Radar Detector Guide Category:
by Craig on December 25, 2009
Many people buy their radar detectors online. Amazon and eBay are popular websites to look for the best device. They offer a wide variety of products including radar detectors. Online purchases are convenient and you can even get the item at a lower-than-market price if you’re lucky. If you’re really lucky, you can even get one or two things thrown in for free with your purchase. I personally prefer Amazon because their return policy is very good. Well, how can you buy a good radar detector unit from Amazon?
Step 1: Create an Account
For browsing purpose, you don’t need an account. But you’ll need one to buy from Amazon. You should sign on if you have an existing account. Otherwise, create a new one if this is your first time buying from the site. You’ll be asked to provide user name and password.
Step 2: Search
You can click from any of my reviews to the exact product page in Amazon. Otherwise you can also key in “radar detector” into the search bar on the site. Hit “Enter” and wait for the results to load. Or else, you can also browse the categories under “Electronics” followed by “Car Electronics & GPS”. You’ll find radar detectors on that page. You can click on the suitable link.
Step 3: Narrow Your Search
You should narrow your search by indicating the wanted features or choose the brand you want. You can also sort the results by “Bestselling”, “Price”, and “Average Customer Review” to get a better idea.
Step 4: Compare Prices
For the same item, different seller may offer different price. You have to check thoroughly and choose one that meets your budget. You can also sign on to check frequently because you’ll never really know when you’ll come across a good bargain. Amazon often gives discounts and free shipping especially if the product is a bestseller and sometimes when the stock is running low.
Step 5: Compare Product Details
Compare important points for each item. Read the technical and product description. The features, model, design, color, function, and accessories should be reviewed. Some items are sold directly by Amazon while others by individual sellers. Check details such as shipping cost, product location, and return policy.
Step 6: Read Feedback
Customer reviews are very important. They tell you what others think of the product after using it. You may just change your mind after reading helpful comments. But some of the reviews in Amazon were not written by people who bought from Amazon. Reviews from people who bought the specific product from Amazon has a “Amazon verified purchase” tag under the reviewer’s name.
Step 7: Additional Purchases
Sometimes, you can also buy accessories at a bundle price. Once you’ve decided on your purchase, select the number of quantities you want and click “Add to Shopping Cart”. After that, you can either edit your list or click “Proceed to Checkout”.
Step 8: Finalize Shipping and Payment Details
The next thing to do is to finalize your shipping and payment details, indicate whether do you want gift wrap service and then place your order. Voila! Your radar detector is on its way to you.
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by Craig on December 8, 2009
These are the more common questions people ask about radar detectors. See if you can find something you want to know here.
So What really is a Radar Detector?
Radar detectors are actually simple devices that detect radar and laser signals aimed at your vehicle. The frequencies that they look for are those commonly used by radar guns that law enforcements use. In other words, it does not make you ‘immune’ to speed traps.
How do they work?
Radar detectors work best in moderate traffic, with cars in front of and behind you. A police officer who is looking for speeders would set off your radar detector when his radar gun captures the speed of a driver in front of or behind you. When your radar detector identifies some signals, you can slow down without being detected.
What about false alarms?
False alarms can occur due to the large number of devices, such as elevators, automatic door openers, or shops with wireless electronics that operate in the same part of the electromagnetic spectrum as radar guns. Those signals usually cause overly-sensitive radar detectors to go off as they are mostly weak signals.
How to prevent false alarms?
There are a couple of different modes your radar detector will work in to help you detect threats and minimize false alerts.
City mode, as it is called, is usually used in the city, when driving in a place full of alarms, door sensors and other detectors. This mode will reduce the sensitivity of the radar detector so only strong signals are picked up by it.
Highway mode increases the sensitivity of your radar detector, therefore increasing range and ability to detect low signals and quick signals.
Auto mode is the most commonly used mode. It works by shifting between city and highway modes depending on your speed.
POP mode is another common mode included in most radar detectors. It is used to catch the quick bursts of radar used in certain guns. While this mode is used by some law enforcement to stop speeders, it is used only to get an “estimate of speed” and not a definitive speed. Having this mode on will also result in an increase of ‘false alarms’, so most users prefer to have this mode turned off.
Why is my Radar Detector is making weird sounds?
One of the mistakes most drivers make after setting up their radar detector is not learning to interpret what it’s telling you before setting out for a drive.
When your radar detector gets a signal it will alert you audibly with a beep or voice. The stronger the signal, the louder these alerts get. But as each radar detector comes with different options and settings, it is best to read through the manual that comes with your radar detector beforehand to make sure you know your device well.
I can assume all soft beeps/weak signals as false alarm. Yes/No?
NO. Ignoring those mild alerts is the biggest mistakes drivers tend to make. Although a weak K or Ka-band signal that quickly disappears may at first suggest a false alarm, it may also mean that the radar may be pointed away from your direction of travel or angled across the roadway ahead and could be far enough away that terrain intermittently blocks the weakened signal.
What else can I do to avoid a ticket?
If you are in sparse traffic, you will have to sharpen up and pay better attention to the alerts or alarms the radar detector is giving, as police officers using an instant-on radar gun could get your speed and your radar detector would have little time to warn you.
Avoid speeding when driving by hills or big curves where traffic police usually lie in wait to ambush speeders. Bridge underpasses, overpasses and access roads are places to be wary of as well. Police can outwit radar detectors by using such geography or structures to hide their radar signals. In these cases, it’s best to slow down.
It sounds like common sense but face it, a radar detector merely confirms the presence of radar and lasers. Relying solely on your radar detector won’t save you from speeding tickets. Nevertheless, if you take the time to learn what you radar detector is actually doing and drive carefully, you will be successful at avoiding speeding tickets.
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by Craig on November 25, 2009
Size and weight
If the radar detector is not permanently mounted, or if you want to use it with different vehicles, the size and weight of the thing may be important to you.
Outer appearance
They say looks don’t matter. Of course that’s true if it is not relevant to the performance of the thing. However, a point to note is that radar detectors with metallic coating might produce glare in bright sunlight.
Modes
Highway mode or city mode? Or both? City mode decreases the sensitivity of the detector and shorten the detection range so that you get fewer false alerts. This is helpful in the city where there are plenty of security alarm. When in highway mode the radar detector becomes more sensitive and will be able to detect radars a longer way off.
Most of the mid-end models nowadays have both modes for you to change as you drive.
Laser detection
Try to find out whether your local police uses laser beams. Some radar detectors are also laser detectors, and they usually detect laser beams in front. The best radar laser detectors with 360-degree laser detection can also detect beams on the sides and behind but are more costly.
Models with laser detection are:
GPS technology
Some radar detectors use the same satellites as GPS navigation. The detector compares your exact location to its database of speed trap locations so you won’t be caught by hidden cameras.
The best radar detector – Escort Passport 9500ix comes with this technology.
Voice alerts and text display
Instead of the normal beeping, you can choose to have voice alerts. Useful text displays show you different simultaneous signals, and for the more advanced user, even the frequency of the radar band.
text display
Mute and Auto Mute
Just press the mute button when you’re aware of an alert so that you don’t have to listen to the continuous beep. When your car passes out of range of the signal, the detector will automatically turn the volume back on.
You can set the detector to auto mute after sounding an alert.
Auto Learn technology
Tired of the same false alert again and again? New models have auto learn technology that will sound the same false alert only the first time. When you pass through the signal next time, the detector will recognize it and won’t beep.
This is one of the nicest features in the Escort Passport 9500ix Radar/Laser Detector.
Power cord
Check also the length of the power cord and the side it is attached to the detector. This may not sound important, but you never know. People have complained that the power cord is not long enough to connect to the supply or that the power cord crosses the dashboard in an untidy way.
Stealth
Oh no, you forgot to take down the detector when you go into Washington, D.C.! (Radar detectors are illegal in Washington, D.C.) Get a radar detector with stealth operation, often called with different names such as Dark Mode or Spectre protection.
These are shielding technologies to make your radar detector undetected by radar detector detectors.
The best invisible radar detector will be the Beltronics STi Driver Radar Detector.
Go back to my Best Radar Detectors main page for more recommendations and radar detector reviews.
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by Craig on November 23, 2009
So you’ve bought the radar detector, and now you want to mount it in your car. So where is the best place and what is the best way to do this?
Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer. Choices usually come down to either mounting the detector high on the windshield or visor or low on the windshield or dashboard, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
First and foremost,
It’s a good idea to find out a little more on the type of electronic transmitting devices your local police is using. The two common types are radar guns and laser guns.
Radar is basically a microwave radio signal. This radar beam can normally penetrate glass, plastic, cardboard and even your body. What radar has a problem penetrating are metals, including some window tints that have metalized layers.
Laser is a light beam. Because the beam is narrow, and light, the beam can be effected by virtually anything you put between the laser gun and the detector.
High Mounting
A detector that is mounted high can catch radar signals sooner than one that is mounted low. This is particularly true in hilly terrain, or when your vehicle is traveling up a hill and a police officer is targeting traffic from the other side. A high mounted detector will encounter the radar signal sooner, providing you more time to decelerate.
Unfortunately, a highly mounted radar detector increases your risk of missing a laser alert. Since police officers usually aim the laser at a front license plate or a headlight, a high mounted detector will be unable to receive any of the “splatter” that may indicate you are being targeted by a police laser gun.
Low Mounting
By mounting your radar detector low, on the windshield or attached to the dash (make sure that the windshield wipers are not blocking the front), you will lose a little in radar range, but gain a whole lot in the ability to detect laser.
Always ensure that controls are accessible
No matter how you decide to mount your radar detector, it is important to make sure that you can easily reach the volume and mode controls (highway, city and mute) on your detector with ease to avoid distractions and unnecessary accidents.
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Repair or Discard?
The question on most people’s mind is “should I repair a broken radar detector?” If you had to ask me, I’d say there’s no absolute answer here. Depending on the extent of damage and how old the unit is, you may just save yourself trouble and money by buying a new device. However, if it’s fairly new and you know the fixing won’t burn a hole in your wallet, take a look at it and see what you can do. Consult a professional if needed.
Radar Detector Problems
1. Speaker Not Working
Radar detectors have small speakers and they are connected by fine wires. If not handled carefully, the wire can break and disconnect from the speaker. Or, the speaker may be busted. To identify the problem, look into the unit. You can plug the output to a temporary external speaker and it’ll work just fine. If it doesn’t, the internal chip may be defective ad needs replacement.
2. Display Stuck
Your unit will likely have a few functions that you can access by pressing on a button. Sometimes, the display gets stuck and you can’t select function you want. If that’s the case, try resetting. If that doesn’t work, the switch may have become defective or needs soldering. The buttons should connect directly to the circuit board for easy pressing.
3. No display
If you’ve switched it on and there’s no display, it means one of two things – either the display may be defective or the connecting wire has gone loose. If you look up the manual, you’ll find a factory reset recommendation. First, power off the unit and then press the stated buttons to power on again (usually you need to hold down a few buttons simultaneously). If that doesn’t work, try replacing the display.
4. Laser Alert Goes Off Suddenly
Your laser circuit may be oversensitive, or you have a loose connection in your unit. Excessive electrical noise can also cause this. Try tapping power from higher amperage terminals because the heavier cables usually connect to car battery and produce less electrical noise. This is also prone to happen after you’ve parked your car in a high temperature environment. If that happens, it means that some part in the unit may be defective and needs changing.
These are the typically more common problems for radar detectors. Feel free to read my other reviews to have a clearer idea about radar detectors.
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by Craig on June 10, 2008
Hi, welcome to my best radar detectors blog.
A radar detector is an electronic device use by car or motorist to determine whether their speed is being monitor by a radar unit.
Traffic police use radar gun or radar device that use radio wave to determine the vehicle’s speed. The radar detector will be able to tell whether you being monitor by radar gun or not.
Radar Detectors
Due to the nature of its usefulness, radar detector is illegal in couple of country. In US, base on wikipedia:
United States law varies from state to state, but detectors are generally legal in private vehicles under the Communications Act of 1934[7] and illegal in commercial vehicles by DOT regulation (49 CFR 392.71). Exceptions:
- Illegal in all vehicles: Virginia, Washington D.C., U.S. military bases
- Illegal in commercial vehicles under state law: Illinois, New York (specifically, commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) and all vehicles over 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg))
- Indirectly illegal: Minnesota and California (illegal to hang anything from the windshield with suction cups; however both dashboard and visor mounting is allowed.) It is also indirectly illegal in NY State, pursuant to Title 3 Article 9 § 375.30 of the New York State vehicle and traffic law.
Well, I hope this little introduction of radar detectors will be helpful to you. I plan to write about best radar detectors recommendation and guide here.
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