I got my first speeding ticket today in my M3! Sucks!

[SHADY1]

Originally Posted by ersin

Forget radarbusters. The best place for information on detectors and jammers is radardetector dot net and guys of lidar. Google them.

V1, Bel STI and Escort 9500 are all top of the line, ~$400 detectors. I won't recommend either one because there are religious wars between the proponents of each. I will say this: if you're going to spend the money for a detector, get one of these and try not to get a cheaper one. It's not a bargain if they don't give you enough warning. One other thing: if you drive in Virginia or DC or in most parts of Canada, there is only one to get -- the Bel STI.

Good call I was just trying to get him going in the right direction toward some light. Now if you buy a radar detector and you don't want it to be seen, since it is illegal to have a radar dector in California, go to this site: www.1stradardectors.com when you get to this site go to accessories and they will have a visor you can put your radar dector in so it won't be seen by the Cops. Here is another site you can go to and once you go on this site it will make you very smart on radar dectors and laser jammers along with video's on how the Cops are using all the different types of laser guns and what you can buy and use to counter them. Here is the site: www.laserveil.com everyone who has a M3 or thinking about getting a M3 should check out this site and make yourself extra smart. Everyone may not be a speeder all the time with their M3 but this site is a good place for you to check out I plan to but laser jammers on the front and back of my M3

[montreal red]

time to get a laser jammer like what other people have been saying or at the very least, a radar detector.

[ersin]

Alright, more info.

Laserveil is a good site too along with radar roy (google 'em).

For max protection combine a radar detector with a laser jammer and paint the shiny parts of the front and rear of the car with VEIL. Especially the lights and license plate. How far you want to take this depends on your budget, time and willingness to hack, ahem, I mean mod, your car.

I never liked visor mounts (the V1 comes with one standard). You can use the visor thing mentioned to help hide the detector. But mounting it up high behind the sun tint on the front windshield does a pretty good job of hiding it too. If the tint is not metallic then there will be no change to the radar detector effectiveness. There is a small decrease in laser detection, but not enough to be practical. You need to run the detector's cable either to tap into a wire that has power in the headliner (like near the map reading lights) or around the frame of the windshield down behind the dash for power. I prefer the latter since I have the V1 remote display and audio module and mount these somewhere underneath out of site. On the E46 M3 I had it in the ash tray. I could close it whenever I needed to.

It is perfectly legal to have a detector in California. There may be some municipalities where it is not, but in general there is no law in the state of California against it.

The only states prohibiting radar detectors are Virginia and DC (of course DC claim they're not a state, but let's ignore this). Also, detectors are prohibited on military bases and for all commercial vehicles.

Radar jammers are outlawed by the FCC. However, they don't have jurisdiction for lasers -- that falls to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has no prohibition against laser jammers. But some states do. Look it up on the Internet or check your governments regulations.

I use a dual head Lidatek LE-30. It is small and can barely be seen unless you're up close and looking for it. And even then, unless you knew what it was you would think it was part of the vehicle. I have the LE-30 mounted low near the lights and license and the V1 mounted up high so I have the benefits of both.

Alas, Lidatek was bought out and the new company, although they advertise that they are working on a replacement model, does not sell the LE-30 anymore.

[SHADY1]

If you don't take all this advise WCH to help you out along with others to save themselves from a future ticket you must be

[skierman64]

Originally Posted by lucid

How do they detect radar-detectors? Aren't those passive devices?

Here's how it's explained on wikipedia. No radar detectors are not passive. I got pulled over in Ontario with a radar detector because the cop said it set off his radar detector dectector. I have a V1 which isn't supposed to be detectable. However, I guess it is. I was lucky and he didn't find where I hid my V1, so he didn't take it away from me. It only cost me 30 minutes of time while he searched my car.

[SHADY1]

Originally Posted by skierman64

Here's how it's explained on wikipedia. No radar detectors are not passive. I got pulled over in Ontario with a radar detector because the cop said it set off his radar detector dectector. I have a V1 which isn't supposed to be detectable. However, I guess it is. I was lucky and he didn't find where I hid my V1, so he didn't take it away from me. It only cost me 30 minutes of time while he searched my car.

I am not trying to hate just giving you some updated info

[ersin]

Until the Spectre IV RDD came out the V1 (along with many others) were undetectable. Since the Spectre IV came out Bel introduced the STI. This one really is undetectable as shown in many tests and reviews. Without getting into RF electronics design I'll say that the receiver (that's what an RD is after all) uses an intermediate frequency to tune into the frequencies it wants to detect. This IF is what the RDD listen for. In the Bel STI they use good shielding along with a design that puts this IF where there are lots of other radiators. So its IF signal gets lost in the noise making it even harder to detect.

BTW, RDs and jammers are only aids. They cannot tell you when a cop is in your area or is waiting to measure your speed. They're worth diddly against pacing and VASCAR. There is no substitute for paying attention. In fact, you can usually beat laser if you keep your eyes focused well ahead and don't go too far over the limit. Plus it makes you a better driver overall.

Other pieces of equipment that might help are radio scanners and CB. But that's another discussion.

[skierman64]

Originally Posted by ersin

BTW, RDs and jammers are only aids. They cannot tell you when a cop is in your area or is waiting to measure your speed. They're worth diddly against pacing and VASCAR. There is no substitute for paying attention. In fact, you can usually beat laser if you keep your eyes focused well ahead and don't go too far over the limit. Plus it makes you a better driver overall.

+1, or aircraft

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by skierman64

+1, or aircraft

That's where VASCAR is typically used.

[ersin]

Yeah, forgot to mention aircraft. I remember the dude that invented the Fuzzbuster also invented a device that would listen in on air surveillance radar and could detect when there was an aircraft nearby that was going close to your speed. It would alert when it thought you were being clocked by an aircraft. It didn't sell to well, I suppose. I think it disappeared after about a year. I thought it was pretty cool.