Radar Detector DOs and DON'Ts

[Lyfisin]

I picked up a V1 a month ago and I've been playing with it a little while trying to get used to what it's trying to tell me. I've had nothing but solid business travel for the last two weeks so my playtime has been limited.

I'm heading to Indy at the end of the month and I'd appreciate any tips or advice the more experienced users have.

When it goes off, assuming you believe the signal is close, do you pretty much just stand on the brakes to get your speed down? If you get pulled over and they see it, what happens? I don't believe they are illegal in any state I will be driving through, but I don't want any hassles. If you get pulled over, do you bother to try and take it down and hide it?

Any advice here at all would be great.

Brook the n00b.

[98Cobra]

Basically, even a detector as sophisticated as the V1 is only a backup for good driving habits. You should still be "scanning" medians, shoulders, obstacles, etc. looking for the occasional speed trap. The V1 is also best, IMO, for routes you drive all the time, because you will get used to it going off in certain places, and get to know how to tell falses from true readings.

My advice would be to set, turn it all the way up, and then just be careful - if it goes over two dots of signal strength, slow it down.

[BC Lightning]

I generally start slowing down when I hear it go off, but if it hits pretty hard I slow down really quickly. If your driving during the day i would still be very cautious cuse I have been hit by laser before, and you will get hit before the V1 even goes off

[L8 APEX]

Turn the Xband off nobody uses that anymore. Certain LED brake lights set off the laser. If it comes instant full strength panic! If it beeps low strength on and off you may be coming up on him over hills and valleys. I have picked them up a few miles ahead where it would go off on top of a hill and go away until the next peak. Highway cops know their game so a speeder is at risk V1 or not. They are illegal in 3-5 states I think.

[Mark #2]

I leave mine on the L setting and if it hits over 2 slow down, if it hits on the laser stop.
Been the leader for FFWs for a few years and no tickets
My first trip with TALON was very different with V1s

[rickgig]

Terry is right on with the LED CHMSL... they are the ones on the GM trucks... my V1 goes off all the time at a stop when someone is directly in front of me in a GM SUV.

You'll get used to the way the V1 reacts... you'll know when it is serious or not. Laser... you could be dead before you know it. Drive safe and play as if you don't even have a detector.

Few weeks ago in Dallas I was heading east on LBJ. Right before I30, which was the exit I was taking... I was in the right hand lane trying to be cool and traffic was just too slow... so I pull out three lanes to pass the slow guys and the laser goes off... not once but twice. First time I hit the brakes and look. About 1/2 mile up is a Garland COP in a Z28. Why he hit me again I have no idea cause I nailed the brakes after the first time. Immediately I pull bake into the right most lane behind a semi and peek to see what the COP is doing... dang, he jumping in his car and moving... it looks like I'm dead. Would have been my first ticket in at least 3 years.

Too bad for the COP that my exit to East I-30 came up before he could pull over enough lanes! Should have seen the look on his fae when I took the exit and there was nothing he could have done.

I did have my son with me who's a former Dallas COP now Army Airborne jump master. Kinda nice to have a peace officer with you in case you need one! :D

[dboat]

all of the above is good advice.. couldnt figure out for the life of me why the laser was going off until I made the connection that a GM SUV was in front of me everytime it happened.. Terry is right about X band, except in Erie,,, can you believe they still use it here.. the boys dont have any money so they have to keep using the same old stuff. Most of the time here, they dont use radar at all.. they just have to keep pace with you...
Dana

[Silver_2000]

My first trip with TALON was very different with V1s

Its different if you are speeding and your fellow drivers call the cops...No need for Radar when you know a pack of trucks are coming at 100+

[gbgary]

instant on radar will get you, no matter what detector you have, if you're out in the middle of nowhere by yourself. try to always run with someone in front of you. they'll get the ticket and you won't.

[DamonH]

Infinity FX's will also set mine off when they are behind you and have cruise control engaged. It's not constant, it just happens every 30 seconds or so. Pretty annoying! :hammer:

[Logan]

Go buy a blinder from Terry and say goodbye to tickets generated by the maroons using Lidar/laser to nab you... Saved my butt countless times...

[WA 2 FST]

Go buy a blinder from Terry and say goodbye to tickets generated by the maroons using Lidar/laser to nab you... Saved my butt countless times...

How does that "look" to an officer checking his radar, though? Do they get a false reading, or do they get no reading? Blinders/jammers are illegal. Sure, most of the time no cop will mess with it, but I don't want to get pulled over and get a bigger ticket.

[SILVER2000SVT]

If you get pulled over, pull the radar detector down. Even though it doesn't make a ton of sense. I've heard of and have seen some officers get really pissed when they see one and often take it as a personal insult.

Even if you did a heavy slow down and you know that the officer knows you were using a detector, it's just a form of respect to not have it right there in the officers face when he comes to your window.

[RUNVS]

For those of you who have an overhead console and haven't already done so, you can wire your radar detector directly into the switched power source for the overhead readout. This will eliminate the need for unsightly cords to the cigarette lighter plug and will also allow you to install your detector behind the tinted eyebrow (out of sight). The detector powers up automatically when the truck is started.

I use a V1 and it has a perfect, unobstructed view both forward and back.

Here's the link for the do-it-yourselfers...... http://home.houston.rr.com/toddandjen/lightning/RDInstall/home.htm

[Tex Arcana]

Turn the Xband off nobody uses that anymore. Certain LED brake lights set off the laser. If it comes instant full strength panic! If it beeps low strength on and off you may be coming up on him over hills and valleys. I have picked them up a few miles ahead where it would go off on top of a hill and go away until the next peak. Highway cops know their game so a speeder is at risk V1 or not. They are illegal in 3-5 states I think.

There are plenty of small towns that use X-band still (Jesephine, TX is one of 'em), so beware turning it off. Also, the brake light alarm is caused by certain GM products that use a neon or cold-cathode (not sure which) CMHSL. THe LED lights will not set off the laser.

The manual tells it all: run it every time you drive, even if you're not speeding. Turn off "Logic" mode, and let it report ALL contacts--this way, you get a feel for what it will detect and how it will report the contacts. Do this on your daily drive, and very soon you learn what's a door opener, or an infrared motion sensor, the CMHLSs on Assalanches, or other non-enforcement radar sources (theres two on LBJ at Marsh that're part of a speed study for that corridor--two X-band guns that only report average traffic speeds, not associated with any law enforcement).

You will also learn about those "motion sensors" they like to put up in construction zones--ostensibly, they're to "prevent theft"; in reality, they are for slowing down radar detector drivers (which is illegal, btw, but the constuction zone excuse allows 'em to do it).

And, of course, cops and their traps. The microwave guns can be picked up even when you can't see them--it's called "scatter", and the V1s excel at catching that. And like Terry said, the laser detect can pick up laser scatter as well; but YMWV, especially if you dive into a trap where the cop's had the gun idle for a while.

Once you get a feel for how it works, go ahead and put it in full "Logic" mode--it will still report all contacts, but will shut down contacts it thinks are "false". It's pretty good at this, and if it thinks it's wrong, it'll let you know tootsweet.

As long as you pay attention, scan the road, and INTERPRET the detector properly, you'll have that thing paid for in about 4 missed tickets. :tu:

once you've gotten a feel for how the detector works

[Tex Arcana]

instant on radar will get you, no matter what detector you have, if you're out in the middle of nowhere by yourself. try to always run with someone in front of you. they'll get the ticket and you won't.

the only thing that will save you will be if he hits it when you're in range, and you get a hit. I followed a state trooper hitting the IO moving radar for an hour, I'd get a little Ka hit, slow down, it'd go awya, rinse, repeat; and it kept getting stronger. Then a real strong hit, and I see brake lites 200yds ahead of me, and I see him pull U after the otehr traffic. V1 for the win.

[Tex Arcana]

Infinity FX's will also set mine off when they are behind you and have cruise control engaged. It's not constant, it just happens every 30 seconds or so. Pretty annoying! :hammer:

What I hate are the idiots running along with those cheap jammers or detectors that are leaking so much they set ME off!! :mad: Usually can't figure it out 'til the mofo passes me and I watch the arrows move around to follow.

[my2002lightning]

Brook,

Just watch the main speet-traps between MI/IL/IN - statelines. :tu:

Ronald

[99WhiteBeast]

Go buy a blinder from Terry and say goodbye to tickets generated by the maroons using Lidar/laser to nab you... Saved my butt countless times...

Ditto-
V1 and blinder combo priceless. This should be everyone's first mod.
Wish I had got in 99.
- tickets before combo (6)
- tickets after combo (0)

[Moonshine]

If you get pulled over, pull the radar detector down.

Respectfully disagree. In Texas a radar detector is perfectly legal, so who cares if there's one hanging on the windshield. However, trying to remove it and stuff it under the seat while being stopped is likely to get your vehicle searched due to your furtive gestures.

[Lyfisin]

Mark - I tried it on the L setting and also the one that looks like a small L. The detector keeps beeping and lighting up even though the dot indicator says that it's receiving signal from like the Ku band (going from memory here) instead. I probably need to read the manual more. Something doesn't seem right there.

Rickgig - Good story. My luck doesn't run like that. :) Also, thanks for the info on tail lights. I wasn't aware of that one at all.

Dana - You're lucky they haven't upgraded there. Sounds like you get to have all the fun and not have to worry about laser.

Gary - I always try to drive so that someone - anyone is going faster than me. The last time I even got pulled over for speeding, I wasn't even doing 10 over but there just weren't many cars on the road I was on.

Wes - My understanding is that the officer gets an "error" message on his detector. By the time he can clear it and do it again, the driver is already aware and has slowed down.

Ken - I had actually taken the console down and looked at those wires. Had I seen this link, I might have installed it that way, but at the time, I was concerned about the small size of the wires in there. Not only was I a little worried about slicing the one I needed, but I was also concerned about messing something up in the console. Since the wires were small, I felt like they were probably not using much current and I felt that there might only be a small fuse supporting that area. I still mounted mine in the same area, but ran the cable up inside the headliner and brought it down the A-pillar. Behind the panel where my left foot is, I found some nice larger cables and ended up splicing into one that apparently stays on until you open the door just like the radio and window controls do. It's very clean looking also. If I had seen your link, I probably would have tried it.

Tex - Didn't know that about other detectors. I'll keep an eye out for that also. That's gotta be really annoying. Why would a laser detector actually emit?! Seems kind of self defeating to me.

Ronald - I know what you mean about those states. I grew up there and they're really sneaky. I've often heard people from different states comment just how bad it is around there.

Steve - Too late for my first mod. I don't know if I plan on speeding enough to justify it. I know your experiences with it have been really good. Those things go between the upper and lower grill right?

Jason and Brian - Not sure what to do here. Most likely it's going to be an individual trooper feeling so it's a no-win for me.

Doug - I think it was you who mentioned turning the clip around and putting the V1 between the visor and the console. There's "just" enough room to stick it there, but the bogey counter window is pretty much hidden from view. Is that the way it is in your L also? I was a little worried about the slightly up angle when mounted this way, but it doesn't seem to have any problems picking up signals from behind.

Again, thanks for all of the great replies. I have no plans on going crazy just because I bought one of these things. My driving habits probably won't change much. Because the L just looks like trouble, I feel like it's going to get noticed more than something like the Jeep or Corolla. I speed more in those things than I do the L just because I "feel" like I'm not going to get caught. Having the V1 in the L will probably just bring me more in line with how I drive them.

Yes, I know the capabilities of the L are wasted on people like me. :tongue:

[BC Lightning]

Like Brian said, I never pull mine down for the sheer fact of him thinking I might be getting a gun, knife, etc, so just leave it up. Plus since I have my CHL and when my plates get run that comes up, me moving around to put my V1 away would be asking for trouble

:ron:
When I have driven my buddy Daniel's L (Unsane's old L) with my V1 and M20 Blinders it has saved him, and me countless laser tickets. The blinders went crazy before the V1 even showed I had been hit. I slowed down, turned them off, then the V1 came on with laser, and I have just had my V1 updated from V1



Steve - Too late for my first mod. I don't know if I plan on speeding enough to justify it. I know your experiences with it have been really good. Those things go between the upper and lower grill right?

His are actually behind his grille, so you can't even see them, been hit 20+ times with lidar/laser and never failed

[Logan]

How does that "look" to an officer checking his radar, though? Do they get a false reading, or do they get no reading? Blinders/jammers are illegal. Sure, most of the time no cop will mess with it, but I don't want to get pulled over and get a bigger ticket.

Radar Jammers = Illegal.

Lidar Jammers = Legal. "Light" is regulated by the FDA, not the FCC. No laws on interfering with a light source...

Certain states have taken steps to explicitly call out Lidar jammers in legislation, but only 1 or 2 have actually done it...

That being said, PO just gets a generic error on his display, which can happen from any number of natural occurrences. Trick to using the Lidar jammer is, when you get hit, slow down reasonably, then turn it off so the PO can get a reading on your speed during his 2nd or 3rd attempt.

By the time he gets a reading, you're doing the speed limit and he's no cause to stop you. If you leave it on, you run the risk of him suspecting he's been jammed or he can just do a visual estimation.

I suppose if he suspected he was being jammed, and he knew what the heck a lidar jammer was and can identify it (Pretty unlikely), well then he could probably charge you with Interfering with Sworn Duties or something nutty, but 99.9 times out of a 100? It's a toss up between a dumb look on their face wondering what's wrong with their gun as you pass by, or it's sheer annoyance because they know you jammed them and they can't be bothered pursuing a charge that would get tossed without so much as a sniffle... Then again, easier just to wait for the next ass speeding down the street and catch him instead... :)

Anyway, my two pennies.

[dboat]

Brook, you are correct on mine, except I do have the M20 laser jammer installed too.. just in case. And I have had cheap radar detectors set off other radar detectors too.. but those are some cheap arse detectors..

Good Luck
Dana

[my2002lightning]

Drive safe, Brook. The Tulsa / St. Louis / Indianapolis I-44 route is probably your best bet.:tu:

The Joplin / Rolla / St. Louis route is a whole-lotta'-nothing, though. :rolleyes:

Ronald

[Lyfisin]

That's typically my route except I don't go through Tulsa. I cut the corner and take the 69 to the 44. It's a day trip.

A long day trip.

[Beaudee]

My last traffic stop,i asked the cop if he wanted my radar detector when he came to the window.I told him it didn't work.He laughed and gave me a warning.:rll:

[DamonH]

Respectfully disagree. In Texas a radar detector is perfectly legal, so who cares if there's one hanging on the windshield. However, trying to remove it and stuff it under the seat while being stopped is likely to get your vehicle searched due to your furtive gestures.

I agree. Secondly, the few times I've been stopped with my detector (I had the stereo too loud and wasn't paying attention :hammer: ) the cops took it more of a laugh. "That thing didn't help you too much did it!? Guess you wasted your money!". I just smiled and keep my mouth shut. In my experience they never take it as an insult, they think they beat it.

[Tex Arcana]

I agree. Secondly, the few times I've been stopped with my detector (I had the stereo too loud and wasn't paying attention :hammer: ) the cops took it more of a laugh. "That thing didn't help you too much did it!? Guess you wasted your money!". I just smiled and keep my mouth shut. In my experience they never take it as an insult, they think they beat it.

Last time I got hit with laser, I was hung out at the front of a pack on Midway, and when I stopped, the cop said "When your detector went off, you were doing 51mph." :rll:

The other times I got tickets recently, the detector never went off; and when I mentioned to the cops that the thing didn't go off, and I wanted to know what mode they used to get my speed, they BOTH *mysteriously* reduced the speed, so the fine and the ticket "would not appear on my insurance". http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/texarcana/SMiles/allnighte.gif

[tiffo60]

Last time I got hit with laser, I was hung out at the front of a pack on Midway, and when I stopped, the cop said "When your detector went off, you were doing 51mph." :rll:

The other times I got tickets recently, the detector never went off; and when I mentioned to the cops that the thing didn't go off, and I wanted to know what mode they used to get my speed, they BOTH *mysteriously* reduced the speed, so the fine and the ticket "would not appear on my insurance". http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v111/texarcana/SMiles/allnighte.gif

i have had a couple tickets where my radar didnt go off and they ended up being paced speeding tickets:flaming: but i got those dropped

[Lyfisin]

i have had a couple tickets where my radar didnt go off and they ended up being paced speeding tickets:flaming: but i got those dropped

How did you get them dropped? Attorney?

[tiffo60]

How did you get them dropped? Attorney?

one of them i used a lawyer and the other one i pretty much called bs and explained the situation, worst case scenario you can ask for them to check the officers speedo for accuracy, and no one's car is right on so that means not an accurate reading, those just do not hold up in court anymore

[microsuck]

How does that "look" to an officer checking his radar, though? Do they get a false reading, or do they get no reading? Blinders/jammers are illegal. Sure, most of the time no cop will mess with it, but I don't want to get pulled over and get a bigger ticket.

If you want to see footage from both ends of the gun, go to www.jasonsvideoproductions.com (http://www.jasonsvideoproductions.com) We shoot alot of videos. My Corvette is in a few of them. Look at the blinder promotion video in the laser videos section.

Also, dont worry about turning them off. Lightnings will "punch through" on average of about 500 feet from the officer. Meaning if you are closer than 500 feet, he has your speed. Unless you have a M40, or he is using an OLD 1st genor 2nd gen LIDAR. A M20 blinder just cant cover up a target that large at close range. My vette with the headlights down and the fog lights remove, and the turn signals removed was the only vehicle that jammed all the way to the gun, and that was on a Prolaser 3. The easiest gun to jam.

http://www.jasonsvideoproductions.com/blinder%20promotion%20low%20quality.wmv
Andrew

[WA 2 FST]

Andrew,

That was a good video and very informative. Here's the potential problem I see with these jamming devices. 1) it has to become VERY obvious to the ossifer that you are using some sort of jammer b/c of the accuracy of the laser. The video shows just how accurate and quick the laser gun gets a reading from one car to the next, even when they are side-by-side. If I was a cop, I'd pull over and inspect the car that gave me no reading. 2) None of my vehicles have front plates, and since they can see this, it just gives them even more reason to pull me over if they can't get a reading.

Now, someone mentioned turning it "off" once the detector goes off...so the cop gets a reading (albeit slower since you slowed down after spotting the officer or hearing the detector go off). This would make sense and seem necessary... otherwise the cop has good reason to stop you and at least inspect the car. I don't know how visible the jammer is.

[microsuck]

Dont expect equivalent results on any average car or truck. They dont work as good as we advertised. They WILL get your speed at some point, its just a issue of at what range. You would be supprised how most cops are so lazy they will just sit there and not care that you were 100 feet away before they got a reading (using a gun thats rated over 2,000 feet range). And alot just assume its the car. The guns we were shooting would vary HIGHLY in distance we could get speeds. Dark cars, no plates = closer range, etc. Be sure to check out the videos where jason just keeps circling back 10 and 20 times back to back, they still dont come after him, and thats just flat ouot asking for trouble.:nono:

[WA 2 FST]

Yeah, I saw some of those... he goes back around 20x within a matter of minutes. You'd think the cop would flag the guy in the S-10 truck/blazer. ;)

[TP Derrick D]

hey I didn't read this whole thread, but whats the difference between the V1 red and V1 blue ? Is it just the screen? There is a $40 difference in price also in magazines. I forgot which was higher.