Except for missy, so we keep a few cops around
ive got one here in WA. Ive used 2 different types. 1st i had the escort X50, that gave me about 300-400m warning on a multinova. That is now in the wifes car and im using the valentine one.that gives me around 500m warning and also has direction arrows and picks up multiple threats. its definately the better of the 2. both are good for not getting false alerts as you can turn x band off.
Jenx, who did you gt to install your radar detectors? Any reason you chose the valentine one over the whistler pro 78? From the pix, the Valentine One looks bulky and butt ugly...albeit there's very good reviews on the web on it, not much on the whistler one...
---------- Post added at 11:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 AM ----------
And sure you can't be serious, MissMPS...what's the point of buying the 3MPS and not feeling the need for speed (well, occasionally anyways?) Might as well get, I don't know, a Hyundai i30, if that was the case....
Mods: Cobb AP Stage 2, Mazdaspeed CAI, HKS SSQ BOV, ETS TMIC Anodised Black, CPE turbo back with highflo cat, Autotech Hi-Volume Fuel Pump Upgrade, Cobb Turbo Inlet Hose, cobb stage 2 suspension,CPE engine mount,Denso ITV22 Plugs, Dashhawk,TWM Shifter base bushings, JBR shift plate, MT90 transmission fluid, blacked out badges, carbon fibre mirror covers, led rear turn signals, JL sub in custom eclosure,JL amp, Eclipse AVN763Ea, 6000K HID.
Here is my reason for not being too keen to spend the cash on one...
Radar is very (ultra-even) high frequency radio energy. For a radar to detect you the car must be in its direct line of sight as the beam cannot go around corners or thru buildings, trees etc. The same (in reverse) is true for your detector. For it to see the police radar you have to also be in its direct line of sight. That means that when you are seeing it, it is also seeing you. So who sees who first?? Can you "wash-off" any excess speed before your speed has been registered? I think not. So the bottom line is that your in-car detector must be far more sensitive than the police radar so that you can detect its radio waves before it has had a chance to detect your speed. Even then the difference will be minimal and the chances of you dropping your speed in time is still minimal. All this apart from the fact that in most states they are illegal and the police radars can detect their presence. They can detect them becasue the detector itself also emits a small radar signature by the fact that it has to have an in-bulit local oscillator to work. This is what they look for. So unless your detector is very good at concealing its own local oscillator you are going to be pinged with it if it is ON.
Cheers, Clarry
Mods: MazdaSpeed CAI, Blue Callipers, Custom Striping ("whiskers"), Garmin Nuvi 760, ScanGauge II, MPS FloorMats
You do not need to be in line of sight for the simple reason that radar signals bounce. Examples:
[YOUTUBE]atiW1pVAeDQ&[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]778Yd096UQs[/YOUTUBE]
At its most basic level, no you do not need an oscillator on a radar detector. Quote:
"A convention Radar Detector picks up Police Speed Guns using a simple radio receiver and is a completely passive device." It's like you being able to detect I have a radio in my room.
Quote: "In addition to the basic receiver, these devices have their own radio transmitter, which emits a jamming signal. Essentially, the signal replicates the original signal from the police radar gun, but mixes it with additional radio noise. With this information added, the radar receiver gets a confusing echo signal, and the police can't make an accurate speed reading. "
This however does return a signal, and it's this that the radar detector detector picks up on. However there are stealth type radar detectors that are near on undetectable even when pointing the radar gun directly at it from 5m away.
Nuliaj: Hatches are only really half a car anyway.
shinslinger66: And you forgot to add that they are also a girls car!
Yes radar signals do bounce, and that is indeed (as you probably well know) how radar works. They also back-scatter (trees, buildings, ground etc). But once the signal bounces (even once) its signal strength reduces at an exponential rate. So the chances of your ordinary radar detector seeing bounced and back-scattered signals is much reduced. Basic statement still holds, you have to be in line-of-sight for them to work effectively. The more sensitive the receiver the better, but the down side there is that the cost goes up dramatically.
A radio receiver is a passive device, yes, but any radio receiver (worth having) has a local oscillator to mix with the incoming (received) signal in order to resolve what frequency band the received signal is in. All radio receivers need a local oscillator. Unless that oscillator is well and truly shielded the receiver is not stealthy. It can be detected and indeed this signal is what is detectable. In the old days when TV receiver licences were compulsory they used to drive around the streets in a van looking for the TV local oscillator signatures (among other things) and this is how they knew you had a TV going in your house. As you say the more advanced detectors are jammers as well. But these are not so common and also cost way more. And because they actively transmit of course they will be even more detectable than just a receiver.
So it is for these reasons that I still do not believe that radar detectors are as viable as some might like to believe they are.
Cheers, Clarry
Mods: MazdaSpeed CAI, Blue Callipers, Custom Striping ("whiskers"), Garmin Nuvi 760, ScanGauge II, MPS FloorMats
Through my experience when I had a detector when I was on the road for my previous job (approx 70,000km per year mainly country) I found the model I had at the time would 'blip' once or twice, then 2-3 kms later I would encounter a police car and then it would go crazy (approximately 500 metres away) I found over time that the 'blip' gave me an indication there was a highway patrol car in the vicinity, so I would take it easy for a while and if I didn't encounter the police then continue on my merry way
I'm not condoning speeding or recklessness, however on some of WA's long straight boring roads the 110kph limit can put you to sleep, so a little added speed increased the concentration and you got to your destination quicker. When you're driving 10 hours an extra 20 or 30kph can shave a whole lot of time off your journey!
Q-ship in relation to install, very simple as Jenx pointed out. Stick it to the upper section of your windscreen and run the cable on the inside of the roof trim, along the inside of the A pillar (careful not to obscure air bag), down under the dash and into your cig lighter, if the cable is too short make a trip to Dick Smiths for an extension!
Cheers!
R36 - Just like an MPS6 except with a growly V6
even easier still on the mps3 there is a seatbelt indicator for the rear seatbelts up near the rear view mirror. i spliced into the power there and tucked it all inside the box that is part of it...
and im with you shakes that they give you that bit of notice that something is around, so you become more alert. then i get about 500m notice on where the radar is. I dont use it to drive around flat out and disobey the road rules. I just dont have to look on the side of the road all the time for a mulitinova and can concentrate looking out the front..
Last edited by jenx; 15-06-2009 at 02:36 AM.
Mods: Cobb AP Stage 2, Mazdaspeed CAI, HKS SSQ BOV, ETS TMIC Anodised Black, CPE turbo back with highflo cat, Autotech Hi-Volume Fuel Pump Upgrade, Cobb Turbo Inlet Hose, cobb stage 2 suspension,CPE engine mount,Denso ITV22 Plugs, Dashhawk,TWM Shifter base bushings, JBR shift plate, MT90 transmission fluid, blacked out badges, carbon fibre mirror covers, led rear turn signals, JL sub in custom eclosure,JL amp, Eclipse AVN763Ea, 6000K HID.
A good read so far..
So, I know in NSW they use LIDAR for the hand held guns, are these still effective in this case?
With LIDAR you need a totally different type of detector. LIDAR is essentially using infrared *queue Doctor Evil* "lazer" beams. Those do require line of sight but has the advantage of being able to target a specific car in a group, whereas radar detectors can't accurately do that. Also with LIDAR, by the time they've pointed it at you (and dependant on range) they've already got your speed. The defense against LIDAR is to return a signal which forces their gun to throw an error code, as well as warn you that you've been pinged. This then gives you a couple of seconds to slow down before the gun starts working again.
Nuliaj: Hatches are only really half a car anyway.
shinslinger66: And you forgot to add that they are also a girls car!