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Does anybody use a radar detector?

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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 06:53 PM
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utente's Avatar
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Does anybody use a radar detector?

When we bought our 04 last Friday, my wife had to tell all her co-workers about it. Interesting, though, was that her female co-workers all knew the car but the males didn't.

One guy who did, though, offered to lend us his radar detector. Obviously, he thinks that we'll need it. Does anybody here use one? If I need one, I should obviously but one but I know nothing about them.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 06:59 PM
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I don't.

Sometimes though I get a feeling that a cop is around and I slow down a little.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 07:09 PM
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uh, yea. What do you want to know? Maybe you could Google on radar detectors and learn a bit that way.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 07:48 PM
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I use one. has saved my A$$. Do a search as there have been many threads. The reason you need one is the 8 wants to do 88 mph.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 08:07 PM
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yea...i have one..i have an escort(which i gave to my BF) that i LOVED and i have my new one which my friend gave me, but i don't know what it is called it's really expensive though...the funny thing, i almost think my older escort works newer than the new expenisve one...oh well...they both catch just about everything!!!

OH! And don't count on it alwasys catching Laser...It will catch it alright...when you're already pulled over (damn bike cops)


also, sometimes x bands are ignored, but if you're on the highway no place near a city, x is usually a dying ka band which CAN BE a dying laser or just plain ka....so be careful if you do get it as well, but it DEF. makes it a lot easier to speed and not get caught :D
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 08:38 PM
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I have a Passport 7500 that's half paid for itself. That is, it saved me from one ticket that would have cost about half of what the Passport cost. One more like that and it's paid for!
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 08:56 PM
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I use a passport 8500 X50 and I suggest getting the lidar jammers, they will aid in blocking the laser that those pesky bike cops have.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 09:02 PM
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Thumbs up

Most police around here will just follow you till you speed or do something wrong. A radar detector will help you spot speed traps though. I'd say anything that can help you to know where cops are is a good thing. I had a Highway Patrol pick me out of a group of speeding cars, and come up behind a speeding car I moved over to the right to let pass, and the cop pulls ME over and gives me a ticket. ...So I ask him, why did you pull me over and not that speeding car in the fast lane that you were behind? ...He says "'Cuz I was focused on you. ...It's nothing personal". ...I'm thinking, YOU HATER!!!! ...You pulled me over 'cuz my car looks amazing in YELLOW with the appearance package and strakes!!! :D I installed my radar detector that weekend - though it may not have helped in this case.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 09:06 PM
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Passport 8500 X50...don't leave home without it!!!
:D
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 09:50 PM
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From: Indy
Originally Posted by Art Hazebrook
Passport 8500 X50...don't leave home without it!!!
:D
same here.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 09:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Art Hazebrook
Passport 8500 X50...don't leave home without it!!!
:D
Isn't it annoying when u are passing around the market place?

Does it have an arrow feature like valentine 1?
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 09:56 PM
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Yeah, the x band can drive you nuts, but it has a built in quiet mode. No arrows like on the Valentine.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 10:05 PM
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I have both: an 8500 and a couple of V1s and the V1 rules! The 8500 is a lot less money, but once you have used the arrows nothing else will do. Avoid cheap detectors - either go slow or get the 8500 or the V1 (and maybe the top of the line Bel). With instant on the key is having enough range to hopefully detect when the cop is zapping someone else way ahead. Otherwise, it does not matter what detector you have they will get you. Works the same for laser except you can't detect it unless it is too late. The detector goes off and you are going to fast - you get a ticket.

Then there is the new thing they are doing locally. Got them some non-cop-looking unmarked cars and they just drive behind you while you speed - then turn on the hidden lights and pull you over. Nothing works for this

Dennis
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 10:12 PM
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Another Passport 8500 X50 user here. It has saved me a few times. It was $300 when I got it last August. The V1 was 400. You still have to trust your gut though too. Instant on radar sucks. Not much laser around here that I know of.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 10:12 PM
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From: Indy
Pacing is definetly getting to be more common place, as well as the unmarked.

As long as were talkin' speeding etc.. I found this site a few days ago. Kinda interesting.

http://www.speedtrap.org/
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 10:14 PM
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I think the POP feature is the best part of the X50 (I know V1 has it too). Not much laser in the Seattle area. Most police use the K and Ka band.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 10:16 PM
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Originally Posted by dwynne
Then there is the new thing they are doing locally. Got them some non-cop-looking unmarked cars and they just drive behind you while you speed - then turn on the hidden lights and pull you over. Nothing works for this

Well that's interesting to know. Here in Hawaii, lots of cops like to run around without their lights on at night...it's just their own personal cars with a blue light mounted on the roof, so cops can be pretty hard to spot if they have their lights off. People were arguing whether it was legal or not for a cop to be able to nail you with their lights off, as the light off can be taken as the cop being "off duty". A lame excuse for speeders, but one that sort of makes sense.
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 11:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Cam
Yeah, the x band can drive you nuts, but it has a built in quiet mode. No arrows like on the Valentine.
Can't you selectively turn off X-Band reception? That's the first thing I did with mine... it's not like I plan on going back to 1985 any time soon, although it is helpful in finding 7-11's
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Old Mar 10, 2005 | 11:50 PM
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every minute of every day.

AND, the Buffalo Grove cops STILL use x-band radar, so ... it's useful.
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Old Mar 11, 2005 | 12:07 AM
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x band can be turned off, but knowing my luck as soon as I do I'll get nailed by a x band gun.
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Old Mar 11, 2005 | 12:11 AM
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Originally Posted by StewC625
every minute of every day.

AND, the Buffalo Grove cops STILL use x-band radar, so ... it's useful.
Man, that's some old stuff... I haven't seen it used by an actual cop for over 10 years, and I go cross country a couple times a year. All the cops between my house and Schaumburg use K or Ka, and just leave it on constantly like a homing beacon... and for that I thank them .
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Old Mar 11, 2005 | 12:16 AM
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i use a whistler radar detector everyday.
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Old Mar 11, 2005 | 12:20 AM
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I have a radar detector. It's not a super-expensive one, but it detects stuff, I guess. I've gotten pulled over twice for speeding, if that tells you anything. Plus, cops aren't stupid--they can either gun you at the last minute, rendering your detector virtually useless, or judge your speed on their line of sight and still slap you a ticket. Perhaps police34 could shed more light...

I think a better investment than an expensive radar detector would be an expensive radar jammer/scrambler + cheap radar detector. It might've helped me in my two situations
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Old Mar 11, 2005 | 12:20 AM
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i use a bel rx75 everyday
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Old Mar 11, 2005 | 12:21 AM
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bad thing about radar dectectors is it only works when police use theirs. So your still not in the clear...
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