RADAR Detectors

[GGnz]

Hey,

Just got told by a fellow member that I should have my GPS Radar detector higher on my windscreen. Does this really matter? I read on a website that it only makes a 10% difference between the best place and the worst place on your windscreen. I currently have it inline horizontally with the backseats but cant really move it anywhere else due to the angles of the windscreen/detector mounting. Could someone please let me know as to the best position and if it really makes that much of a difference?

Cheers,
Gareth

[Alex B]

To be honest with you, uniden GPS units (assuming thats what it is) aint that good, half way up the screen should be fine tho.

[GGnz]

Yeah but half way up gets annoying cos its in your face when you turn. I currently have it 1/4 of the way up so the rear is almost directly horizontal with the backseats. How much clearing room do you need with the backseats? I want it low as possible but still want good signal etc.

[GGnz]

Does anyone know? A had a couple of cops follow me in the past and it seemed to pick them up alright and that was when it was down a bit lower. Argh! Im so confused.

[GGnz]

It would be good to have some professional opinions here. Surely someone would know.

Please?????

[Ae92typeX]

http://www.myradardetector.com/
'As a rule of thumb, a lower detector mounting position is better for laser and a higher position is better for radar. But, in most vehicles, the difference in height between the top and bottom of the windshield is not enough to make any perceptible difference in radar reception. It's best to mount your detector where it has a clear field of view front and rear, and where you can see it without obstructing your own view of the road.'

http://www.radarbusters.com/support/max ... ctor/2.asp
'...dont mount high...'- big article worth reading.


really, if you feel it picked up police ok down low then just keep it there. At then end of the day, easiest option is keeping the speed down

[AJz]

as i sell these i know a bit about them, hav them mounted halfway down your windscreen, they need to be able to aim out the backwindow, passed your seats, if its inline with your back seats, its too low, its a pain i know, but why use it if its not used properly.

IMO, ive tried a belltronics XR650 in my car and have used both a Valentine and a SWS5000 in other cars and have found them to just be a pain in the ass.

buts thats just my opinion

[beeker]

First step is ditch your Uniden and buy a Valentine 1. They are MUCH better. Get a concealing kit (lights out kit), and mount it high. It does help. This will also mean your'll have to take it down less, and others (including cops) wont see it easily. Note: If a cop sees your detector, you have no chance of talking your way out of it.

A V1 will help with Radar, but ALL detectors will tell you 99% of the time too late!! if its Laser. However, fixing laser is easy and effective with a 'good' laser jammer. Something like the Blinder M20.

I can restate enough, ensure you setup the Blinder M20 correctly. I've done some testing on my car's setup with both Prolaser III and Stalker Laser guns, and it works amazing, but only if you install it right.

You can jame laser, legally, with 90%+ effectiveness (ensure you set it up as per the manual !). You cant jam radar legally or effectively, so you just need the best radar detector you can buy, ie the V1.

[Bling]

You can jame laser, legally, with 90%+ effectiveness

you for real?? I thought that was a big no no, kinda makes the cops using lasers pointless, so you would have thought illegal to block it

[pervert]

Jammers are fully illegal, but they rock!!!

uniden GPS units aint that good

You don't think? My work car has one in it, and it saves my ass time and time again on the open road, it seems to give anywhere from 2-3 seconds, up to about 10 seconds warning, I rate it big time...

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

Jammers are fully illegal, but they rock!!!

uniden GPS units aint that good

You don't think? My work car has one in it, and it saves my ass time and time again on the open road, it seems to give anywhere from 2-3 seconds, up to about 10 seconds warning, I rate it big time...

from what i've read, the uniden ones are good for fixed speed cameras but arent that great at Ka detection - Uniden spent their development $$ on the GPS part but not the detection part.
and since Ka is the band the piggies use for their in-car radars, then i dont know how a uniden would compare to the likes of a Bel/V1 etc
would be good to do a Toyspeed comparison test ie have a few units in the car at the same time and go for a piggy hunting trip

[Ae92typeX]

First step is ditch your Uniden and buy a Valentine 1. They are MUCH better...

Thats all fair enough, but the dude is just asking where to mount their detector they own, not what should they replace it with.

[beeker]

Jammers are fully illegal, but they rock!!!

uniden GPS units aint that good

You don't think? My work car has one in it, and it saves my ass time and time again on the open road, it seems to give anywhere from 2-3 seconds, up to about 10 seconds warning, I rate it big time...

Wrong. Jamming (transmitting light waves) is not illegal in NZ. In certain EU and USA states it is illegal, but it's OK in NZ. Remember, this is jamming Laser. You CANNOT legally or practically jam the Ka based Radar units (ie Radio waves, as you would need a broadcasting licence for a start).

Uniden is better than nothing, but if you want better range then you need a V1. Obviously better range = more warning = scrub off more speed. 10% extra warning can be a massive, and make the difference between a ticket or no ticket.

[Lanius]

Wrong. Jamming (transmitting light waves) is not illegal in NZ. In certain EU and USA states it is illegal, but it's OK in NZ. Remember, this is jamming Laser. You CANNOT legally or practically jam the Ka based Radar units (ie Radio waves, as you would need a broadcasting licence for a start).

No offence intended, but would you mind posting some links to official websites that can back that claim up? Everyone I've ever spoken to regarding jammers has stated that they're highly illegal. The idea of them being legal competely negates any reason for Police to bother with lasers in the first place.

Paging BlakJak to Thread 370519! BJ will know

[GGnz]

from what i've read, the uniden ones are good for fixed speed cameras but arent that great at Ka detection - Uniden spent their development $$ on the GPS part but not the detection part.

Fixed Speed Cameras dont work on Radar. They work on piezo electronic detectors embedded into the roads surface which reads the speed of the car driving over them.

Interesting article, read it sometime back.- http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/speedandspeedcameras/fixeddigitalspeedcameras/howdofixeddigitalspeedcameraswork.html

The Uniden GPS RD has every fixed camera GPS Position programmed into it. You can also update these by sending ur RD to uniden.

On another note. Moved my detector today so its beside the rearview mirror with clear view out both the front and back windows. Seems to connect to the SAT better now as well. We'll see how it goes once I get a new fuse for it (accidently bridged the wires when extending the wiring )

[aliluya]

As a matter of fact the laser jammers are 100% legal ... my dad has it in his car and i had it in my last car, haven't been bothered to put it in this car yet. We both had the Blinder M20. You can go speak to a respectable cop and they will tell you that it's legal.


As for radar detectors i would go for either a V1 or an Beltronic 980(??) the top model one anyway ...

I had a proper AA report given to me by Cooke Howlison BMW that showed police testing the top radar detectors and the effectiveness of the Blinder M20. And in the report it said that even though people can detect the police lasers/Ka band etc the main point is that they slow down when being detected and become more cautious etc..

[Lanius]

As a matter of fact the laser jammers are 100% legal ... my dad has it in his car and i had it in my last car, haven't been bothered to put it in this car yet. We both had the Blinder M20. You can go speak to a respectable cop and they will tell you that it's legal.

There is a specific reference on the LTSA site talking about not interfering with surveillance equipment (including police laser and radar). It is legal to PURCHASE the device, however it is illegal to operate it in such a way that will interfere with Police catching you speeding using laser and / or radar. This is the fundamental difference between radar detectors, and radar jammers ... its perfectly legal to detect that there is a cop up ahead, but interfering with said cop doing his job, is a completely different story.

Again, could you please provide a link to somewhere reliable that states "these devices are legal to operate in a car in NZ", before saying something here that has potential to get someone else in a lot of trouble

I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but I would like to see something to back it up just in case.

[beeker]

As a matter of fact the laser jammers are 100% legal ... my dad has it in his car and i had it in my last car, haven't been bothered to put it in this car yet. We both had the Blinder M20. You can go speak to a respectable cop and they will tell you that it's legal.

There is a specific reference on the LTSA site talking about not interfering with surveillance equipment (including police laser and radar). It is legal to PURCHASE the device, however it is illegal to operate it in such a way that will interfere with Police catching you speeding using laser and / or radar. This is the fundamental difference between radar detectors, and radar jammers ... its perfectly legal to detect that there is a cop up ahead, but interfering with said cop doing his job, is a completely different story.

Again, could you please provide a link to somewhere reliable that states "these devices are legal to operate in a car in NZ", before saying something here that has potential to get someone else in a lot of trouble

I'm not saying you guys are wrong, but I would like to see something to back it up just in case.

The M20 dealers will tell you its undefined. There is no specific law against it, but its a question as to if the generic law of obstructing a policeman doing his duty will cover it. To date no one has been done 4 it (to the best of my knowledge). However if you are a #$&%# and intentionally speed, and then shoot your mouth off, then you may set a precedent here and probably deserve it anyway.

I have run M10's and now M20's for 5 years, and no problems.

[beeker]

FYI

Theis how i setup my old car with a V1 and the 'Lights-out remote console'. Not perfect, but functional.

[Tranquil]

Can someone explain to me how these laser jammers function? Specifically how an off the shelf system has the processing power to interrogate the incoming optical wave, generate a return signal AND make the 'artificial' return arrive before the 'real' return. (thats physics defying stuff..).
A standoff method could be used (basically spamming), however its inefficient and the cops are going to see some fairly strange readings, which is sure to piss them off even more.


Fyi, the defeat mechanism of all Mil-Spec laser counter measure systems is simply LOS based, e.g Smoke and decoys. If the military are not using electronic methods to defeat laser rangers and trackers... Its safe to assume traffic 'laser jammers' are just another gimmick.