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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do I need a radar detector?
A: Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? It's embarrassing
and it's expensive! In addition to the high cost of the traffic
fine, you also have court costs, inconvenience and the impact on
your insurance rates. It can be overwhelming when viewed in it's
entirety.
_ More
than 100,000 active Traffic Radar guns are deployed across the USA.
Since the mid 1970's radar has served as the tool of choice for
traffic speed enforcement. More than 100,000 radar units are in
service by police agencies in all 50 states, and they account for
more than 30 million speeding tickets each year. In fact, there
are so many radar guns on the road, your speed may be monitored
virtually every day, and when you least expect it!
_ More
than 15,000 active Traffic Laser guns are deployed across the USA.
City police on urban, multi-lane roadways account for most of the
laser guns in use. And the use of laser guns for speed monitoring
is continuing to increase. In fact, your risk of encountering laser
is escalating every day. Top
Q: What is Radar?
A: Police radar guns transmit radio waves at a specific frequency.
A portion of the beam reflects from the target vehicle and returns
to the radar gun. If the target is moving, the frequency changes
slightly, a phenomenon known as the Doppler shift. By measuring
this altered frequency, the radar calculates target speeds.
_ X, K,
Super Wideband Ka. Police radar operates on three bands: X band
(10.525 GHz), K band (24.150 GHz) and Ka band (33.4 - 36.0 GHz).
X band dates back to the 1960's and is rarely used today. Unfortunately,
there are plenty of other devices like automatic door openers and
industrial burglar alarms that continue to use X band. And an increasing
number of these devices are beginning to use K band. These are the
most common source of false alarms in urban areas.
_ The
Importance of K and Ka bands. Remember that alerts on K band, and
more importantly Ka band, are more than likely to be real traffic
radar and not "false" alerts. Consequently, K and Ka alerts demand
immediate attention. For this reason, it's important for a detector
to have long range detection capabilities as well as a clear means
of identifying K and Ka band detection. Top
Q: What is POP Radar?
A: POP Radar is the newest radar police are using to detect
your speed. POP radar consists of a lightning-quick radar burst
that can go from “off” to “on” detect you speed then back “off”
again in less than one tenth of a second. Although it is still K
band radar, it is so fast it is undetectable by most detectors.
_ The
new Escort
8500 X50,
Valentine
One and
BELtronics
RX 65 PRO outperformed all competitors in POP radar detection.
Top
Q: What is the difference between radar and
laser?
A: Radar and laser technologies are radically different. Radar
uses radio waves while laser transmits a beam of invisible infrared
light. A radar beam can be 100 feet wide at typical target range.
At the same distance, the laser beam will be barely 1.5 feet in
diameter. This pinpoint beam width is what makes the laser so difficult
to detect.
_ There
are also significant differences in how the two types of speed-measuring
equipment are used by police. Radar can be used from a moving patrol
car. Laser must be used from a stationary position. For this reason,
laser is more likely to be used by police in metropolitan areas
rather than the open highway where moving radar remains the tool
of choice for state troopers. Top
Q: What is 360° Radar Detection?
A: Modern traffic radar guns can clock vehicles in front of
or behind the patrol car. For this reason, it's important that your
detector is able to capture radar behind your vehicle.
Q: What is meant by a "10 band" radar detector?
A: Some manufactures are touting their "10 band" detectors as
the most comprehensive protection available. This is merely marketing
hype. The net effect is misleading and creates confusion in what
protection you really need.
_ Today,
there are only THREE frequencies allocated for traffic radar monitoring
and ONE means of monitoring traffic speed with laser (infrared laser
beam at 904 nm). The "other 6 Bands" are artificially created by
counting different models of laser guns, undetectability to the
VG-2 and various alerts from Safety systems SEPARATELY. A description
of "10 band" or any other such mention does NOT mean you're getting
any additional protection. Top
Q: What is Safety Warning System?
A: Safety Warning System or SWS, employs low-powered K band
transmitters that send coded signals related to road and/or travel
information which a radar detector can interpret. These transmitters
may be mounted on emergency vehicles or placed at fixed locations
such as highway construction zones. By transmitting warning messages
to your detector, they can alert you to potential danger ahead.
Top
Q: What should I look for in a radar/laser detector?
A: Long range radar detection. Simply put, a detector really
has only one single mission: to provide enough advanced warning
of radar and laser signals to allow you to check your speed and
react appropriately. Long range detection relates directly to sensitivity:
the greater the detection range, the more protection a detector
delivers. Detecting X and K band radar at long range is easy compared
to Ka band radar, and most detectors today do it reasonably well.
But here's the problem. Most detectors simply aren't able to hear
the latest Ka band digital radar until it's too late for you to
adjust your speed. The result? Those flashing lights in your rear
view mirror.
Top
_ In real
world tests, only
BEL,
Escort
& Valentine
radar detectors gave more than enough warning when a radar gun was
aimed at vehicles exiting a sharp highway curve from about 400 feet;
the other detectors were simply not effective.
Q: Are jammers Legal?
A: Yes and No. The use of an active radar jammer is illegal
anywhere in the United States and may carry stiff fines and or jail
time. However, there are no Federal laws against the transmission
of infrared light which is what laser jammers use. For this reason,
LASER jammers are legal in every state except California, Minnesota,
Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Virginia and Washington DC ...
these states have specifically banned all jammers. Top
Federal law bans the use of jammers in commercial vehicles over
10,000 pounds. jammers are also illegal on any military base.
Q: Can I trust radar detector tests on
the internet?
A: Unfortunately, it is hard to know which radar detector
tests/reviews you can trust. Most will tell you that their tests
are the most reliable for testing radar detectors ... but how
much do you really know about them and who pays for these tests.
There is even speculation that some testing companies are owned
or funded by certain radar detector manufactures. We don't know
if this is true, but there is a lot of money at stake in being
listed as the best radar detector. Furthermore, it is virtually
impossible to give the exact same test to each and every radar
detector tested. But in these one or two day tests that most
radar detector testing companies do, that is the only way the
test would be accurate and fair. If every condition in the test
is not exactly the same for every radar detector tested, then
the test results are not fair and are not completely accurate.
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For Example: Any handheld radar/laser
gun must be held in the exact same position or results
can vary. Even a 5 degree shift in the position of a
radar gun can change the test results on the exact same
radar detector. I doubt anyone can hold a radar gun in
the exact same position all day. This is just one of
many factors in testing radar detectors that can affect
the test results.
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We believe that the most accurate test
results you can get is to test all the radar detectors in "real
world" situations, and over long periods of time. This is
exactly what we have done. Our test results come from months of
driving in "Real World" situations and in multiple
cities/states. We believe this is the most reliable way to test
radar detectors, as this is how you would encounter police
radar. To avoid any bias in our testing, we keep in stock all
the radar detectors we test, including
Bel STi Driver,
Cobra R9G,
Escort 9500i,
Valentine 1 &
Whistler Pro 78. We also include radar detector facts such
as weight, dimensions, warranty, features and much more.
see our
test results
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