Radar detector question
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,061
Likes: 130
There are just not enough users to report and the data that is accumulated gets stale. (Cops are mobile)
Think about it: What is the percentage of people driving down a particular stretch of road that are Waze users? How many of them are actually going to report? How soon are they going to report?
The best solution is use both, along with vigilant situational awareness (which I very much hope you will be doing anyway if you are driving enthusiastically). Have fun, but be safe and aware.
.
Last edited by dmk0210; Feb 21, 2018 at 08:39 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,468
Likes: 1,149
From: Wayne Township WI
Instant-on & laser have changed all the rules from the X & Ka band era. Early traffic radars were operated 'on' all the time which allowed detectors to detect in sufficient time/distance to adjust.
Not anymore.
Lastly, situational awareness is critical & grossly under-rated.
Lived in southern IN, there's a major E-W Interstate though very rural areas. I mean, nothing but corn/soy bean fields.
Very easy to assume one's alone on these stretches when the fact is/was one was anything BUT alone.
Air monitoring nailed more Corvetters on [that] stretch than I can count.
Had it not been for the fact I actually spoke w/ fellow Evansville-Newburgh Corvette owners (some had been nailed) I'd have made a mistake and paid dearly. Use the head, and, radar detecting tech.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 612
Likes: 69
From: Southwestern PA
Swing over to the Radar Detector Forum and browse around. All of the major RD players are discussed. You can complete a questionnaire and get recommendations based on your needs.
www.rdforum.org
The current hot unit is the Uniden R1 and R3 series. But laser requires very expensive counter measures.
Also check out this site for unbiased testing and recommendations.
www.vortexradar.com
www.rdforum.org
The current hot unit is the Uniden R1 and R3 series. But laser requires very expensive counter measures.
Also check out this site for unbiased testing and recommendations.
www.vortexradar.com
Last edited by Blindfingers; Feb 21, 2018 at 10:48 AM. Reason: Added Vortex' info
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,061
Likes: 130
...Lastly, situational awareness is critical & grossly under-rated.
Lived in southern IN, there's a major E-W Interstate though very rural areas. I mean, nothing but corn/soy bean fields.
Very easy to assume one's alone on these stretches when the fact is/was one was anything BUT alone.
Air monitoring nailed more Corvetters on [that] stretch than I can count....
Lived in southern IN, there's a major E-W Interstate though very rural areas. I mean, nothing but corn/soy bean fields.
Very easy to assume one's alone on these stretches when the fact is/was one was anything BUT alone.
Air monitoring nailed more Corvetters on [that] stretch than I can count....
I need to keep the top down and get a scarf so I can keep my head on a swivel like Snoopy and the Red Baron.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,468
Likes: 1,149
From: Wayne Township WI
Sure is, in fact although I'd heard of aerial monitoring IN's the only place I'd heard/see aircraft actually used.
Personal rule-of-thumb: no matter how desolate surroundings may appear, no matter if you're traveling along alone or not?
Beware.
Most true pistonheads, be it a Corvette or otherwise, want to open-up their ride & such areas just seem the perfect opportunity.
It's also precisely for that reason such areas make for an excellent revenue source, justifying a more unconventional monitoring method because let's be honest. Pilots & their aircraft are not cheap.
And that's where using one's head comes into its own.
I need to keep the top down and get a scarf so I can keep my head on a swivel like Snoopy and the Red Baron.
Like, deserted highways.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,061
Likes: 130
(though in these cases, I believe they are secretly very happy because cha - ching )
Last edited by dmk0210; Feb 22, 2018 at 07:24 AM.
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Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,598
Likes: 31
Cruise-In X Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
You may get a cheap detector but you won't get a discount on the speeding ticket! Get a Valentine, I switched from Escort and never looked back and after 15 years and two upgrades my V1 is like new.............Buy that one ^^^^^^^^^
Last edited by HMannini; Feb 22, 2018 at 08:57 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,652
Likes: 2,106
From: Left Coast, San Diego
Swing over to the Radar Detector Forum and browse around. All of the major RD players are discussed. You can complete a questionnaire and get recommendations based on your needs.
www.rdforum.org
The current hot unit is the Uniden R1 and R3 series. But laser requires very expensive counter measures.
Also check out this site for unbiased testing and recommendations.
www.vortexradar.com
www.rdforum.org
The current hot unit is the Uniden R1 and R3 series. But laser requires very expensive counter measures.
Also check out this site for unbiased testing and recommendations.
www.vortexradar.com
Excellent advise!
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 75
Likes: 10
From: Baton Rouge LA
Going to chime in with a Waze review. The app is about 50/50 for me with police unit detection, but on I-10 Eastbound between Lafayette and Baton Rouge Louisiana the road is very prone to traffic snarl ups, and you cant tell until there is no place to exit and you're stuck in 45 minutes of traffic to get onto the Mississippi River bridge. Waze has saved me several hours of sitting in traffic by rerouting me through rural backroads BEFORE I can see the backup. So to me its a very useful tool, but I wouldn't bet my drivers license on it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,257
Likes: 433
From: Bossier City Louisiana
Going to chime in with a Waze review. The app is about 50/50 for me with police unit detection, but on I-10 Eastbound between Lafayette and Baton Rouge Louisiana the road is very prone to traffic snarl ups, and you cant tell until there is no place to exit and you're stuck in 45 minutes of traffic to get onto the Mississippi River bridge. Waze has saved me several hours of sitting in traffic by rerouting me through rural backroads BEFORE I can see the backup. So to me its a very useful tool, but I wouldn't bet my drivers license on it.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 271
Likes: 20
From: Colorado Springs Colorado
This, only I went with an Escort Passport 9500ix. Got the detector used on Craigslist for about $150 and got the blendmount used here on the forum for $80. Mirrortaps are rather inexpensive but well worth it in aesthetic value. Extend your budget just a bit and do it right.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 109
Likes: 7
This, only I went with an Escort Passport 9500ix. Got the detector used on Craigslist for about $150 and got the blendmount used here on the forum for $80. Mirrortaps are rather inexpensive but well worth it in aesthetic value. Extend your budget just a bit and do it right.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 271
Likes: 20
From: Colorado Springs Colorado
Only time I use WAZ is when I'm stuck in traffic, it seems when people are sitting in traffic they have plenty of time to update the app so at least I have an idea how far ahead the traffic jam is and I can plan alternate routes. EVERY other time I use the 9500ix, it does what it's supposed to do, tells me where the radar and red light cameras are. It also works on laser but I've found once laser locks on to you it's too late, if you're speeding your caught! Happened to me, I came around a bend on the parkway and got hit with laser by a LEO sitting on the side of the road, fortunately enough I wasn't speeding so no ticket.
9500 series has filters in the MENU to avoid adaptive-cruise settings.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 679
Likes: 203
From: Jamesville Va
I’ve tried several brands of detectors and have found with side by side test that the Escort Redline will detect radar and laser at the longest distance from your car period. That’s the only performance that interst me.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 271
Likes: 20
From: Colorado Springs Colorado
The laser (LIDAR) shot at you does usually hit the target and your detector will be set-off. Depending on humidity and distance, the return beam may not be strong enough for the LIDAR "gun"'s receiver to register. This can be usually due to degradation from distance in the air it passes through. The LIDAR beam photos are reflected off moisture particles.
A similar example can be shooting a toy cat laser through a layers of plastic, or a few bed sheets held vertically by a willing friend. The laser looses its strength as it passes through medium.
The humidity, pollen, dirty-air, etc. affects various wavelengths differently as well as the wattage of the LIDAR gun.
Back in the '70s, X-band radar guns were of high-wattage and not shielded (and have a large footprint) and guys were getting testicular cancer btw. X-band is almost not used anywhere in the US now (I think 1 or two local cops are still using it in a few states). Turning off X-band on your detector is a good idea to avoid noisy falses.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 4,362
From: Chirper Island
Before turning X band off, it's a good idea to find out if anyone in your area is still using it.
Two adjacent counties (Charles Co. & St. Mary's Co. MD) to mine (Calvert Co.) still use X. I drive there regularly, so I leave mine on.
Two adjacent counties (Charles Co. & St. Mary's Co. MD) to mine (Calvert Co.) still use X. I drive there regularly, so I leave mine on.