Ok, everyone Just purchased my 02 first thing I had to do was put a R9 Superchip in so it would scream. The third time I drove the awesome vehcile I got pulled over and now facing a hefty fine in District Court for speeding I was all consumed with the supercharger whine and the mild pipe rumble and didn't see him until he hit the grass and bluelights. What is the best radar detector on the market as I can foresee more problems as I keep my foot up in the supercharger.?

 

mo' better than a radar-detector especially at your age. For shame!

http://www.chasinracin.com/track-locator/usamap/ky/

 

Raoul


sorry to hear about your ticket tazhalo

 

Hands down, the best detector on the market is Valentin(e)

 

Valentine One hands down, no question, the best radar LOCATOR on the market.

Perfect, REAL, example:

Comming home from work I pass a hospital every night (I work 15:00-to-23:30).

Each time my counter displays 1-2 "boogies" and the arrow will show front, back and sides sort of randomly.

One night it was staying on FRONT, and the boogie counter was showing 2-3... so I was watchfull of my speed.

As I passed an enterace to a school across from the Hospital it move to the SIDES and low and behold, there he is set back in the enterace radaring people as they go by.

As I drive by and get a bit further down the road the radar goes back to its normall 1-2, then to 1, and I start to pick up speed. Again, the radar goes back to 2 boogies and the FRONT arrow is on showing the most threat The hospital and first police car is 1/8 mile behind me now.

I round the corner and all the radar lights go off... but because of the FRONT arrow lighting for a five or so seconds with the two boggie counter-- I choose to stay just over the speed limit.

Another 1/8 mile down the road I get BLASTED with radar, close, full on, ALL LEDs and FRONT arrow.

Sure as anything, there they were sitting off in the dark, using the first police and the hospital to thier advantage.

I'm sure more than one person with a lesser Radar Detector got a ticket that night.

I love my Valintine One!

/'tg

 

Seein's as I use radar in my daily job, I'll give everyone a lesson. The thing you want to do with the detector is pick up the signals that are being transmitted against someone else, and avoid false alert from burglar alarms, etc. If you're the only car on the road, and I light you up, the best detector in the world is only going to flash "Caught Ya." No way to get enough warning to slow down. If the officer is shooting a stretch of highway, you want your detector to alert you so you slow down before you get to the area he is observing.

The officer must be able to also determine your speed visually, meaning, he must be able to articulate that he saw you doing 75, and the radar confirms that. Just the readout alone is not enough proof. I always get extra signals, and occasional readouts, even with nothing there.

What does radar look for? The largest vehicle, the fastest vehicle, the closest vehicle. Meaning, again, the officer must have a visual track on you that you are speeding. So if you're passing that 18 wheeler that I have on radar at 75, then it assumes that you are also doing at least 75. Who gets the ticket? You, since you're going faster than the 18 wheeler.

Try to avoid the classic "slam on the brakes". By the time you react, you have been had. I usually leave the radar on but not radiating. Then, when I see someone who looks like they're speeding, I light them up. No signals going down the road to warn someone.

Most fun on a trip? Went to Universal in Orlando, and had a handheld radar. Follow someone with a detector, and when he speeds, light him up. Watch the brake lights go on and the smoke come out of the tires. Do this for a hundred miles or so....yea, I know, cruel and inhumane punishment.

Anyone have any questions, feel free to post them up and I'll answer for the BBS......Rube

 

Anyway, there was an article in C&D a few months ago on a detector comparison test, and valentine 1 came in on top.

good luck.

 

Too funny Rube. But what you are saying is certainly true. Todays radar guns are trigger activated. They don't stay on so that detectors can detect them. Detectors are only good, IMO, on the Interstate where they stay on for long periods. Like you mentioned, if you are running through town and the officer pulls the trigger, then your had and the best radar detector in the world is going to show you that radar signal. And like Zinc-Zag said, he got blasted full on with the detector going crazy. He didn't have any time to slow down should he have been speeding. I haven't used a detector in 10 years. I have gotten tickets when I had mine and since I got rid of it. I finally learned that if you speed, you will get caught eventually. That's not to say that I have slowed down any. I just get lucky most times and try not to overly do it especially in town. It's dangerous to speed in city streets anyway. If you were to hit a pedestrian or worse, a child, there isn't a radar detector in the world that can warn you of that. And it isn't worth the risk to loose your license or worse, go to jail, over speeding.

Now, before I get blasted for this, I know what most will be thinking, and I think if you really listen to what I said, you will agree. I will be the first to admit, that I drive too fast most of the time. I also believe that most on this board may say the same thing. When we were young, we were invincible, and everything always happens to other people. But as we get older, we realize, it can happen to us.

Point is, drive safe, and drive smart.

RickC

 

I don't disagree with PhillyRube or RickC for that matter.

Yes I did get blasted and would not of had a chance to slow down. But as PhillRube pointed out on how to use a radar detector/locator, the Valentine worked as I picked up some of his signals when he was hitting other cars in front of me. So I stayed in the ballpark of the posted speed.

In the last five years in Florida, and the past year here in Memphis area (and trips between the two). I think I got hit with instant-on maybe 20-30 times (I actually think it is a lower side of that window). However the times that the Officer just leaves it on numbers in thousands literally.

People are often lazy... doesn't matter if you are the fry cook at Wendy's... and officer, or System Admin... people will often do what is easier. PhillyRube is just sneakier (less lazy) than most

/tg

 

I agree. No radar detector is perfect. If you're the lone driver at night, and the police lights you up, there's nothing you can do but pull over. For this reason, I'm most careful if I don't see any cars in front of me at night. But my Valentine 1 still has uses. Once in a while I get a blip, a very weak signal that fades almost instantly. Then my guess is some poor guy a mile or so ahead just got zapped and I slow down. Sometimes, that's the right guess. Even if the cop sees just one car on the road, he doesn't know if there's another a mile or so behind. Where some radar detectors may not detect an instant-on radar a mile ahead, V1 will.

But as I get older, I tend to slow down. Being paranoid for entire 400 mile trip and getting there a hour early isn't always better than taking it easy and steady and leaving an hour early.

 

I hear that! And most of the time now, at least on the highway (in 70MPH areas), you can do near 80MPH without a second thought... it's once you pass that mark that one needs to start being concerned and "being one" with your V1.

/tg

 

I bought a 95 GT in November 94 and have been speeding since. I also bought the top of the line BEL. Great range!

Since, I have been pulled over twice (both times I was driving w/o the detector).

I have learned one thing. Learn your area.

NEVER SPEED IN RESEDENTIAL AREAS NOR BUSINESS AREAS (TOO MANY PEOPLE, TOO DANGEROUS).

Always, ALWAYS check your review mirror. Slow down if you see a car coming up on you fast.

Count cars. Keep track of the ones you pass.

Also, DON'T CHANGE LANES. When you do that, it is unsafe and a red flag to cops that you are speeding.

In the words of Rick C: "Drive safe, drive smart", and you will be able to drive fast.

 

I was wondering if there was anything to the "radar Jammers" I have heard about. I know that the radar guns now days are trigger activated, but if you have a jammer on won't it always distort the gun no matter when the user activates it? Or is this just a myth?

 

OK, next lesson. Radar works on what we call the Doppler Effect. This is the same thing you hear when a truck or train sounds its horn and passes you. The sound dips. Same with the radar. The beam comes out of the antenna at a set frequency, and upon encountering a MOVING object, is reflected at a lower or higher frequency (coming towards the radar, higher frequency: moving away, lower). The electronics of the radar convert the frequency shift to MPH on the digital readout.

Also in the mix is the reflected energy of the beam. The radar operates in the milliwatt range anyway, so anything reflected is much less. The radar reads all this. I would think with a jammer the radar reads the same frequency as it is sending out ( readout says 0), and the signal strength being too high would cause the radar to ignore the incoming signal. An enterprising electronical type could probably build something, but not in a small neat package.

Did you try covering all your hoses under the hood with tin foil and sticking some underneath the hubcaps (sorry, we don't have them.)

My personal limits? I'll give you 9 mph in a residential area, 15 on the highway.

 

HaHa, funny. Sounds to me that you are fairly technical on the operation of radar. You surely didn't get this training as a police officer, maybe Military training?

RickC