GatorFarmer
Member
The actual language of the law in question is a bit different, and it is only an issue with the FCC. Like I said, it's a bit complicated. It isn't something that I choose to play with.
Can Cops detect radar detectors?
- Thread starter JOERM
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The actual language of the law in question is a bit different, and it is only an issue with the FCC. Like I said, it's a bit complicated. It isn't something that I choose to play with.
glypnir
Member
I have a friend who is a radio whiz type. Apparently there is an amateur frequency close to the police radio frequency. He made himself a little transmitter from a radar door opener that is on that frequency. Sometimes he punches out his call sign in Morse code on it. It's perfectly legal to do so.
He likes to do it just after he's been passed by someone at high speed. He likes to see the brake lights come on.
I had a radar detector for a while once, it was just too much of a pain with all the false detections.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the lasers, which are a whole lot harder to detect.
I get a speeding ticket every few years. I've even gotten one from the bear in the air. Hard to argue with those.
He likes to do it just after he's been passed by someone at high speed. He likes to see the brake lights come on.
I had a radar detector for a while once, it was just too much of a pain with all the false detections.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the lasers, which are a whole lot harder to detect.
I get a speeding ticket every few years. I've even gotten one from the bear in the air. Hard to argue with those.
CH47gunner
US Veteran
glypnir -
Most high-end detectors such as the Pass Port Escorts or Solo II's (mine) have the Laser detectors built-in.
Problem with 'em is the newer model Mercedes & BMW's are using Lasers for their cruise controls. Gets kind of confusing sometimes.
They are NOT a Cloaking Device. As with everything else, situation awareness is a must.
Bruce
Most high-end detectors such as the Pass Port Escorts or Solo II's (mine) have the Laser detectors built-in.
Problem with 'em is the newer model Mercedes & BMW's are using Lasers for their cruise controls. Gets kind of confusing sometimes.
They are NOT a Cloaking Device. As with everything else, situation awareness is a must.
Bruce
Capt Steve
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I warned my high speed driving buddy about speeding here in Arizona before he drove over. "No worries" he said, "I have a radar detector". Sure enough he showed up with a speeding ticket. He complained that he had been fouled, the cop didn't turn on the radar until he was right on top of him. My buddy was nice and so was the cop who wrote him for 84 (just under the threshold for a major ticket), when he was doing 92.
The point is I never saw the whole good of a detector. All they have to do is wait until you get right on top of them and then light it off. They get a nice calibrated reading that stands up well in court and all you get is the satisfaction of hearing your detector go off a little too late. As a practical matter I keep it at or under 80 in a 75 MPH zone and rely on all the fools going by me at 90+. I might get a ticket for 4 or 5 over but somehow I doubt it.
The point is I never saw the whole good of a detector. All they have to do is wait until you get right on top of them and then light it off. They get a nice calibrated reading that stands up well in court and all you get is the satisfaction of hearing your detector go off a little too late. As a practical matter I keep it at or under 80 in a 75 MPH zone and rely on all the fools going by me at 90+. I might get a ticket for 4 or 5 over but somehow I doubt it.
Bullseye Smith
Member
My brother inlaw was in the service at cherry point and drove a truck all the time. We took the detector apart and put the sencer in the center cab light on top of the truck and the rest of the unit was under the dash. The check engine light would come on when it detected radar. Saved his butt a few times, being up on top it worked better than on the dash.
Wickahoney
US Veteran
Telling tails out of class. Back in the days I was a uniformed LEO AND drove very fast personal cars I had a tendency to get a ticket or two. The Oregon state Police and I kind of had a thing going.
Put the brake lights on a seperate circuit so they can be shut off. Sort of like the switch to turn off the rear lights in the patrol car.
Change out the portioning valve in the brake systen so you can elect to use the rear brakes for the slow down rather than the front disc brakes. It causes much less nose dive and isn't as apparent to the cop.
I liked the spurius emmitor and figured if it could jam a MIG it probably could jam police radar.
Of course at some point you need to pay the money for "Z" rated tires so you don't kill yourself. Then there are the things like coolers for the power steering jump nad the differential along with the common stuff like the oil cool and the ...............
It all worked so well on my Challenger that when the Sheriff saw it, he let me build a 454 LeMans all set to run fast.
RWT
Put the brake lights on a seperate circuit so they can be shut off. Sort of like the switch to turn off the rear lights in the patrol car.
Change out the portioning valve in the brake systen so you can elect to use the rear brakes for the slow down rather than the front disc brakes. It causes much less nose dive and isn't as apparent to the cop.
I liked the spurius emmitor and figured if it could jam a MIG it probably could jam police radar.
Of course at some point you need to pay the money for "Z" rated tires so you don't kill yourself. Then there are the things like coolers for the power steering jump nad the differential along with the common stuff like the oil cool and the ...............
It all worked so well on my Challenger that when the Sheriff saw it, he let me build a 454 LeMans all set to run fast.
RWT
I've never personally seen a detector "detector".
I have had a couple of people with radar detectors cry foul when I stopped them for speeding after pacing them. One even claimed that by law I had to use a radar, pacing was illegal.
And yes, I'm less inclined to give a break if I see a radar detector in the car.
I have had a couple of people with radar detectors cry foul when I stopped them for speeding after pacing them. One even claimed that by law I had to use a radar, pacing was illegal.
And yes, I'm less inclined to give a break if I see a radar detector in the car.
Yes, Virginia, they do exist.
http://www.stalkerradar.com/spectreIV/redirect.html
http://www.radarbusters.com/rddtestingarticle.cfm
http://www.stalkerradar.com/spectreIV/redirect.html
http://www.radarbusters.com/rddtestingarticle.cfm
riptrack44
Member
My take on this is if you're on a road alone with no other traffic and your going like a demon, a trooper can sit in wait and gun you at his/her leisure thus insuring your demise. On the other hand, if your on a busy road chances are very good the troopers unit is continually on. With a good laser/radar detector you'll be warned before you enter the danger zone. If you're driving like a demon, you WILL be caught. They'll radio ahead if need be...
truckemup97
Member
My Dad got one of those thirty years ago. The city attorney dropped the ticket when Dad asked for a jury trial. I guess a jury trial is just a little costly for a $100 ticket.
And for you guys that get clocked by the bear in the air, consult an attorney first, but I believe they can usually be beaten in court. The officer who observed the behavior is not the officer who wrote the ticket. If the ticket writer is the one who shows up in court, he has nothing to which to testify.
Some states were considering changing rules so that this plan didn't work, so check local laws before you go to court.
Here is a site with a list states and whether radar detectors are illegal or not:
http://www.1stradardetectors.c...ar-detector-laws.php
It turns out that detectors are legal in most states, with the exception of Virginia, but jammers are illegal in many states.
http://www.1stradardetectors.c...ar-detector-laws.php
It turns out that detectors are legal in most states, with the exception of Virginia, but jammers are illegal in many states.
scooter123
Member
I used to have one on my bike, it was a total waste of money. Motorcycles present such a small radar target that I always saw the cop long before he would trigger his instant on. I also got false positives any time I went by any retail store that used radar based door openers.
What I have found that works best is to drive at the median speed of the traffic on the highway. BTW, this is the speed at which you are passed by exactly as many cars ans cars that you pass. Mathematically it's also the safest possible speed to drive because it produces the minimum number of encounters with other vehicles on the highway. Since starting to do this in about 1974, I have NEVER recieved a apeeding ticket on any interstate.
What I have found that works best is to drive at the median speed of the traffic on the highway. BTW, this is the speed at which you are passed by exactly as many cars ans cars that you pass. Mathematically it's also the safest possible speed to drive because it produces the minimum number of encounters with other vehicles on the highway. Since starting to do this in about 1974, I have NEVER recieved a apeeding ticket on any interstate.
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now thats an intelligent,well thought out statement
I'd never heard of that one. I do know there is/was one that defeated lasers though. Lasers are usually aimed at the license plate because it's flat and gives a good return signal. The covers had small prisms inside that reflected the concentrated laser beam while still letting the plate be seen normally. The only problem with them is that the officer would just point it at something else until he got a reading so they weren't worth the money.
Laser/radar detectors can be very effective if you know how to use them. But I prefer the most effective method, don't speed.
BarbC
Member
I find radar detectors annoying because they go off every time you pass a store with an electric eye, an electronic highway sign, and the laser scream goes off when I go through certain toll booths.
I've had plenty of tickets where radar detectors wouldn't work anyway because the local enforcement effort varies so much. You can do 90-95 mph on the NJ Turnpike, up to 80mph on Rte. 84 over here, but don't go over 64mph on Rte. 13 in DE/MD. Trust me on that - it was a $300 learning curve.
I've had plenty of tickets where radar detectors wouldn't work anyway because the local enforcement effort varies so much. You can do 90-95 mph on the NJ Turnpike, up to 80mph on Rte. 84 over here, but don't go over 64mph on Rte. 13 in DE/MD. Trust me on that - it was a $300 learning curve.
I only have a detector for intertainment only. I never bought it thinking I'd escape a speeding ticket. It has a warning if there is an ambulance coming my way, it even sounds like an ambulance, I found that somewhat worth while.
One time the darn thing was going off and on about every half mile, or when I went around a curve in the road or when a car came past me. It took me about 4 miles to figure it out, it was an unmarked state patrol in some beater car behind me. He passed me and I could see the red and blue lights in his back window. Sneaky guy.
One time the darn thing was going off and on about every half mile, or when I went around a curve in the road or when a car came past me. It took me about 4 miles to figure it out, it was an unmarked state patrol in some beater car behind me. He passed me and I could see the red and blue lights in his back window. Sneaky guy.
5Wire
Member
Yup, and it tends to keep you between the clumps of cars when traffic is moderate. I've been doing the same thing for years, myself. No tix.
dovekiller
Member
I was a radar squirrel in the Navy. I couldn't neutralize the radar but I could make him think you were about 800 yds east!
I don't post here anymore, but wanted to after reading this:
I highly suggest that no one take this "advice". The chance of locking your rear wheels while messing around with your parking brake is too great. If you start playing with your rear brakes at freeway speeds to the extent that you slow your car fast enough to make a bit of difference with the cop on the radar or laser, and you accidentally lock them up even for a second at 100+ feet per second, there is a good chance you will be well and truly screwed.
What happens when you lock your rear brakes but not your fronts? THE REAR END SLIDES OUT AND YOU TURN 180 DEGREES LIKE JIM ROCKFORD! Then what happens when you panic and release the rear brakes while you're halfway into your spin at 70mph? Your tires grab and you get rolling friction again and shoot across the median into the minivan carrying a family of 6 and your dumb ass is on the news being charged with manslaughter because it's easy for the crash investigator to tell by the 2 crossed skids you left on the roadway what you did.
If you have to figure this out for yourself instead of taking my word for it, do it in a wet vacant parking lot and not on the road with me or my family around.
Your rear brakes provide about 10-20% of your stopping power depending on whether they're adjusted properly and they're often not. In order to slow the car in any meaningful way at 80mph, even "subtely", you're going to have to apply way more force to your parking brake lever or pedal than is anywhere near safe. Don't be a *******. Stay off your parking brake while your car is in motion.
And this:
Yeah, go ahead and screw around with the braking system on your car and see what it gets you after a serious crash when the retired engineer/expert witnesses go over your braking system. What's a "portioning" valve anyway? Are you maybe thinking of a PROportioning valve?
I've done a lot of traffic stops and I've never had to rely on brake lights going on to tell me if I had the right car with a laser or radar unit. Radar detectors are good at helping to ensure the other guy gets the ticket and not you, as long as you're not the obvious leader of the pack. With instant-on radar and laser, if you're driving out front of the pack and you're speeding, chances are, you're it.
Don't be an idiot and try to beat the RADAR or LIDAR by messing around with your parking brake at 80mph.
I highly suggest that no one take this "advice". The chance of locking your rear wheels while messing around with your parking brake is too great. If you start playing with your rear brakes at freeway speeds to the extent that you slow your car fast enough to make a bit of difference with the cop on the radar or laser, and you accidentally lock them up even for a second at 100+ feet per second, there is a good chance you will be well and truly screwed.
What happens when you lock your rear brakes but not your fronts? THE REAR END SLIDES OUT AND YOU TURN 180 DEGREES LIKE JIM ROCKFORD! Then what happens when you panic and release the rear brakes while you're halfway into your spin at 70mph? Your tires grab and you get rolling friction again and shoot across the median into the minivan carrying a family of 6 and your dumb ass is on the news being charged with manslaughter because it's easy for the crash investigator to tell by the 2 crossed skids you left on the roadway what you did.
If you have to figure this out for yourself instead of taking my word for it, do it in a wet vacant parking lot and not on the road with me or my family around.
Your rear brakes provide about 10-20% of your stopping power depending on whether they're adjusted properly and they're often not. In order to slow the car in any meaningful way at 80mph, even "subtely", you're going to have to apply way more force to your parking brake lever or pedal than is anywhere near safe. Don't be a *******. Stay off your parking brake while your car is in motion.
And this:
Yeah, go ahead and screw around with the braking system on your car and see what it gets you after a serious crash when the retired engineer/expert witnesses go over your braking system. What's a "portioning" valve anyway? Are you maybe thinking of a PROportioning valve?
I've done a lot of traffic stops and I've never had to rely on brake lights going on to tell me if I had the right car with a laser or radar unit. Radar detectors are good at helping to ensure the other guy gets the ticket and not you, as long as you're not the obvious leader of the pack. With instant-on radar and laser, if you're driving out front of the pack and you're speeding, chances are, you're it.
Don't be an idiot and try to beat the RADAR or LIDAR by messing around with your parking brake at 80mph.
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