First Things Are First... Don't Be An Idiot
Dec 05 '03
The Bottom Line Be smart... You're not invincible.
You can have a Valentine One and easily get pulled over... You can have a Whistler and never get pulled over... So, what's the point of using a radar detector when you don't know how to use one properly? Here are some important pointers to know about some myths and other things.
-It's Not All Steady Stream-
*In the past, years ago when most of you were young, cops used X-band radar guns. Today they are obsolete, and most police use K and Ka-band radar guns. One neat feature (For the cops) that these guns have is that you can keep them off, and when you see a car speeding, you press a button and it clocks a car. Wowsers! So what does this mean for all of us detector users out there. This means that you'll have no warning sometimes, usually late at night or in towns where cops aren't lazy. The advantages to having a better detector in this situation is that if the cop is hitting traffic ahead of you, you will get a warning on your detector each time a cop turns the gun on. Then the warning will die away in a second or so. If you're intelligent, you'll know that there's an instant-on speed trap ahead. If you're doing 90mph in the middle of the night and get nailed with instant-on, it's not going to matter whether you're using a $400 Valentine One or $40 Cobra, you're clocked and a gonner.
-It's Not Just Radar They Use...-
*Cops can use other methods other than radar and... cough... laser... cough. There's also a method called VASCAR. This means that a cop is watching you and timing your car between one landmark and another. They aren't going to be using their radar or laser gun to clock you here. But chances are you'll see the cop and slow down and then throw off their calculation. So just take this into account.
-Laser... Detector Or Not... You're Screwed-
*Laser is by far the most feared form of traffic enforcement out there. It shouldn't be... But I'll get into that a little further in the section. Unlike radar, laser is a beam of light that is used to clock the car's speed. This is always "Instant-On". This means that you're not gonna get a warning (If you even do) from your detector until you're clocked. The only difference in detector's laser detection is their field of you. Sure, the more expensive units will give you a larger one. But once again, it's not going to matter whether you have a $400 Valentine One or $40 Cobra, you're clocked once your detector picks it up unless there is a wonderful act of God such as Cosine Error. Well, these guns are pretty darn accurate, and the cops that use them know how to shoot, don't get your hopes up! Well, I've covered that, but here's how to play it smart with laser. For beginners without much money, a stealth license plate cover should be effective in deviating the laser beam's trajectory and this will give you a slight amount of time to slow down before the laser gun gets a reading. But then it's all up to your detector and your foot to react fast enough. For the big leagues, an LED laser jamming system such as those from Escort, Bel, Lidatek, and Blinder are effective in jamming the laser. But these jammers are very expensive and might need to be professionaly installed. But if you're driving with just a detector and no added laser protection, you're a sitting duck.
-Rear Attacks-
*Most attacks come from the front, when you pass a cop and then they nail you with radar or laser. However, a much rarer attack is when cops sneak up behind you and hit you with mobile radar. If you have a watchful eye, this is avoidable by seeing the slow-down in traffic or the familiar lights of a cruiser. Most detectors have only a single antenna from the front, and most have poor scatter pick-up. So you can easily be clocked and pulled over from the behind. I've seen it a few times, and have nearly been a victim if it wasn't for my Valentine One. The Valentine One, K40 remotes, and Whistler remote offer rear-anntennas. According to Radartest.com, these are pointless. But I've seen how radars without the rear protection work. The Bel Vector 985 which is a high-end detector had a lot of trouble picking up K-band from the rear while the Valentine One worked like a charm. Maybe it's worth investing that extra into the V1, it only takes one ticket to ruin your day.
-In Conclusion-
*Some people say radar detectors are stupid, but I definitely whole-heartedly disagree. They have saved me on numerous occassions, and those tickets that I would've received would've ended up costing thousands of dollars! If you know what's out there on the road and don't drive like a complete idiot, you shouldn't be getting pulled over. Remember, you should never speed when there are no cars around, and also that there IS mobile radar which some people don't think exists. So remember, drive and speed carefully!
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