Radar detectors

[brighton911]

Many thanks to everyone for taking the time to provide the wealth of information.

[86 ssinit]

A little more info. Police radar hasn't changed in years. Only about 1% of the drivers out there have radar detectors. No reasons to upgrade there systems. That said you can get a good used radar detector off eBay for about $70. Older models still work. I have a escort x50 8500 a pair of beltronics rx 65 and a newer 500 all work. The 500 just has more bell and whistles.

Also tirwin older detectors came with stealth technology or a VG2 band and this was suppose to make your detector undetectable. All the new ones don't have this band anymore. So that may be what your wife was thinking.

[TheSt|G]

Older Escorts used to be pretty bad. I still remember when Car & Driver outed them for swapping V1 internals into their unit for a test.

[72doug2,2S]

I have two cobras (Cobra iRadar iRAD-100 Radar Detector) one for myself and one for the wife. I don't get why more people don't use them. We think they're absolutely fantastic. I would've had them sooner, but when I lived in VA it was illegal. I think there are maybe four states where they are illegal.

They've saved my bacon many times over.

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by HawgRyder

I used to work for Beltronics as a tech...testing and improving the radar detectors and other pieces we made.............................................. ...
...............................................
The beams are only about 1/4" wide (at a mile) so the police can choose which side of your licence plate to hit (using the scope attached to the gun).
Any vertical surface...metal...or plastic will bounce the beam (because of the paint I think).
Once again...laughter at the factory.
Bob

1/4" wide!!! from the Stalker LIDAR gun's own specs we are talking a 4 milliradian cone that presents an area of illumination of 1 square meter at 300 meters distance.

300 meters is .186 miles

Stalker recommends 2500 feet as the best range not a mile. The Stalked has only 4000 foot range max. so at 1600 feet you have over 1 square meter of coverage from the lidar.

Nominal Range : Minimum <5 feet (1.5 m)
Normal = 2500 feet (762 m) approaching targets
Maximum >4000 feet (1200 m)

look it up. http://www.stalkerradar.com/lidar_lr.shtml

Shifter and Jammers do have room to work.

[tirwin]

Dicklague,

That's good info on the Stalker!

To change the subject, I wanted to point out something I've been thinking about. In the past, buying a radar detector was clearly about not getting caught breaking the law, but I've noticed more companies are expanding their business to bring capabilities beyond that. Last night my Escort Live app on my smartphone did something it's never done before (recent app update brought new functionality I suspect). Driving along I heard a tone and then a voice said "Warning! Accident reported ahead!" Pretty cool.

The point is there are increasing benefits to some of the latest technology that goes beyond avoiding tickets. I think that's great as long as it doesn't cause an increase in distracted driving.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by 86 ssinit

Also tirwin older detectors came with stealth technology or a VG2 band and this was suppose to make your detector undetectable. All the new ones don't have this band anymore. So that may be what your wife was thinking.

Nah... She thought that the detector was 100% foolproof. It took a few trips for her to get the hang of it. Funny story. We were driving on a long trip before the Escort Live function came out. She was driving and I was asleep in the passenger seat. Cop was on the side of the road right before an overpass and he was zapping all the cars coming down the road. The detector went off and I almost hit my head on the roof of the car. The laser detection alarm will wake the dead. We didn't get pulled over but she didn't understand why we didn't get an alert well before like when it's Ka band. It was a teaching moment.

[Erich Stahler]

Don't waste your money on a radar detector! Go to the bank and get a few hundred dollars of crisp bills, particularly Ben Franklin and Gen. Grant, and you are set. Never seen or met a highway patrolman or cop (aka the Fuzz) who ever refused a donation to the law enforcement officers beer fund.

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by Erich Stahler

Don't waste your money on a radar detector! Go to the bank and get a few hundred dollars of crisp bills, particularly Ben Franklin and Gen. Grant, and you are set. Never seen or met a highway patrolman or cop (aka the Fuzz) who ever refused a donation to the law enforcement officers beer fund.

I bet that will work really well in Brentwood!!!

This aint Mexico!!

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Dicklague,

That's good info on the Stalker!

To change the subject, I wanted to point out something I've been thinking about. In the past, buying a radar detector was clearly about not getting caught breaking the law, but I've noticed more companies are expanding their business to bring capabilities beyond that. Last night my Escort Live app on my smartphone did something it's never done before (recent app update brought new functionality I suspect). Driving along I heard a tone and then a voice said "Warning! Accident reported ahead!" Pretty cool.

The point is there are increasing benefits to some of the latest technology that goes beyond avoiding tickets. I think that's great as long as it doesn't cause an increase in distracted driving.

Check out the app called Waze. Generally points out road hazards and where all the cops are hiding. Formerly there was another app called Trapster that did the same, but it got slow enough that it wasn't useful.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Check out the app called Waze. Generally points out road hazards and where all the cops are hiding. Formerly there was another app called Trapster that did the same, but it got slow enough that it wasn't useful.

Yep. I and others mentioned Waze earlier in the thread. Another good example.

[SiberianDVM]

Since it was mentioned here, I've been trying out WAZE for the last week. I like it, but:

it is a power hog, phone has to be kept plugged in or it will be dead in an hour;

using it while driving is too much like texting. Very distracting, especially if you are trying to tell other folks where the fuzz is hiding.

[ramonesfreak]

I've got an escort passport 8500 x50 and I love it! I use it in my GTI which I drive daily all over New York State and its very sensitive

[X JBM X]

2 things to note for anyone interested.

1) I will be selling my Valentine 1 in the very near future. A good deal to be had for a Pelican if interested.

2) Groupon currently has refurbished Escort Passport 9500ix for $280, which is a super price.
Escort Passport 9500ix Radar and Laser Detector with Blue LED Display Deal of the Day | Groupon

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by SiberianDVM

Since it was mentioned here, I've been trying out WAZE for the last week. I like it, but:

it is a power hog, phone has to be kept plugged in or it will be dead in an hour;

using it while driving is too much like texting. Very distracting, especially if you are trying to tell other folks where the fuzz is hiding.

Agreed. I really only use Waze when I'm in the car with the wife. If one of us is driving and traffic slows down the other one pops open Waze to see what's going on. It is too much info to deal with if you're driving solo in my opinion. Distracted driving is already a huge problem.

[Baby]

If you're using waze as a "radar detector" you can set it up to deliver audio warnings. I boot the app and never look at it while driving.

[997Sbeebe]

Valentine V1 for me for 20+ years.