Which Radar Detector?? Just in case!

[OhioDeere]

Not that I would want to break the law. Just in case I would slip and go beyond what is allowed for speed limit. What has anyone found in the latest techno of radar detectors that works good? anything that stands up to the weather? Like rain?

the costs for the ticket is cheap compared to what the insurance companies will rape you for the next several years. I've learned that my insurance company receives updates automatically on traffic citations and they will adjust your premium automatically too! damzzzz themmm! They felt out of the goodness of there heart to tell me this piece of knowledge on their own will. Just in case.

Ohhh.. and I'm asking for a friend!

 

[Uncle Phil]

I use Passport 8500X in a 'weather box' securely hidden out of sight with a feed to my comm system.
I also have an on/off switch to the power supply for VA and Canada.
The deal with lasers is all a detector does with those is let you know you are about to be stopped.
All the other bands are pretty good except some newer vehicles put out 'radar footprints'.
Valentines used to be the 'top' but you paid for that handsomely.
There are later versions of the Passports that are supposed to be nice.
Your friend might look on EBay for gently used one for sale ...

 

[heffly]

I run a Uniden. It has spotted more than a few.

 

[SupraSabre]

I run with my eyes, and then always making sure that someone else is going faster than me.

I have had numerous times where someone else got my ticket.

Last ticket I got was November 1975!

 

[OkieRider]

I run with my eyes, and then always making sure that someone else is going faster than me.

I also use the eyedar brand radar detector.

 

[caldercay]

Escort Redline 360c

• Direction arrows
• RDD Immune
• BSM filter
• MRCD and MRCT
• Laser
• GPS
• Wifi
• Bluetooth
• Redlight
• Speedcam
• OLED Display

BTW, in the US, detectors are legal for private use except in Virginia, D.C., or on a military base.
What are illegal everywhere are radar jammers.

 

[NewtonNole]

I have read poor things about them in this era. Dynamic cruise control and other blind spot features on most every car seem to cripple them. I have no 1st hand experience. Just some reading.

 

[ST-Traveler]

I have a Beltronics and its on the shelf now. I found myself getting enormous amounts of false warnings which numbed me to it in the end.
Plus if you get pulled over and the cop sees it --- you automatically get the ticket-- no warnings-- so I have been told.
Plus I found myself traveling in Virginia more than I thought and would have to pull over and remove it from my bike dash, or risk impoundment.
Just easier for me without one.
I try to stay in the zone of 5-7 mph, (GPS reading of course). Or just keep with the flow of traffic- which can be 10-15 over the limit. My excuse will be " trying yo keep from getting run over sir"
When riding with the group at the BRG I was getting numerous false laser alerts-- never saw a cop.

 

[wjbertrand]

The top three digital signal processing detectors out there right now are the Escort Redline 360C mentioned above, the Uniden R7 (my current detector), and the new Valentine 1 Gen 2 model. Older detectors without DSP will drive you crazy with falsing. Many new cars use K band radar for the blind spot and adaptive cruise control systems. The newer DSP models are better able to filter out most (but not all) of that. For motorcycle use I think the Escort and the R7 are more friendly as they both have audio out jacks. You can feed the alerts to a comm system, a BT dongle to your helmet communicator, or just a conventional pair or ear buds easily. With the Valentine you must buy, mount, and power a separate adapter box. The Uniden R7 has fewer bells and whistles than the Escort but can be had for less than $400 periodically on sale. The Escort will run you $700-$750. They may be discounting them somewhere but I haven't yet seen any. Finally, none of them are waterproof, I think the only RD that claims that is one made by Adaptiv. I don't believe it's performance will compete with the more advanced units mentioned above however. When I expect rain I just stop and stow my RD in a side case. Not going to be speeding in those conditions anyway. Check out https://www.rdforum.org/ if you want to really research this.

 

[Mellow]

The top three digital signal processing detectors out there right now are the Escort Redline 360C mentioned above, the Uniden R7 (my current detector), and the new Valentine 1 Gen 2 model. Older detectors without DSP will drive you crazy with falsing. Many new cars use K band radar for the blind spot and adaptive cruise control systems. The newer DSP models are better able to filter out most (but not all) of that. For motorcycle use I think the Escort and the R7 are more friendly as they both have audio out jacks. You can feed the alerts to a comm system, a BT dongle to your helmet communicator, or just a conventional pair or ear buds easily. With the Valentine you must buy, mount, and power a separate adapter box. The Uniden R7 has fewer bells and whistles than the Escort but can be had for less than $400 periodically on sale. The Escort will run you $700-$750. They may be discounting them somewhere but I haven't yet seen any. Finally, none of them are waterproof, I think the only RD that claims that is one made by Adaptiv. I don't believe it's performance will compete with the more advanced units mentioned above however. When I expect rain I just stop and stow my RD in a side case. Not going to be speeding in those conditions anyway. Check out https://www.rdforum.org/ if you want to really research this.

Jeff... on your R7, when you plug into the audio jack does it mute the external speaker? My old 8500 does that and I like it because I don't wake anyone up if I leave a campground early lol I have an even older whistler that always sounds out via the external speaker even if the audio jack is in use.

 

[mlheck]

I'm using the Uniden R3 which doesn't have the arrows that the R7 does. Performance wise that are close to each other. On both the R3 and R7 plugging in external speaker mutes the the device speaker. One thing that I like about the Uniden model is the ability to program how the unit reports threats. I can set a quiet drive speed such as 35mph in town and the unit will display the detection, but stay silent. This is really nice when riding through towns or having to stop at a red light in front of a drug store.

 

[jfheilman]

Since sometime in 2005 or so I have used a detector made by Adaptive Technologies. I am on my second one. Its identified as a TPX Detector

Adaptiv Technologies

Motorcycle Radar and Laser Detectors, Laser Jammer, Park N Move dollies, Mounts, Jackets, and Accessories.

adaptivtech.com

It interfaces with my Autocom system. I move it from bike to bike with no issues.

I am on my second one because I failed to mount it probably on my ST some years ago and, after riding about 60 miles, it detached from the mount when I was riding in town. It slide off and hit the pavement and was run over by a car. That put it in the center lane. I went back to get it and mounted it and it still worked but did "rattle" a little. So, I replaced it..

 

[mlheck]

RD picking up many different signals around add now new cars with active cc.

 

[rwthomas1]

I was running a Escort 9500 in my commuter car, I don't bother anymore. Waze police alerts are way, way more reliable and I run that app ALL the time. Saved me many times. Running 80-85+ with traffic, just let someone else take point, there is always a willing participant. Running alone in the middle of nowhere, the Escort comes back out.

Back when I had my 00 BMW 540 Msport with Dinan bits it was equipped with a hidden Escort linked to an M20 Blinder laser jammer. Laser jammers were legal, maybe still are, and they worked just fine. Loved that car, low profile rocket sled.

RT

 

[mlheck]

This is where the higher prices unit justify their price. I ran a Escort 8500 X50 for about 10 years. I even sent it in to be updated to the lastest software. While it was a very good RD it's technology wasn't keeping up. I switched to the Uniden unit and was pleased with the upgrade. In the RD world you definitely get what you pay for. The Adaptiv unit is water resistant, but it's technology is no better than my 8500 X50. Car collision radar will drive you nuts with a older technology unit. Honda's and Chrysler products still present an issue even with the newer units. The nice thing about the higher end products is that the software can be updated via the web. They have come out with a couple of updates that have improved the collision radar reports.

With the price of a speeding ticket and the Insurance premium increase that follows the price for a higher end unit isn't hard to justify. Spend $300 and still get a ticket or spend $500 and avoid that ticket. With that being said the detector is only as good as the person using it. There is a learning curve involved. Also remember that a Radar Detector does not make you bullet proof. I've been stopped a couple of times while using a detector and as you told me Doug, your attitude and BS story go along way. I've only gotten a ticket once while using the detector and that one I definitely deserved. The detector was present during all of the stops.

We can talk more at OH-STOC.

 

[Larry Fine]

Just easier for me without one.
I try to stay in the zone of 5-7 mph, (GPS reading of course). Or just keep with the flow of traffic- which can be 10-15 over the limit.

Same here. I broke 100 trying to keep up with a low, extended-swingarmed, high-RPM bike on I-95 last weekend.

 

[caldercay]

Laser jammers were legal, maybe still are,

Radar jammers, of ANY type, are illegal per federal law, ie, blocking ANY sort of radio signal is in violation of FCC federal regs.

Laser jammers (under jurisdiction of FDA), are illegal in a few states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and D.C.

 

[RedMotion]

My dream is to invent something that will detect a radar/lidar itself, or something that will give away a police car, not merely a ray.

Back in the 70's, some of us ran Bear Trackers. They were police scanners that let you know if any smokies were around. Of course we were in cars not bikes. They still make them, some include CBs, GPS and some are hand-held. So there you go, repackage one for a bike.

The following is from the 2019 Cannonball record runners. They also used military-grade night vision.

Of course, radar detectors, the Waze app, a police scanner, and a CB radio hopefully would give Toman intel on any upcoming police long before they were in eyesight. His radar detectors of choice are the Escort Max 360 and the Uniden R7, while he recommends laser jammers from AL Priority or TMG.

 

[Diggers1300]

With the Valentine you must buy, mount, and power a separate adapter box.

Not true! The Valentine One Generation 2 V1G2) has an audio out jack. The original V1 did not. I ran a V1 since 1990 and now use the V1G2. I like the upgradeability instead of having to purchase a whole new unit. Very few false, extremely long range (I have picked up a signal more then 12 miles away!) and all the latest features except GPS lockout which I would never use. And that feature is available via connected apps if you wish.

 

[wjbertrand]

Jeff... on your R7, when you plug into the audio jack does it mute the external speaker? My old 8500 does that and I like it because I don't wake anyone up if I leave a campground early lol I have an even older whistler that always sounds out via the external speaker even if the audio jack is in use.

Yes, speaker is muted with audio out jack inserted.