Cop detectors
- Thread starter P5inMD
- Start date
there are many different factors that come into play with a radar detector.
first, you get what you pay for... same addage used anywhere else with cars - it stands true here too.
second, its not a free pass to speed. Yes they work, quite well actually, but you cant take the human out of the equation.
if they dont have their radar on, you arent going to detect them. If they flip instant on (still giving you time to slow down, cops cant use pop radar as an accurate measure) you wont see them till it comes on.
Then there are those people that hate false alarms soo much, that they ignore the real ones. I had a passport 8500... best money I ever spent on my car. Not once during the 2 years I had it did I get a ticket (someone stole it), and I had TONS of times where I would have been pulled without it. Its funny how many cops you find with a radar detector that you would never have known existed without.
Buy a radar detector, but here is my advice:
dont go cheap. My recommendations are passport 8500 x50/9500, valentine 1, or Bel (dont know their higher model #s). If you go cheap, they wont have as far of a detection zone as the good detectors... valentine 1/passport 8500 have up to a mile range depending on conditions. The cheap ones? as low as 1500 feet. Also the cheaper units usually wont have pop radar ability, laser detection, or passive technology.
USE YOUR EYES. There is no replacement for being careful and still paying attention. A cop can still pull you over for tons of reasons without using a radar. A detector is only going to protect you from SPEEDING violations.
Drive safe. Just because you have a radar detector, doesnt mean youre going to get away with doing 120 in a 25mph zone. Remember, there are tons of varying aspects that you have to account for with radar detector. If that cop is sitting a mile ahead just blasting radar, yeah youll see him (with a good unit). However if a cop is on an isolated road using instant on, well youre probably screwed if youre going 120 and cant slow down in time.
Laser = instant ticket. Unlike radar, laser is a very focused targeting system. If you see laser flash on the detector, 95% of the time hes targeted you directly. All the radar detector is letting you know is that you should pull over if youre speeding cause that cop already has you.
first, you get what you pay for... same addage used anywhere else with cars - it stands true here too.
second, its not a free pass to speed. Yes they work, quite well actually, but you cant take the human out of the equation.
if they dont have their radar on, you arent going to detect them. If they flip instant on (still giving you time to slow down, cops cant use pop radar as an accurate measure) you wont see them till it comes on.
Then there are those people that hate false alarms soo much, that they ignore the real ones. I had a passport 8500... best money I ever spent on my car. Not once during the 2 years I had it did I get a ticket (someone stole it), and I had TONS of times where I would have been pulled without it. Its funny how many cops you find with a radar detector that you would never have known existed without.
Buy a radar detector, but here is my advice:
dont go cheap. My recommendations are passport 8500 x50/9500, valentine 1, or Bel (dont know their higher model #s). If you go cheap, they wont have as far of a detection zone as the good detectors... valentine 1/passport 8500 have up to a mile range depending on conditions. The cheap ones? as low as 1500 feet. Also the cheaper units usually wont have pop radar ability, laser detection, or passive technology.
USE YOUR EYES. There is no replacement for being careful and still paying attention. A cop can still pull you over for tons of reasons without using a radar. A detector is only going to protect you from SPEEDING violations.
Drive safe. Just because you have a radar detector, doesnt mean youre going to get away with doing 120 in a 25mph zone. Remember, there are tons of varying aspects that you have to account for with radar detector. If that cop is sitting a mile ahead just blasting radar, yeah youll see him (with a good unit). However if a cop is on an isolated road using instant on, well youre probably screwed if youre going 120 and cant slow down in time.
Laser = instant ticket. Unlike radar, laser is a very focused targeting system. If you see laser flash on the detector, 95% of the time hes targeted you directly. All the radar detector is letting you know is that you should pull over if youre speeding cause that cop already has you.
- :
- '13 CWP MS3 & '16 Mazda6 GT
BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GET THERE FASTAR!!!!!!
imjustagirl said:
- :
- '13 CWP MS3 & '16 Mazda6 GT
I have a decent Cobra detector...its never plugged in the because the only thing it (and most radar detectors) are effective at detecting are walgreens, eckerds and CVS stores LOL!
imjustagirl said:
Well if youre like me, you drive spirited sometimes... If I wanted to go the speed limit and take that upcoming turn @ the post speed, I would have bought a toyota...
also, my average cruise on any given highway is 65-85 given no traffic.
nothing dangerous... Im not a weaver, I dont play in traffic and I dont race. I do however need a reminder sometimes that there ARE cops doing their jobs
thats where the detector comes in.- :
- '13 CWP MS3 & '16 Mazda6 GT
im aware of all that...
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- '13 CWP MS3 & '16 Mazda6 GT
w/mine you can actually turn off certain radar bands...so i killed of X since its useless...
- :
- '13 CWP MS3 & '16 Mazda6 GT
wanna get out of a speeding ticket? get a funny license plate...
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123654745
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123654745
stevie_b said:
passport 9500i is what you were thinking of
and I couldnt shut off x band around here...
cops still use it in lower delaware/beach area and sometimes to "trick" detector users in false areas...
thats why its great to have one that reads multiple signals (passport 8500/9500 and valentine 1 detect multiple signals simultaneously even in the same band)
- :
- 2017 SG Ford Focus RS -- 2003 Protege 5 -- 2016 Ford Expedition
B1GHAM said:
(iagree)
one of the best explainationson R-D's I've seen on this site.
IMO R-D's work best in light traffic where you could pick up the radar when the person in front of you is being targeted. With no traffic if you get zapped you have a much smaller window to "correct" your speed.
This is very true i have a radar detector that i have used for a long time. It mostly depends on where you live. Every state, every jurisdiction rather, has different types of radar equipment. Their technology is constatly changing. So the newest most badass, (most expensive) detector is going to cover all these new ways of catching people. For example: Georgia cops. They have both active(on all the time) and passive(push button ON) radar. As well as speed traps where a cop sits before an exit with a LASER gun, and radios to the cops sitting on the off ramp to catch whatever he just nailed.
Lets look at the different types of radar, so you can best judge the detector you just bought. Truth: most radar dectors dont have the range that will give you the second or two it takes to send your coffee into your lap. The different bands that the coppers use are K,KA,X<--Mostly shopping centers, LASER bands. Now lets look at how each one works.
>K Band< is usually an ACTIVE style radar. Which means that the cop has it mounted in either the front window, or rear window of his car, and is on ALL the time. It has a wide angle of pulse. The radar sends a signal out every 0.003 seconds and measures how long it takes to to get back, and reads out in MPH. Keep in mind that different things effect how this band works (hills, lots of traffic, turns, etc.) You will pick up a >K BAND< further out, NORMALLY, then any other band.
>KA Band< Is usually a PASSIVE style radar, which means that it is OFF most of the time. If the cop thinks people are speeding he will turn it on. It is deadlier then K band. The band is more narrow then K band. It has a long range and you are more likely to get picked out if he is behind you in your lane about a mile back or so. Normally, if my KA alert goes off, i hit the cruise and start looking all around me to see where he is. My radar does not have a fancy "Where he is" light so when it goes off i Look all over to see where he is.
>LASER< This means that if it goes off. Your screwed, Period. End of discussion. A laser does not use a "pulse". Once the cop aims it at you, pulls the trigger, its an instant read out of how fast you were going. Bam, just like that your ticketed. Most of the time, This kind of radar is used in a speed trap style atmosphere. I have never been hit with laser (thank goodness) But, its instantanious. It gives you NO chance of evasion.
>X Band< Is used in stores that have automatic door opener thingies. And yes, it can be annoying. But, some precints are getting smart, and are using drone style methods of getting people. Wich means that a cop might be carrying one of these prehistoric style guns with him just to throw everyone off. Most people dont think a bout X band being deadly, but it can be.
Personally, my radar stays on ALL THE TIME., at MAX. I never turn it to CITY mode. IT has saved my ass a TON of times......Its a Whistler "1734" I got it for X-mas a couple years back and it does the job. If i had the money, i would get the one that Points where it is coming from. I have always had a radar detector, and wouldnt ever drive without it.
My .02(cheers2)
James
Lets look at the different types of radar, so you can best judge the detector you just bought. Truth: most radar dectors dont have the range that will give you the second or two it takes to send your coffee into your lap. The different bands that the coppers use are K,KA,X<--Mostly shopping centers, LASER bands. Now lets look at how each one works.
>K Band< is usually an ACTIVE style radar. Which means that the cop has it mounted in either the front window, or rear window of his car, and is on ALL the time. It has a wide angle of pulse. The radar sends a signal out every 0.003 seconds and measures how long it takes to to get back, and reads out in MPH. Keep in mind that different things effect how this band works (hills, lots of traffic, turns, etc.) You will pick up a >K BAND< further out, NORMALLY, then any other band.
>KA Band< Is usually a PASSIVE style radar, which means that it is OFF most of the time. If the cop thinks people are speeding he will turn it on. It is deadlier then K band. The band is more narrow then K band. It has a long range and you are more likely to get picked out if he is behind you in your lane about a mile back or so. Normally, if my KA alert goes off, i hit the cruise and start looking all around me to see where he is. My radar does not have a fancy "Where he is" light so when it goes off i Look all over to see where he is.
>LASER< This means that if it goes off. Your screwed, Period. End of discussion. A laser does not use a "pulse". Once the cop aims it at you, pulls the trigger, its an instant read out of how fast you were going. Bam, just like that your ticketed. Most of the time, This kind of radar is used in a speed trap style atmosphere. I have never been hit with laser (thank goodness) But, its instantanious. It gives you NO chance of evasion.
>X Band< Is used in stores that have automatic door opener thingies. And yes, it can be annoying. But, some precints are getting smart, and are using drone style methods of getting people. Wich means that a cop might be carrying one of these prehistoric style guns with him just to throw everyone off. Most people dont think a bout X band being deadly, but it can be.
Personally, my radar stays on ALL THE TIME., at MAX. I never turn it to CITY mode. IT has saved my ass a TON of times......Its a Whistler "1734" I got it for X-mas a couple years back and it does the job. If i had the money, i would get the one that Points where it is coming from. I have always had a radar detector, and wouldnt ever drive without it.
My .02(cheers2)
James
Last edited:
Cellerator
Member
- :
- 2012 Mazda 3i Skyactiv Hatchback
Swear by v1, if you speed wisely, you won't have trouble.
Rules while speeding:
1. If you are speeding, don't be nuts and think you are undetectable.
2. coming up on hills and around the corner situations, let off the gas and become 150% more aware for cops as that's your only chance
3. If you speed outrageously, make sure to have someone you can follow to avoid instant on or laser.
Like everyone else says, you get what you pay for but I still always use extra caution even though I have a great detector.
Rules while speeding:
1. If you are speeding, don't be nuts and think you are undetectable.
2. coming up on hills and around the corner situations, let off the gas and become 150% more aware for cops as that's your only chance
3. If you speed outrageously, make sure to have someone you can follow to avoid instant on or laser.
Like everyone else says, you get what you pay for but I still always use extra caution even though I have a great detector.
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- 02 p5
beltronics 995 FTW- my friend had on in his car and we were picking up radar for miles before we see the cop. plus it has many user programmable options you can adjust the sensitivity selectively for certain bands. In my area for instance you never see a cop operating on x band so we just programmed it out in city mode. def worth checking out. retail for 300 in most store. eBay is cheaper but usually no warranty which i highly recommend on any radar considering the fact that it sits in your window in the sun all day!
I have chilled out on the speeding after a few tickets. Now I just accelerate to the limit as fast as my P5 allows. But I did get a ticket once when I had no idea I was speeding, it was a main city street and the limit was 35, wth! Most around here are 40-50 limits. So I got nailed, I think a detector would have saved me. But I also have a friend COP and he said beware the Motor officers their main job is to write tickets and SHOW UP to court, and he also said they always win, they have extensive training on "eyeing" speed and the judge will 99% of the time take the COPS word as to how fast you were going. But thanks for the thread I may be looking into getting a detector.
ALSO does anyone have any idea where to get that spray for your License plates that blurrs it out on camera stop lights? There are a few of them near me, thank God this isnt Europe, some countrys have them on all the Highways.
ALSO does anyone have any idea where to get that spray for your License plates that blurrs it out on camera stop lights? There are a few of them near me, thank God this isnt Europe, some countrys have them on all the Highways.
vcinsanity1523
Member
- :
- 03.5 MSP Blazin' Yellow
I have a beltronics RX65 PRO and I absolutely love it.. The thing has saved me countless amounts of time. The radar detector can be fully customized to only use the bands you want and you can adjust the signal strength of each band. I currently have everything on and i use a mode in which it allows for the detections of multiple bands of radar and it shows both or all forms of radar and a signal strength of 1-10 for each type or radar/laser. I couldn't be happier with the detector it is a bit expensive but you get what you pay for. I would never purchase any detector besides the valentine 1, bel rx65 pro or 8500.
