Best radar detector for California?

I want to buy the BEST radar detector for my car. Price has little object. Which is THE BEST for Calif radars? I know nothing about radar detectors. I'll want to switch the detector from one car to the other.

Thanks in advance for everyone's thoughts and opinions.

David

David,
many people think the "Valentine One" is the best technology available. This Guy Valentine, started Escort radar detectos, and then went out on his own....google up "Valentine radar detectors" and see what you think.


Gclarke "The vacaville Guy"

I'll second that opinion on the Valentine One as the best, but be aware that the best detector in the world is not a liscense to speed and be immune from tickets. The advent of "instant on" guns and the ambush over the hill will get you most of the time if you are the leader of a pack or the only one on the road. When he pulls the trigger and your detector screams at you with full alert, you better pull over and hand him your driver's liscense.

I have been told that if you slam on the brakes when the detector alerts and can slow down fast enough, you may be able to beat it since the unit takes 10 readings of your speed in 1/2 second. If the first reading and last reading differ by over a couple of MPH the unit throws them out and takes 10 more readings. Slow down to under the legal limit and pray. This technique may get you out of a ticket and rear ended at the same time. You could hook the detector to your anti lock brake circuit to be really safe. ;)

I thought that the radar gun used the metal surface on a car the receive the signal back. I always thought that a non-metal car, like, uh, lets say a corvette, would throw off the reading anyway.

If this is not the case, it it reading another mass or the windshield?

Good point Patrick, don't know the answer but got to beleve that even fibre glass will reflect back a signal. I'm no expert on the issues involved but I bet Jim Ward does. Jim?

Radar is sensitive enough to pick up the metal mass of chassis of any vehicle or motorcycle ....fiberglass does not "lessen" the return radar signal. They even use it to track the speed of a baseball

I had a cop tell me that dark colors don't return as good a signal. Also flat colors were better, making flat black a winner. Of course with laser radar, they sight in on the license plate, or grill/bumper and get a good reflection off that.
Ron

The radar gun likes radiators. There was a batch of Corvettes produced over a few years (I don't remember which exactly) that had an angled radiator that worked against radar guns. The cops also use laser guns that aim at your front license plate. Here in NW PA, they paint stripes in the road and use VASCAR stop watches to time you between the two lines. No radar detector will help you there. I know, that system sucks, but that's all they can afford here.

I often wondered what the cops would say if they showed up on my street with intent to hand out tickets and find a bunch more stripes painted in the road...which one would he use to time people?

Radar reads all cars, clear down to go-carts. There is no way to lessen your profile. I spent a good amount of my childhood with my father when he developed the radar shutter camera for MLB. A baseball picks up nicely, even with perfectly curved sides and no metal. If it were easy to design a normal curved piece of metal to reflect or lessen the signature, the US government could have saved billions on the stealth projects.
-=theron

There have been a few magazine articles over the years on the radar profile of different cars. The Corvette has had an inclined radiator since at least 1963 and has a smaller profile than a lot of cars but not invisible. The reflection from the steel in the front bumper or the liscense plate is enough to get you.

The more flat steel in the front of the car, the higher the return beam. I remember a bra for a 911 that was made of radar absorbing material a few years back.

You could also try a jammer, but don't get caught operating an unliscensed radio transmitter by the FCC.

I think the best defense is a CB radio. I will confess I haven't used one for years. Don't drive that fast anymore unless I've got a hat checker in front of me.
In 1985, I drove from N. VA to Kalispell, Mt in 37 hours driving time (I slept for 10 hours along the way) using a radar detector and a CB in a Saab Turbo. The truckers knew where every cop was for 50 miles in each direction.
I got tired of all the BS on the channels around town so I stopped using them. I kinda did miss listening to all the lawyers and lobbiests in DC talking on the air, trying to sound like North Carolina dirt farmers.
ed

I just bought a Bel RX65. Understand Escort bought Bel out. And there's an unlimited "upgrade" to newer radar signals that will reprogram the detector. Anything I should know when hooking it up? I plan to switch it between the two cars that I have.

David

I use a phazer II with the built in radar detector and jammer. It works perfectly but you do have to brake hard if the guy is hiding and you dont see him until the last minute. It will only Jam 200 feet or more after that they can lock on you. It is slightly illegal in some states however???

Good luck with the Bel. Mount it as high as possible on the windshield to catch the over the hill stray beams. Always keep another car in front of you so he will get the instant on radar blast and you can be warned. Any detector will not make you immune to speeding tickets, you must watch the road.

AFA the jammer is concerned, it is illegal in all states since it is a federal offense to operate, but there are like 5 FCC inspectors for the USA and 50,000 police with radar.

the phaser isnt technically a jammer it is a sender that sends a "chirp" back to the guns and because the chirp sends extra signals the gun can't decide how fast your really going. But yes it is illegal in some states but not most.

Steven; You have done more research into the phazer than I have, but if it transmits or alters a signal back outside the box then I believe it is transmitter, but I have been wrong before. The superhetrodyne detectors like the Valentine and Escort all generate a small radar signal internally that they compare an incoming radar beam to, which is why they are so sensitive unlike the old FuzzBuster which was just a passive receiver. The really cheap detectors somtimes leak out the internal signal and set off other nearby detectors and the police scanners that are sniffing for radar detectors in states that have outlawed detectors.
...edit starts here....
I did a little googling around and found this site that tested some jammers.
www.radar-detectors.com/products/jammers/default.asp

Read the tests and judge for yourself. Be careful with your jammer, it may be a scam. The bottom line is buy a good detector and drive defensively and sensibly.

Mine was tested with a friend who is a police occiffer and it did work, but only until about 200 feet and then using laser or the old style didn't matter it would lock in a speed.

Of course one day they were running the airplane and stopped me just to tell me that my little phaser isn't that effective against timing and that I really should slow down. I knew the guy personally and he laughed and said that noone should be going over the speed limit when they have rapped their ass in fiberglass.

Steven;
You might consider selling it on eBay and getting a Valentine or Escort/Passport/Bel. If it only works within 200 feet, you already are getting the ticket and he has his lights on.

Drive safe and aware....

You misunderstand it works until you are within 200 feet. 200 feet or more and it works all the time. Inside of 200 feet the radar will lock on regarldless.

I run a valentine one...I used to have a passport...but it is not as sensitive as a valentine. I use it in my 350Z.....seems to give me more "REACTION" time.


Michael

So what happens if I get pulled over for speeding... do I NEED to get rid of the radar detector really quick? Isn't it illegal to have a radar detector?

thanks,
David

They are illegal in VA, but I'm not sure if they still take them or not.
ed

Here is another site with a fare bit of info www.radartest.com/

Bruce,

Thanks for the link. I only briefly read the site. Tons of info.

However (and this question is for everyone's advice), what should I do, when the alarm goes off? Do I slam on the brakes?

David

No, Speed up. Maybe you could outrun the chase car.

Apparently they can't get a reading unless your speed is constant so speeding up or slowing down should work. Anyone know if that is true?

Ron,

Never heard of that. ANYONE???

David

Read my post 3rd from the top in this thread. I don't have first hand knowledge if it works but a friend of mine swears that it works. If the detector goes off at full alert and you slam on the brakes soon enough, his unit cannot display your speed. It takes 10 readings in a short period of time and compares the first to the last. If they are not close enough the unit throws them out and gets 10 more. The technique may get you rear ended if anyone is following too close.

The best advice I can give is to slow down and enjoy the ride. I know a young guy does not want to hear this from a bunch of old fogies, but the life you save may be yours and mine. My friends son just attended a funeral of a 16 year old friend who was killed racing his Mustang that he just got. A young relative of my wife was burned alive trapped in a truck when her idiot boyfriend lost control while speeding. He killed her and 2 other people in another car. She was 21 and left behind 2 small children.

George
Amen to that.
ed

Ron: It seems unlikely that speeding up or slowing down would invalidate the radar. Just about everyone slams on the brakes when they see the cop so they must be able to deal with that. Besides radar probably works at the speed of sound so it could probably get all the necessary data points in less than a second. Still though it would make for an interesting story if someone is willing to try speeding up through a radar trap.

A few years ago, a friend of mine in Illinois was running hard in his RX7 and was pulled over by the man. He was subsequently written up for speeding. He was also told by the officer that the plan had been to give my friend a warning until he saw the detector and then he changed his mind. Perhaps the detector needed to be concealed.

Speeding up probably would not work since the rate of acceleration would be much lower than the rate of deceleration unless your brakes are really bad or you have 4000 hp. Radar waves travel at the speed of light since they are in the microwave spectrum. The issue is how the officer's radar unit detects and displays the speed.

I will ask a friend of a friend who is a police officer if there is a way to beat the radar with brakes and if there is a feeling of revenge against detector users when caught.

Re the Radar detector and police,

I always have a ball cap either on or on the seat. It slips neatly over my detector when and if pulled over. They never wondered about the power cord running from beneath the cap! The cop never said anything and gave me a few words but no citation so maybe the ball cap trick worked, no guarentees!

Bruce

I think the problem with trying to brake and prevent a radar gun reading is that you have to see them before they see you.

I own many radar guns and I have $1000 that none of you can beat them with a radar detector/brake hard technique. I can get a reading locked as fast as I pull and release the trigger. You will still be on the gas pedal thinking "was that another false alarm?".

Radar detectors are for fools. If you speed, you need to be very alert and continuously look for speed traps (when you crest a hill, around a bend, under a bridge, up that on-ramp you are passing).

There is not a radar jammer on the market that works. I have tested the absolute garbage produced under the various scam-artist making phazer, spirit, stealth, etc. They do not transmit anything, they passivly relflect (antenna in, wire, antenna out) and cannot even jam a person walking holding the unit with a battery. I tested these at the Chrysler Proving Grounds with Car and Driver. They are a fraud. Throw it out the window and buy a Valentine One if you need to detect.

An active jammer is absolutly illegal in all states. I used to design and manufacture them, but the FCC was not too pleased.

As far as radar profiles go, fiberglass is absolutly transparent to radar and radio for that matter. A cop will have a much harder time locking a speedster over most cars. The problem is modern radar guns used at close range won't care, there is enough reflection off of the driver to give a signal at 200'. The best defense is know the case law. You must be alone, in-front and nearest the police vehicle for the radar reading to count. If you were in a group, next to a car/truck or followed closely, you can beat it. They know the case law and I have beaten three tickets by just addressing the issue with the officer right at the time of issue. Say something like "did you get me while I was passing the truck?" and if he says "yes", you say "well at what point then was I alone, in-front and nearest your vehicle?"

By the way, all bets are off for laser. LIDAR is pencil point accurate and loves the nice reflective curved surfaces. I have two LIDAR guns and I found that a Dodge Intrepid (mine at the time) could be picked off at 1/2mile while the chrome Kenworth next to it could not be detected until 1/4mile due to the flat surfaces.

Cops shoot lasers at your front licence plate first, then if that is not there or doesn't work, they move to your headlights (great reflectors). Headlights on will reduce the range significantly (thanks DRLs). I made a very effective laser jammer that will take the range to about ten feet, but without a radar jammer to go with it, the business plan did not work.

Oh, and dirty cars a much, much harder to pickup. Color of cars does not matter, just shine. And color has no effect on radar, other than a fiberglass car with a metal-flake would be a bad combo.

From a truckers standpoint ,last 22 years no tickets to date this works.


Let someone else be the point man ahead of you staying back
a good distance

Watch for brakes lights of the most distant vehicle you can see
ahead of you, even though someone is already within the line of
sight of a radar gun, they still mash on the binders.

Run with a group of trucks, they'll realize that you are
running with them and keep you under their wing provided
that you are not agressive. Do so, they'll set you up by
running hard then backing off you'll have no choice to
sling shot right into the arms of a waiting cop.


A CB while at times a annoying pain (even for me)
it is your absolute best defense against the man day or night.

Three million plus miles in 32 years I've found that running
at reasonable speeds gets me where I am going more relaxed and
within a few minutes of the rocket azz that flew by me doing 85 mph

Just an update on Ron

Last night on Myth busters they did a show on how to beat the radar gun! Now come to find out you cant. All you can do is know it's out there and slow down.

Lasers can be jammed. Radar can be jammed but all that is against the law and you will do jail time in California for using them.