Sputnik

I don't have the link on me, I'll have to go searching again. But it is the same general regulation that covers radio piracy and the like, which is a felony, can carry a fine of up to $100k. Police organizations actually have to get licenses to operate their radar guns.

Now, I doubt that one would be given a $100k fine for operating a traffic radar jamming device, and one might be able to make a deal to lessen it from a felony. But it is covered under that same regulation, so it can still get expensive, and be put on your criminal record (unlike a simple moving violation would).

---jps

devious12

How would you get caught, do they know when their guns are being scrambled?

mysql101

Clearly they'd have a radar scrambler detector to detect your scrambles, and as a byproduct, calculate your speed.

Sputnik

In states where radar detectors are illegal, there are such things as "detector detectors". Some are VG-2, and there are new units that should be on the street now that detect EVERY commercial radar detector available (including those which are touted to be VG-2 undetectable). But I haven't heard of any radar jammer detectors. This is probably because there are so few jammers out there, and more importantly, an off-the-shelf radar detector would detect radar jammers.

For most radar guns, it is normally pretty obvious when something is interfering with it. Remember, it won't magically cause the radar gun to show "55" or whatever, it will just flood the gun with radar waves to "drown out" other radar waves. Some units will show a certain error code that will give you a definite idea, others won't show any speed, and others will react in another way. If a trooper was not getting a certain error code or other indication, and if he/she was getting readings on traffic for a little while, then all of a sudden doesn't get anything, then it's either being jammed, or the gun isn't functioning well. On one hand, most of these units are rather reliable as far as that goes, but on the other hand, there aren't too many people out there with radar jammers, so you don't know what the trooper might assume (or who he/she might suspect if this happens when a group of cars passes by).

A good portion of radar guns take the speed from the strongest signal. Some five years ago, if a semi was doing 65 in one lane, and you were doing 75 next to it (or even close to it, actually) every radar gun would read "65" if it was targetted at you at that moment. And as long as a radar jammer was stronger than the return of the largest target, it would effectively jam the radar. But now, there are radar units out there that will process all that it receives, and will show the trooper the fastest speed it reads, regardless of which return is strongest. I don't know how many, or what percentage, or who would be most likely to have those units, but they've been available for several years now. I haven't personally tested this, and I haven't been able to talk to or read about anyone who has, but it's very possible (I'd say probable in most cases) that these units would be able to process out any jamming signal, and accurately clock your speed anyway.

---jps

mysql101

btw, i was kidding with the radar jammer detector