[rlmesq]

Originally Posted by MisterF80M3

Not necessarily true. In California, especially Bay Area, it is 90% lidar.

But LIDAR isn't RADAR. The L stands for laser.

LIDAR is a gun that has to be stationary when it's used. Many CHP cars still have radar for use while their vehicle is moving and it's always KA band.

Sometimes the car will have radar active while the cops is using LIDAR, so a radar detector can still give you a warning. Unfortunately, when you get a laser alert, it's too late because it only takes a second to get a lock on your vehicle.

My wife got a ticket bringing my car back from the dealer. It has an integrated Beltronics STIR+ detector, which usually gives about a mile of warning... and she said she checked her speed as soon as it sounded. She couldn't understand why the cop caught her... until she mentioned LIDAR and I explained it to her.

[Captain Blood]

Originally Posted by knowthebattle

I don't know....I mean....don't speed in areas where you shouldn't...then you don't have to buy one? Don't drive in a manner that attracts attention and you won't have to worry about getting pulled over. I stopped with the radar detectors awhile ago when I stopped driving like an ass.

I prefer the Vincent Wolf school of thought on driving

The Wolf : Fair enough. Now I drive real fucking fast, so keep up. I get my car back any differently than when I gave it, Monster Joe's gonna be disposing of two bodies.

[m3rock41]

All these are worthless in places where they run laser.

[Teeone]

The topic of this was not laser, it was radar. Why do people keep talking about laser? Make your own post about laser if you would like.

[m3rock41]

ALP is best for laser.

[NewM3driver]

In the last few years we have become dependent an the WAZE app. It is more reliable than any radar detector. Are you guys familiar?

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

In the last few years we have become dependent an the WAZE app. It is more reliable than any radar detector. Are you guys familiar?

Of course. Waze can be helpful but is a complement, not a substitute for a radar detector. You can't expect every road at every time to have a driver up ahead who flags a speed trap just in time for you. There are plenty of times my radar detector went off well before Waze, or when there was no Waze alert at all. Additionally, where I live, there seem to be quite a few "false alarms" from people not knowing how to use Waze (e.g. send in alert when LEO is driving along, going in opposite direction or exiting highway) or the LEO moving and the alert being stale. In my experience, Waze is most helpful on highways where I expect truckers are using / updating it (although neither my previous detector nor Waze did shit for me when I last got a ticket in SC on I-26). Waze is less helpful on county roads or around town where speed traps are periodically set up to nab people going 5 mph over a 40-45 mph limit.

[cvstar9M3]

Interesting discussion; I use Waze too but might jump on R3 soon. Sometimes I forget to set up Waze ad I do mostly city driving and Waze isn't as effective (great on highway though).

[Andyh1]

I have been out of the radar detector scene for a while, so it is interesting to see this post. Remember when Valentine One was king... I even recall reading on Car and Driver a shout out test where the V1 came out on top. of course, this is years back.

[patriotaki]

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a radar detector to avoid speeding tickets.
I'm new to this field and don't know anything about them. I guess I'm looking for a mid-tier detector 100-300euro with a long-range detection and good false alarm detection.

What do I need to know about radar detectors? I'm living in Cyprus and our summers are really hot here, not sure if that affects it.

Are they illegal? what if they stop you and see it?

I will buy only from EUROPE through eBay/Amazon or directly from their website if it's a reputable one

Share as many tips as you can please and the best value for money detector )

thank you

[natahoa]

Originally Posted by patriotaki

Hello,

I'm looking to buy a radar detector to avoid speeding tickets.
I'm new to this field and don't know anything about them. I guess I'm looking for a mid-tier detector 100-300euro with a long-range detection and good false alarm detection.

What do I need to know about radar detectors? I'm living in Cyprus and our summers are really hot here, not sure if that affects it.

Are they illegal? what if they stop you and see it?

I will buy only from EUROPE through eBay/Amazon or directly from their website if it's a reputable one

Share as many tips as you can please and the best value for money detector )

thank you

They are illegal in many European countries, and some states in the US. Do your research before you buy one - you may not be able to use it and the police CAN tell if you have one. Could be a nasty fine.

[Humdizzle]

I have a V1 and a 9500ci. They have both saved me many times, mostly just on highways because in town cops hardly ever run radar here. Best advice I can give though is don't speed too much in town... save it for back roads. lucky for me I can reach those in 5-10 minutes. one of the good parts about living in a more rural area rather than a congested urban one.

[AlpineX]

My V1 is like a trusty dog, wouldn't consider trading it out for anything. I would consider adding a laser jammer, but I've only been hit by laser once in last 50k miles (v1 running about 75% of the time). Best thing for me about a detector is I don't have to guess if a roadside LEO is measuring traffic speed with equipment or not, and the realization that if I do get bonked, I know what speed he has me at.
Has saved my bacon about 3 times in that same mileage where I absolutely would have been cited.

[Hekler]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

If it uses the Telephone jack type then yep.

I had my BEL hardwired and uses the same jack as the Uniden.

I have been considering the Blend Mount. Anyone have this?

I have the blendmout and the R3. Works amazing!!

[Hekler]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

In the last few years we have become dependent an the WAZE app. It is more reliable than any radar detector. Are you guys familiar?

I use occasional but many times no notification. Mr Vortex recommends waze but how has it changed?

[patriotaki]

Whistler GT-468GXi vs Aguri Skyway Pro GTX70

which one is better? i see the whistler says its not detectable

also this site doesn't mention whistler as a good company for radar detectors
https://www.radarwarnsysteme.de/Manu...ml?language=en


https://www.radarwarnsysteme.de/Rada...ml?language=en

https://www.radarwarnsysteme.de/Rada...onal::262.html

[allinon72]

I like all the grandstanding about "driving like an ass" in a 425+ HP car, as if everyone goes the speed limit everywhere.

[Viffermike]

Jeez ...

First: the OP states that Ka band is used by the majority of agencies nationwide. This is true, still to this day. The poster who said 'not necessarily because I live and drive in California' needs to do a little bit of traveling ...

... speaking of which: I've driven 8,600 miles in 28 different states in the past 2.5 months. 80 percent of that was in my Porsche; the other 20 percent (just last week) was in a Challenger R/T. I speed most of the time by 8-10 MPH, and in some places, more than that.

I do not run a detector. I haven't in about 20 years. If you're smart and pick your spots, they're unnecessary except for peace of mind ...

... and that can very easily backfire if you are pulled over because a detector will tip a LEO toward a guaranteed ticket if he were considering a mere warning. How do I know this? LEOs have told me this. Several of them.

To another poster's point: The absolute safest speed is the speed of prevailing traffic. IOW: Do as the locals do. If they're speeding by 20 MPH, do it. If they're not wavering above the speed limit, don't you dare waver, either. Locals will always know better than you, and sure as heck are more trustworthy than any detector.

I understand the allure of a detector and see the utility of one for certain drivers. However, they're not needed to drive quickly. At all.

Also, a tip: if there'a any sort of moisture in the air -- rain, drizzle, fog, even tire wash -- both radar and lidar are absolutely useless. Use that to your advantage.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Also, a tip: if there'a any sort of moisture in the air -- rain, drizzle, fog, even tire wash -- both radar and lidar are absolutely useless. Use that to your advantage.

Where are you getting this information? Pouring rain may affect lidar but that isn’t the time to speed anyway. I’ve gotten tickets in the past in light rain and the Ka band radar was accurate.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Where are you getting this information? Pouring rain may affect lidar but that isn’t the time to speed anyway. I’ve gotten tickets in the past in light rain and the Ka band radar was accurate.

Radar needs clear line of sight, as well as consistent and predictable qualities of substance (i.e., the stuff waves move through) to work properly, not to mention accurately. This is why radar is still effective as a way to measure precipitation.

Thing is, reading anything within the anomalies that represent that precipitation is nearly impossible. This is why radar is useless for, say, being able to tell if hail or tornadoes exist within a precipitation event/return. Once the waveforms are distorted, accuracy goes out the window.

Water droplets of any type exponentially decrease the accuracy of a radar return that is meant, and tuned, to travel through clear air and hit a flat, perpendicular surface. Depending on the heaviness of the precipitation, any speeding ticket received from a radar reading during that precipitation can easily be tossed if the reading is taken from a distance of roughly 1,000 feet.

As for rain not being the time to speed ... modern performance tires perform just as well in the wet as in the dry up to about 85 percent of the limit. If you're driving at 85 percent of the limit on a public road, you're about to crash anyway. As long as you pay attention to what's around you, knowing that most others slow down and are somewhat more unpredictable in the rain, driving quickly is perfectly safe. Just be smart about it.

[Ickdeep]

I've had my R3 for almost a year now and its worth every penny. State patrol and most sheirff's use KA band which the R3 picks up very well from a distance (I used to double guess it because I couldn't see it sure enough, around the turn there was WSP). Speed traps and some local police departments often run K band. But so does Acura/Honda radar for their blindspot so it can get annoying (the R3 displays the frequency so I know if its 24.XXX, its just a blindspot monitor) . The cool thing is that you can program your R3 to just the way you like. I've used this guide to help set up mine: https://www.vortexradar.com/2017/06/...den-r1-and-r3/

[SEA6MT]

I picked up the Uniden R3 after getting a ticket in the mountains. I tried the big suction cup, and the blend mount but think the small double mount is the best placing it way up at the top on the left side of the mirror. It ticks it right out of the way and hides it from view from behind. I’ve set it to strictly Ka and laser so i don’t have any false positives in WA.

It’s already saved me as i was kicking around the area i was lit up with Ka just before getting in a bridge. The Ka kept creeping up on me from behind as no one was in front or the other side. I looked behind and swear someone was driving with their lights off. But anyway i was able to adjust driving parameters based on the Ka warning and continue on.