Newbie has questions regarding latest radar detectors

Hello,

I have been out of the radar detector loop for almost 18 years going back to the early 90's when the primary technology was X band, K band, and Ka band. Fast forward 18 years later and I'm in the market for protection for my 2008 BMW 335.

I would to purchase something that has front and rear protection, i.e. sensors installed by a trained technician on front and rear of vechicle, etc. I have been reading about radar jammers and laser jammers on this forum and have even read about Veil.

My question is; what are some recommendations of hardware / protection? I have read that some radar detectors have modular connections for laser jammers, but I'm not sure if this compatibility has drawbacks, i.e. a good laser jammer and a sub par radar dectector or vice versa.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Owen

Best Dash-mount radar-detectors (In no order):

V1
Bel Sti
Escort 9500i
Escort 9500ix
Escort X50
Bel RX65

*Note: In the above the X50, RX65 are the cheapest, and performance is nearly negligibly behind the others listed... they are older but by all means still considered top-tier... the 4 other units also have a few major 'features' the 2 mentioned do not have, but it comes at a steep price: $100+*


Both these models below have not been as extensively tested (as they are very new to the market, but they should have similar performance to the above detectors, because they are just a port from an already existing detector.

(Escort C65)
(Bel GX65)


Best REMOTE models:

Escort 9500ci
Bel Sti-R

The 9500ci is by most considered the only real choice of the two. They both have extreme sensitivity (much information says: they are the most sensitive units [regarding radar] ever seen in the industry). The 9500ci has a GPS feature to lock-out the many false alerts you will receive with the unit though, which is a HUGE plus. It also has front and rear laser jammers (ZR-4). The jammer is considered somewhat lack-luster, but can provide adequate protection to the (front) of a car if paired with Veil G4. The rear is still somewhat of a ticket notifier... but can in favorable conditions be useful.

The price point here is 2x-3x the dash-mount units.

Ok, so it all comes down with 2 products. A remote mounted RD that has front and rear antennas OR a Valentine One that is a windshield mounted RD which has a front and rear facing antennas. It also has directional arrows pointing in the direction the radar is being emitted from. It all depends on which one of those you are going for.

For laser jammers, they are illegal in some states. Check the link and see if they are illegal in your area.

Guys Of LIDAR - Laser Jammer Laws

And be sure to check out their testing results of the laser jammers

Guys Of LIDAR - Field Testing


You mentioned Veil, Viel is effective in absorbing laser for a short distance. It is meant to be used in conjunction with a high-performance RD that can alert you of the laser and the Veil will absorb the laser so you can slow down and eventually the LIDAR gun will punchthrough and get your speed. Remember, Veil is more effective on a darker car because lighter cars reflect the laser more easily. Here is a video demoing Veil

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DgCb26PgMY"]Veil G4 Testing[/ame]

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Originally Posted by stevo1569

Ok, so it all comes down with 2 products. A remote mounted RD that has front and rear antennas OR a Valentine One that is a windshield mounted RD which has a front and rear facing antennas. It also has directional arrows pointing in the direction the radar is being emitted from. It all depends on which one of those you are going for.

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There is no remote RD that has front and rear radar antennas.

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Originally Posted by AirMoore

There is no remote RD that has front and rear radar antennas.

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None that we would recommend anyhow.

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Originally Posted by samq45

None that we would recommend anyhow.

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Correct! There most certainly is one, but I won't mention who makes it! ;)

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Originally Posted by okorkie

Hello,

I have been out of the radar detector loop for almost 18 years going back to the early 90's when the primary technology was X band, K band, and Ka band. Fast forward 18 years later and I'm in the market for protection for my 2008 BMW 335.

I would to purchase something that has front and rear protection, i.e. sensors installed by a trained technician on front and rear of vechicle, etc.

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I'm wondering what you mean by front and rear protection? If you are talking about radar, any good RD can easily detect radar that originated sron the rear of the vehicle. However, only the V1 can tell the user whether the signal originates fron the front or rear of the vehicle. If you are talking about laser, laser jammers can be purchased for both front and back protection for one price, or just front protection for a lesser price.

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Originally Posted by okorkie

I have been reading about radar jammers and laser jammers on this forum and have even read about Veil.

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Jamming radar is a Federal crime, so I highly discourage this approach. A good RD can give one excellent protection against radar threats and it's perfectly legal everywhere in the US except Virginia and Washington DC. Detecting radar is a more recommended option around here.

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Originally Posted by okorkie

My question is; what are some recommendations of hardware / protection? I have read that some radar detectors have modular connections for laser jammers, but I'm not sure if this compatibility has drawbacks, i.e. a good laser jammer and a sub par radar dectector or vice versa.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Owen

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We need your budget constraints and the area you drive to begin to give meaningful suggestions. RDs range from good enough for about $150 to ridiculously good for $1600. Laser jammers range from probably good enough for about $400 to crazy good for about $1200.

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Originally Posted by okorkie

Hello,

I have been out of the radar detector loop for almost 18 years going back to the early 90's when the primary technology was X band, K band, and Ka band. Fast forward 18 years later and I'm in the market for protection for my 2008 BMW 335.

I would to purchase something that has front and rear protection, i.e. sensors installed by a trained technician on front and rear of vechicle, etc. I have been reading about radar jammers and laser jammers on this forum and have even read about Veil.

My question is; what are some recommendations of hardware / protection? I have read that some radar detectors have modular connections for laser jammers, but I'm not sure if this compatibility has drawbacks, i.e. a good laser jammer and a sub par radar dectector or vice versa.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Owen

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Just to add, i think a good laser jammer and a good radar detector will cover your chances of getting a speeding ticket to less than 10 %. The rest of the 10 percent is the threat of VASCAR (ground or airplane), pacing, visual guestimation, and INSTANT ON radar of which you should still have good chances of detecting if there are some rabbits ahead of you.

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Originally Posted by djrams80

Correct! There most certainly is one, but I won't mention who makes it! ;)

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Suffice it to say though that its performance is lackluster.

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Originally Posted by MEM-TEK

Suffice it to say though that its performance is lackluster.

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And its performance is nowhere near its price tag and I mean, not in the same galaxy!