Radar Detectors

[whaase]

Does anyone use them? How effective are they? Laser?, Multinova? etc.. What brand/model would you reccomend?

Walter

[Fish]

Since a laser travels pretty fast - light speed - and does not fire until your speed is measured, all a detector will tell you is that you've already been had. Almost every copper is using laser nowadays. Multinova on the other hand is radar, and detectors should be pretty good at spotting it... haven't ever tested one to see though.
Driving the speed limit works pretty good too :razz:

- Chad

[Tarolisol]

They wont work for photo rader at least mine doesnt, the best thing get is those really expensive ones that mask your car. they take in the single and send out a blank one so the cop wont get a reading.

[Fish]

Sean your detector might be having a problem with photo radar because the beam is pointed the opposite direction from you until you pass the camera - and then you're already in the beam. A good radar detector should still pick up some of the beam that is reflected back your way off of the other vehicles and objects infront of the camera.
I couldn't really understand what you were describing after that.

And cops don't do photo radar.

[whaase]

If a cop was pointing a laser gun at a car somewhere around you, would it not pick it up?

I've seen those detectors that scramble the sigle and send it back... not sure they would work.

Walter

[Fish]

It might be possible?, but only if there was a huge distance between the cars and the officer (the beam gets wider the farther out it goes). At normal distances, the beam is so focused that you wouldn't even know it if the car next to you were tagged. Infact I've heard of a police officer purposefully try to set off a laser detector and the only way he could do it was to shoot the detector itself (not the car). Also, the laser is not on all the time just waving around like a radar. Only when the officer pulls the trigger does it send out two pulses - and they are measured in milliseconds.

[Tarolisol]

the radar detector will pick up anyone around you getting tagged which will give you time to slow down, that is how i use mine. Mine even picks up cop cars occationaly just drivin down the street.

[muck]

Sounds like a waste of time and money to me...
Not speeding is an easier solution!! :razz:

[BlkWolfe]

Almost certainly wont help against laser...at least mine never has

works quite well picking up photo radar bounced back from other cars ahead of me...and usually pick up cruisers on the highway with their radars going from over half a klick away

In the city is iffy...tends to pick up alot of automatic door scanners etc

Can get the model# tomorrow if you need it

[Fish]

I'm with Ryan!
Also a radar detector will pick up police cars driving on the highway as Josh says because the RCMP use moving radar. Calgary Police do not have moving radar so the only way they can measure your speed with radar or laser, is while stationary. The only way that Sean's detector could pick up police cars driving driving down the street is if the officer had been using radar earlier and forgot to unplug the gun from his cigarette lighter while driving around. Some other bad news is that a police officer doesn't need a reading on a radar or laser to give you a ticket for speeding. The only reason that a reading is even taken with a gun is to confirm the officer's initial estimation of your speed.
- Chad

[Joe Reefer]

I use this http://www.escortradar.com/x50.htm. And have to say it works extremely well, better than any other detector I have ever used. It can even be updated once the coppers start to use a different radar.

[Tarolisol]

If a police man ever gives you a ticket with estimated speed written on it, then you can have to dropped. He has to write on the ticket if it is estimated. Ive never lost an estimated speed case.

[muck]

If a police man ever gives you a ticket with estimated speed written on it, then you can have to dropped. He has to write on the ticket if it is estimated. Ive never lost an estimated speed case.
But don't you ultimately lose anyways, as you have to take time off work to go to the courthouse and fight the ticket. Thats money you are losing right there. (we won't even get into the time=money thing)

Sounds like you have been there a couple times Sean... one day you will realize. I know I did... :rolleyes:

[medican]

its a crap shoot......

The police these days dont use there raydar like they used to. That is to say leave it on all the time, they use a pulse method by turning it on and off when they want to take a reading.....in the city its not worth it, the highway if there running with it on the detectors work well. I have had a detector for several years got a couple of tickets with it on, saved me 2-3 time on the highway.......

If the truth be told I think they give the driver a FALSE sence of security.

IMO

[KrazyKuch]

If a police man ever gives you a ticket with estimated speed written on it, then you can have to dropped. He has to write on the ticket if it is estimated. Ive never lost an estimated speed case.
But don't you ultimately lose anyways, as you have to take time off work to go to the courthouse and fight the ticket. Thats money you are losing right there. (we won't even get into the time=money thing)

Sounds like you have been there a couple times Sean... one day you will realize. I know I did... :rolleyes:


But fighting save's you points on your license!!!!!

[muck]

But fighting save's you points on your license!!!!!
True... but not speeding saves you from having to fight. :razz:

[Fish]

If I ever got a speeding ticket, I would probably go to court, not because I was trying to get out of what I had done, but because I know my insurrance company is just itching for a reason to up my rate :evil: . They are backlogged at court and are more than willing to make a deal, just to clear the docket.
Sean,
I don't know if you are suggesting that an estimation is any less valid than the reading on a radar, but if so, you are mistaken. A police officer is recognized by the courts as being an expert on speed detection within 10km/h. Infact, if an officer were to provide evidence based only on the reading on a radar, the charge would be tossed. The charge is based on the police officer knowing that you were speeding. If a reading is taken on an instrument, it is only to confirm that knowledge. If you have gotten off of speeding charges before, the reason is this - you played the court game. Anyone who shows up gets some sort of deal, unless your crime was very serious or you were uncooperative with the officer.

If I were to get a radar detector, I would make sure that it was well hidden from view. I wonder if police officers issue warnings to people with radar detactors. I hope not because it shows that they fully intend to speed. JMO.

[whaase]

I talked to my sister in-laws brother (he is is a city cop in Calgary). He told me they are not illigal in Alberta, but his warning was this:

If you get pulled over, take the radar detector off you window. He said it is a slap in the face of the cop and they will find something to get you with.

I'm still up in the air wether or not to get one. I drive to Edmonton/Grand Prarie quite a bit, all it takes is one time to not pay attention (And it does happen!). If the radar did/does work, it paid for itself on the first ticket..

Walter

[G1GY]

Radar detectors are great when used right. :biggrin:

First of all you should have a multi band with X, K and Ka as a minimum.

Second, You need a good fast sacrificial lamb in front of you to take the pulse for you to detect. (With laser, by the time you detect it......It's already too late!)

Now when the sucker driving 1/2 a kilometer or so ahead of you gets nailed, You'll detect that and slow down and wait for a new lamb to pass you. :lol:

But don't be mistaken to bellive that your safe without your sacrificiallambleadersuckerdumby in front of you! You'll get nailed. :eek:

[whaase]

Agree'd. But, there is always someone going faster than you, I always drive about 130 on the highway and I have gone past many RCMP's, and I feel like I'm going slow. If you don't have cruse on it is easy to creep up in speed. I guess I think of them as a (small) added bit of insurance when used right. If I'm not paying attention, maybe it will.

Walter

[BlkWolfe]

I almost never use mine in the city...very rarely speed in city limits and the constant warnings get annoying

On the highway, exactly what Gary said...wait for somebody in a hurry and follow a few hundred metres behind. Drove to/from chicago last year and it saved me at least one ticket when the speed limit went from 100 to 80 just outside of winnipeg. Picked up the warning off the poor bugger ahead of me that got pulled over.

the only ticket ive ever gotten was ironicly enough when i had the radar detector going and got nabbed by laser taking my motherinlaw to the airport when she was late for her flight back home.