Radar Detectors?

Hi,

I am 16 years old and I drive a 1990 honda civic LX.
I have never been pulled over or givena ticket as of yet (knock on wood) but I always usually speed and i race every once in a while but on empty streets of course. I have no mods on my car right now so it isnt fast but im planning to get some since i just bought this civic last week.
I know cops would love to pull over a 16 year old guy with a "ricer".
So im thinking about gettin a radar detector for my car.
My dad bought a radar detector and got pulled over by a cop who said he was follwing him the whole time checking his speed and the detector never went on! My dad eventually just sold it and got rid of it.
How acurate are radar detectors and have u had any times where they have saved u? Also i live in Florida are they legal here?

Thanks,
Owen

check out the street racing forums...they have a similar discussion over there.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t92619.html

if ur too lazy...

i have an escort detector

if you are speeding at night on empty roads than it will be useless because the cop won't use his radar until you get there

it can help if there are other cars in front of you because it will detect it when the cop is using it on them

it works much better on the highway

if you're only worried about being pulled over late at night with no other cars around then don't buy one

it will basically just alert you when you just got caught



make sure to always turn it on though no matter how short the trip (personal experience)

I think the previous post was a description of the use of laser.

my radar detector will give me some warning on empty roads not a whole lot but enough to lower the speed alittle. with the use of a laser they pick you off like snipers so if you are speeding and come across a laser trap no matter how good your detector is your screwed.

omg, I had mine for 25 days and it was nothing but an automatic door detector. It was horrible. I researched for 2 weeks, (cuz i suspected they were bullshit,) spent $365 on a radar detector, best I could possibly find. XY, KY, laser, that new detection thing, damn thing couldda been a friggin nuclear sub detector...
and it didn't work for SHIT. It would detect an automatic door from a mile away but I personally, intentionally drove by over a dozen cops checking speeds and it went off once. and that was close to a grocery store so it's questionable wether it was an auto door or not. I returned it and got my money back and vowed never to try it again.

sounds to me like you bought the wrong one my friend, sometimes the most expensive is'nt what you need... a nice $100-200 detector will work fine, and a couple of cops set out on the side of the road could have been dummies, I have heard a lot of things, mostly from my father who is was prison guard and talks to the cops often, and hears on the Police bands, where they place dummies, and how they don't turn on their radar unless they suspect you of speeding.. I personally do not own a radar/ laser detector because I don't speed, unless I look around for the cops, and I know where they sit in their speed traps in my area, they never change. Dummies are usually just set on highways and left there to keep speeders under control, like when you see a cop car and you're speeding you'll step on the brake or do an engine brake to slow down (engine braking is not good for your transmission, you're only supposed to do it when descending from a mountain where your brakes would burn up if you used them on the way down, only works on standard transmissions, sorry automatics....) The good thing about engine braking is you don't show your brake lights to the cops at night if you were speeding, that is a sure indicator to them that you were speeding and you were slowing down..

haha i just had the dumbest idea, make a switch to turn off the back lights so when u brake they cant see ;) Of course that could have consequences lmao. Hmm a diy button, wiring in between back lights and the switch well.. could be a way to prevent braking of lights to be visible at night if ur racing... of course lol you dont wana die, so uhm, that could be useful in some instances perhaps.. sigh heh I'm just bored, i don't think anyone made that before, could be a fun diy and kys (kill your self) project.

i bought a radar detector for $70 bucks and it really dosent work for shit but it has saved my ass 3 times over the last 2 years so they way i figure that is 12 points and 300 dollars that i havnt had to pay so if you ask me they are worth it even though they do go off at every light even if it will save you once it is worth it

i bought a radar detector for $70 bucks and it really dosent work for shit but it has saved my ass 3 times over the last 2 years so they way i figure that is 12 points and 300 dollars that i havnt had to pay so if you ask me they are worth it even though they do go off at every light even if it will save you once it is worth it

X is auto doors
K and Ka are cops
L is a cop

they go off when there is radar signals in the air, most radar guns are mounted on the cops dash and they hardly ever have them turned on.. detectors are useless.. here in cali they are now illegal and cops are no longer required to use radar guns

X is auto doors
K and Ka are cops
L is a cop

they go off when there is radar signals in the air, most radar guns are mounted on the cops dash and they hardly ever have them turned on.. detectors are useless.. here in cali they are now illegal and cops are no longer required to use radar guns

I don't think that this is true. The law appears to read "radar jammer" if I read it correctly. Someone please comment if I have missed the correct penal code or misinterpreted. Here's the code:
CALIFORNIA CODES
VEHICLE CODE
SECTION 28150




28150. (a) No vehicle shall be equipped with any device that is
designed for, or is capable of, jamming, scrambling, neutralizing,
disabling, or otherwise interfering with radar, laser, or any other
electronic device used by a law enforcement agency to measure the
speed of moving objects.
(b) No person shall use, buy, possess, manufacture, sell, or
otherwise distribute any device that is designed for jamming,
scrambling, neutralizing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with
radar, laser, or any other electronic device used by a law
enforcement agency to measure the speed of moving objects.
(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), a violation of
subdivision (a) or (b) is an infraction.
(d) When a person possesses four or more devices in violation of
subdivision (b), the person is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who has a
valid federal license for operating the devices described in this
section may transport one or more of those devices if the license is
carried in the vehicle transporting the device at all times when the
device is being transported.


A detector neither jams, scrambles, neutralizes (just detects) or interferes with radar. Wouldn't this just apply to a radar jammer?

TVpincdoc, perfectly done! Actually I had a jammer in my GT (seen below) and it DID work wonders. I mean, a 20 year old in a black convertible? Several times I got clocked, and not once did they get me. :iceslolan However, they ARE ilegal in CA (where I'm at)...and I did get a bit scared when one came up on my @$$ and checked my speed by keeping pace (which by that time I had the chance to slow down), so I was fine. If you ARE going to install one in a state where its illegal, be sure to hide it somewhere. In the center console, glovebox,, wherever possible so if the cop wants to be a prick and check the car, nothing is visible from the view he'll look in from.
Oh, the one I got is here:
http://www.amazing-radar-jammers.com/media1.htm
Don't bother with the "ONLY 2 HOURS LEFT" BS...they renew the site every hour. (what a waste of time)


EDIT: Don't forget that just because you have a detector means you'll be ok. By the time the detector goes off, the cop has already read your speed...that's the advantage of a jammer...nothing goes back :evillol:

Actually, your dad was being paced. What happens is that a Cop is either in your blind spot or a few cars behind doing the exact same speed as you. Then he'll "pace" you for about a mile to check your speed..

If he was being "paced" from a few cars back, then wouldnt he in fact have not gotten pulled over? B/c wouldn't being able to pace him from a few cars back, mean that the other cars were going the same speed, and thus (I find) that most cops wont pull you over if your doing the same wrong as everyone else, unless your car is somehow high profile (whitch it could in fact be).
Also, addressing the second issue, if you have your mirrors setup correctly, you dont have blind spots. I have a 1997 crv and don't have them, and usually If I drive someone elses car I can fix it so it works halfway decent in about a minute. But I also find that most people dont do this, becuase for some reason they feel the need to look at the side of the car, and I think that if you need to make sure the side of the car is still there, then you've got other problems. :uhoh:

Keep in mind, Im not trying to say that wasn't what happened, it just seems unlikely to me, maybe cops in FL are just assholes or something, but another problem with "pacing" is that traditionally, cars have the wrong speed on thier speedometers, becuase the car manufactuers do it so they don't get slapped with lawsuits (I think). So if you got shot with a detector, it'll probably read a few mph less than your speedo. Im sure that the cops cars probably read "real" speed, but its just something else to ponder. OT, the cops in Kansas and Misourri, dont so much pace you, as they just tailgate you to try to get you to do somethign stupid, so they can pull you over, it brings a new meaning to being a pig.

Also, I find that radar detectors are far less effective on laser than regular "radar" bands, becuase traditional radar guns shoot out immense amounts of excess and it kind of scatters everywhere, and thus you get a signal from some length away; but with laser, its a much more fine beam, and you only get lucky sometimes, unless you have sensors all over your car, (which they make, but not many people have). But at least in kansas, most cops are just sitting there with the radar on waiting for someone to hit the speed alarm so they can jump into action, so here they actually work pretty well. If they use lasers more extensively in FL, then you might consider just not speeding :biggrin:

HTH
Buzz1167
Jon N

is there anything out there that can detect a cop car not his radar because the cop is not always going to have it on

is there anything out there that can detect a cop car not his radar because the cop is not always going to have it on

a set of good eyes and a knowledge of where they like to sit at. Just keep an eyes out, watch for people randomly braking in front of you and cars sitting oddly on the side of the road.

yes that too but i herd u some people know how to trac police cars by using there GPS system.

Im pretty sure that, with everythign that has happened since 9/11, is pretty much federal jail time illegal...However, in theory, you could pull it off if you have an inside link with the police...but I wouldn't try it.

Oh, Dont bring back threds this old. IBL.

is there anything out there that can detect a cop car not his radar because the cop is not always going to have it on


Dude, first off. The last post on this thread (before you) was back on 10/4/2003. This thread is dead, completely dead. You would have done better starting a new thread

second, There is nothing that can detect an actual vehicle, only the devices in that vehicle. Remember a police interceptor is basically a crown victoria (or caprice classic or impala depending upon the municipality) with police gear in it. (Lights, larger wheel/tire package, stiffer suspension, and a separate AC compressor.
The only thing that can detect an oncoming vehicle is a radar. But there is no electronic device that will dectect only police vehicles. Especially if he has no radar equipment.

radar detectors do work. but only if u get the best of the best. dont spend any less than $1000 aussie (like $750 us) give or take a little, or the thing wont work, it will pick up all the wrong bands like microwaves and garage doors.

Wheather there is much point getting one over there in the states is debatable as you dont have multi novas and movable speed cameras like we do here, which as far as i can see the the main reason to get one. The only time the radars pick up a hand held used by a cop is when he is pulling down the trigger. so if you r on a lonly road goin 120 and hes behind a bush ur fu&$ed, howeva if the car in font of you is speeding u should detect the hand held being used, so it might save ur ass.

in austraila get one it WILL save u money
in the states it might not be worth the money

but dont forget if it saves u 2 or 3 times its paid for itself.