rikker Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Hi, Have decided it is time to buy one, looking for input and advice. Oh this is mainly for my daily driver not so much the 7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 rikker, Here is a good site to help you make your decesion. http://radartest.com/ Best radar detector is just due the speed limit but that is no fun and when traffic is flowing at a faster speed than the limit just don't be the lead car or the one weaving in an out of the different lanes. Note some states and local juristrictions have laws against the use of radar detectors so make sure you check that out as just having one mounted where the officer can see it can get you an aditional ticket if you get stopped. Posted speed out here in my area on the freeways are anywhere from 55 to 65 but it is rare that you see anyone doing those speeds they are usually doing 60 to 65 in the 55 zones and in the 75 to 80 in the 65 zones but again this is southern Calafornia and everyone is always in a rush to get to the next traffic jam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi7ot Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 If you don't have problems with speed Scameras...Valentine 1. If you have problems with Scameras, get the Escort that allows you to mark the Scamera locations. You get naff-all warning with the Scameras due to their almost perpendicular angle of attack. In Iowa they are hanging behind the large gantrys that carry the Signs and lighting, and they're aimed to get you from the rear. If your route is LIDAR infested, you have no choice but to slow down. Any Radar detector maker that claims LIDAR detection is lying. If you're in the cross hairs and you're speeding...You're tagged. Radar....Net. LIDAR....Sniper rifle. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I almost put a radar jammer on my motorcycle... while it is illegal, I felt the fine for it would probably be similar to the triple digit speed I'd likely get caught for. But I wouldn't loose my license if he couldn't prove how fast I was going. That was my theory anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rikker Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) I almost put a radar jammer on my motorcycle... while it is illegal, I felt the fine for it would probably be similar to the triple digit speed I'd likely get caught for. But I wouldn't loose my license if he couldn't prove how fast I was going. That was my theory anyway. the jammer has always intrigued me... does it work against laser too? So, heres a thought ... I have a jammer installed and well hidden in the car , I blow thru a speed trap and freak out their readouts...I guess I should now flip it off.. do they jump in a car and pull me over as they think I might have an active device on board, then what do they do...can they search my car....hmm, I wonder.... Edited October 23, 2011 by rikker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I highly recommend the Valentine 1. Once you get used to the direction arrows, you will never buy a detector without them. I do agree that if you have a lot of speeed cams etc, the Escort will remember them. I believe the perfect detector would be the V1 with the GPS and upgradeability of the Escort, but they don't make that one yet. I use the V1 in my Se7en, and I have the remote audio box, so I can have the audio output in my left earbud( I only wear the one earbud) I can't hear the warnings without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi7ot Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I highly recommend the Valentine 1. Once you get used to the direction arrows, you will never buy a detector without them. I do agree that if you have a lot of speeed cams etc, the Escort will remember them. I believe the perfect detector would be the V1 with the GPS and upgradeability of the Escort, but they don't make that one yet. I use the V1 in my Se7en, and I have the remote audio box, so I can have the audio output in my left earbud( I only wear the one earbud) I can't hear the warnings without it. I think Valentine have something in the pipeline. If they would incorporate a GPS unit and a little more micro-processing , I'd be all over it. (ie, a mark facility with user input.) The GPS equipped Escort made me reconsider my V1 purchase, but it's too costly to bother switching over at this time. The 7 is a hostile environment for a detector. I get caught in the rain. theft potential. Vibration. Heater matrix in the front glass cuts range. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pureadrenalin Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I have a Cobra, and I love it. Pics up cops with K band at BVR...laser detection is pretty good too, helps in heavy traffic where laser bounces off of cars ahead of me, gives me a few seconds of early warning. The only worry with laser jammers is if they activate a jam-code on the gun. If so, it can be seen as interference with police equipment, and obstruction of justice. They probably could impound your car, and search it if they wanted. Thankfully, with a good traffic lawyer, you can get any ticket wiped out easily and if they did impound and damage your vehicle, probably get it resolved easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Escort has recently come out with a combination radar detector and GPS navigation unit. It has all the features of the Escort 9500 plus it looks like a GPS screen rather than a radar detector. I was tempted to buy one when I traded in my dead Escort 8500 but since I already have two GPS's that I rarely use I went with the 9500. I really like its ability to store locations of false alarms. The interstate here has lots of traffic control speed sensing radars along its route that aren't a threat but really annoying as they set off a detector every few miles going through the Denver metro area. It also warns me of red light cameras as well as speed cameras. I can live without directional arrows, a threat warning is just that, and I act accordingly. It doesn't matter whether the threat is in front or behind me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi7ot Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Funny thing about the arrows. on both valentines I have owned, I have blocked the arrow lights except the tip of the forward arrow. I find all the lights on the thing to be a bit OTT. If the thing beeps, I heed it. with just the tip exposed, you can tell pretty much what direction the threat is from. I read in USA Today last night that Escort is coming out with a cheapish gadget which will call your phone to let you know of speed radar measurement.....:smilielol5: another driving distraction, methinks. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danilo Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Mid 70's.. I had an Escort detector fitted ino my Alfa. Armed with advertised imunity...within weeks I had accumulated enough tickets to be in danger of losing my license. Last ticket was aquired with my stupid 'Escort Gizmo' being signal erratic and the officer seeing and laughing at the thing. Immediately dumped the troublesome item in the trashbin. Yes "new and improved" these days.. But LIDAR is 99% universal too :-) Even if only due to health issues for Police officers using the older tech gizmos. No detector forces one to use ones' intelligence about speeding, which is FAR more effective in my experiences. YMMV though . Edited October 25, 2011 by danilo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiBirkin Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I have had a beltronics STI for a few years now and it's a really good detector on par with the valentine V1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Another nice feature of the Escort 9500 is when it detects a threat it displays my current speed on its readout. It also has a voice message telling me what band has been detected. I started using detectors back when the Escort was a large black box clipped to the sunvisor. It saved me a ticket the first day and countless tickets since then. I don't feel comfortable driving without a detector. I am still alert to situations where an instant on radar may be lurking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusaNostra Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 the best of the best can't beat this one http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8457/fuzzbuster.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboeric Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 the best of the best can't beat this one I had one of those, back when the dinosaurs roamed the cooling earth. Given the high powered, always-on radar of the day, it was pretty close to immunity, if you weren't an idiot. You'd get warning from miles away. Currently I have an Escort 9500 also, which is excellent. The ability to lock out falses is really nice and it does find traps in the locked out locations. We don't have much laser around here, so it is good protection. My experience with laser is that if they shoot you, you're dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danilo Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 I had one of those, back when the dinosaurs roamed the cooling earth. Given the high powered, always-on radar of the day, it was pretty close to immunity, if you weren't an idiot. You'd get warning from miles away. Possibly true on the Hiway... dunno. In the city it was worse than useless. Pedigree aside, Mine had Spurious signals every couple of blocks and even the Radar Sweep from the Airport would set it off like a metronome. Last event that caused me to dump the crappy thing was a radar trap on a 2 block medium slope hill .. in the rain :-) Effing 'Escort' didn't even light up. In urban uses.. going over the speed limit was usually 10/15 mph 'above'. Nostalgia is 99% selective memory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboeric Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Nostalgia is 99% selective memory No. It's living 400 km from the nearest big city and 25 km from any town at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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