Radar detectors...Opinions?

[brutus450]

Don't waste your money on a radar detector. As a past law enforcement officer, I can tell you that they simply don't work. Most agencies are going to laser which has pin point accuracy and only produces a signal that a detector will pick up for a second while the target is being tracked. Same with conventional radar. The officer observes a vehicle that he/she believes to be exceeding the speed limit, makes a visual estimate and verifies that with the speed measuring device. As a rule of thumb, an officer that stops a violator for speeding and sees a radar detector is substantially less inclined to give a warning than to someone who doesn't have one. Oh and in Pennsylvania, only Troopers use radar. All municipal law enforcement agencies use VASCAR, which is a fancy stop watch that gives no signal at all.
Ride safe.

uhhhh maybe..............but I can tell you from being a past speeder and avid user of a radar detector, they DO work, IF you know how to use them correctly. YOu just cant speed along solo and expect it to always save you. Speeding with a detector is a technique.

easy example: If you are riding with other vehicles in front of you and THEY get "lasered" a good detector will pick up that signal and give you a moment to slow down before YOU get "lasered". Trust me, it works.

MANY other tricks to speeding with a radar detector and not getting stopped but I would be typing all day

I cant tell you how many times mine has saved me from gettin stopped.

 

[tweeder]

I agree with Brutus, as I also have used that technique. I currently use the RMR-C435 with scrambler and have had no tickets in the past 2 years, not that i've had plenty of chances to get em as I usually only do 10 above the limit unless passing. I know this works as I was going through a speed trap in a school zone(doing the limit) and I was warned by the detector. As passed buy the cop, he was looking back and forth between the row ov vehicles and the gun with a puzzled look on his face. At that point I pulled the plug on the detector and carried on my way. Silly cop... doughnuts are for kids.

 

[dave01]

Don't waste your money on a radar detector. As a past law enforcement officer, I can tell you that they simply don't work. Most agencies are going to laser which has pin point accuracy and only produces a signal that a detector will pick up for a second while the target is being tracked. Same with conventional radar. The officer observes a vehicle that he/she believes to be exceeding the speed limit, makes a visual estimate and verifies that with the speed measuring device. As a rule of thumb, an officer that stops a violator for speeding and sees a radar detector is substantially less inclined to give a warning than to someone who doesn't have one. Oh and in Pennsylvania, only Troopers use radar. All municipal law enforcement agencies use VASCAR, which is a fancy stop watch that gives no signal at all.
Ride safe.

4 times today my TPX went off and I saw the radar car on each of them.:clap::clap::clap: That means it might have paid for itself in one day. Not that I speed, but the limits change on the roads here like from 70 to 60 to 45 within a mile area. If you miss the sign, oh well.:yikes::yikes:

 

[rick.rutel]

Jammers don't work at all. They did a whole hour on Myth Busters on ways to defeat speed measuring devices. Nothing but luck and paying close attention to what's happening around you make a difference, other than staying within a reasonable speed of the actual limit. Keep in mind too that RADAR works not only stationary, but moving opposite direction and same direction. Say a motor cop is approaching you from the opposite direction a block away, you'll never know he's there until a). he passes you or b). makes a U turn to pay a visit. With instant on RADAR you won't stand a chance on anything but a multi-lane highway with lots of traffic and then again, if it's laser, all bets are off. Despite hear say, both RADAR and laser work in rain, fog and snow. The only limitations are visibility of the operator using it and range decreased.

 

[cwhcwh]

Left myself wide open for the donut attack, good one. :spyder::joke:

 

[Tom in NM]

uhhhhh . . .

. . . . how about not speeding?

I have. I probably will again. But, I try not to.

I have gotten a few tickets. Some deserved and on reflection, appreciated. A couple cases, I felt it was dangerous for the ticketing officer and felt foolish for putting them at risk.
A couple of tickets were not deserved - and were dismissed in court.

Having grown up around Body Shops, I have just seen what speed can do. To me it is not a "game" of tickets. The stakes are much higher than that.

Tom

 

[BumbleBee]

Don't waste your money. Watch your speed :2thumbs:

 

[cwhcwh]

Don't waste your money. Watch your speed :2thumbs:

:agree: and stay away from donuts

 

[dave01]

I average 5mph over to stay out of the pack of cars. i tried running slower, but they tailgate too much. If nothing else, the radar detector looks cool and makes all kinds of neat sounds...LOL

We did a comparison with my MC group last year. One major bridge here, posted speed 65. Average speed with local law enforcement clocking the cars, in 4 hours 71 mph. And this was at 7pm, just after rush hour ended.

 

[boborgera]

Dont waste your money, by the time you know Im there I got you locked in.

The best thing to use is a get out of jall card that all the cop's give to Girlfriend's, Wife's, Friend's, Family.[ Don't ask me how i know]

 

[docdoru]

 

[SpyderRider2492]

. . . . how about not speeding?

I have. I probably will again. But, I try not to.

I have gotten a few tickets. Some deserved and on reflection, appreciated. A couple cases, I felt it was dangerous for the ticketing officer and felt foolish for putting them at risk.
A couple of tickets were not deserved - and were dismissed in court.

Having grown up around Body Shops, I have just seen what speed can do. To me it is not a "game" of tickets. The stakes are much higher than that.

Tom

Nice quote, re how about not speeding, I know we have all done it me included but these days when alone on the road I usually travel at about 5 MPH over the posted speed limit (except for schools which if anything I ride at below the posted limit as it appears that children are not taugh anything about road safty and just amble into the road without looking) and when I am in the regular flow of traffic, say on a highway, I usually keep up with the flow or else risk getting hit from the rear. Its far easier than to pin your hopes on a detector as technology is always changing and todays machine is outdated so quickly as we get more advanced in our use of electronics.