Sad Day for Me and my escort 8500 x50

[frog1699]

ya its blows :-/ i figure i did a bunch of research before buying the detector and it failed me i wanna throw it at the wall.

Don't despair. At only 800 to 1200 feet, the spread on laser is only a couple of inches at the most. If it was a very dry day with very low humidity, then laser scatter would have been almost nonexistent. No dash mounted radar detector would have been able to detect the laser if the officer was holding the laser gun really steady at that close range.

This is why most people here say that if you get a laser alert on your radar detector, then you might as well plan on pulling over since it isn't very often that you will pick up laser scatter off of a car which is ahead of you.

inches? try 2 to 3 feet if not more at 1200FT.

frog: sorry about your luck but the officer had really good discipline and probably just hit your front plate. the only detector that is going to go off for this is the V1. you need to journey off to the laser jammer section there is a whole new world to discover.

couldnt of been my lisence plate i dont have one :X

now from yalls personal experience i was always told to mount low, where is the best place to mount from reading seems like everyone is mounting by the Rearview mirror.

[frog1699]

some reason i havnt been getting my emails from replys thanks for all the info but as for knowing if it was laser or radar, it dont say on the ticket it self, just says ( #1 in @ 800ft) under radar unit/patrol veh there is a little ux015500 my other ticket i got about 4months ago it says it was a LIDAR from 501.4ft. this was from a State Trooper in California so most likely a laser :-/ ****er got me for tinted windows to..

[ELVATO]

Yea, as has been said before, if it displays displays a distance, it is laser. Radar does not give any sort of distance information.

Just because you don't have a plate doesn't mean they don't aim for the center. Maybe he aimed for the headlights.

Either way, you were screwed the moment you were shot. Based on this mentality, many, including myself, believe that mounting high is the way to go. Might as well go for the best radar reception, however small the improvement maybe. And it keeps it in the shade

California is a hardass on the whole vehicle code thing....it's ridiculous :roll:

[TSi+WRX]

now from yalls personal experience i was always told to mount low, where is the best place to mount from reading seems like everyone is mounting by the Rearview mirror.

There are compromises to be had with any mounting position.

:arrow: http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=28076

Lots to think about - there's not only the issue of mounting position, but also things like absolute height as well as greenhouse relative height.

In the end, you have to choose what the right compromise may be for *you*.

[frog1699]

i read that artical and guess ill be keeping my detector mounted low like ive been. in cali they mainly use lasers, but sometimes ull get lucky where the CHP will leave on his radar and it picks it up like a mile away. so if i mount it low does it make a difference if i leave it in the middle,to the left or to the right of the windshield? and btw my car is lowered it not standard height im 4 maybe 5 inchs from the ground, could that make a difference on placement as well?

[SmokeX50]

i read that artical and guess ill be keeping my detector mounted low like ive been. in cali they mainly use lasers, but sometimes ull get lucky where the CHP will leave on his radar and it picks it up like a mile away. so if i mount it low does it make a difference if i leave it in the middle,to the left or to the right of the windshield? and btw my car is lowered it not standard height im 4 maybe 5 inchs from the ground, could that make a difference on placement as well?

mounting low for the sole purpose of detecting laser is pointless IMHO because by the time you get an alert, 99% of the time the LEO already has your speed.

mounting your detector higher will increase your chance of detecting laser scatter (laser aimed at another car) because it can "see" over traffic better giving you a chance to slow down.

[proudNMAmember]

Memtek, I picked up Laser from only 200-300 ft away w/ my STi 3 weeks ago. It is possible!

[Abe Froman]

I'm just surprised people still think even their high end Escort (I have one) or V1's are going to actually shield them against a laser threat.

Sorry folks, you're screwed. There may be the one off chance where you get some scatter...and with that said, there are going to be times where a laser jammer simply can't help if the distance is too short...but, that's why my car has both jammer and detector. And the Escort is mounted to the extreme high as using it for a laser alert is pretty much useless, IMO.

Sorry if that ruffles any feathers---just using what I have learned on this site and my own experience.

[insidercw3]

The biggest differentiating factor when it comes to LASER is the type of vehicle that is being targeted. If you're driving an SUV, mini-Van, P/U truck, caddy or dodge with the big flat front end you don't have a chance against LASER. The bigger and flatter the target the easier it is for the LEO to obtain a valid laser hit at further distances. My little car with a pointy nose and sloping hood has saved me three times this year as LEOs simply can't target my plate that well with a handheld until I'm at "whites of their eye" ranges.
LASER is practically unbeatable if you're driving a huge flat fronted target. Maybe a jammer will save you in your Escalade but chances are you're going to get nailed regardless.

[Ven0mizer]

Bleh....why speed in an escalade anyways? Good luck maneuvering in that rolex bus when a truck blows a tire :shock: