May 23rd, 2011
At this one site (located in sources) there are a wide variety of radar detectors to choose from. I would like to get one, but, I do not understand the terms (i.e POP MODE) and I do not know if they alert me within a certain radius. My friend has one and I guess it works well alerting when the cops are in "radius".
What I want is just a simple "ALERT" saying that there is cops behind/front/side of me. (Alerting me whenever a cop is available in the area.) I do not need all the other techs (i.e. GPS Enhanced, Camera Traffic Signals Alert, etc..).
So, which product in the site (listed below) would you recommend?
By the way, I’m looking for one under 0.00.
Thank you for your help and answering my questions.
Source of the Site:
http://www.buyradardetectors.com/Products/Radar-Detectors-Under-100.aspx
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There is no such thing as a ‘cop detector’. Depending on the laws where you live (see sources for radar detector and laser jammer laws), you might detect a radar gun or a laser gun used to measure speed, but neither police officers nor their vehicles emit anything that can be ‘detected.’ So, you’re shopping for a radar detector and/or a laser detector and/or a laser jammer. Nothing will tell you if a ‘cop is nearby.’ Period.
Radar detector prices range from below $50 (complete junk and waste of money) to over $500 (the best available). If you can’t afford at least $150, you are looking at a cheap radar detector. Don’t waste your money. As an alternative to buying a cheap radar detector, I would seriously consider just never driving fast. Chances are good that if you speed, your radar detector will not alert and you will get a ticket. Then you have to pay all of the expenses for the ticket, PLUS what you paid for a cheap radar detector.
The cheaper the radar detector, the fewer features it has, the fewer radar bands it detects, the less likely it is to detect those bands, the more often you will receive false alerts, and the more visible it is to police radar detector detectors (RDD). If you use a cheap radar detector, you are likely to 1. not receive an alarm when you should, 2. receive false alarms when you shouldn’t, and 3. receive a ticket and have the device confiscated.
Police are using laser (LiDAR) more often these days. Your radar detector may alert to laser, but that means they already read your speed. If you are concerned about police laser, your only alternative is a laser jammer. Like radar detectors, laser jammers are also legal to use in most states.
The cost of a speeding ticket, plus court fees, plus time off work, plus points on your drivers license, plus increased insurance rates adds up to a LOT of money. If you really want protection against police radar, you must buy a GOOD radar detector. Otherwise, forget the cheap radar detector and just drive slower, keeping your eye on the speed limit signs and on your speedometer.
I doubt you’ll be able to get a decent one for under $100 unless it’s used (don’t buy cheap ones, if you’re going to get one, pay extra money to get one that works). I haven’t even heard of the ones on that website so I wouldn’t trust them (okay, I’ve heard of them, but nobody I know uses them). And do they work? They work for certain things. Don’t rely on them. They work if there is a cop sitting behind a bush or some other cover just waiting for people to go by speeding. It won’t alert you if a cop is waiting without his/her radar gun on (waits to see somebody speed by, then gets speed). So don’t think if you have one that you can drive as fast as you want until there’s an alert. It just helps with certain things. Best answer- don’t speed.
if you get one off that site, the only ones id consider are the Cobra XRS 9440 and 9540.
Most police departments have switched over to laser radar which does not transmit until he points it at you then activates it. After that it only takes them 2 seconds to get a reading on your speed. Radar detectors will not prevent you from getting caught unless you are lucky enough to pick up the radar signal while someone just in front of you is being clocked. Look for one that you can get an optional laser diffuser with it. A diffuser scrambles the laser signal from the radar gun so it can not get a reading on you allowing you time to slow down and turn it off allowing the cop to read your speed after you have slowed down. You will not find a good one for $100. They are usually around $300-$400 but if it keeps you from getting 3-4 tickets it’s paid for itself. If you buy a $100 radar detector and end up getting just 1 ticket then you’ve simply wasted your money.
You must first understand that this is a "radar detector" and not a "cop detector". The radar detector does not know when a cop is around it will only detect the cop if he has his radar gun on.
Pop mode is just a feature that detects quick radar bursts. It is a technique that cops use to catch people with radar detectors. It basically like turning on the radar gun and then turning it off quickly so you can’t pick it up on your radar detector.
If you want to have arrows that will show either front, back, or side then you will have to get the Valentine 1. That is the only one that I know of that has that feature. That is well outside your range though.
Like said before, laser is becoming more popular but it is still not widely used in a lot of areas. With laser, by the time your detector alerts you your already caught. Where I live, however, this is not that common and I have only been clocked with laser once (and I wasn’t speeding
). So having a radar detector is still a good thing to have.
$100 is not a lot to spend. If you figure that it saves you 1 ticket you are already saving over $100 right there. I would look to spend more if you really want a good detector. What you have to look out for with a cheaper unit is false alerts (unit going off on automatic doors for example) and the unit not picking up a radar signal.
I have an Escort 8500 x50 and it has saved me a bunch of times. It has gone off everytime that I have been clocked. The only thing is how much of a warning you get. Sometimes it is a mile and sometimes it isn’t until you are clocked. So as you can see these are not going to always be effective. Hills and corners can greatly reduce the effectiveness of the units as well as what type of radar signal the cop is using.
It should be known that a radar detector will in no way prevent you from getting a ticket. It is simply a useful tool for helping you avoid tickets. If you know how to use it right it can come in handy.
Good Luck!!!