View Full Version : A couple of questions...in general.
tech9
03-08-2005, 10:25 AM
In the town I live in and the surrounding ones it seems Ka band is only being used. I just bought a RD recently so I haven't taken it too far or into any big cities. K band seems to be used for the door sensors and what not although I have ran into one X-band that goes off near a hospital.
One of my questions is can state troopers be moving and shoot you with their radar if they are using Ka band? Is there a gun that does this, or do they have to be stationary?
Another question is since im only using the RD locally at the moment and Laser doesn't appear to be used, wouldn't I benefit from the RD being mounted up high instead of low? There are lots of hills in the area I live and the troopers travel it a lot. I think even a second more reaction time would be a benefit. Also I want to mount it up high so it will be concealed behind the rear view, so I don't have to pull it down in case an officer is behind me and sees it. Obviously I would run the wire along the trim and not straight down. Although it is not illegal to have an RD in my state, I'd rather keep it hidden anyways.
And finally, would I benefit from turning off the bands that are not used in my area? Would it speed up the RDs detecting time any?
-Thanks
sethy
03-08-2005, 10:44 AM
X, K and KA can be used in motion. Laser can not be used in motion. If you mount high, you may get about a second or 2 better detection then one mounted low. Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
SETITOFF
03-08-2005, 11:07 AM
X, K and KA can be used in motion. Laser can not be used in motion. If you mount high, you may get about a second or 2 better detection then one mounted low. Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
Yeah, what he said...
sethy
03-08-2005, 11:31 AM
X, K and KA can be used in motion. Laser can not be used in motion. If you mount high, you may get about a second or 2 better detection then one mounted low. Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any. However, if POP is enabled on your deetctor, people claim that it will be more sensitive to KA band. Not sure if that part is true though...
tech9
03-08-2005, 11:54 AM
Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
What I was trying to say is if you turn off the bands you don't need, will it speed up the processing time of the unit itself any since it doesn't have as many to search for or whatever.
brick
03-08-2005, 12:05 PM
Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
What I was trying to say is if you turn off the bands you don't need, will it speed up the processing time of the unit itself any since it doesn't have as many to search for or whatever.
It's not likely to do anything for you. X and K are extremely narrow bands when compared to Ka. I've heard of some European users improving performance by specifying only specific parts of Ka to scan, but that only works where your only concern is one specific device (probably a speed camera.) In the US you need to scan the whole thing.
Incidentally, what kind of detector are you using? There have been discussions of the "best settings" for various models.
SETITOFF
03-08-2005, 12:09 PM
Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
What I was trying to say is if you turn off the bands you don't need, will it speed up the processing time of the unit itself any since it doesn't have as many to search for or whatever.
Not necessarily. It all depends on the internal circuitry and what the sweep rate is (in milli-secs or micro-secs) for your RD to complete a cycle.
However, I would not recommend (and many will agree) disabling any band all together for obvious reasons.
tech9
03-09-2005, 07:53 AM
Brick, I read about the "best" settings for my RX65 and have it set that way at the moment.
SETITOFF, If it only takes less than a second to sweep then I might as well leave them all on. Didn't know how fast it processed.
On another note, I mounted the RD behind the mirror so those behind me wouldn't see it. Looked good. Performed bad. I didn't realize it but the "arm" that mounts the mirror to the windshield blocked the antenna's range on one side so it didn't pick up much of any signals on that side. It actually skipped over a K-band signal that I always get when passing a grocery store. I'll see what happens when I mount above the mirror if possible and if not, right below it I guess. If nothing else it will go back down above the wipers.
theresa
03-09-2005, 02:10 PM
Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
What I was trying to say is if you turn off the bands you don't need, will it speed up the processing time of the unit itself any since it doesn't have as many to search for or whatever.
I wouldn't think so.
Besides, what with karma being what it is, the minute you turn off one band, you'll get pulled over by a cop using it. ;)
Also, as someone pointed out, it only takes a second to sweep, so that's not any length of time that's going to cause you any detriment.
However...I was of the understanding that radar detectors had to be mounted high to work efficently. I've got my RX-65 mounted right by my rear view mirror, and my boyfriend has his V1 in the same place (can you guess who mounted them both? :lol: ) I think that mounting them lower can affect their performance - you might find better reaction time by simply mounting it higher, rather then turning off bands.
T
compu44
03-09-2005, 08:37 PM
Last, if you turn off bands, this will not speed up the detection any.
What I was trying to say is if you turn off the bands you don't need, will it speed up the processing time of the unit itself any since it doesn't have as many to search for or whatever.
I wouldn't think so.
Besides, what with karma being what it is, the minute you turn off one band, you'll get pulled over by a cop using it. ;)
Also, as someone pointed out, it only takes a second to sweep, so that's not any length of time that's going to cause you any detriment.
However...I was of the understanding that radar detectors had to be mounted high to work efficently. I've got my RX-65 mounted right by my rear view mirror, and my boyfriend has his V1 in the same place (can you guess who mounted them both? :lol: ) I think that mounting them lower can affect their performance - you might find better reaction time by simply mounting it higher, rather then turning off bands.
T
The general agreement is that the difference in radar range is very small. If you have a car that is treated with veil or is naturally hard to target with laser, you'd want to go for a low mounting. If you are an easy pick for laser, your best chance is to mount high and hope to get some scatter from other cars being lasered in front of you. Look at the "laser defense" section on the valentine site.
Hessen
03-10-2005, 05:17 PM
X, K and KA can be used in motion. Laser can not be used in motion.
Sorry people but moble laser is coming....maybe sooner than we think...or want.... :shock:
crazyVOLVOrob
03-10-2005, 08:29 PM
the day i mount a detector high is the day i install a jammer
My BEL 995 is mounted mid windsheild to have a clear view of the rear window
theresa
03-11-2005, 07:20 PM
Ok, now I have a whole new set of questions. :)
I just read the "Laser Defense" page on the Valentine One site.
To me, it sounds like Mike Valentine, anyway, encourages mounting radar high, specifically in states that don't require front license plates.
I'm confused...
t
brick
03-11-2005, 07:36 PM
Mike Valentine's philosophy is that you should mount high in order to give you a better shot at early detection, at the cost of possibly not knowing if you take a direct hit yourself. (Odds are you would pick it up as long as you're not right on top of the cop.) Mounting high is better for that since the detector may be able to see through the windows of cars in front, pick up reflections, etc. It's also supposed to be better for picking up weaker signals because the detector catches less glare off the hood of your car.
Mounting low is better if you want to be sure that you'll know when you are hit as opposed to someone in front of you. This is good if you're using countermeasures, but pretty useless if you aren't. Or so the theory goes.
compu44
03-11-2005, 08:07 PM
Mike Valentine's philosophy is that you should mount high in order to give you a better shot at early detection, at the cost of possibly not knowing if you take a direct hit yourself. (Odds are you would pick it up as long as you're not right on top of the cop.) Mounting high is better for that since the detector may be able to see through the windows of cars in front, pick up reflections, etc. It's also supposed to be better for picking up weaker signals because the detector catches less glare off the hood of your car.
Mounting low is better if you want to be sure that you'll know when you are hit as opposed to someone in front of you. This is good if you're using countermeasures, but pretty useless if you aren't. Or so the theory goes.
Well said brick. The only thing that I might add to that is that on a large vehicle, you would be best to mount low, regardless.
You're still going to pick up laser through most windshields with it at the bottom of a window in a full-size truck, plus you have a better chance of detecting laser on you.
In a smaller vehicle, i'm convinced that a high mount is the way to go if you're not using veil, or if you have a blinder. If you have veil or a lasershield on your plate, you may benefit more from having it mounted low.
Crash
03-12-2005, 06:44 AM
I mount my V1 mid-windshield for the highway and low for the city. The fact is that detection of Ka photo radars is better on the V1 with it positioned low-to-mid-windshield than high. Mounting it low also allows me to pick up laser and take evasive action when I´m hit (a U-turn comes to mind 8) ). Mounting it a bit high allows me to get rear Ka detection, especially on police cars with the Provida 2000 system, which doesn´t use radar, but gives away Ka-like emissions. Low-to-mid-windshield gets my vote.
compu44
03-12-2005, 08:33 AM
How large is the vehicle you're using it in?
happya$$
03-12-2005, 08:47 AM
Mounting high always gives you better performance with radar
compu44
03-12-2005, 09:01 AM
That's what i've always thought too, but from what Roy says, getting to a certain point may diminish Ka detection somewhat due to the size of the beam.
Crash
03-12-2005, 02:33 PM
It does diminish it in my case. The only vehicle I use the V1 in is a VW Golf Mk5-sized compact. I have tried all the possible configurations at a fixed-radar site we have here. The Ka reception is at its best when low- to mid-windscreen. Mounting it high reduced its effectiveness by almost one half (!).
jimbonzzz
03-12-2005, 02:49 PM
I think that fixed photo radar might be a different animal altogether.
For example, the videos that were posted showing the BEL 966 remote unit giving considerably more warning than any of the regular units against photo radar. But in Roy's tests against "regular" radar, the US version 975R did pretty poorly for range.
Jim
Crash
03-12-2005, 05:35 PM
I think that fixed photo radar might be a different animal altogether.
For example, the videos that were posted showing the BEL 966 remote unit giving considerably more warning than any of the regular units against photo radar. But in Roy's tests against "regular" radar, the US version 975R did pretty poorly for range.
Jim
Yup, noticed that one. So, if anyone needs to get rid of their useless Bel 975R I am charitable enough to take it :wink:
SETITOFF
03-14-2005, 07:08 AM
Brick, I read about the "best" settings for my RX65 and have it set that way at the moment.
SETITOFF, If it only takes less than a second to sweep then I might as well leave them all on. Didn't know how fast it processed.
On another note, I mounted the RD behind the mirror so those behind me wouldn't see it. Looked good. Performed bad. I didn't realize it but the "arm" that mounts the mirror to the windshield blocked the antenna's range on one side so it didn't pick up much of any signals on that side. It actually skipped over a K-band signal that I always get when passing a grocery store. I'll see what happens when I mount above the mirror if possible and if not, right below it I guess. If nothing else it will go back down above the wipers.
tech9, where are you located? I understand your desire to hide your detector. Just try not to sacrifice detection for concealment. I mount mine low and I have no problems receiving any signals including laser. (i want a blinder SO BAD!!!)