How to pick a radar detector to buy
01-12-2013, 12:06 AM
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How to pick a radar detector to buy
Hi guys, i'm in the market for a radar detector, and there are SOO many out there. I simply Googled "radar detector review" and there are literally hundreds of review websites, and i'm sure most of them are biased and are affiliated with a certain brand of radar detector.
Does the CA police use KA band?
Do you guys have any recommendations on a radar detector to buy? I heard the Whistler XTR-695SE is pretty good and it's only like $150 brand new... Cobra iRadar also seems pretty good since i have a smartphone...
Does the CA police use KA band?
Do you guys have any recommendations on a radar detector to buy? I heard the Whistler XTR-695SE is pretty good and it's only like $150 brand new... Cobra iRadar also seems pretty good since i have a smartphone...
Last edited by Shawz1102; 01-12-2013 at 12:18 AM.
01-12-2013, 04:44 AM
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+3 on Valentine but...
Might want to look into what the cops use in your area. If it's predominantly laser, just know that you won't be forewarned. Pretty rare that it will bounce off the car in front of you and be detected early enough for you to slow down.
Might want to look into what the cops use in your area. If it's predominantly laser, just know that you won't be forewarned. Pretty rare that it will bounce off the car in front of you and be detected early enough for you to slow down.
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01-12-2013, 07:53 AM
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Does California use laser?
KA, Pacing, K, Airborn VASCAR, Laser (not sure when last updated)
.. and the Highway/CHP uses Ka, Laser (LTI guns, PLIII)
To see a breakdown by county: http://www.patzcatz.com/radarbands.html
Do you guys have any recommendations on a radar detector to buy?
Forget Cobra, and forget Whistler. Look into the Valentine One, Escort Redline, 9500ix or 8500. For laser protection, you'll need jammers. A radar detector will only let you know when you've been hit by laser = too late. Unfortunately, jammers are illegal in California. Here's a website for reference though:
http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/
Most debate is between the Redline and the Valentine One, some going one way others going the other. Just google reviews between the lot I listed and find what you like best.
KA, Pacing, K, Airborn VASCAR, Laser (not sure when last updated)
.. and the Highway/CHP uses Ka, Laser (LTI guns, PLIII)
To see a breakdown by county: http://www.patzcatz.com/radarbands.html
Do you guys have any recommendations on a radar detector to buy?
Forget Cobra, and forget Whistler. Look into the Valentine One, Escort Redline, 9500ix or 8500. For laser protection, you'll need jammers. A radar detector will only let you know when you've been hit by laser = too late. Unfortunately, jammers are illegal in California. Here's a website for reference though:
http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/
Most debate is between the Redline and the Valentine One, some going one way others going the other. Just google reviews between the lot I listed and find what you like best.
01-12-2013, 01:03 PM
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Does California use laser?
KA, Pacing, K, Airborn VASCAR, Laser (not sure when last updated)
.. and the Highway/CHP uses Ka, Laser (LTI guns, PLIII)
To see a breakdown by county: http://www.patzcatz.com/radarbands.html
Do you guys have any recommendations on a radar detector to buy?
Forget Cobra, and forget Whistler. Look into the Valentine One, Escort Redline, 9500ix or 8500. For laser protection, you'll need jammers. A radar detector will only let you know when you've been hit by laser = too late. Unfortunately, jammers are illegal in California. Here's a website for reference though:
http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/
Most debate is between the Redline and the Valentine One, some going one way others going the other. Just google reviews between the lot I listed and find what you like best.
KA, Pacing, K, Airborn VASCAR, Laser (not sure when last updated)
.. and the Highway/CHP uses Ka, Laser (LTI guns, PLIII)
To see a breakdown by county: http://www.patzcatz.com/radarbands.html
Do you guys have any recommendations on a radar detector to buy?
Forget Cobra, and forget Whistler. Look into the Valentine One, Escort Redline, 9500ix or 8500. For laser protection, you'll need jammers. A radar detector will only let you know when you've been hit by laser = too late. Unfortunately, jammers are illegal in California. Here's a website for reference though:
http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/
Most debate is between the Redline and the Valentine One, some going one way others going the other. Just google reviews between the lot I listed and find what you like best.
Thanks for the info. So i guess V1/Escort 9500/Escort 8500 are only detect radar and don't detect laser? Doesn't that make radar detectors literally useless then if it will only go off once i've been hit?
Btw, i if i wanted to detect both radar and laser, i'd have to buy a radar detector AND a laser detector? So 2 units inside my car?
Last edited by Shawz1102; 01-12-2013 at 01:11 PM.
01-12-2013, 01:22 PM
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All of them detect radar AND laser. They are useless in detecting LASER because once you've been hit, it takes a split second to acquire your speed, so you're pretty much going to be pulled over anyway, it's just telling you that.
As for radar, there are two main types in regards to how they work:
- Instant on: They press a button, that transmits the signal. 1/2 second spray.
- Constant on: Constantly transmitting a signal, you can detect it from far away.
When you have a radar detector and the cop up front is shooting at other cars, you'll detect the fact that he's shooting radar at the car since it's a wide beam, which warns you to slow down in advance. Laser, on the other hand, is a narrow beam directed at your car, usually at a reflective surface. Thus, radar detectors are useless in the case of LASER, as you'll already be hit before you can slow down. As for radar, no, it will warn you far in advance, especially if a CHP is transmitting constant-on. Redline/Valentine One are arguably the two best at detecting instant-on, which I have to deal with over here in Pennsylvania.
If you want to detect both radar and laser, a radar detector is enough. One unit. HOWEVER, you are only protected against radar (in the sense that you'll be able to detect it beforehand). Laser jammers are your only protection against laser (other than 'laser veil' - I don't know much about it but you can google it), but unfortunately they are illegal in California.
The above is what I understand in regards to radars/laser, don't quote me on it, but you can get more information at radardetector.net - It's a wealth of info over there.
Bottom line: Get a good radar detector. Valentine One or Redline. Pop on over to those forums and see what people in California recommend. Do want to mention that some people in Cali do run laser jammers but at a risk since they are technically illegal.
As for radar, there are two main types in regards to how they work:
- Instant on: They press a button, that transmits the signal. 1/2 second spray.
- Constant on: Constantly transmitting a signal, you can detect it from far away.
When you have a radar detector and the cop up front is shooting at other cars, you'll detect the fact that he's shooting radar at the car since it's a wide beam, which warns you to slow down in advance. Laser, on the other hand, is a narrow beam directed at your car, usually at a reflective surface. Thus, radar detectors are useless in the case of LASER, as you'll already be hit before you can slow down. As for radar, no, it will warn you far in advance, especially if a CHP is transmitting constant-on. Redline/Valentine One are arguably the two best at detecting instant-on, which I have to deal with over here in Pennsylvania.
If you want to detect both radar and laser, a radar detector is enough. One unit. HOWEVER, you are only protected against radar (in the sense that you'll be able to detect it beforehand). Laser jammers are your only protection against laser (other than 'laser veil' - I don't know much about it but you can google it), but unfortunately they are illegal in California.
The above is what I understand in regards to radars/laser, don't quote me on it, but you can get more information at radardetector.net - It's a wealth of info over there.
Bottom line: Get a good radar detector. Valentine One or Redline. Pop on over to those forums and see what people in California recommend. Do want to mention that some people in Cali do run laser jammers but at a risk since they are technically illegal.
01-13-2013, 08:31 PM
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Word of advice though; don't rely solely on radar detectors or jammers. There are cases where the jammers won't jam, radar detector won't pickup the signal fast enough, interference.. and so on. I've been unfortunate to be in that situation; picked up a radar detector and thought it was the end of my worries. I was hit with instant-on, detector didn't pickup anything, and I began to research and understand why it didn't.
In the end, it's only a safeguard. Remember to always look around too, I'm pretty much OCD on the highways nowadays whenever I decide to do some spirited driving, and my eyes have saved me a LOT more times than my detector has (not saying that my detector hasn't helped, but they can't protect against pacing, vascar, and enradd).
In the end, it's only a safeguard. Remember to always look around too, I'm pretty much OCD on the highways nowadays whenever I decide to do some spirited driving, and my eyes have saved me a LOT more times than my detector has (not saying that my detector hasn't helped, but they can't protect against pacing, vascar, and enradd).
01-15-2013, 06:25 PM
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Word of advice though; don't rely solely on radar detectors or jammers. There are cases where the jammers won't jam, radar detector won't pickup the signal fast enough, interference.. and so on. I've been unfortunate to be in that situation; picked up a radar detector and thought it was the end of my worries. I was hit with instant-on, detector didn't pickup anything, and I began to research and understand why it didn't.
In the end, it's only a safeguard. Remember to always look around too, I'm pretty much OCD on the highways nowadays whenever I decide to do some spirited driving, and my eyes have saved me a LOT more times than my detector has (not saying that my detector hasn't helped, but they can't protect against pacing, vascar, and enradd).
In the end, it's only a safeguard. Remember to always look around too, I'm pretty much OCD on the highways nowadays whenever I decide to do some spirited driving, and my eyes have saved me a LOT more times than my detector has (not saying that my detector hasn't helped, but they can't protect against pacing, vascar, and enradd).
Regarding Instant-On, i believe there is a mode on my detector that i can enable for that... I'll have to look into my user manual when the unit arrives.
Btw, i've always wondered why police won't just all switch to laser. If laser jammers are illegal, then they should be able to catch all speeders who are using radar detectors... I mean the police knows some people will buy radar detectors, so why are they being dumb to still use Ka or K band guns?
Last edited by Shawz1102; 01-15-2013 at 06:27 PM.
01-16-2013, 09:26 AM
#17
http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/901.html
I'm not sure if they try to stop you at checkout... but that's without a doubt the one you'd want to get.
BTW, the standard dual version is more than enough for our cars. You can get the quad if you want to cover the back of your car too... but getting shot from the back is rare enough for me to justify not covering the back.
I'm not sure if they try to stop you at checkout... but that's without a doubt the one you'd want to get.
BTW, the standard dual version is more than enough for our cars. You can get the quad if you want to cover the back of your car too... but getting shot from the back is rare enough for me to justify not covering the back.
Last edited by tquill; 01-16-2013 at 09:29 AM.
01-16-2013, 11:33 AM
#19
I just bought a Escort 8500 X50 as well and just tried it for my commute back and forth. So far, only beeped a few times and I believe it was because of interference... Either there are no speed trap cops on my route or this thing ain't working haha.
01-16-2013, 11:44 AM
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I have an Escort Qi45 (now discontinued and the new updated model has the GPS built in features to weed out false alarms), went with the setup because it's stealthy, and quite frankly in a city like mine you don't want to leave anything in plain view. It has the same antenna as the 8500 and the 9500ix. Had I not gone with a stealthy setup that's hardwired, I would've most probably gone with the Redline according to the reviews I've seen on their instant-on detection.
Instant-on isn't a mode you'd enable on your detector, I'd be surprised if you had an option. It's a trigger-based action on the radar gun, quick burst, and your detector must be sensitive enough to detect someone shooting someone ahead of you.
Why won't they all switch to laser? Few reasons, from the ones I know, cost and laws. There are hundreds of radar guns out there, laser guns are quite expensive, some even go $5000+ (cops back home, not in the States have about 20 or more of those guns). Granted, imagine having to replace every single gun out there with laser, the cost involved in training and acquiring the gun is quite a lot. As for laws coming into place, an example is Pennsylvania. State troopers are the only ones who can use radar guns, and laser is illegal in all of the state.
"If laser jammers are illegal, then they should be able to catch all speeders who are using radar detectors" - Only some states ban radar detectors, VA and Washington DC are two I know of. The troopers/police here have radar detector detectors, but some radar detectors have a stealth option (believe Redline and the 9500ci both have this option). Also, only SOME states ban laser jammers. In many states jamming is 100% legal. As for using K/KA band, they've come up with much better technology recently. Guns like the Falcon are hell/scary, because they emit a very weak signal, and besides that, the instant-on guns (Decatur Genesis) are dead on scary.
Laser Interceptor is one of the top rated, if not best I've seen out there from reviews. Testers have been able to block the $5000+ laser gun I mentioned previously. Getting shot from the back might be rare, but a ticket or two and you've already justified your initial investment. If you're going for a jammer/detector setup, might as well buy it as a bundle to save some $. You can get laser jammers from that website, eBay, Amazon, even the local BestBuy could order some in. As for your 8500 X50 beeping, the X50 lacks the GPS function of other detectors (including mine), as a result you will get a lot of false detections from:
- EZ Pass Tolls
- Cars with cruise control or some aiding-thing technology I can't recall (BMW/Audi/Mercedes specific)
- Doors at CVS/convenience stores/the lot
- The signs on the highways that show you your speed
+ Others. On a side note, my detector hasn't gone off on a legit source in.. nearly a year? I haven't been pulled over, seen a trooper shooting radar on any routes either. But better safe than sorry, driving at night on the highway gets you paranoid after one ticket!
And for those interested in the $5000+ gun I've mentioned: http://www.lasertech.com/TruCAM-Laser-Speed-Gun.aspx - Price isn't listed but I recall someone inquiring and getting a quote of I believe $6000 a gun.
Instant-on isn't a mode you'd enable on your detector, I'd be surprised if you had an option. It's a trigger-based action on the radar gun, quick burst, and your detector must be sensitive enough to detect someone shooting someone ahead of you.
Why won't they all switch to laser? Few reasons, from the ones I know, cost and laws. There are hundreds of radar guns out there, laser guns are quite expensive, some even go $5000+ (cops back home, not in the States have about 20 or more of those guns). Granted, imagine having to replace every single gun out there with laser, the cost involved in training and acquiring the gun is quite a lot. As for laws coming into place, an example is Pennsylvania. State troopers are the only ones who can use radar guns, and laser is illegal in all of the state.
"If laser jammers are illegal, then they should be able to catch all speeders who are using radar detectors" - Only some states ban radar detectors, VA and Washington DC are two I know of. The troopers/police here have radar detector detectors, but some radar detectors have a stealth option (believe Redline and the 9500ci both have this option). Also, only SOME states ban laser jammers. In many states jamming is 100% legal. As for using K/KA band, they've come up with much better technology recently. Guns like the Falcon are hell/scary, because they emit a very weak signal, and besides that, the instant-on guns (Decatur Genesis) are dead on scary.
Laser Interceptor is one of the top rated, if not best I've seen out there from reviews. Testers have been able to block the $5000+ laser gun I mentioned previously. Getting shot from the back might be rare, but a ticket or two and you've already justified your initial investment. If you're going for a jammer/detector setup, might as well buy it as a bundle to save some $. You can get laser jammers from that website, eBay, Amazon, even the local BestBuy could order some in. As for your 8500 X50 beeping, the X50 lacks the GPS function of other detectors (including mine), as a result you will get a lot of false detections from:
- EZ Pass Tolls
- Cars with cruise control or some aiding-thing technology I can't recall (BMW/Audi/Mercedes specific)
- Doors at CVS/convenience stores/the lot
- The signs on the highways that show you your speed
+ Others. On a side note, my detector hasn't gone off on a legit source in.. nearly a year? I haven't been pulled over, seen a trooper shooting radar on any routes either. But better safe than sorry, driving at night on the highway gets you paranoid after one ticket!
And for those interested in the $5000+ gun I've mentioned: http://www.lasertech.com/TruCAM-Laser-Speed-Gun.aspx - Price isn't listed but I recall someone inquiring and getting a quote of I believe $6000 a gun.
Last edited by Suwaidi; 01-16-2013 at 11:48 AM.