Radar Detectors - Recommendations, Please.

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted By: john_pifer
Originally Posted By: UncleDave

Perhaps it was.

The road had visible timing marks, and i couldn't say for sure what he had in his the hand, it may not have been a stopwatch.

UD


Check this out. It's one of the more common LIDAR speed-checking units that the cops use:

http://kustomsignals.com/products/product/pro_lite

Small enough for a motorcycle cop to easily carry with him.


What I saw had two lenses in a horizontal plane vs vertical plane- like binocs.

UD

 

[Buzzsaw]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: Buzzsaw
As a former traffic enforcement officer I used to write tickets everyday to people who had RADAR detectors. This was 10+ yeas ago. I never wrote anyone for less than 20 over the limit.

Did the presence or absence of a radar detector play a deciding factor in whether or not the speeder was issued a citation?


Let me start by saying that I didn't start stopping cars unless they were going 20 over so if I stopped a driver who was using a Radar detector I took that as prima facie evidence that they had intent to break the law. If they asked for a warning I usually said your warning was on your dash. I usually gave 4 times as many warnings as citations while working traffic but if you got caught going 20+ with a detector it was a cite.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: Buzzsaw
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Did the presence or absence of a radar detector play a deciding factor in whether or not the speeder was issued a citation?


Let me start by saying that I didn't start stopping cars unless they were going 20 over so if I stopped a driver who was using a Radar detector I took that as prima facie evidence that they had intent to break the law. If they asked for a warning I usually said your warning was on your dash. I usually gave 4 times as many warnings as citations while working traffic but if you got caught going 20+ with a detector it was a cite.
Thank you for your response, good food for thought.

 

[MCompact]

When I presided over traffic court there was one officer who would note on the Uniform Citation "Radar detector in use!!!" I told him that I was going to assume those drivers were not speeding- because when my V1 went off I made certain that I was going the speed limit.

If you decided to dispute a ticket, success depended in large part on the philosophy of the individual judge; the speeders I didn't feel sorry for were the ones blasting through school zones, work zones, subdivisions, and the like. 15-25 over on a deserted two lane or rural interstate? No big deal; my prosecutor(who drove a Mustang GT) and I had much better things to do than try those kinds of citations.

Then there was the judge down the hall who thought that your head would explode if you drove over 55(although considering that he owned a Cavalier and a late '70s Malibu wagon he may well have had a basis for that belief...)

 

[avacado11]

I know this is old, but figured it's not worth making a new thread.

Seems like OP likes the Escort Max 360. Thinking about picking one up soon. Currently have a Uniden DFR1, used it locally and it barely has any filtering. No use when it's alternating between X, K, and KA constantly. I understand the DFR1 is the cheapest($40) radar detector and I don't expect much out of it, but it's absolutely useless.

Has anyone used the Escort iXc? Is the price difference worth getting the Max360 over it? the iXc goes for slightly less than a V1 but they are currently out of stock(been out since late April).

I drive between Arkansas and New York a few times a year, along with Louisiana, Texas etc. Speed limit is 70, usually do 78-80 and end up slamming on my brakes when I see a car on the side of the road. 2/3 times it's a disabled car.

Should I get the iXc or Max360? or just wait for Valentine to stock up again? Main thing I'm looking for is false alarm filtering. Don't really need the best range, as long as it's good. Would like to stay under $400 but I'll spend the money if it's worth it.

 

[john_pifer]

Originally Posted by avacado11
I know this is old, but figured it's not worth making a new thread.

Seems like OP likes the Escort Max 360. Thinking about picking one up soon. Currently have a Uniden DFR1, used it locally and it barely has any filtering. No use when it's alternating between X, K, and KA constantly. I understand the DFR1 is the cheapest($40) radar detector and I don't expect much out of it, but it's absolutely useless.

Has anyone used the Escort iXc? Is the price difference worth getting the Max360 over it? the iXc goes for slightly less than a V1 but they are currently out of stock(been out since late April).

I drive between Arkansas and New York a few times a year, along with Louisiana, Texas etc. Speed limit is 70, usually do 78-80 and end up slamming on my brakes when I see a car on the side of the road. 2/3 times it's a disabled car.

Should I get the iXc or Max360? or just wait for Valentine to stock up again? Main thing I'm looking for is false alarm filtering. Don't really need the best range, as long as it's good. Would like to stay under $400 but I'll spend the money if it's worth it.


I like my Max360. The GPS-based automatic stationary false signal lockout is essential if you do a lot of driving in a city or town with a lot of businesses (automatic door openers on businesses use K-band radar, and will cause falsing on radar detectors). Escort also has the best BSM (blind spot monitoring) filtering for those pesky vehicles that have BSM. Also, the fact that the Max360 was my first radar detector means that I am now spoiled on having directional arrows. If/when I upgrade, I wouldn't buy a detector that didn't have arrows. I also don't think I'd buy a detector without automatic GPS-based stationary false signal lockout (again, spoiled by the Max360). I have also gotten spoiled on the signal strength/frequency meter. Once you learn to use it, it really helps you differentiate between real threats and false signals.

The Max360 is really a feature-packed unit, and I like that. But you pay for it. $$$

Downsides to the Max360:

- Ka-band range is not great, although its K-band range is one of the best. Most LEOs still use Ka-band, though many of the newer cruisers are now equipped with K-band.

- It's huge (comparatively)

- Alerts aren't loud enough. You won't hear them over music or if the windows are down...though, not having used other brands, I don't know if anything else is louder.

- Directional arrows could be larger/brighter.

- Escort doesn't update the firmware often.

- The phone app is OK but not great.

- Very expensive. I paid like $650.

There is, however, an updated version of the Max360 now. It's called the Max360c, and it has WiFi and improved arrows.

If I were in the market today, I'd look hard at the new Uniden R7. Far better range than the Max360, it has arrows, and Escort's patent on automatic stationary false lockout protection is about to expire. So, while the new Uniden R7 doesn't currently have that feature, it's set up for it, and Uniden will eventually release an update that will give the R7 that functionality.

Check Vortex Radar (website as well as YouTube channel) for more info. Also the RD Forum is great.

 

[john_pifer]

BTW, I haven't gotten a speeding ticket since I've had the radar detector - over 2 years now. And I don't drive slow.

 

[kkreit01]

After owning an Escort iX since they've been out, I would definitely not recommend it. I've owned a long line of Escorts (9500i, Solo, 7500, etc.). They were all great until BSM came out on almost every car on the road. My iX is useless during a metro commute on highways. It falses for every new GM, Honda, and Acura. There are a lot of them on the road! An occasional Audi, and even some new FCA vehicles (Pacifica & New Compass) will also set it off. It has saved me during long trips, but the false alerts are really annoying. I've done some reading, and the Radenso Pro M seems to be the best at BSM filtering. It will be my next choice -- even though it looks ancient with it's basic display, standard plug, no app, etc. They may make it more modern by the time I upgrade. The Uniden R3 (and R7?) seem to have the best range, but that isn't an issue with my current detector. I want the best at BSM filtering.