davedog Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 I'm not one to speed, but I always thought having a radar detector would be neat to have, just to be informed about whats going on. I just received one as an early Christmas present....I'm not really here to find out about which one is the best, or X-Brand does this, and X-brand does that....just want to know some general info. I will be driving through Virginia on my trip, where they are agaist the law, should I unplug it and hide it?? Or only take it down if I get pulled over? Do they pull people over for having them if your not speeding? Can they really detect mine (it's supposed to be invisablte several different detector-detectors). Can and do cops run radar while they are driving? Sorry for these stupid questions, I'm new to this, and like I said, I rarely find myself speeding (just isn't worth it), and I don't plan on it now, but I would like to know a little about this before my 600 mile trip tomorrow. THANKS -dave Crystal Red Tintcoat Exterior | Shale/Brownstone Interior | 32k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 I think Police do / can run radar while moving. Beltronics says at http://www.beltronics.com/detector-faq.html that there is a new type of detector detector that detects most units. One site quoted this as the Virginia law: 46.2-1079. Radar detectors "A. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle on the highways of the Commonwealth when such vehicle is equipped with any device or mechanism, passive or active, to detect or purposefully interfere with or diminish the measurement capabilities of any radar, laser, or other device or mechanism employed by law-enforcement personnel to measure the speed of motor vehicles on the highways of the Commonwealth for law-enforcement purposes. It shall be unlawful to use any such device or mechanism on any such motor vehicle on the highways. It shall be unlawful to sell any such device or mechanism in the Commonwealth. However, provisions of this section shall not apply to any receiver of radio waves utilized for lawful purposes to receive any signal from a frequency lawfully licensed by any state or federal agency. "This section shall not be construed to authorize the forfeiture to the Commonwealth of any such device or mechanism. Any such device or mechanism may be taken by the arresting officer if needed as evidence, and, when no longer needed, shall be returned to the person charged with a violation of this section, or at that person's request, and his expense, mailed to an address specified by him. Any unclaimed devices may be destroyed on court order after six months have elapsed from the final date for filing an appeal. "Except as provided in subsection B of this section, the presence of any such prohibited device or mechanism in or on a motor vehicle on the highways of the Commonwealth shall constitute prima facie evidence of the violation of this section. The Commonwealth need not prove that the device or mechanism in question was in an operative condition or being operated." but most people seem to feel that if it is in the trunk, and so not accessible to the driver or passengers then it is put away enough. The law does not say that though. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Cops do run radar while moving and can clock your speed. They can't use laser while driving. I'd just take it down and put it in the glove box while you pass through Virginia just to be safe. I don't think that I'd stop at each end of Virginia to stow/retrive it from the trunk. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 I'm so used to have my radar detector on that I use it even for short trips from Staten Island to Brooklyn and back. I can't say that I always speeding, but I feel safier. And I remember how it saved my *smurf* when I was cruising upstate and cop was driving towards me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theGman Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 The Va. State Police has new VG3 / Spectre detectors, which will detect all the new units, which advertise themselves as VG2 immune. If you do use your detector in Va., and you are on the interstates where most the State Police are usually, it's best to turn off the unit after getting a hit. making it harder to be pinpointed. The VG3 detectors give off a lot of false alarms, so you would probably be safe in a crowd of cars. Also, the better detectors are easier for the State boys to pinpoint, since they don't emit a spray signal, as they are well shielded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 They're good in helping you to stay alert on the long drives and let you know if you're being "tagged". I like mine because it lets me know when those flashing warning signs are coming up. Definitely a useful tool on the road. If you're not a speeder then most detectors out there will do the job. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredster Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Well.... don't "rely" on the radar detector. I just got a speeding ticket this morning... 65 in a 40. Yes, I know, shame on me. But it was 5:00 am with LIGHT traffic and my speed got away from me (as it can do in an STS.) Anyhow, the cop came up from behind and "paced" me. NO radar! He simply snuck up on me and saw how fast I was going compared to his speed! Honestly, he seemed to have come from nowhere. OUCH!!!! BUT, it simply would be crazy to speed on the interstate without a radar detector. And 70 mph is SLOW!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67coupedeville Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I am a huge believer in my radar detector. It has saved me more times than failed me. It knows about two miles before if the highway patrol has their radar on. Only once the cop had "flipped on" his radar when he was roughly 20 feet in front of me going the other direction. I was doing 120 km/h in a 100 km/h, he simply flipped on his cherries and pointed down and kept on his way, wooooo got me there. But in 4 years of having one, that's the only close call I've ever had. Yes they sure can "clock" you as they drive. In some places it is illegal to have a radar detector in your vehicle (Manitoba Canada for instince), but there are many undetectable radar detectors today you can buy that mount at various points in the vehicle and just put a bank of lights that look like indicator lights on your dash. Gotta keep , shhhhh my radar detector is going off . BTW I have a Uniden, digital display and compass. Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted tcb Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I prefer speeding the traditional way... find a fast moving car to stay ahead of you, and then just watch your back door via the rear mirror .... if anyone approaches from the rear at a faster speed than your own, its probably a cruiser, or a quicker car who becomes your new pace vehicle. A few years ago, I was driving 160klm/hr in an 80 zone, pouring rain, no traffic .... and my detector bleeped once. I nailed the brakes, and saw headlights going in the opposite direction ... I figured it was just moving radar. I had braked and slown to about 100klm/hr, drove that way for a couple of minutes, and then climbed back up to about 160. Sure enough, the detector bleeped again, I nailed my brakes and hid the detector down my shirt .... in Ontario, detectors are illegal, and the police can search the car but not the person .... or not, I wasn't in a gambling mood. Anyway, nothing but blackness behind me for a few minutes at 100klm/hr, and then the cherries lit up in my rearview mirror .... nuts! I pulled over, and the officer approached my driver's window .... I lowered it, and he peered in with water pouring off the brim of his hat. He requested my, "drivers licence, ownership, proof of insurance, and radar detection device". I slowly handed him the first three items, looked at him ( he was soaking wet ), reached into my shirt and handed him my radar detector. He appreciated the gesture, and waived the speeding ticket, which amounted to dangerous driving and points, He told me he could've impounded my car and peformed a thorough search for the detector had I resisted. How did he catch me ... apparently, I flew by him at 80 over the limit, he pulled the trigger on his radar gun, and my tailights lit up like a Xmas tree in the night, then I slowed down. Two klm up the highway, I took off again, he pulled the trigger, my lights lit up, and I was toast. I swallowed the fine, and never replaced the detector ... I now have kids of my own, and drive a hell of a lot safer, driving defensively rather than aggresively .... Merry Christmas to All and safe holiday driving! 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadillacjeff7777 Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I hated radar detectors. They always seemed to be giving me false alarms and annoying me. As far as Virgina goes, if you are an out of stater, they will pull you over after detecting the detector, and tell you to unplug it and remove it from your dash. They will also keep record of that and if you are pulled over again for the same thing, they will take the device. It is much easier to just turn it off, take it down, and follow the laws. Remember, if you are not speeding, there is absolutly no use for the detector to be in use. That is kind of the rule that I follow...once in a while, I will open it up, but for the most part, I will keep myself within reason. 2008 DTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob D Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I started using them again after a recent windfall...While I was at SEMA I stopped by the area displaying that sort of technology and got into a friendly debate with the sales and marketing manager of a particular brand. (I know a few things about the technology..) Anyway, the subject was a new model that they claim jams (passively) as well as detects all radar and laser from 360 degrees....Ok sure...Well, I ended up going home with two of them for 100 bucks..Why not??!! To date (it's been six weeks) the thing has worked remarkably well, with little false reporting. It has saved me and and my wife's bacon a number of times. Not that we're big speeders, but out here in California if your on the open freeway you better be doing at least 75, or you'll get eaten alive. The CHP's weed out whoever they choose. The key is to know when your being 'painted'. So far these detectors have lit up(and talked) giving us plenty of advance notice, and we've watched someone else get pulled over in front, behind and from side streets (in town) every time... Not bad for fifty bucks...(when it retails for $349.95) So far, I managed to get ten more units for $100 each and pass them around to family and friends. (That deal is over, BTW) The real 'acid test' is coming when my buddy that went to SEMA with me and got one too, (who is a Captain in the Sheriffs dept.) gets a radio patrol car next week, and we do a run, testing the 'jammer'. We're going out on some back roads first, then in traffic to test all it's claims. We'll be talking on cell phones while the chase ensues..... The claim is it works passively with a 'modulated feedback chirp' that causes the radar gun to go to normal reset mode, and need to be re-zeroed. This is a standard default action for the guns, so no suspicion is created. The cop just resets it, and points it at the next guy. By that time, you've realized you been detected, slowed down, and the cop has gone on to the next guy...Sounds good...we'll see. '93 STS.. opened, dropped, wide...fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldgamer Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 The best thing you can do is to just drive normally with the detector to get used to what it is telling you. Detectors speak a language of their own so you really need to get used to it. Radar can be used from moving cop cars. Radar is also "instant on" in many cases making a detector virtually useless. Keep that in mind. No detector is a license to speed. It is just another piece of information. Learn your detector and its quirks and it can save you on occasion but it is certainly no gurantee agianst speeding tickets. I would turn it off and put it in the glove box in Virginia. That is what I do when driving thru there. Just not worth the hassle to get stopped with one.... I'm agree that detector can't gurantee against speed tickets if you just don't know how to use it. "Radar is also "instant on" in many cases making a detector virtually useless." If radar is "instant on" it's actually gives you a plenty of time to slow down. It's always better follow behind of another speeding car. In that case you can detect laser pointed to that car and have a chance. If you cruising alone and no cars ahead of you, you have no chance against laser, but fortunately cops use laser not so often like other rays. Talking about false alarms... it is not big deal if detector has some logic modes to take care of it. Now I use Valentine One and it gives me minimum false alarms with a logic mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxed45 Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I started using them again after a recent windfall...While I was at SEMA I stopped by the area displaying that sort of technology and got into a friendly debate with the sales and marketing manager of a particular brand. (I know a few things about the technology..) Anyway, the subject was a new model that they claim jams (passively) as well as detects all radar and laser from 360 degrees....Ok sure...Well, I ended up going home with two of them for 100 bucks..Why not??!! To date (it's been six weeks) the thing has worked remarkably well, with little false reporting. It has saved me and and my wife's bacon a number of times. Not that we're big speeders, but out here in California if your on the open freeway you better be doing at least 75, or you'll get eaten alive. The CHP's weed out whoever they choose. The key is to know when your being 'painted'. So far these detectors have lit up(and talked) giving us plenty of advance notice, and we've watched someone else get pulled over in front, behind and from side streets (in town) every time... Not bad for fifty bucks...(when it retails for $349.95) So far, I managed to get ten more units for $100 each and pass them around to family and friends. (That deal is over, BTW) The real 'acid test' is coming when my buddy that went to SEMA with me and got one too, (who is a Captain in the Sheriffs dept.) gets a radio patrol car next week, and we do a run, testing the 'jammer'. We're going out on some back roads first, then in traffic to test all it's claims. We'll be talking on cell phones while the chase ensues..... The claim is it works passively with a 'modulated feedback chirp' that causes the radar gun to go to normal reset mode, and need to be re-zeroed. This is a standard default action for the guns, so no suspicion is created. The cop just resets it, and points it at the next guy. By that time, you've realized you been detected, slowed down, and the cop has gone on to the next guy...Sounds good...we'll see. What model is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob D Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 I started using them again after a recent windfall...While I was at SEMA I stopped by the area displaying that sort of technology and got into a friendly debate with the sales and marketing manager of a particular brand. (I know a few things about the technology..) Anyway, the subject was a new model that they claim jams (passively) as well as detects all radar and laser from 360 degrees....Ok sure...Well, I ended up going home with two of them for 100 bucks..Why not??!! To date (it's been six weeks) the thing has worked remarkably well, with little false reporting. It has saved me and and my wife's bacon a number of times. Not that we're big speeders, but out here in California if your on the open freeway you better be doing at least 75, or you'll get eaten alive. The CHP's weed out whoever they choose. The key is to know when your being 'painted'. So far these detectors have lit up(and talked) giving us plenty of advance notice, and we've watched someone else get pulled over in front, behind and from side streets (in town) every time... Not bad for fifty bucks...(when it retails for $349.95) So far, I managed to get ten more units for $100 each and pass them around to family and friends. (That deal is over, BTW) The real 'acid test' is coming when my buddy that went to SEMA with me and got one too, (who is a Captain in the Sheriffs dept.) gets a radio patrol car next week, and we do a run, testing the 'jammer'. We're going out on some back roads first, then in traffic to test all it's claims. We'll be talking on cell phones while the chase ensues..... The claim is it works passively with a 'modulated feedback chirp' that causes the radar gun to go to normal reset mode, and need to be re-zeroed. This is a standard default action for the guns, so no suspicion is created. The cop just resets it, and points it at the next guy. By that time, you've realized you been detected, slowed down, and the cop has gone on to the next guy...Sounds good...we'll see. What model is this? "RMR C450" made by Rocky Mountain Radar. I realize they didn't have the best reputation in the past for meeting all their claims (few do. with the exception of Valentine One..) but, for the price, how could I go wrong? It's their latest model, and so far I, and some friends are fairly impressed with the detection mode.The real test will be when we do some runs with the radar car. I'm not pitchin' for them by any stretch, but I may have seen this model on e-bay for 100 bucks. Would I pay that at this point?...Probably would, but not more. '93 STS.. opened, dropped, wide...fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Bob, Please post your results when you test this device. A few years back, my Uncle bought one of the Rocky Mountain jammers. He had a friend who is a cop and they tested it and the radar gun always gave the true speed of the STS....... There is now a POP radar that is much faster than ordinary instant on radar. The radar gun can emit and receive the radar signal in less time that it takes a detector to detect the radar. The end result is that the cop will have your speed and the detector will not alert the driver. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob D Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Bob, Please post your results when you test this device. A few years back, my Uncle bought one of the Rocky Mountain jammers. He had a friend who is a cop and they tested it and the radar gun always gave the true speed of the STS....... There is now a POP radar that is much faster than ordinary instant on radar. The radar gun can emit and receive the radar signal in less time that it takes a detector to detect the radar. The end result is that the cop will have your speed and the detector will not alert the driver. Will do, Kevin. The hard part is getting one of three cars they have equipped for radar, but we will make it happen. Btw, RMR claims this unit is highly effective against POP too... We'll see... '93 STS.. opened, dropped, wide...fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.