Quote:
Originally Posted by VictoryMuscleCars
Radar detectors do work for most types of speed scan systems used by police. I did not see Mythbusters, but I wonder if they were testing Laser effectiveness with detectors. It is true that if a detector starts beeping due to picking up Laser there's essentially no help or hope... you're getting a ticket. In order for police to use Laser they must be in a fixed location... meaning they cannot drive and use Laser at the same time. So, keep an eye out at all times.
The radar bands that can be used in a moving vehicle are listed out below (info that was shared with me from Escort):
X band - 20% are police the remaining 80% would be alarms, garage doors etc.
Ka band - 20% are police the remaining 80% would be alarms, garage doors etc.
K band - 60% are police the remaining 40% would be alarms, garage doors etc.
The community that I live in the police basically utilize speed scan systems all time (K & Ka bands)... the patrol men are basically casting a net across the city while driving. When my Escort radar goes off I immediately slow it down big time. If it's an actual police man I'm thankful and if I pick up 2 more "false" alerts my system stores as a false positive. Pretty sweet!
I'm in no way suggesting or condoning speeding in any way. I don't speed that much, but at times it's pretty tough with a 400 hp vehicle. 
For me I just like watching the watchers and having a sense of what the police are doing, if you will. And I totally agree with John... don't speed.  |
You're confusing LIDAR and RADAR. There exists NO LIDAR detectors in the U.S. There are scramblers, but they're expensive ($500+) and illegal. "Laser" is LIDAR... never to be confused by RADAR. Most departments use these even the BFE cities, so using a detector is virtually useless (looks cool on the dash
). Imagine pulling someone over and walking up to them to find a working RADAR detector. Then they tell you, "Well I just bought this piece of garbage and obviously it doesn't work". Yeah I don't have to, I've heard it before.
RADAR detectors work on a line of sight premise. They don't detect RADAR unless it can see it. Like I said, if the Officer is doing what he's supposed to, confirming your speed with a gun AFTER he see's you, then you'll never detect it (if you do, you've already been "tagged"). Anyone who says, "I've been saved many times" is confused. They were lucky in that the Officer didn't have the gun on and locked them in. Which is irregardless anyway... they're used for confirmation of speed not getting the speed. Which means the Officer can still pull you over and cite you just based on his visual estimation. If he didn't pull you over it's because he didn't want, not because the device saved you.
There's a lot of common misconceptions with these devices and lot of people run around with what they think is a peace of mind. The only piece of mind being had is the company they bought the thing from, and they're able to take these people to the bank every quarter with positive sales.