Well I was driving home tonight on the highway, when I rounded a bend and got nailed by a trooper. He had instant on laser and my Valentine One went nuts AFTER I saw him. I dont understand, I thought this was supposed to be a great radar detector. Now I got 75 in a 55 and god knows how many points. Then he threatened to give me a ticket for a euro plate. The guy in front of me must have been going 90! What a waste of money.

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As I've learned... you can't beat INSTANT ON radar/laser guns...

Unless you're lucky enought to catch him irradiating someone else...

Sorry...

 

valentines are great radars....i don't personally have one, but plenty of my friends do. i use a passport 8500....but i'm not trying to start a "this radar is better" debate....but pretty much the two work great. one thing that people can't really get around is being lasered. when a officer lasers you, the unit is off until the trooper pulls the trigger on the device which emits the laser. the trooper must have been sitting there waiting for some cars to come by, and when he saw you he aimed it and pulled th trigger and caught you. there are certain radars that can block lasers/jam them....but these cost around $2000 and have to be professionaly installed on your car.

 

Thanks, Im really fuming. I was so mad I snatched the ticket out of his hand and he started yelling at me. ugh. what a bad day. So basically having a radar detector is worthless, because you can be nailed by INSTANT ON at any time?

 

yup!
it's much cheaper to just be very aware of your surroundings!
use the force!
i've never got a speeding ticket! (knocks on pressed wood desk!)

 

Check out http://www.SPEEDTRAP.COM

 

>> So basically having a radar detector is worthless, because you can be nailed by INSTANT ON at any time?

No, it's not worthless. It's just not magic.

I'm really sorry you got nailed, but it doesn't sound like you knew how to use a detector correctly. It's a supplementary tool to be used along with your observational abilities, smart driving habits, and common sense. It doesn't make you invisible.

Not trying to flame you here, but it's not the detector's fault...


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Waiting til July for:
IB/Blk Cooper, Fogs, Xenons, Spoiler, Chrome Inserts, Blk/Blk/Anthracite Int, Sport Seats, Auto Wipers, Premium & Cold Weather pkgs. (Tapping foot impatiently in NH)

 

Scootberboy is right on the money with his post above.

>> So basically having a radar detector is worthless, because you can be nailed by INSTANT ON at any time? >>>>

Yes, this is pretty much common knowledge. I'm sorry you found out the hard way though! I guess you're lucky you got away with that Euro plate!

 

Bummer about that Ants. Screw the pigs

 

The tech takes some of the fun out of the game for me. This probably makes me a little crazy, but I like the challenge of outsmarting and just keeping an eye out. I mean, I averaged 77 MPH across Nebraska and Eastern Colorado last month, and that's including all stops. I was usually well above the limit.

 

Just a quick note...

My V1 has saved me at least 20x +. I drive a lot of distance in my cars and I drive very fast.

#1 rule. Drive like don't have a radar, be cautious. Open road... go for it, but be aware, nothing will ever outsmart the human brain.

I truly believe the V1 is the best that there is, but it's only as good as the person who reads an interprets the information that the unit provides.

Sorry about the ticket.

Kesh

21K miles on my MCS and I love it

 

I used to be an avid reader of Car and Driver magazine. I recall an article published a few years ago on the effectiveness of various radar and laser detectors. If memory serves me well, they concluded that driving with your brights on diminishes the effective range of the laser radar along with removing anything reflective (like license plates) from the front of your car. That in conjunction with the above tactics, may buy you the split second you may need to react.

 

Well, instant on Laser is kinda hard to defeat. I do have a V-1 and use it regularly, but only as a supplementary tool as I too learned how ineffective a top notch radar detector is against an instant on laser gun in kansas to the tune of $329!

I probably would not purchase a radar detector today, considering that all the new radar guns being purchased out there are instant-on types and there are over 25000 laser guns already out there.

Better investment these days would be a good GPS nav system

 

Always keep a "front door". Hang back and wait for that 90 mph Beemer to go by
and keep about 1/2 mile back. Be looking for brake lights ahead.

If your in the mood to set a new land speed record in your mini, cruise the road first,
and then circle back and punch it.

 

Antsmini,

Were you on the Taconic when you got stopped? If so, I also got nailed there a few years ago. That parkway is filled with state troopers.

 

It's not going to make you invisible. Like stated before, it's a tool used to aid you in avoiding speeding tickets.


You still must be on the lookout.

Try to travel in a convoy if possible. Use a blocker.

Be aware of your surroundings. I travel the same route to work everyday. I know when the V1 should blip. If a new bogey pops up I know to keep my eyes open.

Almost all the cops over here drive with their radars on. It's easy to see them coming.

Nothing will keep you safe from instant on...

 

Sorry to hear about the citation,

I've been using a V-1 for four years with no tix yet, but there are careats. Number one is that laser must physically hit your detector for it to signal you. Laser is nasty, period. about the only safeguards are if it hits the car in front of you and some filters through you can be pre-warned, or you must be very quick on the brake as the officer will be tracking you and then must "lock on" with a registered speed. Is your foot quicker than his finger? Do you feal lucky? I've heard of "laser absorbing" paint but this sounds like snake oil to me. Get to know the jurisdictions in your area that use laser and be careful when going through them. A positive though, laser requires that Officer Friendly remain stationary, therefore there are no rolling laser hunts like with radar. But many folks use the two or three car method with a "shooter" and a couple of "retrievers" down the road.
V-1 is still the best on laser, but that is little consolation for you.

V-1 is also the best with all three bands of Radar, and while instant on K and Ka are aggressive tools, they can be detected far enough away when there is traffic and the cops are hunting. Again, if you are alone or the front door be careful.

I know I must sound like a commercial for V-1 but it has saved my A$$ on numerous occasions and, no I don't work for them, although I have visited their facitities and can vouch for the quality of their products and service.

I am one satisfied customer, who appreciates the limitations of any kind of detector.

 

I almost got tagged yesterday. My saviour was that the officer had the car in front of me in his sites and the V1 went nuts. Gave me that brief chance to slow down.

 

As stated earler, use a BLOCKER. The only way to beat instant on is to pick up the radar/laser when they are used on the cars in front of you. I use a BEL radar detector and it has saved me plenty of times, but I never take chances if I'm the only one on the road or if no other cars are in front of me.

 

>>
>>Antsmini,
>>
>>Were you on the Taconic when you got stopped? If so, I also got nailed there a few years ago. That parkway is filled with state troopers.


Yes it was the taconic. I hate NY Troopers, they are so mean spirited. Anyway even using my "good judgement" there was no way I could have seen him, he was tucked away VERY well and since it was INSTANT ON my V! lit up like a christmas tree AFTER I was in front of his ugly face.

 

.. so you want to get rid of it cheap?

Sorry that it happened .. luckily Massachusetts doesn't use the instant-on or laser a whole lot where I'm usually driving most often.

 

Ah grasshopper.... you have so much to learn. Radar detectors aren't a license to speed. It's all in the time, the place and the opportunity at hand. Use your resources wisely and don't flog the limits.

Snatching it out of his hand will get you snatched out of your car in some states. Admit it, he had you dead to rights. Take it like a man and admit defeat...this time. It's a game and you've only lost one time. How many times have you gotten away with it? If you can't pay the fine, don't speed next time.

Another guy said, screw the pigs. Juvenile at best and it shows a complete lack of understanding to the duties and risks that most officers face. Try walking on the other side. It's a lot more difficult than you can ever imagine.

I used to be a volunteer with the Sheriff's dept here. Lots of fun but too much risk for me. The only altercation I got was when we were out during a wildfire at a roadblock 2 miles BEHIND a "do not enter" sign near an area called 4 Peaks. A frenchman on a motorcycle didn't like our 'vacate the area' order and tried to bump anther officer. I pushed him and his bike over and he ended up in jail for the rest of the day. True to his heritage, he surrendered fairly easily once he looked up and was he was surrounded. :smile:

I called it quits after a DUI roadblock when the officer standing on the driver's side told me to secure a handgun on the frontseat that I couldn't see while standing on the passenger side due to the tinted windows. Here in AZ, you're allowed to carry handguns in your vehicle.

Never was radar-certified but the process is quite stringent. I do recall that you have to become proficient at guessing a car's speed within 5 MPH of what the radar indicated 5 times in a row as one hurdle to becoming certified.

Drive safe but drive fast when you don't endanger others and watch/report true speedtraps. Most legitimate officers won't hide... they don't need to in a target-rich environment. :smile:

 

He had instant on laser and my Valentine One went nuts AFTER I saw him.

Nothing works against instant on laser, unless you want to spend 1K for the high tech laser jammers like escort makes that is modified into your front license plate where the smokeys point the instant on lasers......fortunately there are fewer lasers than radar and lasers are usually used by the bike cops.....great articles on the effectiveness of radar and laser at http://www.radartest.com .......only thing that really works against instant on laser is drafting behind a car, but sounds like smokey let the car in front of you pass before nailing you...bummer...

http://www.radartest.com

 

Yeah there was an escort going 80 in front of me, but my V1 didnt beep AT ALL until he clocked ME. No beeps as I approached the spot. So I guess he didnt clock until he saw my car? And this trooper was HIDING.

 

If you're traveling through Va. be careful. We we're pulled by a state man. Nothing unusual there, except he pulled 3 cars over at the same time (I was #2). The guy in front of me creasted a hill and didn't even bother tapping his brakes to let the 2 of us behind him know he spotted a cop. I was about 50 yds behind him and the guy behind me was only about 3 car lengths back. Watching the mirror I saw the trooper come onto the road and quietly said to myself, "Crap!!". This guy catches up to us, strattles the white line in front of the lead guy, turns his lights on, and starts slowing down leading the line off to the side of the road. As proficient as he was at walking down the line collecting liscences, writing tickets and giving them to us, you could tell he'd practiced the manuveuer a lot.
Lesson learned here was, even with a blocker, you're not 100% safe.