radar detectors?

My cheap Walmart detector($40) works well because it picks up everything---if you're out in the middle of nowhere and it blips--you know something is up.

Don't be the fastest car on the road--because thats what they'll key on.

If its late at night and you're the only car on the road---do the limit---I've picked up a lot of lasers like that---but I was doing the limit.
 
Around where I live there are a minimum of paved roads and radar is a way of life. It is also used in the National Parks/Monuments around here.

I have V-1 in one car and a Passport X8500 in the other, both work extremely well. If I were to buy a new one it would probably be the V-1 because it will show you the position of the radar.

Win
 
somberbear said:
so help me out again.... we are allowed talk of breaking the speed limit intentionaly. which is an illegal activity? is it ok because its viewed as a trivial offence? that being said.
if you have a need for speed... there are places called race tracks... look into em. or pay your money and collect your points.
Click to expand...

nah its more fun on the street lol.

come on man, i dont know were ya live but in TX on the hiway folks routinely run 10-20 over, thats just the way it is, in my neck of the woods anyway, i dont know that some folks who run 10 or so under arent a hazard due to folks passing them/etc, anyway if ya go with the flow 10-20 over is the norm, i have been going over hills and had them pick me out from a pack of 6-8 cars and ticket me probably due to the car i drive (a vette).
 
It been years since I checked into the latest greatest radar detectors, but when I chose the Valentine 1, one of the main reasons was because it can be upgraded by the manufacturer. Their website has a page where you can run your detector's serial number to see if any upgrades are available... Which reminds me, it's been a while and I oughta check mine. :) Beats buying a new one every few years.

Between that, and not being the fastest on the road (I just follow the obvious speeders about a half mile or so behind ;)), I haven't been pulled over for speeding since I got it, which leads to the other reasons... The V1 is a reliable detector, and you know where to look for the 'threat' with the arrow indicators. I also like the optional 'stealth' readout jack that plugs into the cigarette lighter, allowing the main unit to remain dark while in use.
 
Here in Australia, radar is used as a revenue generator. The well documented stories of improperly set up, maintained poor or non-existent training are frequent. I was recently busted for having a detector. Spent a morning in jail. lost the Passport 8500 and was fined - they don't like people to avoid the special tax - No, I wasn't speeding. The amount of money generated here is enormous. Even a recent poll of the Melbourne police revealed that 90% of them admit that speed radar has nothing to do with safety - it's for revenue.
 
somberbear said:
so help me out again.... we are allowed talk of breaking the speed limit intentionaly. which is an illegal activity? is it ok because its viewed as a trivial offence? that being said.
if you have a need for speed... there are places called race tracks... look into em. or pay your money and collect your points.
Click to expand...
Yes, I admit, I break the speed limit all the time. I have a nice fast car, and speed limits are pure cash windfalls for the government. I don't want to start a debate about speed and safety, suffice it to say that in large parts of Germany (100 km's to my East) there are no speed limits and the number of casualties per 1000 in highway traffic is exactly the same as in Holland.

So I drive as fast as I deem safe, and trust my Stinger DSI to keep me from getting caught. And to hell with the government and their money grubbing schemes. :mad:
 
No traffic study (and there have been dozens) has shown a correlation between vehicle speed and number of accidents, or number of traffic tickets written (indicator of speeding) and number of accidents. Vehicle speed only comes into play in wrecks because the amount of damage is a result of the differential in speed of a vehicle and what it hits. This has been known for years.

While drivers can't be turned loose on the roadways without limits, the penalties for speeding are generally outrageous, and are better described as a tax on driving, although usually a "voluntary" tax because, as has been mentioned here, if you don't speed, you won't have to pay, although I can tell you from personal experience that you can get pulled over when not speeding, especially with radar, which does not, contrary to popular misconception, measure the "closest" car or the "fastest" car, but measures the speed of the vehicle that best reflects the radar signal. So if you are not speeding 100 yards in front of a semi tractor that is, and you run through a trap, you'll possibly have a problem. Operator skill is as important in speed measurement as anything else.

The simple fact is that speeding tickets are a revenue generator. If you've paid a fine, your receipt may show that you've paid into the "law enforcement education fund", "sheriff's retirement fund" "homeless relief fund" or some other hidden charge that has no connection to punishment or deterrence.

If you'd like an "exemption" from paying the voluntary tax, google "Lidatek" for laser help, and go V1 radar. They've worked for me, and you'll need em both to be "tax" free.

Dave
 
Valentine 1.

As for the laser, You can get a jammer that gives you time to react. Also LAsers require work on the Officers part, aiming etc. I rely on their laziness and my detector.

I wouldn't mind tickets, its the years of insurance surcharges.

Paul
 
I've had three radar detectors in the 23 years I've been driving. First was a cheap Cobra model that saved me a couple of times, it was stolen out of my car nine years ago. I bought a $100 Uniden to replace it a year or so later, and then I bought a Valentine 1 about 5 or 6 years ago, used it for less than a year, and sold it, still have the cheap Uniden, I've only used it a couple of times in the last 8 years.

From the time I was 16 until I hit 30, I averaged a speeding ticket every two years or so, I received two tickets while using a detector, one was with instant-on radar when no other cars were around, detector went off, the cop had me. Another time I was nailed with laser, saw the cop, slammed on my brakes, he shot the laser at me as I was decelerating, detector went off, nailed me for 14 mph over.

I received my last two tickets when I was 29 and 30 years old, haven't received one in the 9+ years since. I've been pulled over for speeding 3 or 4 times since then, just received warnings though, age and a clean record have a lot to do with warnings vs a ticket. I have some fast cars (two V8 Mustangs and a turbo Subaru) and I still often do 10-12 mph over the speed limit, but I've found situational awareness trumps a detector about 95% of the time, at least around here where laser is favored by the highway patrol.

If you have to get a detector, I'd recommend a V1, but anymore I tend to stick to an acceptable amount over the speed limit (usually 10 mph), and stay aware of my surroundings, and when I feel the need to go a lot faster, I'll do it on a drag strip, road course, or deserted country road at 3-4am.
 
instant on is something a detector wont help ya with if there is no other traffic, they usually got ya with that, ya gotta be carefull going over hills/etc and keep an eye out, if there is other traffic though ya usually pick them up when they shoot cars ahead of ya.

as far as accidents i havent had one since '89 when a drunk lady ran a red lite and t-boned me, which was clearly her fault, she was drunk, driving on a suspended license, and had no insurance on top of running the red lol, it sure wasnt her day and was close to not being mine, i still have back problems from that wreck, before the wreck i squatted over 450 lbs and dead lifted over 500 lbs, my back put an end to all that, heavy stuff anyway, i used to think folks who complained about bad backs were wussies, did i ever get an eye opener on that lol.

i havent ever been at fault in an accident in my lfe (knock on wood it can happen).

i dont think laser is nearly as common as the other radars(in my neck of the woods, central TX), IIRC laser units are pretty high dollar, the Ka is a lot cheaper and easier to use from what i have heard, i have thought about the license plate covers but since i so rarely come across laser i havent bothered, i dont have a front plate on my vette anyway which is not legal in TX, but i have ran with no front plate on my old '72 Z/28 from '76 to 95 and my vette from '95 to present and have never had them mention it or be pulled over for that, of course after saying that i will get pulled over tomorrow lol, anyway never had problems with it knock on wood ( i better say that lol)
 
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