Best Radar Detector

I'll throw out my less popular opinion. I have used many radar detectors, including a couple fairly high end ones. They all give lots of false positives, and after a while they just become an annoying noise maker that I try to ignore...and once you start ignoring it, it becomes useless.

Now add in the fact that most officers flash them on when they see you, and you have very little reaction time the few times you get a real signal (if you didn't ignore it after a hundred false positives).

If they ever come up with a detector that can go more than 60 seconds without going off for no reason, I might try another some day.

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I seem to remember a post where someone mounted the radar detector under the headlight in a waterproof box and painted the box black. Anyone remember that?

iride said:

He also said there is no warning tickets to anyone with a radar detector on the dash

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Since you got pulled over, you're probably getting a ticket anyway (well, I would be getting one). So my philosophy is that I might as well invest in the best RD I can afford, make it visible/audible and then use it properly. If someone is buying a RD because they cruise at 5 over, they're wasting thier cash. RD's are more for the '15-40' over the limit crowd. And before I get flamed for 40 over, it happens. At 40 over, the RD is the difference between big problems or a simple ticket.

I am surprised to read this thread, not about the use of detectors but the fact that the LEO deparments in the US are still using radar as a method of speed detection.

In the UK radar is old technology and most if not all of the Police areas are now using lasers as the preferred method of detection.

Some across here have started to fit laser jammers to thier vehicles which if caught being used have resulted in bikes and cars being siezed by the relevant authorities and the jammer removed as evidence in court proceedings.

What folk over here don't realise is that if a speed of your vehicle is not recorded,(even if you are not speeding) this triggers a series of enquiries being made and if your car is flagged up again, expect a knock at the door and your car of bike seized, fitting the device discreetly does not matter as after it is seized it is examined.

I keep mine in my tank bag and have a LED on the dash for visual alerts. Works fine and no one knows I have one.

Critters said:

What folk over here don't realise is that if a speed of your vehicle is not recorded,(even if you are not speeding) this triggers a series of enquiries being made and if your car is flagged up again, expect a knock at the door and your car of bike seized, fitting the device discreetly does not matter as after it is seized it is examined.

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Brian please explain , non speeding can still cause siezure of your vehicle ?

Gene said:

Brian please explain , non speeding can still cause siezure of your vehicle ?

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If a motorist has intalled something to jam the laser device and a camera operator(in the uk this can be a police officer or member support staff from a camera partnership) has attempted to record the vehicles speed, even if it is within the limit, and no speed is showing on the recording device,this is when it is suspected a jammer is fitted, the registration mark of the vehicle is recorded and should this happen again enqiries are made to establish ownership of the vehicle and the vehicle is seized for examination to see if such a jammer is fitted, if it has a device fitted the owner can face beng reported for attempting to defeat the ends of juctice etc which is more serious than the speeding offence in the first place.

iride said:

Oh, yea, i found the old picture of my Escort 850X50 on the dash of the ST with the blue light flashing alarm....

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I LOVE the remote light!

I have my I-pod on 99% of the time and I'm not ready to rig up something different for music - but that means an audio alarm is useless.

How did you set up the remote light?

A device like an amplirider will take audio input from up to 3 sources so you can hear the RD over your iPod through the earphones

That's how I run mine.

Throttlejockey said:

I seem to remember a post where someone mounted the radar detector under the headlight in a waterproof box and painted the box black. Anyone remember that?

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Uncle Phil keeps his mounted that way on his 1100's. That mount won't work on the 1300's due to clearance issues. There is not enough room to mount the RD inside the front fairing easily, either.

I've mounted mine in my dash and hooked it into the autocom. If and when I get pulled over, I always place my gloves over the center portion of the dash, thus hiding the evidence. Parking it with the gloves on the dash looks normal and out of sight is out of mind for thieves. It is also partially hidden with the upholstery fabric over-cover that keeps it dry in lightly wet weather. For long distance downpours, I wrap some light plastic wrap over the back end but NOT over the receiver section. There is a clear vinyl window on the front of the dash to still accept laser signals.

The RD is in the way of my view of the instrument panel for the directionals and speedometer but that makes no difference to me. I have an audio turn signal alert piped into the autocom. I also use my gps enabled RD as my speedometer - I never pay attention to Honda's lier's gauge. The tach and other info is still easily visible.

See my original post of this mounting method here: https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?86665-Passport-9500ix-inner-dash-mount-or-new-digital-speedometer&highlight= My only updated change is a flat bungee strap for a more secure mount coupled with the upholstery fabric as a secondary hold down.

Note: the fabric is lifted up at speed but lays down flat at a stop. The RD stays dry, hidden and visible in this mount location. No bugs ever hit my RD.

Wow Randy, thanks man i was looking for your posted for couple days I can't finding it. now its all here under my knose Thanks Much dude! you're a big help!:bow1:

Keep in mind that for best detection distance wise - the higher the detector is mounted the better.

Diggers1300 said:

Keep in mind that for best detection distance wise - the higher the detector is mounted the better.

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How so? Other than something blocking the incoming beam, high or low won't matter...

The higher the detector, the farther down the road it can see.

Lost Dutchman said:

The higher the detector, the farther down the road it can see.

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Well kinda, maybe- but I doubt it would change an alert much. Radar reflects rather well, bouncing off all kinds of things and the beam is about 250' across (both horizontally and vertically) at 1000' from the device, 500' @ 2k' and so on. The difference moving the detector up or down a foot or two that far out simply won't change anything. Follow?

NorCalBusa said:

The difference moving the detector up or down a foot or two that far out simply won't change anything. Follow?

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I agree. But I need every bit of help I can get.

Lost Dutchman said:

I agree. But I need every bit of help I can get.

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Stick it on top of your helmet then...and stand on the seat when ya ride!

Every thing I've read from any radar detector site (manufacturer and review sites) says so. Now I don't believe everything that I read on the web but these people should be "in the know".
Commons sense also tells me so. An electromagnetic beam spread out from it source over distance, but it is still a line of sight signal (no bending of any space/time whatever), unless the signal is reflected off something.

Any ham operator will tell you that all things being equal, the higher the antenna the better. And a radar detector is basically nothing but an antenna. Otherwise, why spend the money putting all kinds of antennas way up in the air?

NorCalBusa,

I didn't read your last post before I replied.

Try running 20-25 over in Texas with the troopers sitting over a hill and very little traffic between you and him. If I don't pick him up zapping the car 3/4-1 mile ahead of me when I am down on the other side of the long grade, I'm nailed when I top that hill.

And you're right the BEST place (for range) would be on the top of the helmet.