Does A Radar Detector Help Anymore?

rubberduck · Feb 24, 2025

DCV said:
Police radar is really crude, easy to jam with wideband noise. Noise diode, band pass filter, amplifier, some cabling and antenna, front and rear. Triggered by the alarm from your radar detector.

Great idea, too bad it’s a Federal crime with hefty prison time and fines. Please do use one.

PrimeTime · Feb 24, 2025

I got this!

ngoni · Feb 24, 2025

rubberduck said:
Great idea, too bad it’s a Federal crime with hefty prison time and fines. Please do use one.

This post, from 2017, is still a good writeup. Early on jammers showed some promise against older simpler radar guns. Then the FCC made it a $100k fine + possible jail time. Since then they've driven any reputable companies out of business while radar guns have advanced to the point that any reasonable jammer is ineffective. The real snake oil salesmen will try to sell you a device that just 'reflects' a corrupted signal back to the cop and prevents a speed reading. All of these are 100% ineffective to the point that one reviewer has a standing $50,000 bounty for an effective radar jammer and it doesn't look like he's ever had to pay out.

If you're pushing enough power to actually jam police radar: 1) you pose a serious health risk to you and those around you & 2) The FCC will eventually track you down and make an example out of you.

I'm not really motivated to look up laser jammers because I can't have any of these toys where I live regardless of efficacy.

shbox · Feb 24, 2025

CBH said:
I am not a Waze user either, but it does seem to be fully responsible for creating distracted drivers.

People have to use the app on their phone to report these things, right ?

How many do you think pull over to make such a report ?

I have used the long press on the voice command button to say (ex.) "report pothole" and it does it with no screen interaction. No one told me about this, I just tried it one day to see if it would work. I'll have to remember to try it for the "not there" and see what happens.

DCV · Feb 25, 2025

Who said anything about selling them? Police radar is cheap FM/CW waveform or simple unmodulated pulsed, waveform. It’s not frequency hopping or phase coded. Plus you don’t stand right in front of the horn antenna, and it’s in the front grill and/or rear bumper under the skin. So no worries about Radhaz issues. As for the FCC, most of their field offices are closed now and they don’t have the people to sit by the road anyhow. So meh.

Brad_TX2V · Feb 25, 2025

Google Maps has the "Police activity ahead" warning along with other traffic / hazard warnings. That was nice to have this past weekend, road tripped to San Antonio from DFW. We were just south of Ft Worth and I got lit up by FWPD, said he paced me at 84 in a 70 - my radar did not go off...he said the name of the cross street on I35W where he paced me and that was *many* miles back from the point where he lit me up and that I was running faster as well (truth). I usually watch my six a bit but when getting out of town I tend to look forward more...lesson learned! A big red Escalade V does stand out LOL! Just a warning (for speed and no front plate). Very professional, fully expected the ticket. Did my LTC help? Maybe. Also have a clean record. Driving anyway.

5VBW Nick · Feb 25, 2025

Police probably report fake speed traps just to get people to slow down, and it probably works.

Sully · Feb 25, 2025

My brother always confirms his locations when he gets flagged on Waze when he's on traffic enforcement. He loves it, according to him, it does more to reduce excessive speeding then him sitting there out in the open. Which ultimately is the goal.

dizz81 · Feb 26, 2025

Sully said:
My brother always confirms his locations when he gets flagged on Waze when he's on traffic enforcement. He loves it, according to him, it does more to reduce excessive speeding then him sitting there out in the open. Which ultimately is the goal.

I see this daily out here in Cali. I spend 4hrs a day on the road and I swear reporting police in waze causes people to slow down before they even see a car sitting on the side of the road.

Everyone will be driving at 80mph (some over) and all of a sudden waze reports police ahead and you see people stepping on the brakes down to below the speed limit lol.

bloominguez · Feb 26, 2025

dizz81 said:
I see this daily out here in Cali. I spend 4hrs a day on the road and I swear reporting police in waze causes people to slow down before they even see a car sitting on the side of the road.

Everyone will be driving at 80mph (some over) and all of a sudden waze reports police ahead and you see people stepping on the brakes down to below the speed limit lol.

Ironically, seeing an actual cop on the road has less impact, at least here in the Atlanta area. Two hours ago I saw a very common site around here. Red light, several cars drive right through, cop at the intersection just sits there, no action at all.

Roadhawk · Feb 26, 2025

bloominguez said:
Ironically, seeing an actual cop on the road has less impact, at least here in the Atlanta area. Two hours ago I saw a very common site around here. Red light, several cars drive right through, cop at the intersection just sits there, no action at all.

Back in the 1980s in Hollywood I was on my bicycle at on intersection and took off when the light turned green. I had to go down to avoid being hit by this car running the red....I look up and see another car running the red right behind him - an LA cop....both cops in the car turned their heads away from me and sped off as I looked up at them from the ground and gave a "what gives" shrug....

1Evil55 · Feb 27, 2025

bloominguez said:
Ironically, seeing an actual cop on the road has less impact, at least here in the Atlanta area. Two hours ago I saw a very common site around here. Red light, several cars drive right through, cop at the intersection just sits there, no action at all.

That was my drive this morning. Limit is 60. I was pacing at 75 with Illinois' finest right in front of me. Out of no where a Bronco sport had to have been doing at least 90 passed us. It's like the cop knew him. Never even flinched.

Roadhawk · Feb 27, 2025

1Evil55 said:
That was my drive this morning. Limit is 60. I was pacing at 75 with Illinois' finest right in front of me. Out of no where a Bronco sport had to have been doing at least 90 passed us. It's like the cop knew him. Never even flinched.

It was maybe 15 years ago when in San Juan Puerto Rico visiting one of my wife's best friends and her husband when I had this experience driving his 850+ hp MK IV Supra back and forth across San Juan late at night.

It still is the fastest car I've ever driven and he cajoled me to push it and drive it hard. Well I sure did but expressed concern about cops...he told me not to worry...that everyone knew him and we weren't going to be pulled over. Well I did pass two at near triple digits (in the city) - no reaction and another came up on us with lights only to turn them off and back off. Well Jose - who was near 70 then was a legendary Street racer (Grand national driver) and I've witnessed kids (tweeners?) swarming him for autographs....so yeah something...

1Evil55 · Feb 27, 2025

-It's not what you know but, who you know.
-I'd rather know a good cop than a bad lawyer

KatyTxCT5V · Feb 28, 2025

My Escort 360c MKII save my arse today. As I was approaching an intersection, my detector alerted showing side arrows. I made a turn to my next road and I got a fairly strong ka-band alert showing front arrow. He was roughly 2 miles out... an Evil Knievel bubblegum machine was hiding within some crepe myrtles in the center of a four lane road. I will always have a detector as long as they make them as the cops around the areas I drive keep ka-band always on and make it easy to be alerted.

XjonesX · Mar 1, 2025

Why would I drop $600 on a top of the line radar detector in a state where it is illegal?

Multiple reasons. Waze & my Uniden R8 are my "Wizzo's".

They have pulled me out of trouble multiple times now on 95, and locally where my "Boss Hog" likes to hide behind the billboards.

The prelude to this was after I had my BW for 3 months, and had been pulled over twice, ( Pretty good right? ) and........,
Was not given a ticket each time. ( sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good)
Of course, when I was pulled over, I unbuttoned my shirt a couple of buttons to show my chest hair.
That must had worked..., because they let me go..., without a citation.

That's when it occurred to me...., Getting a ticket in Va. for a radar detector is about $100, and no points.

Where as not having one, getting caught over 80 MPH (reckless driving) court cost, points, insurance rate increase, would start costing you near $1000.
So yeah....., it was an easy decision for me.

It sits high on the windshield hidden by my tint above the A/S line and sun visor.
I have to say, I've been very impressed with it, and it has a self mute/ memory function for all those K band door openers at stores, so they don't go off each time in town.
It also has the ability to update to the latest software being pushed out, along with GPS, and has the ability to add a native jammer system.

So yeah....., for me and my driving style going up 95......., it's a must!

Finally-a-V · Mar 2, 2025

Most VA State Troopers are pretty cool....or at least when I lived there they were. If you were respectful they normally let you go....except one certain OLD trooper whose probably retired by now out around Front Royal. He'd write you for anything.

AZ is another story. Seems here, the DPS always writes tickets. The Sheriff on the other hand, they seem to look the other way on a lot of speeding issues.

CA139 · Mar 2, 2025

OK thanks for the stories. I downloaded Waze to keep up with the times and it saved me from one ticket possibly. I had a V1 years ago and it rang like crazy. You'd get used to it but it was annoying. Glad to see that the modern detectors have improved so much range wise they actually can be more useful. I am considering buying an Escort 360 because it seems to be the second best (after the V1) but trails it only by a little in range yet it learns to tune the background noise out far better.

Thanks again

rubberduck · Mar 2, 2025

CA139 said:
OK thanks for the stories. I downloaded Waze to keep up with the times and it saved me from one ticket possibly. I had a V1 years ago and it rang like crazy. You'd get used to it but it was annoying. Glad to see that the modern detectors have improved so much range wise they actually can be more useful. I am considering buying an Escort 360 because it seems to be the second best (after the V1) but trails it only by a little in range yet it learns to tune the background noise out far better.

Thanks again

The Escort Redline 360c is a good one, assume that’s what you’re referring to. The Uniden R8 is as good or better. Really comes down to user interface and features.