mmacfn Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Hey all So what does everyone think of the usefulness of radar detectors? I bought an escort one which seems be be pretty good. However, while I dont speed much () I sortof wonder just hop useful they are? To date ive yet to pickup a police radr but have been warned of redlight cameras and some stationary radar detectors with the signs that tell you your speed. Are they worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roneva Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Mine has paid for itself many times over. I have had them since the early 80's. This is my 3rd or 4th one. you need to use it enough so that you understand what it is telling you, how close, what kind etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAMMER Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 You need to understand that a radar detector is a tool not a guarantee to be stealthy. You have to have some one out in front of you to get the radar gun to be activated so you can pick up the signal. It your the one out in front your the one probably getting the ticket! It does help me be more aware and get an early heads up. But it is not full proof. I have gotten a few tickets with the radar dectector in place BUT as stated above it has caused me to slow down and avoid an almost certain speeding tickets, if I didn't have it on board. Just remember it's not foolproof! So get out in front of my pack and pick up those bogies! SLAMMER :bang I have used my Valentine for the over 3 years with no complaints Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetroot Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 You have to have some one out in front of you to get the radar gun to be activated so you can pick up the signal. This is true with laser, but I have not found it to be true with k band in Phoenix. The police around here apparently leave their guns on whenever their car is on. I have a Passport Escort 8500 and I pick up every squad car on the road, whether sitting in a speed trap or just driving around. And every speed trap I've ever passed has been shooting k band radar, not once have I picked up laser in the valley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmacfn Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 Yah I have the 9500 and it has been great for automatically logging and then not alerting on Xband door openers etc. So far it has done alot of logging and in a week the trip to work has gotten alot quieter. Does anyone use jammers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifty Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Does anyone use jammers? Does my Alpine count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofy02z06 Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Ok so what is the best radar detector to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmacfn Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 for everything ive read the best one currently on the market is the escort 9500ix Here is a link to the review of the escort and in it a comparison. Basically they give the edge to the escort ov er the valentine: http://radartest.com/Escort-9500ix-review.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
az57chevy Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Gilbert PD uses lasers. Lots of motors with DPS have them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Mine has paid for itself many times over... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofy02z06 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I have been wondering what to get, and how well they work. I have seen the jammers and wondered if they worked either. I had one when I was a kid and it didnt work at all, it went off all the time kind of like the boy who cried wolf syndrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmxdog61u Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Detectors are one thing, jammers another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
az57chevy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 You can jam the lasers but the FCC regulates the radar frequencies. Physically it'd take a ton of crap to make a RADAR jammer work in time and lots of wattage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z51FITR Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 The Escort X50 8500 and 9500ix both detect radar and laser. Escort also makes an add on ZR4 Laser shifter which returns a "--" on the gun for $450 which is legal in AZ and allot of other states. I've picked up both radar and laser signals from over 1.5 miles with my X50 8500 and it has saved my bacon more than 50 times in the three years i've been running it. Well worth the investment if you don't like to drive at the speed limit all the time. 9500ix https://www.escortradar.com/passport9500ix-details.php X50 - 8500 https://www.escortradar.com/store/passport-8500-x50-red.html ZR4 Laser shifter https://www.escortradar.com/store/laser-shifter-zr4.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmacfn Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 I drove up to show low and back today and it saved my ass a few times in that short trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z06_Mir Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 My Valentine One is probably one of the best investments ever. I had one back in 05ish and I let it get super out of date and broken so I sent it in and they sent me a brand new one for $200. I've probably saved.... gosh idk $5000 because of it over the years. It seems to detect kA band with more distance than my friends Passports. It also does laser, but only if someone is directly in front of you getting lasered. My first speeding ticket ever I had it (back in 06) and it was because I was the only car on the road and coming over a blind hill. Not a terrible thing to have, just keep a look out still. Love how it has directional arrows too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownRoyal Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 How difficult is it to install the Z4 laser shifter and the passport 9500ix? Any shops around here that would install it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azz061 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 The V1 Valentine is the best on the market and highly recommended thru out the sports car world! I have one in the Viper and had it in the Z06 and it saved me many times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownRoyal Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Actually the Passport 9500ci would be nice. The price and install on them is not so friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeoman Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Spend the extra money and get a jail broken scrambler... if you search deep enough you will still find some people selling them. you can find some for 500-1000 bucks depending on what you find. Find one that comes with the software program that allows you to update it each year for when the bad police update their radar guns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidpbjZ Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Spend the extra money and get a jail broken scrambler... if you search deep enough you will still find some people selling them. you can find some for 500-1000 bucks depending on what you find. Find one that comes with the software program that allows you to update it each year for when the bad police update their radar guns! What is the legality on that? It sounds like jamming and I was under the impression that jamming a law enforcement radar gun was a federal felony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Using the Escort 8500 currently. I lost count on the number of, "saves" between Phoenix and San Diego last Thursday. Most X Band I have ever experienced was all around Yuma. I think it is a good value though the 9500 does have a learning feature which is very cool. You always want to avoid driving, "point" though. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c6-na-killa Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I love my 8500 xd50 it works great and has saved me many times in two years no speeding tickets and i have had my vette for 2 years and i speed more lol 3 yrs prior 3 speeding tickets if i had the extra cash id get the 9500. My friends have the valentine alot more false alarms and that gets annoying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probable Cause Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Just keep your drivers license under your police ID. Works for me :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I wish I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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