Well as luck would have it, it's time to buy a radar detector. I got nabbed today on my way to work. I fully deserved it. I regularly go WOT on this deserted hill that's posted 45mph. It's such a blast going uphill at 3rd gear with the engine blaring at 6700rpm. Once the rush was over, and thoughts of doing that drive again were beginning to subside, I see in my rear view a fast approaching motorcycle cop with his lights on. "Awwwwwww, Damn, Damn, Damn."

Besides from the usual chit chat about why I was stopped, he says, "I know this isn't the super charged Cooper, and I see all these decals on your car, I was wondering if you had Nitrous in there." I knew what he was getting at, and there was no way out of this ticket and so I replied "No Officer, but I wish I did! Naw this is a plain old stock Cooper."

Aside from the passing bicyclist who yelled at me that "Haha you got caught", and the SUV's glaring at me, it wasn't a bad experience. My last ticket was over 18 months ago before I had my Cooper--so I'll be heading to online traffic school. The sad thing is that the ticket was about a half mile from the last ticket I got and it was from a motorcycle cop. That time I was doing 52 in a 45 and it was the first ticket in 10 years. I'll never learn that this town is a speed trap.

For those that care, I was doing 68 in a 45--going uphill with no cars or pedestrians in sight. I didn't even see the motorcycle cop, but he certainly saw me!

 

SLOW DOWN!!!

Damn kids these days..

 

Yeah, last ticket I got was almost exactly a year ago on a back road. I was just getting cranked up when he came around the corner about 1/3 mile ahead of me. I didn't even bother nailing the brakes, I knew he had me. He wasn't very nice, and seemed shocked that I would be going 67 in a 50. What I didn't tell him was that it would have been worse if he had waited another few seconds to come around the corner !

 

Oh man Richard! That sucks!! I got popped for doing 45mph in a 35mph (which I truly thought was a 35mph) and I have a Beltronics V-940 radar detector, but it went off too late. Try this for your car and then speed all you want.

http://www.jammersstore.com/p_scorpion_ka.htm

Sweeeeeet.

 

Ummm... is that thing legal? I thought radar jammers were sort of out of the question in most jurisdictions. Although, of course, for it to be illegal, they have to catch you first....

 

Touche'. If you read the description of the Scorpion unit, it has a sleeper-mode that you can set to dis-engage the radar shield (doesn't that sound cool?) so the officer can gun the car and get a reading. If they get a speed reading then no harm, no foul. <evil cackle> Bwahahhahahahaa

 

Radar Jammers are illegal. Certainly for michigan. but laser/radar detectors aren't.

BTW I wouldn't try that they have to catch you thing. It gets you in more trouble.

 

Not possible!!! I got a lead foot!!!
Atleast I was speeding safely. I slowed down well before the hill turns into a school zone---actually where I went to High School, so I'm very famliar with this area. Today I just happened to get a bit more speed sooner--I think it was cause I shifted at 6700 instead of 6300 in 2nd gear.

 

Well yes. I wasn't necessarily endorsing that course of action, I was just saying.... And yes, the whole "dis-engage the radar shield" does have a nice Star Wars sort of ring to it. I don't know... I'd be scared to equip that sort of fuzz-busting technology here in Minnesota where even radar detectors are illegal.... But that it's out there? I respect that.

 

California made jammers illegal last year. Prior to that they were ok. Detectors are still fine. Both times I got tickets were from radar and not laser, so they were preventable---well by driving slower too.

Thanks Fracky. Yeah I was bummed. I've actually had a design going for a stealth Valentine V1 install. Looks like it's time to step up my efforts on it, cause I don't think I'm going to be able to slow down--atleast as long as I own my MINI.

 

Hmmm, maybe Richard needs the MINI One option - 75hp of screaming fury!

I'm sure you'll be checking the radar detector threads, but I LOVE my Valentine one. The arrows are great. If nothing else it's kind of cool to see where they are.

Confession - I got two tickets on the same road (though going opposite directions) in three days. They had just radar certified it and the cops were downright giddy using their new toys. I was less so. Kind of like you'll be in traffic school.

 

The question is..does it work? There are plenty of bogus rader dectors out there who will refund your money if under a certain speed. (the speed that cops dont hand out tickets.) If it works I will get that in a second, I dont car if its legal or not...

 

Fracky, do you have one?

 

I had a V1 for a month during my cross country road trip from Memphis to Los Angeles. I wasn't impressed enough to keep it. There were false alarms eveywhere, even when in the so called Smart modes. In fact, in that Smart mode, I forget the actual name, it didn't even go off when facing a traffic photo light near my house.

My understanding of radar is that you use it and expect that it will go off along your daily route but the one time it goes off in the area you DON'T expect it, that's when you pay attention. Like mapping out the stray signals and then knowing what's a false alarm and what could be real. Not something you can do when driving through unfamiliar roads.

Fracky, that Jammer looks crazy! $1,500 is a bit much. I assume this ticket will cost me a bit less than what a new Valentine V1 will cost me, just a guess.

Richard

 

I would love to have one, but now that I'm married I'm not supposed to spend more money on the Frackmobile. Personally, I think it's more of the "be a luva not a fighta" kind of thing.

 

I'd consider the escort 8500 x50, just from personal experience.

To date, the escort has saved me from 5 tickets and counting, and those are just the times i remember. can we say, cleveland to columbus and back every weekend? yeah. lots o cops

 

Would have been nice to see all of this on your VacuCam


Sorry about the ticket

 

I thinkg the worse part about being pulled over is having everyone look at you and give you that grin (you got caught). the second part is the paying the fine and the third is the points and increase in insurance premium. I have a radar detector and have received one ticket since then. The radar was off when I got the ticket

 

I don't need to give the cops more ammo for my own carelessness.
I did take a few pics with my camera phone of the cop writing me my ticket though.

RUDEMINI
Agreed. I'm not sure why that bicyclist was such as ***. Really made me want to run him over for that comment. Ok, maybe not, but I was thinking what was up with him.

re: points and insurance.
Well hopefully for me, I can keep from getting a ticket to once every 18months. LOL.

 

Take it in stride.... the guy only had a bicycle, he had "Cooper Envy"

 

That sucks, when I got my ticket, the cop was at the bottom of a hill and the radar detector didn't work.

 

 

Awwww Richard!! Bummer.....but you KNOW how these CA cops are!! They still aren't as bad as the cops back in VA...still stinks though..sorry...

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven)
05' Cool Blue MCSC

 

Hi Donna!!

yeah, I'm well aware of them. I knew I would have gotten one sooner or later, by the way I drive.

I went from a record of no tickets in 10 years, to 2 tickets in 2 years in the same location.

Thanks!

I feel better already guys---atleast until the bill comes.

 

Radar jammers arent illegal at all in any state, unless you're not an Ametuer Radio Operator (Ham!). Its just a narrow band transmitter to your friend ahead of you... which also covers radar detectors in states that they're illegal too... its just the receiver. Being a ham has other advantages; such as being able to have all your cars have the same license plate, and making a mini look like a true RC car with a nice long whip antenna.

As far as radar detectors, I'm not impressed at all by the Valentine V1, and am much more partial to the K40 undetectable, http://www.k40.com/Products/Radar/Un...ualRemote.html, super stealth install, totally custom one of a kind work every time. I used to install them for a living, and they are truely the best. Nice rugged detectors (mount them behind the plastic bumper and its a totally invis job thats really sensitive where it needs to be). That and you can mount the Laser Jammer/Detector (which is legal in most states still, ham or not) with it and have your full 4 band protection (X,K,Ka,Laser) with it all mounted nice and out of view.