i just purchased a new escort passport 8500 x50 on ebay and i heard this is a really good one but i was wondering how long are radar detectors good for? Theres no way for police to beat the detectors? they dont change "bands or lasers" so these detectors arent effective?
And my second question was does the detector just go off when an officer has his radar gun on? Or will it tell me theres a car in the area? This is my first experience with a radar detector. But even with a really good detector i doubt i will the freedom go over 100. How effective are these things anyway?

 

I wouldnt use a radar detector for the freedom to speed 24/7, I dont have any info on new ones but I know years ago, mine would go off all the time for no reason.

 

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The life of the radar detector could vary, a lot depends on how
much you use it....how long it sits under your windshield baking
in the sun. (heat is not a friend of electronics)

Sure you will get phantom signals, automatic door openers
at your local market....the busy motor cop that forgets to
turn off his "gun" before he puts it back in his saddle bag...
or another motorist heading down the highway with his
detector on. You may get 'laser" signals when you are
close to an airport...mine seems to go nuts...in fact, I
thought my 8500 was going to explode when I was at
the end of the Nellis AFB runway when an F-15E took
off with his radar on....makes those cop radars seem
wimpy...lol

I hope that helps some.


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Detectors are not a license to speed. The officer can always cite you for too fast for conditions - or like the CHiPs here do they'll pace you from behind in your blind spot.

On the highways I'll get about 1-4 miles of advanced notice. One mile of notice approaching a trap in terrain that is slightly hilly - four miles on the flat lands.

Radar is like light in that it doesn't make corners around hills or go through buildings. But it does reflect off of structures including overpasses and highway signs.

A good radar operator will do visual first and then pull the trigger on the speeder. If that's you you're busted. You want to be the guy behind the speeder to catch the warning from the first guy's illumination. A lazy operator will hang the unit out the window blasting signals down the road waiting for a speeder.

In my town the motor officers set up in hunter-killer groups. One guy will sit back down a side road and get off his bike to blend in better. He'll hold the gun on his chest zapping cars. His partner sits about a block down the road pulling over the speeders.

 

ValentineOne will upgrade my detector for its lifetime. Oh, and it has worked usually in the 2-3 miles of warning (love the directional arrow).

 

How long are they good for? Are you asking if their signal detection ability degrades with age??

"There is no way for police to beat the detectors" Do not believe this. I have a very expensive and good one, yet I've been trapped and ticketed for speeding twice in 15 months. Police can be very tricky.

"..change bands & effectiveness (sic)" I have come accross some laser guns that my Passport SRX has a hard time detecting. Sometimes the warning is kind - of late.

Some police drive around with their radar on all the time. You will know they are around. Sometimes they sit around a BIG SWEEPING curve in the road...and depending on your speed, you may not be able to slow down fast enough.

The laser gun is quite different from radar. The police shoot you with it, and it tell them your speed. My SRX can scramble their laser, but depending on laser manufacturer, range, angle, and what-ever, it is not always a fail-safe precaution.