was in had my escort). Now, don't get me wrong, if you pay attention the cobra can give you adequate warning in most instances, my passport just started screaming a lot earlier. I also have a greater number of false positives due to the sensitivity of the detector - I can pick up automatic doors in stores if I pass by them on the highway.

Radar signals are reflective, and that's what gives you the advantage if you're running a detector. An officer hiding behind a hill (assuming he's running it steady and not on pop mode) will be blowing out signals that are going to tip you off early that he's there (especially here in NC where our highways tend to have a nice lining of trees down both sides, it's like a radar tunnel). An interesting take on 'pop' mode from an ex-officer who reviews detectors:

MPH Industries first introduced POP radar technology (also known as the Super Bee) in its radar guns in 1999 as a way to defeat radar detectors. Today MPH's radar guns while operating in POP mode, can defeat over 85% of the radar detectors in use today.

POP mode works by sending out a quick burst of pulse radar at approximately 67 milliseconds. MPH Industries admits that while in this mode, that the displayed speed of a vehicle may not be accurate. They recommend that the officer only use this mode to obtain an estimate of speed from the target vehicle, establish a vehicle tracking history, and then switch to normal mode to obtain the exact speed.

Therefore POP mode is seldom, if ever used by law enforcement and should not be a major concern as an "important feature" in considering your radar detector.

In fact, most radar detectors that have the POP mode have it disabled by default, as activating POP on detectors, opens it up to receive a false alerts.

[c01lnp3dd13]

Re: Radar detector...

just want to add something.

you're confusing pop with instant on and constant on. Instant on and POP are two different things and should be remembered. 99% of the LEO don't use POP in the US. Lots of them however use IO and IO is instantaneous. They can literally press the button and have your speed in a millisecond.

as well.... higher end detectors like the sti can be put in autoscan mode for better filtering or highway mode for highest sensitivity.

autoscan mode will filter out every door opener unless you're right next to it..... running autoscan will also chop off about 100ft on a normal k or ka band radar hit, but if you do get a K hit then you're more likely to believe it to be a LEO and not just another door opener if in autoscan mode.

highway mode is the most sensitive of all the modes. it'll alert to ALL hits no matter how faint. I"ll get door opener hits from spots here that are quite a ways away. The bad thing about it is that you will end up being ignorant of the K band hits you get in city areas, which means you'll probably get nailed for a ticket before too long if you are def to the K hits.

As wormhole posted, pop is hardly ever used. You'll see more instances of old X band still in the US then you will see POP, even tho a lot of the traffic units will have it in their cars. Also, they can't actually give you a ticket based on POP alone.

To see what you're area is running:
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/spe ... -08-a.html

Go there.

[jeffro]

Re: Radar detector...

valentine one FTW!

[Fischer]

Re: Radar detector...

I like that mount, whered you get it at?

[LoJac963]

Re: Radar detector...

I would have loved to pick up an Escort or Valentine but I just don't have the cash for one. I had a bunch of Best Buy gift cards lying around so I bought the Cobra XRS-9950 with the 1.5" OLED screen WHICH IS AWESOME!!! Don't get me wrong there is no comparision with Cobra and the more expensive ones like Escorts but it does get the job done. The OLED screen is mucho badarse!!!! I paid about $143 with shipping from Best Buy, a week later they bumped the price up $100 so I'm glad I bought when I did.