Gomez

As a total aside, this URL is worth a look for the truly curious, although I wouldn't waste my money: http://www.radarjammers.com/

Anyway, here's the story, and it's cut directly from the CL board:

The radar jammers are illegal in some states.
The laser jammers seem to be legal (so far) in all fifty states.

My little internet investigation of last week showed that there are four major, active laser jammer manufacturers. Just my opinion so I'm not naming names, but it seems to me that two don't work at all. One works if the laser is pointed at your front plate, but stops protecting if the laser is re-aimed at your grill or headlight. The fourth brand looks as though it might work, and has some interesting references including "Car & Diver" who think it works, too. Anyway, here is the URL for the company that manufactures the unit which I think could work, at least theoretically: http://www.lidatek.com

Why do I want one all of a sudden? Because I got nailed last week in my shiny new CL-S with it's shiny, new front plate bullseye target (required), and my shiny, new Valentine 1. Arrgh!

I got zapped by a laser toting motor officer last week. No V1 warning at all. The officer turned out to be a nice guy, but not nice enough to tear up my ticket.

Anyhow, we were having the usual citation conversation when he asked: "What's that thing?" pointing to the V1 remote mounted on my steering column. I explained. He said: "HA, HA, we don't use radar - we use laser. I said: Interesting; it's supposed to do laser too." He asked where the receiver was mounted and I pointed to its location near the passenger sun visor. (You can't see it from the front.) He said: "Turn it on and let see if it works." He took about thirty paces in front of the car and took a bead on my front plate. NOTHING! He then took aim at the V1's location and I got the full alert.

Next he said: "C'mon I'll show you how it works. We walked down to the six lane boulevard where I got nailed and he handed the thing to me. Very nice toy! Weighs a little over two pounds; kind like holding a pistol grip SCUBA light. Nice little LED heads up display, super imposed on the aiming reticle. Very easy to use. Push the button and see the speed and distance of your target. Very easy to isolate one car in a pack so no need to speculate whether you've got the right lawbreaker.

You are a sitting duck; detector or no detector. Even if your laser detector gives a warning (highly doubtful I have discovered), you have no time to scrub some speed.

I think a laser jammer would make the perfect stocking stuffer this year (for me).

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'01 pearlescent white
-Wing, tint, cop-finder
'88 White RX-7 Convertible
-Permanent tinitus courtesy of Rockford-Fosgate

Prez808

Doesn't laser also use "instant on" technology too??

preludeshfan

Well gomez no need to worry you can fight that ticket if you want. it is very easy to prove that laser or LIDAR is inaccurate. here is the reason ill try to be breif.. there is an article on the net somewhere i cant remember but this guy contested a ticket in court from a LIDAR gun. the reason is simple when a cop hits your car with laser the first few pulses can reflect from a wind shield or mirror while in the next split second the following pulses can reflect off your front plate. the end result is that to the gun your car just moved about 6 to 8 feet closer in a fraction of a second. instead of the actual speed giving a false reading in the cops favor. this was demenstraited in a court room where the guy aimed the gun at a wall held the trigger and then moved. he got a reading of 5 MPH now either the wall just moved at 5 MPH or the gun can be inaccurate because of the way it reads speed. that is the one reason you dont see many cops using it.
i have never seen a cop use laser until about 6 months ago i was comming home from denver and picked up some laser. i was speeding and immeadeatly slowed to the limit and saw a cop along the side of the road. it was at night i was very suprised to say the least. that was the only time since laser came out i have ever seen it used anywhere.

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formerly 98 prelude type SH

Currently 2001 Acura 3.2 TL With Navigation Black/Ebony

ChrisK

We had an interestong topic about this between Kensteele and I on the other TL board. Without going into detail, both of us see Laser quite often, and I see it exclusively in my state. Hawaii has been using Laser exclusively for about 8 years not since 92 I believe. Anyway, it is on Judicial Notice on Hawaii courts, so it is VERY difficuilt to weasle out of a ticket here. Only chance is if the Cop was shooting you in the rain.

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Chris K.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by ChrisK on 12-01-2000 @ ]</font>

Gomez

Luckily, here in Dallas the cops only use K and Ka bands. No X-band, and no laser/lidar.

The K-bands are famous for being 'pulsed' where the cop only turns it on to clock your speed, and hence are difficult to avoid unless you get the signakl from the cop shooting a car ahead of you.

However, those fine men in blue here in Dallas are kind enough to leave their radar guns on all the time, so they're quite easy to pick out. Unfortunately, living in the city causes detrectors to go off on all sorts of X-band activity that is not police use (motion detectors for automatic door openers like at the supermarket are EVERYWHERE), but my detector like most has a different sound for X so they're easy to ignore, but still get the old beeper going.

My Whistler has a mode that beeps twice only on new alerts, so at least I don't have to listen to it forever when in traffic by a falsing source. Handy!

As for pulse, today was the first time I got 'pulsed' and the detector made a sound I never heard before and I freaked and hit the brakes. As usual, I was the first car away from the stop light (I drive fast, OK?) so there were no cars in front of me. Bingo, I got clocked. Was only maybe 10 over the limit, and the cop didn't even pull me over. I bet if my detector was viewable from the front it would have been a different story, but it was not the case. Lucky.

Either way, my el-cheapo Whistler has saved my butt many times over, and I don't see any reason to get a V1. That might change if I did much interstate driving, but I doubt it. I get plenty of warning every time, and that sure is nice 'cause the old TL really gets away from you!

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'01 pearlescent white
-Wing, tint, cop-finder
'88 White RX-7 Convertible
-Permanent tinitus courtesy of Rockford-Fosgate