Radar Detectors.

Fastfrog007

Donating Member
Registered
Im shopping around for radar detectors to save myself a few tickets this summer. I dont just haul arse everywhere, but goosing it on the highway happens once in awhile, as a you might expect:whistle:

Anyway, a buddy has a Valintine and its amazing, but I dont have $400 to spend on one right now, I know, I know, it may save me more than that in the long run, but $400 just isnt leaving my pocket right now. Ive been lookin at the sub $100 Cobra units but I cant find a decent reviews, only company propaganda :laugh: I dont need any displays or fancy bits, just something that beeps at me well before the cops lights will flash at me.

Thoughts on good units for the price?
 
They can help you but most po po fly with instant on and at that point your detector notifies you of an impending award. In heavy traffic they can help by warning you that some arse is stationary ahead :laugh:
 
been happy with my Escort Passport 9500ix (paid for itself many times over with the "saves" from tickets)

passport-9500ix-0808.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
They can help you but most po po fly with instant on and at that point your detector notifies you of an impending award. In heavy traffic they can help by warning you that some arse is stationary ahead :laugh:

The local PD has a few spots on the highway the really like, which is conincidently, are the spots that my Busa really likes. I just wanna know if they are there before I round the bend and hit 70, or maybe even 75 if Im feeling really crazy :laugh:
 
dont waste ur money. the radar will pick you up long before you drop ur speed. average PRT (perception reaction time) is 1.6 seconds. the radar wave is far faster then that. if the unit is off and u come over the hill and he turns it on ur hit every time 100% of the time. same with laser.

I owned a state of the art KA band radar unit and we tried 3 different radar dectors and none of them were worth a chit. I could pick up vehicles over a mile away. before I could even see them. and this was several years ago. most new radar units today have even better technology.

people hear their radar unit go off and then slow down and pass the cop and the cop doesnt stop them so they assume its because the radar unit saved them. it didnt. he was lookn for ppl going faster then u were clocked at.

on ur Busa ur gonna be going pretty fast and with fast lane technology the radar will pick up the FASTEST moving vehicle not just the largest or closest.

and there is also same lane technology where the unit can be made to track vehicles going in one direction only so it doesnt pick up vehicles moving away from it. people usually get speeding tickets cause they rely on the radar detector and think it will result in less speeding tickets. it doesnt. its a false sense of security.
 
dont waste ur money. the radar will pick you up long before you drop ur speed. average PRT (perception reaction time) is 1.6 seconds. the radar wave is far faster then that. if the unit is off and u come over the hill and he turns it on ur hit every time 100% of the time. same with laser.

I owned a state of the art KA band radar unit and we tried 3 different radar dectors and none of them were worth a chit. I could pick up vehicles over a mile away. before I could even see them. and this was several years ago. most new radar units today have even better technology.

people hear their radar unit go off and then slow down and pass the cop and the cop doesnt stop them so they assume its because the radar unit saved them. it didnt. he was lookn for ppl going faster then ur were clocked at.

on ur Busa ur gonna be going pretty fast and with fast lane technology the radar will pick up the FASTEST moving vehicle not just the largest or closest.

and there is also same lane technology where the unit can be made to track vehicles going in one direction only so it doesnt pick up vehicles moving away from it. people usually get speeding tickets cause they rely on the radar detector and think it will result in less speeding tickets. it doesnt. its a false sense of security.

Why ya gotta ruin my hopes and dreams? :banghead:
 
I have a valentine 1 but I've actually come to rely on an app called WAZE even more. It's a free navigation app (learned about it from sleepless red) that has REAL real time traffic and actually calls out "Police Ahead" where someone has reported it. It works well in areas that have a lot of "Wazers". The navigation is also better than any i have used as it will actually reroute you around traffic mid trip because it constantly gets updates from other Wazers! The price is right. It's free!
 
dont waste ur money. the radar will pick you up long before you drop ur speed. average PRT (perception reaction time) is 1.6 seconds. the radar wave is far faster then that. if the unit is off and u come over the hill and he turns it on ur hit every time 100% of the time. same with laser.

I owned a state of the art KA band radar unit and we tried 3 different radar dectors and none of them were worth a chit. I could pick up vehicles over a mile away. before I could even see them. and this was several years ago. most new radar units today have even better technology.

people hear their radar unit go off and then slow down and pass the cop and the cop doesnt stop them so they assume its because the radar unit saved them. it didnt. he was lookn for ppl going faster then u were clocked at.

on ur Busa ur gonna be going pretty fast and with fast lane technology the radar will pick up the FASTEST moving vehicle not just the largest or closest.

and there is also same lane technology where the unit can be made to track vehicles going in one direction only so it doesnt pick up vehicles moving away from it. people usually get speeding tickets cause they rely on the radar detector and think it will result in less speeding tickets. it doesnt. its a false sense of security.

Wow, now here is something we agree on. Very good point made.
 
I have the adaptive technologies radar detector that is built for a motorcycle. Small, waterproof, and easy to install on a bike. If you are doing a 100mph in a 45 zone yes I doubt a radar will do anything to warn you in time. I didnt get it for that, I got it for those end of the month rides when they are trying to meet their quota and decide to snag you doing 10 or so mph over the limit. Works well for me and saved me from a couple tickets when I was just cruising enjoying the ride not driving like a bat outta hell but over the speed limit. We got a couple roads where I ride where it shifts 35mph 45mph 55mph then back down to 35mph all in a couple miles and they love to sit in blind spots and bottom of a hill and snag people. Thought about getting a laser jammer too but they are twice the price of a radar and they dont realy use that around where I ride
 
I use one in my truck just to know what's going on around me. It's a cheapie and it's old but it works well. It has saved me a few times even though I rarely speed in my truck. Talked to a guy who had over a grand in an adaptive detector and laser jammer. He couldn't say whether it kept him from getting tickets or not. Didn't see the point because if you're traveling at "Go directly to jail speeds" a radar detector will probably do you no good.

Any Ex LEOs chime in here but in most states a LEO just needs to observe your speed, they do not need to "Lock you in" on their radar to give you a ticket. If they do not have an actual speed they can write you for driving faster than conditions allow or reckless driving. They can also use timing blocks on the road (VASCAR) and other methods to gauge your speed.

I love living in New Mexico because the cops pretty much leave you alone unless you are driving at least 10 over. I have gotten two warnings but no tickets in this state.
 
A radar detector and good common sense is a great combo meal. :thumbsup:

I have the Adaptiv unit, and it has saved me many times, but I also have "slowed my roll" also. Used to think that 85 was a good cruising speed. Now 75 mph is normal for me.
 
the detectors as mentioned really only save you in rare occasions, that you probably won't find upstate NY (long straight flat roads) or where you wouldn't likely tear ass anyway (heavy traffic).

That said, I do enjoy the reminders from my escort x50 when I'm on a road trip. It will let me know something is around and while it doesn't necessarily work with instant on as well, it definitely works with traffic cameras and things like that (stationary automated things). They also have their "escort live" service. Now this isn't the same thing you'll find on craigslist or backpage :laugh: They have a service you pay for that links your detector across your android / iphone to their network. Based on GPS if others in your area, using that service find alerts, you get notified as well. This can save you if there are others with the service in the same area you are in. Not sure how effective it would be in the bustling metropolis up there but on a major interstate road trip, you are likely to have something from them.

From a cost perspective, I believe escort has a monthly payment plan for their detectors. Something I have not seen from valentine. If you are really looking for one, check out radar roy Radar Roy's OFFICIAL Radar Detector Review site! he is the guy that tests and the companies use for "stats" and "proof" of it working
 
If your in a car on the freeway a lot get a CB. Cheap and you will know miles ahead not .01 seconds
 
Ok.
I'm a retired traffic enforcement officer, yup, I was.
RADAR units pick up the largest target, so usually the reason you may not get stopped is because it was on another vehicle.
The only time I've been stopped on a bike is when I came over a small rise and was the only target for the RADAR.
With LASER units all bets are off. They work differently, using light reflected from the headlight or taillight reflector. They are
capable of picking out a vehicle in a crowd, but require extra training on the part of the operator.
 
I run a Valentine One in my truck and I also have one on the busa..............as many have said you will never beat the instant on or the laser. That being said using the radar everyday and understanding it will greatly help you utilize it's abilites. It only needs to save you once to pay for itself.

I have I gotten tickets with the radar on, sure.........have I saved my self 8-9 tickets because of the radar? You bet your ass! I understand what the radar is doing I know what's a real bogie and what's false because I use my radar everyday. I can tell when there is a cop way off in the distance using instant on or laser as I get signals from him hitting other cars and know to slo my roll.

Get a radar, is it a catch all? Nope, will it save you some money in the long run? Yep!
 
Around here, most speed traps involve the cop sitting in the median right over the crest of a hill, around a solid blind corner (a real favorite on one stretch of road that goes under train tracks) or on a side access road perpendicular to traffic.

There is no magic radar gun that will go through a hill, around a corner or make left/right turns. On the other hand, radar does bounce like hell in every direction which is why radar detectors DO work in many instances and are far from a waste of money.

Ages ago I read about a company that claimed most police cars constantly emitted some type of signal and their device detected that frequency and was able warn you of any police cars within a certain radius. Always thought it was an interesting concept if true. Today, it would be cool if someone could intercept their GPS tracking and make every cop car show up on a smartphone map.
 
Back
Top