Radar Detectors. Sigh....

[xballer1987]

So I just bought a Passport 8500 X50 the day after christmas w/ some extra cash I had lying around. I had wanted one for a while now so I just decided to buy one. Anyway It seems pretty cool and up until today gave me an increased sense of protection against radar/Lidar ect.... I was traveling southbound on Interstate 33 going about 75-80 as I always do on that road. I was going to the store off this one exit so as im pulling off the highway, I come to a line of about 10 cars waiting for the light on the off-ramp. As i near the light, I see one of Pennsylvania's Finest sitting on top of a bridge that ran perpendicular over the highway painting cars that were going southbound. I literally was 50 feet away from his car and my brand new Passport was not picking up a damn thing! His car was maybee a 45degree angle from my detector to the left in front of us and the whole time my detector was silent displaying "auto mode". As soon as the light turned green I turned left and the instant the detector sweeped over his car the damn thing started wigging out and I was like WTF. HE was right in front of me!!!! whatever. me thinks this thing was a slight waste of $300 ghead the moral to this story is that radar detectors arent fullproof and wont u be pissed when u get pulled over doing a buck-ten thinking u were safe. Im building a mother-trucking jammer dammit

[catalyst.]

he might not have had it on when you first saw him.. or he could have been using laser, which detectors and only pick up head on. does the passport detect laser?

[xballer1987]

the passport detects lidar/laser and I know he had it on cuz the whole time i was sitting there watching him point the "gun" at the cars so I know he was using it. Also the second it turned and drove in his direction the detector went crazy so I dunno maybee just a fluke...

[Torque]

mirrors and good eye sight > radar detectors.

i've hit as much as 95 in a 35, 110 in a 65, and many other crazy speeds and never even came close to getting caught.

you gotta know the roads and you gotta pay attention.

i swear i can spot a crown vic or other suspicious/cop looking cars from a mile away any day of the week.

[catalyst.]

yea i can spot that crown vic nose from a mile away, i ussually only speed insanly on roads i know so i can look out for the spots they could be hidin in.

[xballer1987]

Torque I agree w/ you. I brake for Crown Vics regardless. But the way this cop was positioned, I NEVER would have seen him. He was on the opposite side of the bridge so oncoming cars wouldnt be able to spot him and from the rearview mirror he would have blended in w/ roofs of other cars...If I had continued down this road I would have gotten nailed no question about it. I guess it wasnt the detectors fault either since the radar source was covered up by a concrete bridge. Maybee it would have detected after I drove by but im sure by that time it would have been too late.

[xballer1987]

speaking of this is there a website that describes exactly what the traffic laws are for your state w/o all the legal crap. Just a nice list of laws and punishment?

[Torque]

Originally posted by xballer1987@Dec 29 2004, 10:33 PM
speaking of this is there a website that describes exactly what the traffic laws are for your state w/o all the legal crap. Just a nice list of laws and punishment?

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driver's manual should have that in the back... offense and then points/money fine.

at least kentucky's does.

[witeshark]

Here: PA laws

[jllphan]

Radar detectors are merely aids to the driver, and nothing more. They certainly are not to be used as a newborn ability to raise hell. If you are by yourself, they are nearly useless. If you are in a herd of cars, they help.
That being said, the new 8500 is an excellent detector. I've sold them and others for over a decade, and highly recomend the X50. The adjustable Xband sensitivity is awesome, and the remote display is nice as to help one to not attract a crowd BEHIND you.

Originally posted by Torque+Dec 29 2004, 08:26 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Torque @ Dec 29 2004, 08:26 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>mirrors and good eye sight > radar detectors.

you gotta know the roads and you gotta pay attention.

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[/b]

Agreed.

<!--QuoteBegin-xballer1987@Dec 29 2004, 08:33 PM
is there a website that describes exactly what the traffic laws are for your state w/o all the legal crap. Just a nice list of laws and punishment?

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[/quote]
Well, it's really gonna come down to the guy that pulls you over. Laws are laws, but a cop is a cop. I've been treated much better than I deserved, and totally screwed by complete assholes; it just depends on the guy, or gal(haha, my sister is a cop, no shit). She agrees.

[kearnyme]

My old whistler did the same thing I passed a State Trooper and it didn't do a thing.

95 in a 60.

I was really pissed that day I chunked the thing out of the window (I didn't buy it anyway.)

Now I don't use one they just give me an excuse to speed when I shouldn't be.

[xballer1987]

hey thanks for the driving laws witeshark....gotta read up!

[Delmarco]

This reminds me of "Supertroopers"....ha ha ha ha, I saw it last night! That scene where they pull those kids over and than keep going and then reverse...and pull them over again..

[bigred318]

i got pulled over on new years and was waiting for the dude to start saying meow, he was a stater and had the hat and southern accent! needless to say i got the ticket. anyways radara detectors are only good in a pack of cars. if you are leading or by yourself the detector wont go off until the cop tags you, that is becuase cops use radars that dont turn on until they hit you, so their radar cant be detected. Now if you are in a pack of cars hell hit them, the radar will bounce off their car, and youll pick it up, giving you time to slow down. speeding at night with no one around sucks due to this, you cant see them and detector wont work. Fix dont speed if you dont know the road or not in a pack of cars. neiter are fool proof

DAvid

[Delmarco]

Really? Are all Radar detectors this primitive? So it's kind of a waste of money then?