[Official] What's the Best Radar Detector?

Red__Zed

No, it does not detect police, it detects radar. It will let you know if there is a signal in certain radar bands being broadcast.


I believe Cali allows for radar detectors.

onzedge

Radar detectors are legal in CA. The last speeding ticket I got (the first in 10 years) was from a cop (CHP) who got me the old fashioned way -- with an airplane. The guy who wrote me up was cool and wrote it for 10 mph less than my actual speed. He also pointed to my radar detector (a Passport Solo S2 at the time) as he was handing me the ticket and asked how well it works.

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jginnane

We have Beltronics 995s in the Z and the Acura TL, and a 965 in the Honda Element. All work well; all have paid for themselves many times over.

This year the NJ state police are using instant-on and lasers. The latter alerts on a Bel to tell you it's time to pull over; you've been already caught. The instant-ons are much more challenging; you now know to decelerate IMMEDIATELY at the first chirp. (I think police have to track/record you for a certain number of seconds or distance with conventional radar, which is not the case with lasers.)

So the greater variable you'll have is where and when you drive. A Sunday morning, with breaking clear weather? Plan on 3-6 traps per hundred miles, with some operated in wolf-pack fashion. Rush hour? No problem. Half an hour after morning rush hour, or evening happy hour? Always a problem.

And here on the central NJ coast, you can be returning from a 700 mile trip from anywhere, any time of the day or night, but you will always get at least one alert in the 3.5 miles from the Garden State Parkway to the local streets. Both Wall Twp. police and state troopers use this stretch to pay their department operating budgets. (Think of brown bears standing in the river catching spawning salmon in their mouths.)

EazyD

OUCH!!
I have a Beltronics Vector 950 or something - it works just fine and got it used on eBay for $80 6 years ago or something - but got my first ticket last year when a cop coming over a hill flipped his radar on. I had no chance. "You were visibly going really fast so that's when I switched my RADAR on.."

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ImportConvert

Legal in Cali. VA, and DC and lots of Canada are the areas they are illegal in, I think.

No, only cops running Radar or Lidar that are aiming it in your general direction without something obstructing the radio/light waves.

Think of it like this...(Helps if you have seen Deliverance)...

Terrain, and anything else that can block radar will effect it. Think of radar like a flashlight and a radar detector like your eyes. Now, you're in the woods at night and you just beached your canoe and there are some rednecks out there chasing you with visions of rape dancing through their 1-track minds (cops looking to make your wallet squeal like a pig, boy!). Okay. They have a flashlight (radar), and you have eyes (Valentine 1). You can see their light through the trees before they see you in the beam if they are just shining it all willy-nilly. But what if they sneak up on you and blast you with the light? Well, gotcha. Or what if there is a hill between you two? You won't see it then, either (they won't see you, is the counterpoint). However, in a perfect world, the dumb redneck just bumbles through the woods with his light in one and and the other in his pants and you know well ahead of time to avoid what he's got planned for you.

Often its the same with cops. But some of them have been taught not to shine their flashlights all the time, and how to only shine it where you will see it when you're already in the beam. So no, the V1 won't work a miracle, but you sure wouldn't be in those woods with a blindfold on, would you!?

The one thing in Cali that might trip you up is traffic drones. The V1 does not have a GPS system, so every 1 mile or 2 you will get blasted with noise. If you have those, I would get something else with GPS. Whatever you do, don't buy cheap junk. Good stuff starts in the upper 300's.

*Valentine will sell a "refurbished" (Good as new from what I hear) unit for $359 if I am not mistaken, might look into it if you're on a budget!

---Your only hope with Laser is that the cops aim sucks and you shave a few mph off your speed before he bounces your plate or headlight, or you get jammers. Once you hear the tone, done.

---Best defense against Instand On is a Valentine one. They are VERY quick to react. That coupled with a "Rabbit" will allow you to be mindful when you get a few Ka band chirps up ahead spaced out at about the interval of traffic. Even one Ka blip should make you think hard about your speed. Ka is usually a cop--or a POS detector like a Cobra leaking.

---Lots of cops are liars. Nothing you do will truly save you. My friend got a ticket 2 months ago (prior to this story) and was thus being super mindful of his speed as he did the "double or nothing" deal to keep it off his record. He was going through a known speed-trap area and construction zone to boot. He was in 3rd gear doing 30mph in his Cobalt LT. He had cruise set. A cop pulled him over and gave him a ticket for 45mph. Refused to show him the readout (they don't have to), and wasn't even the cop who tagged him supposedly (There was a hummer passing him at the point where he thinks they supposedly clocked him). Anyway, the pigs are going to gank $290 out of a struggling nursing-student's budget. Even though he didn't do anything wrong. So even obeying the law, using a detector, and everything else, they can still screw you. Best just to avoid them every way you can, and know your rights. However, just know that you don't have to be breaking the law to be penalized. The gangsters in blue just have to SAY you were. Lots of them have an "Us vs. Them" mentality--and so should you. Just remember, this isn't a battle you fight with your fists or a gun or anything. It's one you fight by knowing your rights, and standing up to them PROPERLY to assert those rights. Even then no guarantees, but you gave it your best.

www.flexyourrights.org

chops

i have a 9500ix and its saved my butt many, many times. i used to drive 200 miles/day for work and was saved at least once a week. as said earlier in the thread, its only a tool though, and you have to learn how to use it as a driving aid.

i remember this one time i had a subie tailgating me (i was doing around 75-80mph in the fast lane, and the lanes to the right were all driving super slow). i get a Ka 34.7 hit and immediately brake down to 65. he probably thinks i was brake checking him, and he begins to tailgate me even further. i change to the right lane, and he flies by me. the good thing about getting a nice Ka hit is that you usually have a mile before you get to the source. well, half a mile up theres a suby on the right side of the road with a CHP behind it!

howZit

I just hardwired my V1 in my Z last night and it already saved me this morning from a bike cop hiding behind a sign. Loving the range of the v1 and the arrows are really helpful.

ImportConvert

V1 is a monster. As cool as my HUD is and all that, I will probably go back to regular display as sometimes I jam the radio and don't always look at the HUD. The flashing light/arrows will get my attention better, or if I want to run it silent for whatever reason so it doesn't wake up a passenger on a roadtrip.

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KillerBee370

I gotta figure out how to utilize the center "button" between the seat warmer buttons for a silencer for my V1. I hate having to reach up to hit silent mode when it's blaring at me around every corner in the city.

Drex

i have a similar problem with my passport. the cord has a mute button on the plug, but it plugs in under the glove box, so i can't reach.

i guess i could plug it in the console, but then it has to be open.

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KillerBee370

Can't live without them arrows!

Pete370Z

I've had a V1 for 8 years now and it has payed for itself many times over.

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WorkinMan

I have an Escort detector and can't fathom driving without one. When coupled with a dose of common sense and understanding of the limitations of the detector and how it normally responds to your commute or trip it will undoubtedly save your bacon.

theDreamer

DIY: Center Console Mounted Radar Detector Mute Button

For those with a passport, the V1 is a bit more work (I have yet to do it) but you will probably have to buy the add on piece and tear it apart to fit.

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freking8

I have a Beltronics RX65, awesome radar detector!