Hiding a Radar Detector

fallenarch

THE SLOW RIDER
Registered
I have an RD and I want to get rid of the tank bag I normally rider with. Has anyone ever mounted the RD in the tail cowl (hump)? I wasn't sure it would work being behind my body. The RD is not waterproof and they are illegal in VA so I need to hide it in a place I can keep dry.
 
people still use those?

I do here in Southern California...lost count of how many times it has saved my heinie.

fallen, the spot under the nosecowl might work for you. I am guessing it will still work in the hump but not 100%sure.
 
I'm using a Beltronics STI Driver and it definitely works and saves tickets. To me the biggest threats are cops sneaking through traffic behind you and cops hiding out in the speed traps. Personally, when you are doing 100+ mph I don't think its much help as there simply isn't much reaction time there. Right now I have it in the tank bag and it's hooked into my AutoCom. I also have the remote warning light.

I'm trying to relocate it because I don't want to ride with a tank bag all the ti
 
people still use those?
yup without one your flying blind :laugh: I had one mounted up under the nose of a bike once in a zip-lock bag , it had a ear plug port so I tapped into that port and ran the wire up to the top added a port and got a 3.5 mm ear jack and plugged in so I could hear it ...worked good.The shack is where I got the parts .
 
The police in VA have a Radar Detector Detector....I think if they pick up that you have a RD they will take it and issue a ticket just for having it ...I think ???....... The one I had on my bike had VGA-2 Cloaking to hide from that :whistle:
 
Sounds unfair that they can have radar and laser but you can't have a detector. :banghead:

To answer your question about using it in your hump, I was told that radar is a radio wave and the it will go right through your body.
So you body won't block it.

Also just a FYI I believe that for laser to work they must be standing still (not moving) for it to work.

I'm not sure, but I heard that radar wouldn't work from behind, However that was years ago and I believe that the newer units will now work from behind
even when they are moving.

Something else is that they have to be within (I think) 1500 feet to get a reading. If they were farther than that away (when you were over the limit)
and you slowed down before you were 1500 feet away you should be able to fight it. But who carries a tape measure with them and who are they (the Judge) going to believe?

One advantage motorcyclists might have is the radar cameras on the highways, because we don't have front license plates. :laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
I thought in VA the LEO also have Radar Detector, detectors :dunno:

If you were all alone on a road you would be busted.

If you were on a busy highway and it went off and you slowed down to mixed with traffic, it might be hard for them to single you out
because any of the other vehicles might also have one.
 
The person who made this video is a piece of crap, but it proves that they take detectors seriously in VA.

So if they detect that you have a radar detector in VA, does that constitute probable cause and warrant a search? This guy gave consent, but what if he didn't want to?



 
The STI Driver is not detectable, so if it's well hidden you are pretty much stealthy. Also the fine is only $75 and some don't even take the detector. I don't carry anything on the bike that would be a problem in a search so I don't really care about that. Some cops are jerks about the detector others don't really care. One guy saw it on the bike because of the lights. He just pulled me and told me it was illegal in VA so turn it off or lose it - no ticket.

The real give away though is when you slam on brakes when you get a lite up. Some cops will stalk fast drivers and flick the radar on an off to see who hits the brakes. I have had cops hang back 2-3 cars for miles. Still they are just doing their job and most are cool if you are not acting like a jackass.
 
yeah i was looking at those this morning. have you used either?

Illegal here in CA. We are one of the 10 states where they are not allowed.

But popular item, and we carry two brands.

Where I live, the local CHP use LIDAR a lot: guy on overpass with 5 squad cars lined up on the on-ramp & all the CHP motor officers have the LIDAR guns on their bikes standing on side of freeway.
 
I have an RD and I want to get rid of the tank bag I normally rider with. Has anyone ever mounted the RD in the tail cowl (hump)? I wasn't sure it would work being behind my body. The RD is not waterproof and they are illegal in VA so I need to hide it in a place I can keep dry.
Not that I'm trying to help anybody break the law here....

I would not put it in the hump, as your body (a big mass of water) will absorb a lot of the radar signals. Speed radar works at X, K, and Ka bands, plus pulsed laser radar. You will definitely block the laser radar, but so will your fairing. Your windscreen would probably pass the laser. As for the actual radar (X, K, Ka), that will go through most plastics easily, but not that well through your body. Most of the links I found were not specific to these bands, but generally the penetration into bio tissues looks to fall off rapidly at higher frequencies.
http://personal.stevens.edu/~bmcnair/BME322-S10/Class%2012.pdf
http://www.altiussolutions.com/Press/Effects%20RF%20Radidation%20On%20People.pdf
Note that I only scanned these very briefly, but it looks like your body will block it.

That said, you will also pick up a lot of scattered radar signals coming in from the side, such as reflections off road signs, nearby cars, guard rails, etc. The detectors are very sensitive superhets that are designed to pick up weak signals to give you lots of warning time. But you should also want it to work as well as it can, which means you shouldn't block it with your body.
 
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