Anyone using one ? Opinions. Experiences. Likes. or Dislikes. I would like to hear all the above. Ive been thinking of buying one thats also a detector. Lets hear it.

 

i got a cobra radar detector that has saved me from multiple tickets from cops that like to camp back roads, i was going 45 in a 30 and it started going off and next thing i know there was a cop camping in a parking lot behind a sign

 

Check out the Guys of Lidar site.

As to jammers, radar jammers are illegal in all 50 states. RMR claims to have a "passive" jammer but it flat out doesn't work. They were offered $50,000 cash on camera at one of the SEMA shows if they would step outside and prove it worked against a radar gun. They declined.

Laser jammers, however, are legal in 44 states. Escort ZR4s are the poorest performing of the bunch. Blinders work well in most configurations, if properly installed and tested against some laser guns (never use a cop to test them, you don't want to educate them). If cost isn't an issue, Laser Interceptors (LIs) are the best out there.

For radar detection, if you live in a state which uses quick trigger (different from traditional instant on, quick trigger is a radar pulse under 1/2 second total), only two detectors will reliably catch it: the Valentine 1 and the Whistler SE series. The Whistler SE is a budget detector around $150 and works well for most people though the V1 has better range. Escort/Beltronics make some very good detectors, just don't expect them to catch all QT shots, but they do very well against IO and constant on.

Cobra's are the worst detectors on the market. Test after test confirm this. They have poor range, slow reaction and they leak (interfere with other detectors and are easy to pick up with RDDs in states where detectors are illegal).

Don't buy the Escort system which has the detector and laser jammer in one unit. The ZR4s it uses will fail you. Buy two units... detector and laser jammers, install seperately.

 

In Calif. they are nice from the aspect that you can get CalTrans warnings regarding road closures. As far as ticket advoidence, if it's on you it's already too late, between laser (which most state troopers use and it is pinpoint & instant) and instant on radar, you it's too late. the only real savior is if you are traveling in the midddle or back of a group and the lead vehicles are being "tagged', then the detector will work in your behalf advising you to slow down.

 

Partially wrong... there is defense against Laser (I'd rather get hit with it since there are counter-measures). I have police laser guns, every major jammer model on the market and I test. Police laser guns are not instant, they take about 1/3 to 1 second to get a lock. In that time they send out between 100 and 380 light pulses per second (its not a continuous light stream since LIDAR does not measure Doppler shift like radar but rather the distance of each pulse). The algorithms in LIDAR guns take several dozen return pulses to accurately determine speed. In that time span the jammers have already identified the pulse rate and fire back infrared pulses at the same wave length between 1-2 MHz, at a very high brightness not visible to the human eye. The police laser gun is unable to get enough consecutive "good" returns on its pulse to get a reading with decent jammers.

The #1 defense against police on the highways is a CB radio, you'll know about traps 5-20 miles in advance.

 

I have to disagree with that. I had a Cobra and was very good at picking up the local PD and state troopers before I could even see them. It saved me from a lot of tickets. There was one time I was pulling out of work about 2AM. and a MP was about 5-10 miles down the road without his lights on. As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot the radar started going off. The closer I got the more it went off.

So I don't think it had poor range. Also have some cop friends and we messed with it with their laser and radar guns and I picked them up at many different spots on the road. Also one could not even tell I had it in the truck with his detector. The state trooper could tell because it came up and said I was doing 0MPH when I was running 45MPH.

 

I appreciate the information. Heres another thing I dont know if there is any truth to. A guy I work with told me he installed a fish finder in his car and said it messed up the reception of either radar or laser ( I cant remember wich) He was experimenting with it with his neighbor who was a trooper. Ever heard of this ?

 

You can disagree, but it flies in the face of every legitimate test out there. Compared to the other brands, Cobras are junk, that's why they are so cheaply price. Go to radardetector.net and tell them how great the Cobra is, hope you have a thick skin! Go to guysoflidar.com and look at the dozens of pages of tests. Read the Radar Roy reviews and tests. Heck, even read Craig Peterson's articles about them (take anything he says about Valentine 1 with a grain of salt though since he's had a feud going on with them for over 20 years).

As to the 0 in a 45, either you're fibbing or the cop was. Cobra does not make a jammer. Detectors only pick up radar/laser, they don't jam or change the reading the cops get. And remember, range is not the most important factor (though it is important). Reactivity often is due to IO being used so much. Picking up a constant signal from miles away is no big deal, detectors have done that for 2 decades. Picking up a 1 second or shorter instant on burst from miles away (which is extremely common these days)... that takes a great detector, not a Walmart/Best Buy low end unit. Ramp up is also important, since it gives you a truer indication of distance. Any company which advertises "14 bands" (or whatever number Cobra advertises these days)... well that tells you a lot about them since there are only 3 bands: X, K and Ka, with Ku being used in some parts of Europe. Strong constant on is about the only thing Cobra does okay.

My advise to the OP, if you're on a budget get the Blinders for laser jamming, and a Whistler SE series or refurb 8500 from Escort's eBay store. Don't settle for anything less than that... or you will get the false sense of security. Speeding is a pay to play game, and if you cheap out you'll pay with a ticket and points on your license eventually. Spend a lot of time on radardetector.net please don't take just my word for it. This is a big hobby for me, and I'm starting to get involved in the business (nothing listed here, completely different products so I have no $$$ interest in any of the advice I gave).... I'm speaking from experience, I have thousands of dollars of radar/laser equipment and I test, test, test. You ought to see the inside of my F150, its loaded with counter-measure equipment... wife used to think I was crazy until she got a ticket... now her mini-van has countermeasures.

 

I would love to see it ! I know the pay to play game . And boy I've paid! My surcharges are equal to or greater than the cost of my insurance. I ushually get about a ticket a year on average. They are always on backroads , for doing something like 42 in a 35. My last one was undeserved, I believe the officer read the sport bike who just pulled out in front of me and took off. The cruiser was traveling in the opposite direction , turned around and stopped me. When I mentioned the bike , his responce was " what bike " So some type of detector and possible a laser jammer are on my need to have list. Ive been good for a little while now. " knock on wood" but luck can change. I will look into your recommendations. Much appreciated. J.B.

 

I also recommend to stay away from Rocky Mt. Radar. I made that mistake already. I tested one with a friend who is a cop at various speeds and distances, and he nailed me close to 90 % of the time before RMR went off.

 

My setup:

1. Blinder M47 laser jammers (currently, I also have Laser Interceptors, K40, ZR3, ZR4 and LE-10). The LE-10 is the best ever made, it'll jam the freaking solar system, but its been out of production for years and they will soon go on my F250 since its a large vehicle which is harder to protect with jammers. I rotate jammers depending on what I'm testing, but for any real driving against the cops out there its either the Blinders or Laser Interceptors.

2. Veil on the headlights and taillights. Veil lets about 90% visible light through but cuts infrared reflections in the 905nm range (police laser) by about 70-90% depending on how thick a coating you use.

3. CB radio. #1 tool on the highway by far

4. Trapster.com's free speed-trap and live police notification application on my Droid phone.

5. HD video camera running all the time, to record any encounters so I can learn, and if I ever need evidence.

6. Disposable $5 camera in the glove box. Should I get pulled over, after the cops leave I will use it to take pictures of the scene, sign placements, etc. Courts often give better credibility to non-digital photos.

7. Hidden "pen cam". Even though its legal to video police, some are a-holes and will take it claiming evidence. They can't see the pen-cam.

8. Beltronics GX65 (its basically an RX65 with the ability to lockout falses by location plus it has a redlight camera database). The V1 works great too, but too chatty with false alarms for my type of driving (mostly city).

9. DailyRoads Voyager running on my Droid. Basically, it videos everything, and will automatically save the last 30 seconds to the memory stick when high G forces occur (ie, car accident).

10. Hidden kill switch box, I can kill any of the devices so they don't light up.

11. Hidden visor pouch mount for the radar detector.

12. Just got a scanner, since the locals here still use non-encrypted trunking systems.

13. Remote display/button box for the GX65 detector.

14. Have a couple other things, not yet in production, but can't talk about them here since I have a business interest in them.

 

Where do you get the blinders ? This is the first I've heard of them. I havent had a subscription to car and driver for quite a while. lol and what kind of price range are we talking about for them ?

 

http://www.blinder.dk/
That's the international site, which also links to the USA site, but its better though to go to the Blinder Xtreme forums: http://www.blinderxtremeforum.com/forum/

Tell them the guy from Laser Tamers sent you and they will cut a deal. I'm friends with them.
Or for Laser Interceptors:

http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/home.html
If you contact them (the guy's name is Cliff), also let them know I sent you, he'll probably cut a deal.

Both great companies with incredible customer support. If you have a light color F150 or LOTS of chrome, go with the Laser Interceptors, otherwise Blinders will do fine. In my tests with my F150 setup with Blinders against 4 different brands of laser guns (I have access to 2, plus I go to test meets), we jam from 2000 feet all the way to the gun (commonly called "JTG" which means it jams at all distances) every time. Only on rear shots have they ever gotten a reading at about 500 feet 50% of the time (I have Blinder heads there too) but since the latest Blinder software update the guns can't even pick up speed from rear shots.

FYI... mods, I have no financial interest in those sites linked, just know the people and their products.

 

Well I just did a lil searching. Found the m47 extreme. customer returned new in box for $599. list is $749 . sound about right ?

 

Yeah, that'll cover the front and the back. "Customer returned", well... it really isn't --- they've been selling that same customer returned unit for over a year now! lol You'll get a new one, still in the shrink wrap with the components inside the box still in their seal bags. Blinder USA has to deal with MAP pricing policies so I'm guessing that's a way they work around it. I would talk to them, see if they can do better, sometimes they can.