Radar Detector

Hey,

Just got a radar detector. Apparently in my neighborhood they don't use radar. They use timers. They basically automatically time how long it takes for you to get from one point to another. So this radar detector won't too too much good unless I'm on the highway. This is why I bought a fairly cheap one. I was told that pretty much every radar detector will pick up signals on the highway. After reading the instructions, I'm a little confused.
Apparently there are three different kinds of bands that my detector picks up. X, K, and KA. Now what they hell does this mean? Which ones are false alarms? Can all three be cops? I don't know which one I should be carefull of. I guess I'll just have to do the speed-limit until I get used to these bands? Unless anyone can help me out a little bit.


Thanks,
Jeff

well first of all i dont know why this post is here but welcome the the forum and ill help ya out. for me...X is always false alarms like stores and stuff. K is always a cop and KA can either be a cop or a false alarm..thats how mine works neway....

take it back if it doesn't have "L" for laser, which most State Patrol uses now.

in my area they use those timers now, they put them 5 ft apart

mine is an 11 band...it even tells you when trains ...road work...and emergency vehicles are comming..:)

you just have to learn what cops use in your particular area. After about a week or two of driving around with it, you'll know what is what. Go out on weekend nights and on the highway during the day (or whenever cops are out setting speed traps where you live) and when you pass a cop, if he has his radar on, the alarm will sound and bingo! That is the band he is using. After this happens a few times, you'll see the pattern, and then you can be pretty sure what band they use. When you're driving around town it will go off everytime in particular spots, these are false alarms caused by radio frequencies that around that area, just hit the "shut up" button. Around here cops use Ka band, most of the stationary radar (the ones on the side of the road) use X band, and the State patrol uses X band also. A good detector will detect laser, but I have never been clocked by a cop using laser.
Yes, all three bands can potentially be cops. A lot of people don't realize that a radar detector is not a cop detector, it will only sound an alarm if the cop has his radar on. (Learn about "instant-on" radar).
That sucks that they use time gates where you live.

is it a cobra safty call? thats what i got. its a good one

You will just have to get use to what cops use in your area and where you pick up false alarms. I've noticed in the part of Texas where I live local cops use the X band and the state troopers use KA. Every once in a while but not very often I'll come across a State trooper in a city with laser. And also state troopers don't clock you until your close enough for there radar. That way you can't slow down and its already to late. The best way to detect a cop is to always look at the cars coming toward you in the distance.

the different bands are the different bandwidths that the police use. x band is a wider fence area, k band is a narrower, and KA is narrow but not as narrow as K band (i think). generally k band is used on the highway so that officers can pick out one car from a pack, and the x band is used more in cities. x band is also used by automatic door openers, which is why the detector goes off around stores and such. for the most part, police are moving away from radar and going to lasers, mainly because of radar detectors (not as many detectors pick up lasers)...

which one is a good one for a good price?(like not over $500) and has really good range...?

the one i had i got from a circuit city in Pa (they happen to be illegal in Va, heheh) for like 230 bucks and it had x, k, ka, laser, and emergency, front and rear sensors, and audio alerts. it worked real well...

oh, it was a beltronics btw...

http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=322&id=1&ps_session=e8a43e2d9cdfde736763f5a8bdbe2c4e4119203 c

thats mine...best one i have ever had. i had it catch a cop from a mile and a half before.

http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&u=c&catoid=-8872&qp=0&oid=91695&m=0
how good is this one?
cause it looks like its their best one...
http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=377&id=1&ps_session=e8a43e2d9cdfde736763f5a8bdbe2c4e4119203 c

radar detectors don't have ranges. a lot of people think this too. radar detectors operate on line of sight. detectors don't send out a signal within a particular range, they only accept signals that are sent to it. So for example, if your friend stands in front of you with a flashlight pointed at your face, you can easily pick up that light signal. If you move back a mile or two, the signal becomes weak. but if you can still see the light you can pick up that signal, although it may be very weak at that point. If there was a wall, or grass or something blocking your view of that light then you wouldn't pick up that signal even if your friend was right in front of you. This is how radar works; light is actually a form or radio frequency, it just so happens that we can see this frequency. We can't see police radar, but we can see laser (easier to see when point directly at your eye, although not a good idea). All light is just visible radio frequencies. And yes, I did enjoy my physics classes in high school.

I have a BELtronics radar detector. I work at Circuit City and all the car audio guys recommended me BEL, Cobra is a cheaper brand and doesn't have the reputation that BEL has. Mine is a basic detector: all bands, including laser, safety warning system, cost $100. If I bought another one I would opt to go with one that tells you exactly what the Safety warning system (SWS) alerts are. I'm driving on the highway and the sws goes off and I don't know what it is. it could be a steep hill, sharp turn, construction, a cop on the side of the road, or a lot of other things. I would get the one that reads the exact warning across the LED screen, or one that speaks the warnings to you (BEL has a couple that do these things). I didn't want to pay another $50 for these features when I bought mine, but now I do.

One thing about that radar can be detectded when not in direct sight. It has to redircted somehow but it does happen. There have been many times i have picked them up where there was no possible way i could get a straight shot at it. Buildings hills and other obstructions. There also is such thing as range as well. Not all radars have as good of eyesight as your example puts it. Some detectors will be able to detect the single farther away. i have had 3 detectors a cheap whistler piece of sh*t i will never buy another. Middle of the line cobra not to impressed ether but i still use it in my beater. and an expensive solo. aproximetly 3x the price of the cobra. But i would say it gets about 2x the range. I dont know the physics behind it but i do know from experience. All three detectors have saved me from tickets. But they just increase your odds of avoiding them. Eventually your luck and mine will run out.

i sold mine cause they are illegal in Va, and i was so worried about a cop pullin up next to me or pullin me over and finding the detector, that i never went over the speed limit. it was kindof funny, i bought the detector so i could speed without worry, and when i got it i ended up speeding less...

One thing about that radar can be detectded when not in direct sight. It has to redircted somehow but it does happen. There have been many times i have picked them up where there was no possible way i could get a straight shot at it. Buildings hills and other obstructions. There also is such thing as range as well. Not all radars have as good of eyesight as your example puts it. Some detectors will be able to detect the single farther away. i have had 3 detectors a cheap whistler piece of sh*t i will never buy another. Middle of the line cobra not to impressed ether but i still use it in my beater. and an expensive solo. aproximetly 3x the price of the cobra. But i would say it gets about 2x the range. I dont know the physics behind it but i do know from experience. All three detectors have saved me from tickets. But they just increase your odds of avoiding them. Eventually your luck and mine will run out.
with the solo though, about how many seconds do you get to slow down before they radar you?

none, radar travels at 300,000,000 m/s. they know how fast you are going before you even hear the detector go off...

none, radar travels at 300,000,000 m/s. they know how fast you are going before you even hear the detector go off...
so is there even any point at all for the detector?

let you know that the cop is there, just cause its detecting radar doesnt mean that they are gunning for you, you could in an off chance get the reflection of a beam off a building or something. there is a reason why they are only illegal in three states, they arent that effective at preventing speeding tickets...

let you know that the cop is there, just cause its detecting radar doesnt mean that they are gunning for you, you could in an off chance get the reflection of a beam off a building or something. there is a reason why they are only illegal in three states, they arent that effective at preventing speeding tickets...
no wonder my uncle said they are a piece of shit

i think you cant really take the advice of someone who does not use one. i hate driving without now it just doesnt seem right. there has been two times were i woulda gone past a cop at over a hundred but didnt becuase of my radar detector. and another thing is yes they arent perfect but they do help. if the cop wants to set a trap or sits somewere were he knows you wont be able to pick him up your still screwed. radar detectors only increase your odds they are not god. but i do thank god that i have mine. well payed for themselves a long time ago.

I think radar detectors give you a false sense of security. I have survived speeding since the moment I got my liscense just by keeping my eyes open and just recognizing potential hiding spots that the cops could be taking advantage of.

I would think that having a radar detector would lead you to believe your safe to speed and thus would let you neglect your instincts.

Because a radar gun is point and fire, the only way I can see the detector working in your favor would be if the cop is gunning the cars in front of you and you pick up a wave before he catches your speed too.

But if he just sees you comming and he radars you once, your finnished because he already has your speed basicly at the same time your detector buzzes.

if it is a radar gun then yes your screwed. if it is just the radar sitting on there dash and they are just driving around with it on you will no before he has your speed. unless there are very little to no other cars on the road. radar detectors do not give you permission to drive dumb. but i probly drive the same way you do watching headlights and looking for there lights and pushbars and the sort. and i always go slower were i know the cops like to sit. it has probly been a month since mine has saved me but it did. as long as you are just using it as another way of protecting yourself rather then relying on it it is a good thing. i also have zero speeding tickets and i dont go the speed limit. usually 5-20 over depends on the road and time of day and how busy it is.

if it is a radar gun then yes your screwed. if it is just the radar sitting on there dash and they are just driving around with it on you will no before he has your speed. unless there are very little to no other cars on the road. radar detectors do not give you permission to drive dumb. but i probly drive the same way you do watching headlights and looking for there lights and pushbars and the sort. and i always go slower were i know the cops like to sit. it has probly been a month since mine has saved me but it did. as long as you are just using it as another way of protecting yourself rather then relying on it it is a good thing. i also have zero speeding tickets and i dont go the speed limit. usually 5-20 over depends on the road and time of day and how busy it is.
what was the fastest u gone on the highway?

my car has a gas cutout at 130. was goin 115 when i picked up a cop. me and him were the only two on the road. so unless he didnt care that i was going that fast becuase according to these guys he already had my speed. or i had enough time to slow down. one or the other take your pick.

do you think there are more cops at night than day or less, cause once i went 130 and no cop seen, im just asking if i do that again in case

well i know in my town that there is about an hour and a half period around 12 to 130 that there is twice the normal amount of patrol cars out, because they made the shift changes overlap. i notice it alot on weekends when im out late, but as for the rest of the time, there are pretty much the same amount of cops throughout the day. i do notice that on weekends there tend to be more cops out (ie fri and sat) but the rest of the time i dont notice a difference...

I'll tell you what, this is the way it works. If you can see the patrol car, they can see your speed. When I went through radar certification school, I was amazed at how ineffective radar detectors actually are. We are trained to only turn the radar on when we are checking speed. What that means is if I am driving down the road with my dash mounted radar and I see someone coming that looks like they are going too fast, then and only then do it turn it on. That means I have there speed before there detector would even go off. Only an untrained or ignorant officer would drive down the road with radar on. It doesn't matter if I am using the gun or the mounted unit, radar detectors will not give you significant warning. In fact, if I pull somone over and I see that they have a radar detector then I will definitely give them a ticket because I assume that they left the house that day with the absolute intention of speeding. I normally only give verbal warnings for speed but I make an exception for people with radar detectors. Also, the range on those radar units is far enough that I can have someones speed before I can even tell whether it's a truck or a car. That's how far away they are. Detectors would only work if someone quite a ways in front of you got clocked before you did. Then you MIGHT have a chance to slow down.

I'll tell you what, this is the way it works. If you can see the patrol car, they can see your speed. When I went through radar certification school, I was amazed at how ineffective radar detectors actually are. We are trained to only turn the radar on when we are checking speed. What that means is if I am driving down the road with my dash mounted radar and I see someone coming that looks like they are going too fast, then and only then do it turn it on. That means I have there speed before there detector would even go off. Only an untrained or ignorant officer would drive down the road with radar on. It doesn't matter if I am using the gun or the mounted unit, radar detectors will not give you significant warning. In fact, if I pull somone over and I see that they have a radar detector then I will definitely give them a ticket because I assume that they left the house that day with the absolute intention of speeding. I normally only give verbal warnings for speed but I make an exception for people with radar detectors. Also, the range on those radar units is far enough that I can have someones speed before I can even tell whether it's a truck or a car. That's how far away they are. Detectors would only work if someone quite a ways in front of you got clocked before you did. Then you MIGHT have a chance to slow down.
thanks for the info, do you know about what percent of police in massachusetts hide in spots and radar people that cant ever see those cops?
thank you if you can

152 mph in the TA still had more to go but not enough road. If the radar went off, who cares im going to jail anywho im not going to stop, they'ed have to catch me first, I live in Iowa so i know lots of back roads to take....

i just don't bother speeding, i save it for the drag strip.

well then appartnetly in minnesota they dont pull people over for speeding if my radar detector goes off at the same time they know my speed. i cant even begin to count how many times i have slowed down becuase of it. and im not talking just a couple mph. another great reason for living in minnesota is aparntly there are tons of " untrained or ignorant officer" becuase lots of them do "drive down the road with radar on" or maybe they speed check ever car they see and are constantly flipping it on and off down the road.

cops are different everywhere. different cops do different things. A lot of cops drive around here with their radar on constantly. Mostly on the weekends. And so it does happen, often. There really is no such thing as range on a radar detector, that is one of the reasons manufacturers don't advertise range. There is a such thing as sensitivity, though. A radar detector that is more sensitive will pick up a signal before another one does. This is was you've experience bigfoot2471. As far as line of sight, there are expections... I was making a general example. Sometimes you can get lucky have get pretty good over-the-hill detection, or around corners; just depends on the circumstances. As far as the accuracy of the police radar, it also depends on the circumstances. Police radar does have a particular range, depending on the setup of the equipment. To use the flashlight example again; anyone who has ever owned a MagLite flashlight knows that by turning the lens you can adjust the size of the projected light. Turn it and you can make the light very big and wide, or very narrow and focused on a small area. The same applies to radar. A wide, non-concentrated radar will easily pickup objects that are relatively close to it. A well focused radar will easily pickup objects that are very very far away. The trick is that, in order to clock someone very far away, the radar signal needs to be aimed very accurately at a particular object. This obviously cannot be done while driving a crusier. This is why sometimes you will see speed traps (normally on very long straight-aways) where cops have a tripod on the side of the road with the radar gun on top of it. And they have to stare down the viewfinder (like a rifle scope) to aim at the car they want to clock. When the catch someone speeding, they have their partner drive after him, while they stay at the tripod. As an example of the range on radar, if you see one of those stationary speed displays (the ones that show your speed) that they normally have in high-traffic construction areas, turn your detector on. If you are in pretty good line of sight (and your detector isn't a piece of shit), then your detector will go off LONG before your speed ever shows up on the display. These types of radar have a more widely focused radar, because they clock traffic in both/all lanes. Radar inside police cars are more focused, but it is still possible (and probable) that your detector will go off before you are within their range. I have been saved more times than I can count by my radar detector, and the money that I have saved on tickets is well within the thousand dollar range. It's probably just because I am good to my radar detector; everytime it saves me, I say "good boy" and I pat it on the back.

A moment of reflection: One time I was in a big rush and I was on the highway. I was doing around 92mph in a 45mph zone (but almost everybody drives 70mph right there anyway). It was completely straight road that I drive on a regular basis. I'm always looking for cops when I speed, and I saw something kinda strange-lookin in the VERY far distance sitting under an overpass. Wasn't sure if it was a cop, or broken down car so I hit the brakes anyway. I was about 3/4 mile away from them. It turned out to be two cops and they clocked me at 62mph, obviously as I was slowing down and came into their range. I didn't have a detector back then. Of course, I still got a pretty hefty ticket, but I was glad they didn't get me at the higher speed.

i agree with you completely i didnt mean to get all pissy it just annoys me when people tell me they dont work at all they do. like i have said a thousand times its just a little helper to try to avoid getting a ticket. you cant just plug it in and go you have to use it and be smart about it.

oh yea.. what osucordell said about detectors being useless is right, only under one circumstance. If you are speeding and you are well within the police radar range, and the cop flips his radar on... you're fucked. As simple as that. No prior warning, he already knows how fast your were going. This is Instant-On radar. Same radar, just used differently. But in other situations, you still can/will have prior warning.

the funny thing to me is that detectors are kindof oxymoronic. they are supposed to keep you from getting hit with radar, but in order for the thing to work, it has to be hit with radar. oh the irony...

I suppose I didn't account for the fact that officer training varies greatly from one state to another. I guess what I should have said is that in oklahoma, as well as any state that offers a radar certification to their officers, radar detectors will not work 99.9% of the time. In a state where officers undergo radar cert, they are taught to only turn it on as a check for speed after they have identified the vehicle they wish to check. In states where they do not offer this training they may drive down the road with it on which would still in my mind make them untrained but not necessarily ignorant. Also, something I learned in radar school that I never knew is that once you are certified to use the radar, you are considered by the court to be an expert in speed estimation which means that I can legally write someone a speeding ticket just based on visual estimation alone and I don't ever have to use my radar........I know, it's kinda shady and I don't do it at all but I know some officers who do it on a regular basis.

I suppose I didn't account for the fact that officer training varies greatly from one state to another. I guess what I should have said is that in oklahoma, as well as any state that offers a radar certification to their officers, radar detectors will not work 99.9% of the time. In a state where officers undergo radar cert, they are taught to only turn it on as a check for speed after they have identified the vehicle they wish to check. In states where they do not offer this training they may drive down the road with it on which would still in my mind make them untrained but not necessarily ignorant. Also, something I learned in radar school that I never knew is that once you are certified to use the radar, you are considered by the court to be an expert in speed estimation which means that I can legally write someone a speeding ticket just based on visual estimation alone and I don't ever have to use my radar........I know, it's kinda shady and I don't do it at all but I know some officers who do it on a regular basis.
can you tell me about the cops in mass?

Unfortunately I don't know if mass is one of the states that undergoes that training or not, I can check into it because we have a lot of resources to find out what other state academies do in training so I'll try to find out for you.

thank you, cause i live in mass and i would like to try to not get speeding tickets lol
thanks

well the best way to figure out is to ask a cop. if you hang out some place where cops are just ask one of em. thats how i find stuff out. in my town, the cops love to talk. i used to work at a place where we paid to have officer presence for security, and i made friends with a lot of em. found out all kindofs of info from them...

I have had both, and the cobra is worthless compared to my beltronics. I spent about 200 and it says what band and what frequency they are on in voice. It also has a compas on it and some other shit. I've been driving from chicago to southern indiana for school and have been hit with lasar one time, in which i floored it and got off at the next exit. X bands are always false alarms except on the 2 lane divided highways. Ka is insta on and that will fuck you. Most cops use k or ka, i'd have to say they use ka, k, x, then laser in my expericne. Definately go with the belltronics, and if you want to get really fance, go with the valentine one. It will point an arrow to where they are, and if you get a ticket using it, not only are you a dumb ass but they'll pay your first ticket! My 3 pennies.

usually thats liek if you werent going more than 15 mph or 10% over the speed limit, whichever is less

Anyway we all know 95% of speed limits are too slow. Last week I was on a turn that had a 15 limit, I was calmly going 30. IN THE RAIN.

Yea I read somewhere (aside from it being obvious) that a lot of municipalities underrate the speed limits to give more tickets and make more profit. Bastards.

its all about the benjamins...

Check this website out: http://www.radarbusters.com/radar-detector-info.cfm it help me understand and decided which one i wanted to buy.

You really should not bring up old threads like this, it's accepted as a good idea to start a new thread.

On a side note, from a LE perspective, all radar detectors are useless. Just my opinion. I have written MANY speeding tickets to vehicles with radar detectors.

Thread closed, please don't bring up ancient threads. Like 6 said start a new thread and post a link to the thread if you have more info to add.

Thanks
Goldz28