Just wanted to get input on experience with using radar detectors, what kind to you have and how often do they help avoid tickets?

I bought a cobra 9430 and 95% of the time it's false alarms but it definitely alerted me once and saved me a ticket.

 

mine is useful in the city but on the highway its useless because of the 70+ speed, it goes crazy then theres the cop no time to slow down.......about a week ago i got pulled over doing 92 in a 70.....expected a ticket but the officer noticed i was in the military and gave me a warning

 

You just have to know how to use it. They are great if you are not the only car on the road or if you aren't the only one speeding, since it will give you heads up to slow down before other drivers see a cop. I have gotten at least 3 tickets while mine was goin off and i just had my music up too loud. Over 15 tix total (mostly speeding) all with a radar detector, go figure.

 

You were lucky...guaranteed though if you speed most of the time you'll still get caught. Law of averages.....

 

I'm not a fan of Cobra. They don't pick up Ka that well and they "leak" alot at FQ's that cause almost all other radar detectors to false on Ka band.

Here is a good site that does tests on radar detectors....

http://www.guysoflidar.com/

And here is an unintended test of my own, from a few years back...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atiW1pVAeDQ

 

I want the one that not only detects, also confuses the cop's laser gun. There's this one that sends a false reading to the laser guns. I forgot what it's called.
For instance....lets say you're doing 90, it will say you're doing 300 to 400 miles per hour on the display of the laser gun which is impossible for a car to go that fast..lol. So if they pull you over anyway, you can always take it to the court and challenge the laser gun.

 

^Even better idea. A GPS system that shows all the cop cars in red. It tracks the cop cars by their radio frequences or something...Idk, but it would be cool.

 

You guys should check out radardetector.net and radarroy.com
I have a Valentine 1. It works great, especially on the highway, but it does false a bit in the city. My detector does an excellent job notifying me of radar traps that most other motorists are unaware of. The important thing about a radar detector is knowing how to use it.

Personally I'd recommend you spend some money and get a real radar detector like the Bel STi, Escort 9500i, or the Valentine 1. Bel and Escort also make some other detectors like the RX65 (Bel) and the 8500 (Escort) that are very good as well. The Bel's and Escort have much less falsing than Valentine1, however the Valentine 1 is generally more sensitive than the others.

Cobra's are known as "crapras" because well, they are just that...junk. Crafted_soul, you are thinking of the Rocky Mountain Radar "detectors and jammer" that have been proven not to do a thing. The FCC has actually shut down that company and fined them heavily.

Do your research so you don't blow money on a useless product and so you know how to actually use a detector effectively to avoid being ticketed.

-coastie

 

i wish i'd known more, i'd probably just spend the $450 for the escort 9500i...

 

lol..yea. that would be cool. But the one I talked about............it actually exists. I wasn't making it up or wishing there was one. I just can't remember the name of the company who makes them. You can buy one online or on e-bay. It's called radar jammer. O....actually the guy above me said it already..haha.....it's true that it's illegal...but i heard its only illegal in 4 states. If you do have one, you should hide it if you get pulled over...cuz i heard it pisses cops off.........so if they see one in your car they might give you ticket for that also. haha!

 

When I was teaching at a tech school one of my students built a dual radar detector Jammer. worked great. Could dial in any speed she wanted the cops device to register.

 

Buy a detector based on your driving habits...for me, the Bel RX65 was the winner for my area of driving - the Valentine I borrowed from a friend gave too many false alerts - then you start to ignore it after a while. Bel and Escort are under shared ownership I believe and performance on both are very good, but for me the Bel was the winner. Like has been said, tho, it still requires you to pay attention - I drive the same route to work everyday - I know when it picks something up out of the ordinary.

 

^^True, True - simply not worth the risk...

 

Jammers, I mean...

 

laser jammers are not illegal in all states. I don't think they should be illegal in any states. It's frickin light... not FCC regulated microwave.

 

Valentine V1 all the way worth its weight in gold pretty much. Yes its 400 dollars, i felt nuts when i ordered one but holy crap it's the best money I've spent on my RX8.

 

Have the 8500 x50. Works good enough for me. Most of my driving is 30 miles to and then 30 miles home from work everyday, all highway.

 

My dad loves his Valentine, but I don't use one and haven't got a speeding ticket in awhile fortunately.

 

Get either the Escort Passport 8500 x50 or the Bel Pro RX65. Both can be bought at fair prices and both do their job well.
And don't ever use a Cobra.

 

I've been running the Escort 9500i for a while now and I love it! Might not have the range that V1 claims BUT as coastie mentioned, it is not throwing false alerts all day.

The greatest radar detector out there is STILL the one between your two ears but the Escort helps to support that one. Never become too reliant on these or you'll get busted. Always remember to never be speeding at the front of a pack as you're more likely to get hit with Laser or a KA you didn't detect.

here's a picture of mine installed:

 

No, they aren't illegal in all states and the aren't regulated by the FCC. Illinois has made laser jammers illegal. I don't know about other states. Radar jammers are illegal in the US. The only exception is if you have a Radio Amateur license and can convince the officer you are using your transmitter for communications.

 

I agree with casedogg that those are the top three, but after MUCH experience, I ended up with a (used) Valentine.

Love the Bels (they own Escort/Passport too), but they have a FATAL flaw - after 30/40 months use, they start to beep "Needs Calibration" at startup, then every time it gets hot in the car, then finally, a constant display.....

You need to send them to the factory - I've never done it, so don't know the cost - but that **** just spells FAIL for me.

S

 

I thought radar detectors were forbidden in Canada. Or is that just Ontario?

 

I always say that these are only a second set of eyes. You gotta use ur first set.
cops have been using lidar as well, especially around my area, for which radar detector is useless.

 

The key is to smoke weed for a few years when you're a teenager and get busted a couple times so that you develop a keen Cop Sense. Then, when you're older and have a sportscar, you can put that sense to good use by just 'feeling' when there's a cop coming and slow down.