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      01-06-2008, 02:37 PM   #1
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What is the best, most comprehensive, easiset to use, most accurate and ultra portable radar detector - money no object (without satnav) - on the market?
Apologies if re-post.
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      01-06-2008, 02:54 PM   #2
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I seem to come across quite a few owners of the Valentine 1 system.
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      01-06-2008, 02:56 PM   #3
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V1.
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      01-06-2008, 03:27 PM   #4
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I had a look a week or two ago and law is changing soon in uk to ban radar/laser detectors

So legally you'll only be allowed gps systems.

You can btw add speed camera locations to the BMW DVD so they show on the nav screen, no sound warnings though I think
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      01-06-2008, 03:36 PM   #5
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V1 and Passport 8500 FTW


http://www.valentine1.com/
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Still imagine the number of farts cloth seats absorb over 4 years???
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      01-06-2008, 04:15 PM   #6
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      01-06-2008, 04:36 PM   #7
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Just out of curiosity: Are these legal in US or UK?


Best regards, south
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      01-06-2008, 04:41 PM   #8
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Legal in about 48 US states.
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      01-06-2008, 04:43 PM   #9
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considering my profession i'll take that question...detectors are only illegal in 2 states, DC and VA. in every other states they are viewed as passive detectors that DO NOT emit any signals that may interfere with law enforcement frequencies, in other words you are save, from a LEGAL perspective. HOWEVER if you do get pulled over for speeding and a detector is in the view, i am sure you will not be issued a warning considering the sole purpose of you having one in the car

JAMMERS on the other hand are a different story...hope i could help
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      01-06-2008, 04:46 PM   #10
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Thanks, guys. They're illegal in Germany, though.


Best regards, south
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      01-06-2008, 04:47 PM   #11
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no clue about Germany, probably are
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      01-06-2008, 05:00 PM   #12
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Quote:
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considering my profession i'll take that question...detectors are only illegal in 2 states, DC and VA. in every other states they are viewed as passive detectors that DO NOT emit any signals that may interfere with law enforcement frequencies, in other words you are save, from a LEGAL perspective. HOWEVER if you do get pulled over for speeding and a detector is in the view, i am sure you will not be issued a warning considering the sole purpose of you having one in the car

JAMMERS on the other hand are a different story...hope i could help
What is the story with jammers????
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      01-06-2008, 05:04 PM   #13
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a complete jammer system runs about $2,000 to purchase, although illegal, they ACTUALLY interfere with the radar gun which causes the gun to read faulty numbers. it is usually mounted to the front and rear of a vehicle, usually around the license plate and connected to the radar detector. it really works and you truely are invincible to radar guns. the people that actually sell it have a gurantee that if you do EVER receive a speeding ticket, they offer to pay for it...

i dont know how true that may be, but it really does work. either way though, very illegal and a Felony. very pricey as well, up to $11,000 per violation and even jail time, banned in 1997
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      01-06-2008, 05:11 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rimola View Post
a complete jammer system runs about $2,000 to purchase, although illegal, they ACTUALLY interfere with the radar gun which causes to read wrong numbers. it is usually mounted to the front and rear of a vehicle, usually around the license plate and connected to the radar detector. it really works and you truely are invincible to radar guns. the people that actually sell it have a gurantee that if you do EVER receive a speeding ticket, they offer to pay for it...

i dont know how true that may be, but it really does work. either way though, very illegal
Thanks for the info. I have a Passport 8500 and while it is very good with three of the bands, it seems to offer very little warning with regards to laser. Maybe it's because laser is either on or off and the police don't drive around with it on. I got a ticket a couple of months ago and it was the laser that got me. I felt defenseless against it. I'm assuming that jammers work against laser too.

I'm not one of those guys who just plugs in his detector and thinks he is invinceable. I'm always very aware of my surroundings and am always looking for the bad guys. I just feel like laser has the upper hand right now...and obviously, I don't like it.
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      01-06-2008, 05:30 PM   #15
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here is the thing about the "new goodies" and lasers. when usuing the new laser guns the officer has already made a predetermination of your vehicle as he or she consciously selects and targets your vehicle much like a sniper with a rifle and scope (plate, headlights, chrome on a car, color of the car). More importantly, laser is a highly focused beam that barely encompasses the front of your vehicle leaving little scatter, making advanced detection virtually impossible even with the use of the finest detector. furthermore, the lighter the color of the car, the easier the detection as well. white being the easiest to detect and metallic colors as well. black being the most diffificult.

jammers create this sort of protective shield around the entire car, where any attempt to shoot any aspect of the vehicle is instantly denied with error reading numbers...thats why it is highly illegal

radar guns on the other hand are detectible because the actual radar signal is very wide and it bounces off just about any obstacle in its path. this makes radar comparatively easy to detect because, even with instant-on radar, your detector will typically "catch a bounce" when the officer targets another vehicle around you. laser is a very narrow beam that doesn't "bounce". in most cases, the police officer will be targeting your car before your detector alerts you and, since the laser gun can calculate your speed in less than a second, you will not have time to respond before getting a ticket. that is why you got that ticket

hope i could help



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      01-06-2008, 05:45 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southlight View Post
Just out of curiosity: Are these legal in US or UK?


Best regards, south
They're currently legal in the U.K., but there is a Bill in Parliament in progress to outlaw them. The problem here is that most of the cameras are not detectable anyway since they do not use radar or laser (although since many of the cameras use film and require flash, they are kind enough to let you know they got you as you cruise by). GATSO cameras (as they're called) can only take 400 pictures before they run out of film, so most of the time, a particular camera will be out of action, making everything a horrible gamble. It seems that GPS and SatNav are the only reliable methods of evasion, but this requires you to drive within the speed-limit, so there is still only one winner, really.

Aparently there are more cameras trained on Brits than any other nation on Earth. The policy has changed to make them more visible. We also have video cameras that automatically read your number plate to fine you for parking, entering central London, and driving in Bus Lanes (which we even have on the Motorway). I managed to clock up £645 in fines for these between May and December last year.

"Welcome to London (KA-CHING!)".
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      01-06-2008, 06:01 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rimola View Post
jammers create this sort of protective shield around the entire car, where any attempt to shoot any aspect of the vehicle is instantly denied with error reading numbers...thats why it is highly illegal
Are you talking about Lidar jammers? Lidar jamming is not outlawed by the FCC since they don't control light wavelengths. It is legal in most US states, AFAIK, though in an extreme jurisdictional case you could be charged with "interfering with the duties of a police officer".
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Last edited by GregW / Oregon; 01-06-2008 at 07:11 PM..
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      01-06-2008, 06:14 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rimola View Post
here is the thing about the "new goodies" and lasers. when usuing the new laser guns the officer has already made a predetermination of your vehicle as he or she consciously selects and targets your vehicle much like a sniper with a rifle and scope (plate, headlights, chrome on a car, color of the car). More importantly, laser is a highly focused beam that barely encompasses the front of your vehicle leaving little scatter, making advanced detection virtually impossible even with the use of the finest detector. furthermore, the lighter the color of the car, the easier the detection as well. white being the easiest to detect and metallic colors as well. black being the most diffificult.

jammers create this sort of protective shield around the entire car, where any attempt to shoot any aspect of the vehicle is instantly denied with error reading numbers...thats why it is highly illegal

radar guns on the other hand are detectible because the actual radar signal is very wide and it bounces off just about any obstacle in its path. this makes radar comparatively easy to detect because, even with instant-on radar, your detector will typically "catch a bounce" when the officer targets another vehicle around you. laser is a very narrow beam that doesn't "bounce". in most cases, the police officer will be targeting your car before your detector alerts you and, since the laser gun can calculate your speed in less than a second, you will not have time to respond before getting a ticket. that is why you got that ticket

hope i could help

Thanks again for the info. Since I do enjoy traveling swiftly, it seems I need to look into jamming. Thanks again!!!
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      01-06-2008, 06:16 PM   #19
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i saw Lidar Jammers for sale online, so my assumption is that they havent been banned for whatever reason considering they are still active with their sales. they certainly wouldnt be selling them if "their" product was illegal. i was just referring to "jammers" in general. i did not want to get into any particulat make or type.

either way, if you are caught with any jammer or detector, you certainly are not going to get any sympathy from the LEO, it actually might just make matters worse...

cheers
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Last edited by Rimola; 01-06-2008 at 09:56 PM..
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      01-06-2008, 06:18 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 13eastie View Post

Aparently there are more cameras trained on Brits than any other nation on Earth. The policy has changed to make them more visible. We also have video cameras that automatically read your number plate to fine you for parking, entering central London, and driving in Bus Lanes (which we even have on the Motorway). I managed to clock up £645 in fines for these between May and December last year.

"Welcome to London (KA-CHING!)".
I heard this (re cameras). Twin edged-sword, eh. Bit Orwellian, but at the same time, they're needed for anti-terrorism and other crime prevention. But no doubt Red Ken has his greedy hands into your pocket ...

Radar detectors are also banned in some states in Australia. A mate of mine in Qld, a copper, told me that they have radar detector detectors!

I think the use of radar detectors is commonsensical: it should not be used to say, 'great, now I can drive like an arsehole and not be cognizant of public safety'; at the same time, if I'm in my Bimmer on the I-10, the conditions are good and the road clear, I want to open up my car and not add to the State/County coffers. Which is the greater risk: jinking in rush hour traffic in your F-250 truck at 70 mph (as I see all the time here in TX) or driving in a car purposefully designed to go 160 km/h on the Autobahn on a clear interstate?

I got busted 3 mths ago but it was very suss: the 'bike cop had a radar gun and I know I had not got up to 88 (maybe 80 to get past a semi on the dual carriageway..) In this case no warning by the trusty V1 either ...
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      01-06-2008, 09:30 PM   #21
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You can btw add speed camera locations to the BMW DVD so they show on the nav screen, no sound warnings though I think
Garry, any info on how to do this?
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      01-07-2008, 03:19 AM   #22
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Long thread here with some links somewhere on how to do it, it's slightly technical but someone does it for the UK then uploads a torrent, handy if your nav is out of date too

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94031
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