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  1. #1
    DocHoliday's Avatar
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    Do radar detectors still work?

    I just bought a radar detector, and I'm wondering if cops have blockers. I bet they do them guys! Them guys is tricky tricky! It's just a regular Cobra brand radar detector, not a jammer. Should I be relatively safe with this thing?

    BTW how did I become a junior member already? I like!

    Doc

  2. #2
    bobbo23's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DocHoliday
    I just bought a radar detector, and I'm wondering if cops have blockers. I bet they do them guys! Them guys is tricky tricky! It's just a regular Cobra brand radar detector, not a jammer. Should I be relatively safe with this thing?

    BTW how did I become a junior member already? I like!

    Doc

    They go off so often I end up going the speed limit out of paranoia...so I dont use em. But, I guess that why I have 2 speeding tickets that I can't get fixed.

  3. #3
    LORDBLiTZ Guest
    The lazer ones do, but buy the time it's gone off ur already taged.

  4. #4
    DocHoliday's Avatar
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    Lazer ones...yeah mine's lazer....I guess if you're going so damn fast to begin with, yeah by the time it goes off you're nabbed. Well talk about post purchase guilt. Oh well.

    Doc

  5. #5
    EXCESS's Avatar
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    The point of the detector is to pick up the radar/laser before you get to that area of traffic. Kind of like an early warning. Sure, sometimes the radar will be directed at you, but most of the time its the suckers ahead of you in traffic that are taking the signal for your sake. Some work great but most are total crap.

  6. #6
    Pheedno is offline Respected Member
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    Mine is about 3 years old and has been dropped, beer spilled on it, sitting in the Houston sun for the whole time and it still saves my ass often. It's flipped out a few times but for the most part, it works enough to keep it plugged in

  7. #7
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    From what I know- they are obsolute since most cops only zap you now when they are actually getting their reading. Radar detectors only worked when they used to sit with them on constantly. But as of at least 5 years ago they started using brands that are only on when they actually get a reading - and by then, it's too late.

    IMO - it's a dash board ornament that will only harm any chance of getting a warning cuz when they pull you over and see it mounted proudly on your dash, they won't give you a warning.

  8. #8
    Contender's Avatar
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    Radar units used my law enforcement, wheteher they are K band,X band, or Laser all have a "run" and a "stand by" switch on the unit itself at least here in Fla. they do, when the unit is in Stand by it is on, when flicked to "run" the unit emits a beam to your vehicle and back and puts your speed in the window, your unit goes off but your still had so to speak........now if a vehicle is ahead of you and gets hit, your unit will go off and you have time to slow down before you get hit, this can be done either stationary or moving and some units can shoot 4 lanes of traffic either coming or going in front of the cop or behind him, you can even shoot off your side mirror on a vehicle coming towards you from behind, they even got them now with cross hairs like a scope on a gun to pick out 1 car in a cluster of vehicles, handheld, dash mounted, battery packs for your belt so you can be on foot.......the works.....so be careful my bros, thought id be nice and give ya the heads up, radar dectors arent all they are cracked up to be............Contender

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    sp9's Avatar
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    What about jammers? Anyone have any experience with them? Which ones work well?

  10. #10
    DocHoliday's Avatar
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    Son of a...! They got ones with cross hairs? Tricky them guys are! LOL.

    Yeah, give us word on jammers.
    ...ps anyone want to buy my detector? It's NICE!



    Doc

  11. #11
    Contender's Avatar
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    jammers are supposed to lock onto the same frequency as the radar unit itself and "jam" the beam........IMHO........Bullsh**, but i dont really know enough about them to be honest just that they are expensive and are dash mounted and even mounted in license plates as well, i have a buudy who told me he wrote a ticket to a lady and she said "damn i have a jammer, guess it didnt work" so go figure............lol

  12. #12
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    First of all if the cops have a "read" on you, its too late....no ammount of buzzing and beeping will save you. The detector is just like a radio, except it picks up fequencies in the X, K, Ka and laser bands instead of basic FM or AM. If a cop has a read on you its too late for the detector to do any good. As other have said, the detector is useful when the cops are painting multiple cars as they go by, because of the band and nature of electromagnetic waves, the waves will "scatter" and bounce off of shit, these stray waves are what you want your detector to pick up, therefore giving you early warning. Jammers on the other hand constantly emit an oposite feq equal to the X, K and Ka bands (not laser). The oposite feq effectively "cancels" out the radar signal before it is reflected back from your speeding car to the hiding police officer. Jammers work much in the same way that noise cancelation headphones work. Jammers are illegal in some states so check your local laws out before you purchase.
    Hope this helps?

  13. #13
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    not to contradict you Jason.......but they do offer Laser Jammers as well, we receive updates through the agency on stuff like this, they are banned in Oklahoma,Minnesota,Wash.DC, and in Nebraska they seize the units(radar,jammer) everywhere else so far is legal..........

  14. #14
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    Very cool. I didn't know that they had jammers for the laser ranges. Sweet.
    Do you know how effective they are?

  15. #15
    tdzzii72 is offline Associate Member
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    My radar detector has saved me so many times. I hear it begin to go off and I slam on my breaks. Then about 20 seconds later I pass the cop doing 5mph under the speed limit. The only thing that suck it so many stores have those stupid doors that put off the same frequency. Works good if your on a major highway with no interferance because then you defintly know a cops ahead.

  16. #16
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    no clue Bro, we just get these updates every month and have to read them and sign off on em, then they usually get filed (you know where.....lol)its more for the traffic guys......im a grouper trooper(marine patrol)........lol.....its just F.Y.I. for everyone.........later gator.......its time to go play Baywatch..........lol

  17. #17
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    Contender, have you ever heard of anyone fighting the ticket in court and winning on such grounds as; last time the officer was trained on the radar detector used for the ticket, last time the detector was reconditioned or recalculated? I'd heard something about fighting the ticket on one of the radio stations and was curious if it actually would work or if it was total BS.

    Jugg

  18. #18
    Pheedno is offline Respected Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Juggernaut2148
    Contender, have you ever heard of anyone fighting the ticket in court and winning on such grounds as; last time the officer was trained on the radar detector used for the ticket, last time the detector was reconditioned or recalculated? I'd heard something about fighting the ticket on one of the radio stations and was curious if it actually would work or if it was total BS.

    Jugg

    I've heard this from numerous sources as well. Something to the effect that an officer has to have a certification on use done every so many months. In addition, the radar has to be re-calibrated for use so many times a year.

  19. #19
    Juggernaut's Avatar
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    Thanks Pheedno, I thought sounded like something I might try if I ever got a ticket but I generally drive the posted speed limit, at least until my vette's back on the road. Ha

    I got popped a few years back flying down the turnpike in Miami and got a ticket for doing 90. The officer was cool (still gave me a ticket) and we chatted a little before he took off and I told him I might contest the ticket in court because I didn’t think I was going that fast. Any case, I did go to court and when my docket was called I told the judge that I didn’t believe I was traveling at that rate of speed. I agreed I was speeding just not that fast. Here’s the funny thing, the judge told me that looking at my ticket that the officer put a smiley face on it and that he would reduce the speed by 10 mph. Reason being was that if I had been a pain to the officer while he was writing the ticket he would have placed a frown on it and if I had contested the ticket and it had the frown he’d not have done anything in my favor but because I was polite and had a smile on the ticket he had no problem reducing it a little in my favor. Besides the officer was not in the court which meant he did not have any issues with me either, if I had been a pecker head he said the officer would have been there to make sure he got my just rewards. Always pays to be cool when dealing with the police, imo.

  20. #20
    sp9's Avatar
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  22. #22
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    I have the Passport/Escort. Saves my ase all the time. You learn how to figure out what beeps are real and what aren't. I have to drive a bunch, so it's worth it. Love my birddog!! Picks up all the bands. X,K, Ka, Laser...I don't ever see X go off from a cop car anymore though. Ka is always the real deal. Later

    ttgb

  23. #23
    DocHoliday's Avatar
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    Word! I think you have to be on edge when that thing goes off.

    Juggernaut2148, "pecker head" good choice of word. One of my favorites.

    Doc

  24. #24
    Contender's Avatar
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    Jugg.......the radar units have log books when you check them out daily or when they are assigned, every day you check the unit prior to using it and after your done via (2) tuning forks, you log the pitch of both forks in the log along with any tickets you have written for the day, when you go to court for a ticket the judge asks you to see your log, he checks the entrys to see if the unit was checked before and after each citation was issued, if it was and the log book is A.O.K. then all is in the officers favor, I personally have never lost one in court and never seen one lost, only if the log is not up to snuff or was forgotten, or the cop forgot his card of certification to operate the unit, or just doesnt show up then the case is thrown out, being nice does help, and it all depends on quotas(we dont have quotas, but alot of agencies do...) usually you can get away with almost 10 to 12 over on highways and 8 to 10 over in residentials....remember i said usually(key word) unless you get a pecker head cop needing his quota....lol, im glad i can be of some help if that helps and am happy to field any other questions for the bros of this board, i love it here...lol......................Contender

  25. #25
    bermich's Avatar
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    Jammers work. It scrambles the laser signal by throw false readings back. 101 72 88mph.
    The laser the cop is using cant lock on BUT it is ILLEGAL to block their laser beam.
    So once you are being tagged the jammer will indicate that and give you that chance to SLOW DOWN and then turn off the jammer so the COPS laser can get a reading so it doesnt seem suspicious that your car cant be locked onto.

    As for the cops WALKING around with lasers tagging cars. THAT IS GOOD. BECAUSE:
    The cop who tags you with the laser has to BE THE ONE who gives you the ticket.
    Usually people dont know this.
    SO at speed traps one cop will be tagging cars and giving the other car ahead the read out and make of car and the cars speed... The ahead car will pull you over.
    ALL YOU DO IS ASK: Are you the one who tagged me. AND. I wanna see the speed on the laser. LEGALLY THEY HAVE TO SHOW YOU THE SPEED in THEIR CAR ON THEIR LASER. If they dont have it (because that car didnt tag you, just pulled you over for the ticket) then you are GOOD TO GO BABY.

  26. #26
    Contender's Avatar
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    Oh my God bro.......not flaming you here by any means, honestly PLEASE dont think i am, and remember im only speaking for Florida not Calif., but........... first it is not illegal to block the laser beam only in the states i listed in my previous thread......secondly....any sworn officer can write a ticket off of another officers Probable Cause, this means that if my buddy is running the radar and he tags you, i can write the ticket off of his admission and probable cause, granted we both have to appear in court if you fight the ticket and both testify, christ we do it all the time on red light and speed details, one spotter and 30 ticket writers, he calls em out and their speed or violation they get waved over and park and get cited...............now if you demand to see the radar gun and your speed, they by no means have to show you dick, some do out of being a "nice guy" but all i know dont, all your doing is pissing off the police bro.....not good at least in my state, like i stated bro please dont think im flaming you, im just trying to inform you, ive been a cop for 16yrs now and i swear im not steering you wrong, ive worked the jail, road patrol, fugitve warrants, and now marine patrol till i retire in 4 yrs or longer, so its not my first rodeo i swear, again...im speaking for Florida only.....geez i hope this helps.........Sincerely.....Contender

  27. #27
    bermich's Avatar
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    No offense taken AT ALL. I actually like the information you give all of us
    Actually. Calif might be different.
    Im not sure about the legallity of laser jammers. I dont have one and I would take your knowledge over mine. Thanks for the tip.
    As for the radar. I always ASSUMED and heard in court that in CALIF they HAD to show proof of the radar readout. I also understand accuracy of 5mph leeway.
    BUT... I actually GOT OUT OF A TICKET because the officer who gave me the ticket WAS NOT the one who tagged me.
    I asked to see the radar readout because I knew he wasnt the one who tagged me. He admitted he wasnt the officer who tagged me and let me go.
    Maybe he just didnt wanna deal with it.
    I was kind of hoping that was the case. I like loop holes in the system...
    CONTENDER... Know what be SO GREAT OF YOU??
    Start a thread with all the little tricks on how to get out of a ticket.. We would love you for it...
    We wont tell anyone we promise

  28. #28
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    All I gotta say is jammers do work, however, one time I got hit the w/ laser and it sucessfully blocked the speed reading. The cop pulled me over anyway and said "Do you know how fast you were going?" Being a smartass I said "Yeah I do but you don't". So he said "Your right, but you don't have a seatbelt on, and you have something hanging from your rear view mirror which obstructs your view".
    End result: $90 fine for not wearing a seatbelt, and a $30 dollar fine for having something on my mirror that obstructed my view.

    The jammer that I have will pay for your speeding ticket (if you get one) but it doesn't cover other things that a cop can write u up for...Which is basicly anything (reckless driving etc..)

  29. #29
    Contender's Avatar
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    to be totally honest my Brother, only one word of advise........Dont Speed....lol, and if ya totally have to just go a little over, or get in a group of vehicles that are all speeding and hope you dont get pegged, thats about the best advice i can give anybody, keep your unit on and hope they hit a car ahead of you and not you so you have the time to slow down........my buddy is a traffic GURU and he agrees 100%, oh...... and be nice and respectful, or get a sex change and some big tits and start crying (J/K.......lol) but that seems to work sometimes lol.............ciao bro

  30. #30
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    MBaraso - Man that sucks to have a jammer work for you and then get messed with anyway. Ouch!

  31. #31
    Endurance is offline Associate Member
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    im not sure what my brand is but it is a 360* radar/laser and it has saved my ass plenty of times. Wait its a cobra i just found the box. anyhow i usually getting my signal going off before i see the car. I guess you figure if a ticket runs you $130 well by the time you get two you could have bought the detector anyhow

  32. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Contender
    or get a sex change and some big tits and start crying (J/K.......lol) but that seems to work sometimes lol.............ciao bro
    lmao!! Sad, but very true! My buddy is a cop too, some of the things you guys get to do is amazing ...and get paid for it. I'm envious sometimes...except when people start shooting at you guys! Then I'm not.

    peace,

    ttgb

  33. #33
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    Is this also true CONTENDER. Speed trap. If a cop is on the side of the road at night with ALL of his LIGHTS OFF and pulls you over then that is not legal. I heard a cop has to at least have his running lights on while parked on the side of a road at night if he is pulling you over for SPEEDING.
    True or False??

  34. #34
    Cycleon is offline AR-Hall of Famer / Retired
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    Thats why if you are runnig fast you gotta have a rabbit ahead of you (as in dog chasing the rabbit at the track)

  35. #35
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    Nice informative thread. Thanks Bro's.

  36. #36
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    FALSE.....well once again Bermich, only speaking for Fla. the copppers can hide anywhere, anytime, with or without lights(i.e. parking lights or whatever) and run radar they dont have to expose themselves or their vehicles, here some put their parking lights on while running radar only so some nut job doesnt run into them, the best trap used here is by the air on the interstates they place a mark on the road and then place another about a mile or so down the road, either spray paint or whatever, then when a vehicle crosses the first mark they hit a stopwatch, they cross the second mark and they stop the stopwatch,they look at how many seconds it took you to get from one mark to the other.......thus they get your speed, this is all done from the air in planes or helicopters they radio down to the squads on the ground and they pull you and cite ya, its called "birddogging" or the "eye in the sky".....lol, they have every speed possible because they make test runs and know how fast you are going by how many seconds it took you to cross one mark to the other, then there are no radar guns emitting beams, like i said its not my gig, im a marine cop all i do is measure fish,check fishing licenses, and work boat crashes, and manatee stuff, drive around in a boat all day.......lol, but my buddy is a traffic guy so he fills me in on some good info........ciao

  37. #37
    DocHoliday's Avatar
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    yeah, this thread went further than I expected....

    Contender, you're full of useful information! Thanks.

    Doc

  38. #38
    Contender's Avatar
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    Anytime Bro.......glad i could contribute, if anyone has any law questions and does not want to post them, please feel free to contact me, i would be happy to try to answer or help(no charge.......lol) just remember im in Fla. and laws differ from state to state...................Contender

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