What radar/laser detectors do you use?

[michaelahess]

It was a whistler, not sure what model, this was around 10-12 years ago so I'm sure they've come a long way!

[Dkittrell]

What about the 9500

[mpicher]

Go back to page 1... 9500 ix kicks a$$. Great distance, gps, etc... Get 1.

[Dkittrell]

Honestly I looked at page 1 , I've looked at different radars and I have no idea what I'm looking at lol. You can tell me the $99 special is the best and I would believe you, from the research I've done a lot of people like the 9500 so I'll prob go that route but I was concerned about if these are legal. Also how are you mounting them in the frs as the cig. Lighter is in the center , I can run the wires under that's no biggie but I don't really want a thick cord going across my windshield . I was looking at possibly mounting it right above my right leg under the dash but not sure how well it can be used being not in perfect sight

[Rossman]

Originally Posted by michaelahess

BTW, laser detectors are useless, if a laser hits you, it's already returned to the source, you're busted.

While true, that one company (AntiLaser?) has a "parking sensor system" that will defeat laser speed guns (allegedly)

I don't use a radar detector because it's not worth the stress of having to be constantly vigilant. Here in Ontario the first tier speed fine is "up to 15km/h over the posted limit" and it's simply a fine with no demerit points. So I usually stick within that, hasn't failed me yet! The cops don't generally pull you over for the small speeding fines, seems to me.

The next tier up (16km/h - 29km/h over posted), you could probably argue down to the first tier if you went to court to cut a deal, and if you were on the 401 or some major highway...wouldn't bet that would fly in a school zone for example.

[Rossman]

Originally Posted by Dkittrell

Honestly I looked at page 1 , I've looked at different radars and I have no idea what I'm looking at lol. You can tell me the $99 special is the best and I would believe you, from the research I've done a lot of people like the 9500 so I'll prob go that route but I was concerned about if these are legal. Also how are you mounting them in the frs as the cig. Lighter is in the center , I can run the wires under that's no biggie but I don't really want a thick cord going across my windshield . I was looking at possibly mounting it right above my right leg under the dash but not sure how well it can be used being not in perfect sight

Pretty sure you want it up nice and high with a clear view. There's a second 12V outlet, I think in the glove box, that might better suit?

[OrbitalEllipses]

From what I understand, the only way to "defeat" laser is to catch the signal off someone else's car and then use your jammers (Blinder MX, etc.) in a "Jam-Then-Kill" (JTK) strategy to jam the signal until you slow down. At that point, you allow the LEO to get an accurate low-speed reading.

[civicdrivr]

Originally Posted by michaelahess

Most (if not all) detectors don't have the range of a radar gun from what I've heard so basically they are only good for very hilly terrain and when in town going around a lot of corners, they catch reflections to give you a heads up.

I used to use them, never got any real benefit from them, but then again I never go more than 5-10mph over the limit out of town, and always within 5 in town. Unless it's going with the speed of traffic in a bigger city. In which case it's a moot point anywhere.

They are an unneeded cost that just pisses off the cops if they do pull you over and see it, legal or otherwise.

Quite a few troopers (in this area and surrounding states) run radar as they drive down the highway, and I've been able to pick them up from up to a half mile away. I've had that happen in Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Jersey troopers tend to be 50/50 on instant-on radar.

I do agree that they will piss off cops if they pull you over while you have it in the window. Theres an easy fix for that though - hide it.

[civicdrivr]

Originally Posted by Dkittrell

Honestly I looked at page 1 , I've looked at different radars and I have no idea what I'm looking at lol. You can tell me the $99 special is the best and I would believe you, from the research I've done a lot of people like the 9500 so I'll prob go that route but I was concerned about if these are legal. Also how are you mounting them in the frs as the cig. Lighter is in the center , I can run the wires under that's no biggie but I don't really want a thick cord going across my windshield . I was looking at possibly mounting it right above my right leg under the dash but not sure how well it can be used being not in perfect sight

Whichever detector you get, just get an add-a-fuse and hardwire it into the car so you dont have to worry about power outlets.

If you get a good detector, mounting it high with a clear view is mainly for laser. You can hide it in, say....a headrest. and you will still pick up radar. But doing that defeats the laser "detection". Thats where blinders and shifters come into play.

[viper_driver]

I have a V1. Pretty sure it's the oldest piece of electronics that I own. Had it for 14 years now with near constant use and it's still as perfect and useful as the day I bought it.

No way anyone could ever convince me I'd have been better off buying a competitor.

[eriktherod]

Dkittrell, the 9500ix is great, good detection range and is very 'user-friendly'. The best part is that it 'learns' your daily commute and starts ignoring the false alerts (from automatic doors, etc) once you encounter them a few times at the same location via GPS. So after a week or less, you'll notice your daily drive is completely silent except for REAL alerts. It's great because the worst thing you can do is ignore your RD and that tends to happen over time with the other detectors and false alerts.

Someone else mentioned the 8500, which I would say is great but make sure you get one that's a X50 revision model. Those are still fairly common so it shouldn't be difficult, and it will say on the detector so it's not hard to tell. You'll want to mount it so that it has an unobstructed view out the front windshield. Higher is better typically, and also keeps it out of the view of thieves.

For wiring, you can get the Add-A-Circuit kit from your local auto store which plugs into the fuse box. You'll want to look into the owner's manual of what fuses are what, I'd tap into one that's only on during ignition so you don't run your battery down. You can ground it to any part of the chassis, there's usually a bolt under there somewhere you can place a washer on and get a good ground. Using the Escort DirectWire kit, you can then connect that to your newly added circuit and route it through the A-pillar and up on top of the windshield.

If that sounds like too much work for you, you could get a phone-jack coupler and a long phone cord and run the wire from the 12V outlet in the glove-box up the A-pillar to the top of the windshield where your detector is. The reason I say get a coupler and extra wire is the one that comes with the Escort is coiled and not very... workable. Using the coupler you can just keep the coiled part in the glove box and route the straight extension wire to the detector instead.

[markmatley]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

From what I understand, the only way to "defeat" laser is to catch the signal off someone else's car and then use your jammers (Blinder MX, etc.) in a "Jam-Then-Kill" (JTK) strategy to jam the signal until you slow down. At that point, you allow the LEO to get an accurate low-speed reading.

Officers are usually trained to aim at the license plate, and because laser guns use a line source that doesn't scatter much, theres a low chance you'll catch the signal off another car. Its either on your car, or its not.

The way to jam the laser signal is to return a "slower" laser pulse back that "fools" the laser gun into thinking that you're actually going slower. Most laser jammers also send out a signal when they detect a laser pulse to give an error code on the laser gun end (this is that JTK strategy you're referring to). By the time the officer resets his laser gun, you can then appropriately slow down (while turning off your jammer so the officer doesn't get suspicious).

The trick is retarding the laser pulse back to the laser gun..or to increase the timing resulting in the officer thinking you're driving at an unbelievable speed.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Thanks for the correction! Now to afford a 9500ix and a full coverage Blinder MX setup...

[mines13]

The wider "cone" of the 8500 and slightly quicker response time sold me on the 8500 over the 9500. I REALLY wanted the 9500 but the user reports on the Escort radar forums were not super impressed with it, other then the filtering advantage. YMMV