FlyVirgin744 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 1313 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 701 times:
They're helpful during speed traps when the radar gun is constantly going off. But if its on a less crowded road, the radar beeps so quick and less often that it doesn't do much help. I currently don't use one and have yet to get a ticket, a detector takes the thrill out of it for me .
Sometimes I go about in pity for myself and all the while a great wind carries me across the sky.
PPGMD From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 2453 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 694 times:
Used one for a couple of years got two tickets, took it out a year ago, haven't gotten a ticket yet.
Sccutler From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 5091 posts, RR: 28 Reply 3, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 679 times:
I would not dream of going on a long road trip without my trusty Valentine One.
It will not save you in an "ambush" situation (i.e., you come over a hill, revenue trap officer triggers radar and nails you). But, in most circumstances, since I can receive radar signals as far as five miles out, I have advance notice from the officer clocking someone ahead of me.
None of that, of course, is a substitute for alert and defensive driving. But radar is not used to promote safety; it is simply a revenue collection tool.
...three miles from BRONS, clear for the ILS one five approach...
PPGMD From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 2453 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 674 times:
The best ways to avoid tickets is to follow these simple rules:
1. Never drive faster than the group, or 10 over which ever is slower.
2. Never do anything that would draw attention to you or your car, that means keep a good conservative car. DON'T WEAVE or TAILGATE! Those ego cars (tricked out cars) can draw the cops I and ticket gun right at you.
3. Never speed on a city street, period no if ands or buts.
4. Be alert, look for cop hideouts. If they drivers ahead of you are hitting your brakes, slow down find out why.
Suspect every car that remotely looks like a police car is one.
When I am follow those rules and you will rarely see a cop pull you over.
Now radar detectors are useless, first when they pull you over the cop is less likely to give you a warning.
Second X band is so overused detection is useless in this band. On the K band right now is the most common but they are also being phased out and you are starting to get more and more false alarms.
Finally there is Ka (an extremely wide band), this band is the hardest to detect, first it is electronically controlled units exclusively so they so switch bands when needed. Finally the detection ranges are horrible unless you have a $200 or more unit (except the Val One which is in that range but the Ka detection is sub-standard).
There is one other type of radar available that is Photo-Radar, they use K or Ka band but they are made with low frequencies and tight bands that makes them extremely hard to detect, they often go off just before you are caught. Vigilance is you only defence.
The finally type of speed measuring device is the laser system, now these although they are detectable on the radar units it is almost useless. First because laser is extremely narrow (5-10 feet max), and the unit is often mounted in the window, outside the normal aiming points. Second once you are hit, you are caught, what you need is a jammer, now those cost $400 or more, and require professional installation.
Thats about all I know about speeding, oh as for my two tickets, both were on city streets with a Escort Detector, so I broke two of my rules.
PPGMD From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 2453 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 664 times:
Two words:
Over Rated, check out the test on Radartest.com, they found that the unit has sub standard detection in forward detection (where normal attacks come from) and the rear detection is only marginally better than a similarly priced Escort (which has much better forward detection).
174thfwff From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 661 times:
Okay, but I judge my opinion on what I have experienced, not what a website or books tell me. You can never tell if a website like that is being paid by the people who make the escort. Again, after using this product for a while, this is the best system IMHO.
PPGMD From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 2453 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 655 times:
Well either way, I believe them because I have used several detectors, and found my results similar to thiers.
But in the end vigilance is the best prevention because no matter how high priced your radar detector is, or how much your laser jammer is, they can still get you from the air and the only way to prevent that is to watch for the aircraft.
FlyVirgin744 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 1313 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 652 times:
If I may add another rule,
5. When you see a speed limit that is ridiculously low, for instance 35 mph on a wide 4 lane road that should be 45 or 50, the low speed limit isn't there for safety, its there as a source of revenue for the police dept. Such a practice should be illegal. I will vote and give $$$$$ to any elected official who would propose such legislation. So don't speed, well 5 miles over at most.
Happy driving!
Sometimes I go about in pity for myself and all the while a great wind carries me across the sky.
Theiler From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 633 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 648 times:
Worthless.
Look up the definition of "instant on" radar. We'll be talking, traffic stop style, every single time if you think that any radar detector can beat it!
I Like To Fly From United States of America, joined Feb 2001, 1188 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 644 times:
Search my previous posts on this topic... they do work if used properly. I'm in law enforcment, but do own a BEL 980. (Sorry Valentine fans, but trust me it's better as far as KA band reception goes and that's what you need) But if you drive like most people with detectors do, you are usually the first people that are nailed. I'm really tired & will explain in detail another time, but this has been discussed many times.
-Chris
Super Em From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 434 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 640 times:
Mls515 From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 3069 posts, RR: 9 Reply 13, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 638 times:
Cars make more noise as they travel faster, which may be one reason for a speed limit slower than the road can safely handle. Also consider that the people who live near a road are the ones who pressure the local officials most about it's speed limit. Consider the people who's neighborhood you are driving through.
Every once in a while I'll drive down to see a friend in Missouri where I have to use a lot of two lane highway. I'll drive like a mad man (I've gotten up to 109 mph!) out in the middle of nowhere but I always slow down and have respect for the town I am driving through between the rural stretches.
Speeding through cities is pretty stupid. With traffic lights and congestion and stuff you probably won't increase your average speed by much. I see it all the time, people racing past me only to end up only a couple positions ahead of me at a traffic light. So why gun it up over the limit when you'll have to slow down right away anyway? Only out on the highway is speeding really worth it.
And then only on long trips does it add up. My trip between college and home is about 108 miles on the interstate plus the distance on the surface streets. If I drive 70 mph it is an hour and thirty two minutes. Going 80 mph it is an hour and twenty one minutes. Is it really worth a ticket for eleven minutes? Sh*t no! You've got to have a really long trip to make speeding really worth it.
TurbineBeaver From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 1199 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 629 times:
I don't know much about Radar Detectors, HOWEVER, I have heard tons of good reports about the Valentine. It's supposed to be number 1.
Jwenting From Netherlands, joined Apr 2001, 10213 posts, RR: 21 Reply 15, posted (10 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 629 times:
Won't stop Laser guns, which are becoming ever more popular.
Plus indeed driver behaveour will get you noticed by the people manning the checkpoint and they'll just have you tracked some other way (maybe timed to the next exit or call in the helicopter) to nail you. And rightly so, most people with radar detectors I see on the roads drive irresponsibly.
In ever more countries they are illegal, and where not the police are finding ways to make them useless like fake transmitters (to set them off constantly even without a radartrap nearby), laserguns, timed traps (taking a picture at two points and calculating the average speed between those based on the distance and time traveled), etc..
While I don't agree with the witchhunt against drivers (don't the police have anything better to do than ticket people driving 3km over the limit, like catching burglars and murderers) stopping radar detectors is a good thing.
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