Got a ticket... need a Val 1 detector.

[Bushum]

If that is not enough for you I will scan the manual from my COBRA radar dectector that stated that radar is inaccurate while in motion.

I don't think a page from a RADAR detector manual is going to convince me of anything. They are selling you that so you can avoid getting tickets. Of course they are going to discredit RADAR.

The only reason courts have been using them for citation purposes is because nobody fights them.

Really? And you know this how? How many RADAR court cases have you been involved in? Something doesn't get JUDICIAL NOTICE simply because no one fights it.

Here is the definition for you:

Kinds of facts. A court may take judicial notice of a fact. A judicially noticed fact must be one not subject to reasonable dispute in that it is either (1) generally known within the territorial jurisdiction of the trial court or (2) capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned.

 

[TheRebel]

So it seems that whatever I say, your gonna argue. Why don't you start a new thread were we can discuss this. Then I can explain to you how resistors, capacitors, semicontuctors, IC chips, and A/D converters can be affected by temperature and humidity. You said yourself that you were aware of the errors of radar. All I was trying to say is that radar CAN be wrong. No, not all of them all of the time, but some of them some of the time.

 

[mholhut]

Can a cop chime in here?

Radar isn't horribly inaccurate; even when in motion. The operator or the circumstances around the radar unit can lead to inaccurate readings.

Radar devices are checked for accuracy by using a tuning fork. Usually two tuning forks come with each radar unit and each will vibrate at a different yet set frequency. When the tuning fork is struck and placed in front of the antenna, it should register the speed indicated on the tuning fork. If it doesn't, then the radar unit is inacurrate and must be recalibrated. Radar is very efficient at delivering the greatest return signals back to the radar antenna. Meaning, a tractor trailer will deliver a stronger signal from a greater distance, than a small, wedge shaped car, for instance. But, modern radar is capable of determining that there are different signals being returned to the unit and rotate or scroll the different speed indications. Radar units come with an audio component... if you didn't know, Radar is an radio/audio signal... and the return of which can be heard. By hearing the return signal, and watching the display, an officer can determine which vehicle is travelling which speed.

Any officer who uses a lick of common sense can tell if a car approaching him is approximate to the speed indicated on the radar unit. It takes an estimation by eye and the confirmation of the speed by the radar unit to determine if the person is commiting an infraction. If you sit and watch traffic enough, you can estimate speeds of vehicles very effectively.

Any officer who shows you the speed on his radar unit is asking for trouble. Not only is it unsound tactics, but it doesn't prove a thing. I could've locked a car in on the highway at 75mph and kept it locked in, only to show someone I stop in a 35mph zone the locked speed. So, showing the locked speed on a radar unit doesn't fly.

Some bogeys do happen. Radar can bounce off traffic signs and can even pick up the blower motor of the defroster or AC at times (which greatly reduces it's range, but not accuracy.) If an officer gets a reading of 85mph and the audio signal isn't strong and clear, and the estimated speed is off, then the officer should know something is up. That's why running radar takes more than just staring at the display and clicking the instant-on button. It involves estimation, and deciphering the audio component as well. That's why officers have to be certified to run radar and must undergo 40 hours (in MA) of radar operation before they can beging to write citations.

So next time, don't guess. And if anyone wants to know, just ask. Remember, everything you read on the internet or even in print, isn't always true. Damn the media!

 

[DTCBob]

I looked into the V1, but chose to go with the Beltronics Pro RX65. This thing has saved me so many times. I have also been hit by laser twice with this one and both times didn't get pulled over. I dont know if I was able to press the brakes quick enough or what, but both times I was going more than 20 over so I assume the cop would pull me over if he got a reading on me.

 

[NickLS]

Anyone who wants to know the best of the best in radar detectors go to:
RadarBusters.com

It's run by a retired cop who's sole purpose is to test, evaluate, and compare radar detectors of all kinds.. It's an excellent read. He goes into deep depth of how and why the radar detector will/won't work.