Beware the trash cans .....

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VA and DC don't allow radar detectors. Many other states are "considering legislation" but haven't gotten around to it yet. V-1 is great, but you still have to drive careful. Good luck, and drive safe.

Dan

man, I can't imagine that anyone would notice that trash can driving by!

thanks djmcmath, will do

From reading the reviews linked off the Escort site, the 8500 X50 looks like a good deal ($250 ebay) compared to the V1.

http://www.escortradar.com/reviews.htm

The only test mentioned on the Valentine site is from 2001.

The other thing to consider is that unless you have a $1200 laser jammer, none of these detectors will alert you in time to a laser gun pointed at your license plate or headlight.

Laser jamming isn't necessarily a $1200 hobby.

Two products I'd note:
1 - Escort's ZR-3 (for some reason no longer on their site) usually runs about $350 on Ebay, and has quite positive reviews. I keep meaning to get one, but I almost never actually see laser in action.
2 - There's a spiffy substance called "Laser Veil." It's basically a paint that is absorbent at or near 904nm, and transparent for most other frequencies. For like $150ish, you can paint your headlights and front plate with the stuff and reduce your laser return signature. They claim dramatic results, but I haven't seen any independent tests. That would give you a few more seconds to respond to a new laser threat. I do know the theory is good, but I don't know about the application.

Love the trash can, Ceg. That's pretty impressive. And totally mobile, as well. How ingenious. Bastards...

Dan

I think in Florida there was a court case in which people were being fined for flashing other cars in order to warn them of cops/speed traps. The court deemed the flashing of lights for this purpose a freedom of speech issue.

If you search the web, you'll find numerous courts in the US who have ruled the same way.

The use of radar detectors is illegal in Virginia. I currently do not have one, sold my Escort 7500 on Ebay a couple of years ago. When I did have the Escort and the Passport before it, I was careful to unplug and remove it from the dash when it went off. This worked years ago, within the past 5 years or so the police have gotten more proactive and concuss of detector use.

In my travels there was a section of highway that was heavily patrolled by radar, I would always drive the speed limit on these sections. One night I was pulled over by a trooper, who was very happy to show me his radar detector, detector. Looked like they made it out of Radio Shack parts (which I am sure you can get all the part to make one from them). Couple of years later I got pulled over again in the same area, and got another radar detector ticket.

I always told myself, that the day I got a speeding ticket, and the detector did not provide warning (or enough warning to slow down), was the day I would stop using it.

With the rolling hills, mountains, blind curves, etc on the Virginia highways, detectors just do not provide the amount of advanced warning needed vs. other states will more open spaces. Add the fact that most troopers use instant on, and can pick you up as you crest hills.

"detectors just do not provide the amount of advanced warning needed vs. other states will more open spaces. Add the fact that most troopers use instant on, and can pick you up as you crest hills."

The current V1 does and given a little luck will alert you to instant on being used in the area.

The V1 is good but a what is between your ears has to be used with it for maximum effect.

Modern detectors are a bit more sensitive than the older models. I routinely pick up radar long before I can see it. I picked up one blip from well over a mile away, over a hill and around a corner. Far-fetched? There's a good healthy bit of scatter in the doppler radar freqs.

RDDs have also come a long ways. In the early days, the RDDs just looked for the very narrow freq that the detector's local oscillator was set to. Then the detector manufacturers tweaked their LO so it wasn't quite at the same spot -- "Now invisible to blah-blah-blah." Of course, since detectors and RDDs are all made by the same companies, the RDD department rapidly fixed their gear to find the new LO frequencies. Other detectors will automatically power down on a detect, which obviously makes counter-detection impossible. Ultimately, the technology is very simple -- the cop just gets an indication when there's a radar unit nearby. It could go off on all of the same interference signals that make your radar detector go off on -- airport radars sometimes do this, as to many automatic door openers, for example. All he does is wait for the signal to peak, then assumes that the closest vehicle has the detector. I understand in VA there are officers assigned to do nothing but hunt for detectors -- cruise slowly through traffic, watching for the buzzer to go.

Anyhow, once the light goes, he has to verify it by inspecting it. If you have a custom/discrete install, it's more likely he won't be able to find it and he'll have to let you go, feeling silly about having pulled over a false detect, hopefully.

Dan

"once the light goes, he has to verify it by inspecting it."

Hmmm... what is the "it"? The interesting questions: 1. does the light give a cop probable cause for a search of the vehicle?
2. Does the light give him reasonable suspicion to stop you and look into the car w/o a real search?

These are legal terms of art - and Constitutional protections that prevent cops from just searching you for illegal items, etc.
I assume this will all be defined in the Courts at some point if they haven't been yet.

Good questions, Randy. Seems to me that the light gives him PC to look through your window as you go past, anyway. :) In all seriousness, cops can claim that they thought your seatbelt wasn't worn, or that the radar alarmed on your vehicle and they wanted to talk about how fast your were going, or whatever else. Once they've stopped you, it's considered legal to do a "search incident to traffic stop" purely for "officer safety" reasons. That means you can legally search anything within reach of the driver -- front seat, back seat, glove box -- not the trunk. If the radar detector is visible from any of those places, he'll spot it during his "incident" search, and can ticket you for it.

So no, the light doesn't give him PC to stop you and search your car, but they aren't necessarily known to play by the spirit of the law. It's a fun game.

Dan

<i>"once the light goes, he has to verify it by inspecting it."</i>

Same for radar itself. That's why you should never speed alone. Even if there's just one other car, the cop has to take time to figure out which car is actually speeding - hopefully enough time to allow you to slow down.

I've picked up radar over 2 miles away with a cheapo 1st generation detector 20 years ago (it was a cube about 5x5x5 inches!!!). This was on the infamous 'Seney Straight" in Michigan's UP - 25 miles of flat straight vehicle-free pavement thru the wilderness ...... I like to refer to it as my own little Autobahn .... :D

do you own this laser jammer ?

Nope. Guys in the Audi club swear by it.
However, tests of the Escort "shifter" show it to be a LOT better

really nice info..

I have a Nat'l Motorist Ass. 1 page article on the Blinder M-10 if you want it. it discusses the coverage at specific distances.

radartest.com aagh
http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=8502

they tested an old model Lidatek. I'm gonna get one.

As far as flashing (lights I mean) being illegal here in Ontario, there is no offence for notifying other drivers of radar traps.

There is a general offence for having high beams engaged within 150 meters of oncoming or preceding traffic, however no offence for flashing a motorist to alert them of police.

I can say this with authority, as not only am I a Porschephile and owner, but also a police officer for the last 13 years.

When I was in uniform, I used to run radar. We had an instance where we stopped this guy, he screamed that it wasn't fair, then after he was sent on his way, he drove down the road, a minute later came back by, and then came by again a few minutes after that. For the next while, there was no speeding going on in the area at all. We couldn't figure it out.

We drove down the road and there was the guy. He was sitting on a lawn chair about 500 m down with a cardboard sign advertising the upcoming radar... Had to laugh.

Nothing we could do though.

But like most, I like speed as well. There is a time and a place. I generally was pretty lenient on speeders and never wasted my time stopping people doing less than 20-25 (km) over as there was always plenty going more that that.

Happy travels!!

Jim

How many of you feel "invincible" with your V1s? I did...and of course, throughout the majority of my roadtrip on interstates I always played it safe, speeding only when someone else blew my doors off. However, in Colorado while I was on the way to the Pelican camp at Kenosha Pass, the speed limit suddenly dropped from 65 to 55, and while we were going up a hill (yes...stupid me, I was passing other cars) as I neared the top a trooper came over the hill. My V1 did NOT go off at ALL, as I always lift if I hear a warning. I lifted, but I then saw the trooper jam on his brakes, turn his lights on, and made a U turn. I got ticketed for 75 in a 55, which isn't really possible as I knew I wasn't going that fast, especially going uphill. I should've said something, but it's been a while since I was last pulled over and I wasn't sure what to expect. Anyone know what I can do about it? Contest it? I'm not going back to Colorado anytime soon...should I get a lawyer to represent me on the court date? The trooper said the ticket is 6 points, and if I pay it within 20 days it goes down to 4. I'd rather pay a lawyer more than the ticket cost than to give money to the government... ideas? suggestions?