radar and laser detector and jammers

[Az Sparky]

I would like to know what everyone who has experiance with this please.?

[TAG UR IT]

I have a whistler. It's been with me for about 10 years and is still running strong. Works with laser, radar, and lidar for a full 360'. I only use it on long road trips so it sits in the garage for the rest of the time.

AND ON THE FLIPSIDE...If you have a radar detector and are stopped by police for speeding, I will bet you money you get a ticket. The philosophy is simple. If you have a radar detector, you probably speed often....and you probably RARELY get caught. SO.....when you do get caught, you WILL be written a citation to make up for all those times you've gotten away. Now ask me how I know this...

[Mindz]

How many tickets have you written for radar jammers?

And aren't detectors legal, but jammers illegal?

[TAG UR IT]

I've never had the occassion to come across a "jammer."

Radar detectors are legal in most states and it is my understanding that jammers are illegal. But...I'm not sure on how the jammer law applies to my state.

I don't write many speeding tickets at all. 99% of the time I write speeding tickets is when I work school zones. Believe me...I don't play around with school zones and the lives of our children. I don't care what time you thought it was. I don't care what kind of hurry you are in. I don't care that no kids were present when you sped through. I don't care that you are from out of town and didn't know that there was a school zone. I don't care that you were...bla, bla, bla. I DON'T CARE. First off, you should be paying attention to your driving. There are signs for schools everywhere, signs posted for the speed limit, signs posted for kids crossing, stripes painted on the ground, big buildings with "school" written on the side, yellow busses parked along the street or in the parking lot, FLASHING YELLOW LIGHTS that warn you of the speed limit, etc. If you can't see flashing yellow lights, you are plain...$#@%*. Sorry for the ranting, folks. You now know something that gets on my nerves.

Back to the subject...if you have a radar detector (and depending on how fast you were going), and if I stop you (which means you were proabably going pretty fast), you will proabably get a ticket. For me, it all depends on how heavy/light the traffic is, the type and location of roadway (highway or side streets), and the attitude of the driver. To answer your question, I've proabably written 75-80% of those I've stopped w/ radar detectors. Then, I write "RDU" on the back of the ticket telling the Judge that a "radar detector is in use."

[Mr. Wyndham]

Good for you TAG, on the school zone thing. High Schools I don't much worry about - I'll be honest. but Elementaryand Middle Schools I definitly slow down, for all the reasons you have!

Radar detectors: I'm not familiar with them, how do they work? They sense a radar gun within a certain radius, and then they beep or something?

[TAG UR IT]

A radar gun is a small Doppler radar used to detect the speed of objects. A radar gun does not return information regarding the object's position. It relies on the Doppler Effect applied to a radar beam to measure the speed of objects it is pointed at.

Radar guns may be hand-held or vehicle-mounted. They can be used as a tool in the regulation of traffic speed by law enforcement and also to measure speeds in sports.

Most of today's radar guns operate at X, K, Ka, and (in Europe) Ku bands. An alternative technology, LIDAR, uses pulsed laser light.

The radar gun was invented by Bryce K. Brown of Decatur Electronics in March 1954[1], and was first used in Chicago, Illinois by Patrollman Leonard Baldy in April 1954.

There are radar detectors on the market which can detect most police radar and laser systems. Conversely, in the spirit of electronic warfare, some police radars are equipped with detectors of operating radar detectors.


[edit] How radar guns work
Radar guns are, in their most simple form, radio transmitters and receivers. They send out a radio signal, then receive the same signal back as it bounces off the objects. However, the radar beam is different when it comes back and from that difference the radar gun can calculate vehicle speed.

A radar beam is similar to the beam of a flashlight as it spreads out as the distance from the signal origin increases. The signal then bounces off objects in the path of the beam and are reflected back to the gun. The gun uses the doppler effect to calculate the speed of the object in the beam's path.

All bands of radar work the same way; they simply operate on different frequencies. X band guns are becoming less common due to the fact the beam is strong and easily detectable. Also, most automatic doors utilize radio waves on X band and can possibly affect the readings of police radar. As a result K band and Ka band are most commonly used by police agencies.


[edit] Problems with radar guns
Although radar is an effective tool to acquire an object's speed, there are problems with it. Today's technology is relatively effective and error free so most inaccurate speed measurements are caused by the user.

For speed to be accurately calculated, the object whose speed is desired should be the only moving object in the beam of the radar. If this is not the case, as in a police officer monitoring speed on a stretch of busy road, more articulation is needed in testifying to a particular vehicle's speed. As such, most police officers are trained in the practice of visual estimation of speed, and the radar is thus used as a verification of the visual estimation. In addition, it is easy enough to testify that the vehicle in the offside lane was passing vehicles in the nearside lane, and is therefore the vehicle whose speed is showing on the readout as traveling above the posted limit. The angle in which the object is in relation to the radar source can also affect the reading. This includes angles on a horizontal and vertical plane. This is referred to as Cosine Error, but this effect generally causes the displayed speed to be lower than actual speed, in actuality benefitting the violator.

[OverAnxious]

I ran an escort for many years.
One thing most people don't think about, you can have the best Valentine1 in your vehicle, if you don't also imporove HOW you drive, it won't do you much good.

Smart driving along with a good detector is a good thing

Regarding jammers, That is attracting too much negative attention IMO. If you drive smart and have a good detector, that is all you really need

[MerF]

Virginia gets none of the above, and it's a healthy fine to have one in the cabin where it can be accessible to a power source.

I'm finally over my desire to go faster than everyone else on the road. And realistically I've noticed that I don't get from point A to point B that much faster.

That being said, one of the most fun road trips ever was me in the Supra and my ex-roommate in his convertible 350Z hauling from Virginia Beach to Tampa, Florida to R&R at my old man's.

We were rarely in the double-digits, made the trip in about 10 hours. Was in boost most of the trip, targa off, radio up. I probably got 10 mpg that trip but it was fun!

[Mr. Wyndham]

I was thinking about getting a CB radio for kicks and a detector for well...I would never use it to intentionally piss off the cops, just to allow myself the extra few miles an hour every once in a while

[Mindz]

I desire the adrenaline of racing but would only do it on a track. Might go a couple runs at stoplights or deserted roads, but that's it. I just want to know that IF I WANTED TO, I could show the ricer punk what the general ordered.

The detector would be for driving home at 3 am. I had a bad incident with a speed trap with what I thought was illegal but it's a long story and I don't wanna get into typing it out. I just want one in case I can't pick out the headlights (which I think I'm good at telling any car by headlight or taillights at night).

Or like the long trips down I-5.You want to set the cruise at 85 or higher because there's no one on the road and no wind, no changing scenery. Then you get hit by a radar ping and a ticket being the only car on the road. It hasn't happened to me, and I hope it never does, but I hate driving long starightaways alone and bored, being stuck at what seems like a snails pace.

P.S. I-5 runs down the central valley in CA and it's 70 speed limit the whole way. 2 lanes in either directions with a few business routes but open road for most of it.

[AFSNightrod]

I have a CB for my long trips from VA to NY(the in-laws) and NH(my home state). Unfortunately, there is no place to stick my Wilson Little Wil mag-mount on my Trans Am other than the hood. I love getting the local "bear report" from the truckers and getting info on traffic and construction. I've never owned a radar detector, but I typically do not speed unless the road is open. When I do push it, I don't go fast enough where I can not react to different situations on the road. Like MerF though, my favorite long trip was for block leave last summer before my current deployment. I made it from VA to NH in about 10 hours flat, which is normally a 12-14 hour trip depending on traffic. I averaged about 95MPH the whole trip, anddidn't hit traffic once, even in NYC. It was like my own private Cannonball Run. I kept the tops on for the first half of the trip to save fuel, but I had to pull them off from NYC onward to enjoy that beautiful northern summer air. Once I get back I'll be making the trip again, but this time in the wife's Mustang which will be fresh out of the shop with an engine rebuild and full exhaust. It will be a good shakedown for the old horse. I guess for me it is not about getting there the fastest, but enjoying the drive. If the roads allow me to safely open it up, then I will, and I will gladly pay the price if I get caught.

[Mr. Wyndham]

It would be nice not to be surprised though...

[AirGoya]

so when cops are just driving down the road they're not using their radar? But they can still get you for speeding right? I rarely see cops just sitting there with the gun, they're allways driving cause i live by a jail and courthouse and stuff so...

[acscamarochick06]

My boyfriend has a Peterbilt that he drives... The CB comes in very handy!