I have had Mr. Belvedere for a month now and have come to the conclusion that he wants to go. I have not had a dector for over 10 years and am wondrering if they are worth getting. In atlanta it seems like all the cops are using laser so my big questions is does the laser dector work or does it just go off as the cop is clocking you.

 

Laser detector isn't gonna save you. Highly unlikely to, anyway. You have to get lucky and read some scatter of a car ahead... only reliable defense for laser is:
a) know where and how cops use laser, and use situational awareness to not speed in those areas, or
b) laser jammer.

That said, I think if you had a detector, you'd find radar in use more often than you think... laser only works with cop sitting still in a spot where they can aim it... radar is much more flexible and thus *most* cops still use it. In town, you'll find cops setting laser traps. But on the highway, Ka band is usually what the state troopers use.

 

None of the following should be construed to condone speeding. Try to keep it legal, but I've also been there. These cars can inch up in speed without giving it away. Your best bet is to always keep glancing at your speedo, even if you have cruise control on. Stay safe.

There's a couple of different thoughts on it. Some folks point out that the laser diodes have a wide enough spread to reflect and you can catch a hit before they're actually targeting you. Others feel that pretty much as soon as you hear the detector, they've got you. There are also passive and active laser jammers -- passive are things like Veil that are supposed to reduce reflectivity, giving you a few seconds before they can grab a reading. Active actually tries to overpower the lidar gun with its own signal. Check your local laws before investing in anything like a laser jammer. Also note that they are illegal in South Carolina, so if you travel to the Palmetto state, keep that in mind.

None of these items should be used to speed with impunity, but to provide you a chance to rectify your inattentiveness. Personally, my Escort 9500ix has kept me in check on more than one occasion. Good luck!

 

A radar detector makes some sense. If a laser detector function comes with it, all the better. But, as I am sure you know, a laser detector provides no advance warning. It will light up along with officer friendly's lights.

My advice is stay in the right lane as much as you can, don't use use your turn signals when you change lanes, be happy whenever someone passes you, and watch your mirrors.

 

I'm curious - what's the rationale for not using your turn signals when changing lanes?

 

Ha... sounds like me! Only, I always use my signals... I'm always more afraid I'll attract attention because I changed lanes without using them than because I did... but I rarely go more than 10 MPH over the limit, anyway.

That said, my old car was so far gone, it hadn't had its inspection sticker renewed in over a year before it kicked the bucket. I was terrified of being pulled over, so now it's engraved somewhere in my consciousness to always keep a look out for cops out of the corner of my eye... a patrol car can be sitting absolutely still with all its lights off in the middle of the night, but somehow I'll catch the slightest bit of light glinting off a reflector in the darkness as soon as it's unobscured, well before I pass it. Maybe a lot of people might notice that, though? Anyway, that's my radar detector... I think an actual detector would encourage me much too much to be overconfident with regard to speed.

 

+1 yea I don't get that either

 

after 2 tickets..i keep to speed limit...

 

I use a cheep detector because here they continue to expand photo radar. The cops put the van in different places and have a very low 5 MPH allowance before you get a ticket mailed to you.
I don't know about everyone but I typically go 5 over everyday.
The cheep detector has save me from these city revenue machines several times.

 

I say yes... A good detector and if possible also a good jammer you'll greatly improve your chances of avoiding tickets. I also use VEIL coating on my headlights

 

Laser Jammer would be the way to go in the situation....

 

A radar detector is a no brainer. Once you have one, you'll never be able to live without it. It's not only good for saving you when you lose track of your speed, but it's also pretty entertaining to be able to spot cops that think they're being sneaky. I am currently saving up for a Valentine 1...it lives up to the hype. Youtube has some entertaining videos of the V1 in action.

This will "help" with laser if you can't afford the high prices of a radar jammer: http://www.laserveil.com/.

Also, laser needs something to reflect off of, so getting rid of any chrome in the front is a definite help!

 

My son is a State Trooper that swears radar detectors are useless. While it is true that you might get an alert when they shoot a different car, that seems pretty unreliable to me. I rode with him some time ago, and swore off speeding as a result. They can track you from behind and from in front (and from farther away than a lot of people think), they have a wide disbursement angle and can read across pretty wide medians, and they can track 2 or 3 cars at a time. Remember there are other non-radar methods of tracking speeders that are almost as accurate (VASCAR).

A fairly common form of entertainment for some troopers is to pace a speeder that has a radar detector. When it is too late, they'll zap 'em, and watch what happens when they light up like a Christmas tree. Cop humor sucks sometimes!

 

No need for a detector here.

 

The police *could* make radar detectors next-to-worthless if they didn't use radar as often, and relied more on the techniques you mentioned (VASCAR, pacing, etcetera).

But as anyone that's driven across the country with a radar detector can tell you, the vast majority of the time the police just sit off the side of the road with their Ka radar gun's trigger locked in the "ON" position. They'll even leave the radar gun on while they have someone pulled over writing a ticket. I frequently see state troopers with their radar guns on while they're driving down the highway and there's not a car ahead of or behind them for miles.

Radar detectors are still plenty useful.

 

Thanks for the input when I last had a dector I was in NY and the cops were using what was then called instant on radar so the thing would go off as soon as you were just about to get a ticket unless you were lucky to have a car in front of you. Granted I might not see every cop in atlanta and some hidden might be using radar but ever cop intown or hwy I do see is using laser so I guess I will look into the jammers. BTW so any stores let to return radar dectors so that I could try one and not be out $200 if it does not work for me?

 

Best laser jammer proven time after time: http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com

 

Radar tracks the fastest moving object, not necessarily the car you're pointing at. Radar is much more indiscriminate than laser, and the farther away you are from your target and the more congested traffic is, the much more likely they can get out of the ticket. This is why the majority of radar traps are setup on the median or just off the road. The closer the target is, the higher the certainty that the reading is from that vehicle.

But yeah, nothing can protect you from pacing or vascar except your own Mk I eyeballs.

 

I wouldnt drive without one. I love mine. Saved me more times than its 450 price tag. Get one, do eeeet

 

In a congested area like Atlanta, I can see why they'd go for laser. As far as instant on, yeah, it sucks, but it's just like any other KA source. When it's on, you'll get an alert. On my Escort, it's basically like a 1 second burst of KA, then it goes away. I've learned that no matter what, if I hear the tell-tale sound of a KA hit, I'm checking my speed. It's almost never a false alarm (unlike K and X).

I dunno of anyone who accepts returns on detectors. Best bet is to do some research and decide on one. I know around these parts you're probably going to get the same suggestions for a detector: Valentine V1, Escort 9500i/ix or the Escort 8500 X50. As far as a jammer is concerned, Escort sells an expensive all out kit (9500ci) but there are others like Laser Interceptor and the M40 Blinder (I think that's right).

Whatever you do though, never ever ever let anyone try to convince you to get a radar jammer. Active radar jammers are 100% illegal in all 50 states. Passive radar "jammers" (Generally sold by the scumbags at Rocky Mountain Radar) are a waste of money because they can't overpower the signal back to the gun.

 

We have heard from a few folks that say their detector has saved them from 1 or more tickets, and I think that is compelling. Having one might have saved me a ticket in Texas a few years ago (he was well hidden!). The ticket didn't cost me as much as the detector would have, but maybe it would save me some stress.

I'm curious. Is there anyone that has been stopped for speeding (radar or not) even though they have a detector?

 

My advice is stay in the right lane as much as you can, don't use use your turn signals when you change lanes, be happy whenever someone passes you, and watch your mirrors.[/quote]

I'd rather stay in the left lane if empty and use right lane to pass cause cops notice if your in fastlane. I would definatly use turn signals, then you can say you speed up to switch lanes as exuse-worked once with cop and once in court.

I was considering jammer behind black grills (ileagal in CA).
How is the VEIL? Did it hinder any of the headlight brightness?
I want it also on my front and back plates, but would it allow photoblock to work?

 

I'll get a V1 eventually, but I'm not much of a highway speeder. I like to use the cruise control. My reasoning for a detector is speed traps on multi-state road trips.
I drove from NJ to Florida to Louisiana doing 55mph in a 5.0 Mustang and never got stopped; in commuter traffic in Ohio in the same car, I was doing 70- bumper to bumper- and a Smokey pulled me over. Driving while Joisey. Got a warning, but I'd rather be aware of these guys so I'm not filling their state coffers while their residents speed all around me.

 

junk and useless

LI is good, though the Laser Pro Park (LPP) is as well and actually has a meaningful use on the car (park distance control). This may get you out of trouble in states like SC where the LI is verboten.

Both the LPP and LI originated with the same people though the R&D paths diverged some time ago.

 

I do not find the laser portion of the detector useful and I turned the laser mode off because of false alarms and no benefit because the laser is so direct if your detector detects the laser beam it is too late. In California, I only turn on the Ka band and I leave the other bands off to reduce false alarms. I know if the detector goes off it is for real. In California the highway patrol usually run with their guns on all the time so it is easy to detect before they are looking at you.

If you decide to purchase a radar detector, buy a good detector to reduce false alarms. Also being able to turn on/off individual bands is a big plus. I use the Escort 8500 but the Valentine V1 looks good but was out of my price range.

My detector has saved me a few times. While worth the cost based on the cost of tickets and insurance in California. However, I did get stopped once because I had my detector volume turned down too low. I saw the cop driving towards me, looked at my speed (15 over), looked at my detector (wondering why it had not alerted me) and saw the warning lights were going crazy. Cops turned around, pulled me over, and gave me a warning. My lucky day.