Printable View
I tried to find statistics for the number of RDs as a percentage of cars on the road. I know that no one that I work with (about 45 individuals) has one. I thought it curious that LE agencies go to such lengths to 'fight' RDs when (unless I am way wrong here) there aren't that many to bother with. Perhaps it is a regional thing?
Just curious.
http://www.workzonesafety.org/files/...ts/07-2908.pdf
You can find some stats in this article...
Nice info - thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by thx1138
Chicken or egg... Maybe a lot of people once had an RD, but stopped using it because they perceived it to be "useless" because of IO and laser? (This is completely unsubstantiated and just a conjecture.)Quote:
Originally Posted by TahoeKid
Quote:
Originally Posted by supercowpowers
I would agree with this.
When laser came out my dad told me my rd would be useless because they all would shoot laser now.
They get better equipment then we get better stuff and so on it goes.
I've noticed a lot more people around here (central IL) have some form of RD than I ever see in MA.
I see VERY few up here in MA. When I do see one its usually junk. I have been playing with my bushnell on the highway and on an hour drive I MIGHT see one or two during non rush hour times. During rush hour I might see four or five.
fabulous find, thank-you-very-muchQuote:
Originally Posted by thx1138
I'm always curious about strategy - interesting juxtaposition of technology and technique
An encounter of this nature is a vote for both a stealthy Belscort AND the awareness of a V-1 - - :geekon:
"One of the findings when developing specifications for the drone radar was the discovery of a radar detector that failed to detect the signal of the drone. This inexpensive radar detector model purchased at a large department store may be one of many models that fail to detect drone radar."
"The most important position in the setup was Station 1 because this location was placed in advance of the drone radar, outside of the signal range, but within the work zone signage area to obtain a normal work zone speed. The observer at station 2 recorded speeds inside the detection zone of the drone radar. Since the radar gun was inside the range of the drone radar’s range limit, it didn’t matter whether vehicles detected the radar gun’s signal.
The data collected at Station 3, downstream of the drone radar and outside of the detection zone, provided researchers with data to determine if the vehicles returned to their normal speed after detecting the drone and failing to locate law enforcement. Some radar detectors may have detected the radar gun’s signal at this station, but this was minimized due to the triggered mechanism of the gun."
Radar detectors were identified using a VG-4 frequency RDD at Station 1
At Station 1, speeds were recorded using a triggered type laser gun while a triggered type radar gun was used at Station’s 2 and 3. The use of the laser gun at Station 1 was important because researchers did not want vehicles reacting to the radar prior to the detection of the drone. Vehicles were tracked going away from the laser gun to minimize the chance that a vehicle equipped with a laser/radar detector would detect the laser. Individual speeds of those vehicles equipped with radar detectors were also recorded to see if they decreased their speeds when encountering the drone radar’s signal. After the RDD identified a vehicle at Station 1 containing a radar detector, the speed was recorded and a description of the vehicle was radioed to Station 2. The speed of the same vehicle at Station 2 was noted for further analysis. Ideally, using Hi-Star Nu-metrics speed detection instruments would have increased the accuracy of the data, but due to time and cost restraints, this technology was not used."
even X-band hasn't gone awayQuote:
Originally Posted by voyager7Quote:
Originally Posted by supercowpowers
I would agree with this.
When laser came out my dad told me my rd would be useless because they all would shoot laser now.
They get better equipment then we get better stuff and so on it goes.
Around here i actually see alot of RD but nothing very good. where i work however there is a V1 to 9500s and my X50. It just depends where you are
I see the cheapest of the cheapest on 70 and v1's or nothing on 40.Quote:
Originally Posted by DirtLife08
Good stuff there - As I drove through the desert a month or so ago, one more thing would come in handy : Binoculars.Quote:
Multiple Layers of Defense
1) Knowledge - Of tactics, hiding spots and laws.
Trapster GPS POIs; personal experience
2) CB - Rabbits you can talk to!
Uniden 510, DM-452 power/echo mic, Uniden ESP-5 external speaker
Wilson 1000 hole mount antenna
3) RDs - Easily defeated by IO, but still valuable.
S7 Bel 955; M4 Bel RX-65 (rarely used, S7 > M4)
4) Eyeballs - When all else fails.
Just because you can see the cop does not mean he already has your speed.
"Is that a LEO way down there, or is it just some guy pulled over to take a leak?"
I would say the 15% estimate is high. I know when I go out shooting laser a rarely see a car with a detector. If I shoot for an hour I might see one car with a detector. I have never run across another car with jammers except at one of my testing events.
My estimate is more like 5% or less in the Atlanta area. This may be due to the fact that radar is rarely used in the metro area and people gave up on the cheap Cobras.
I'd agree, here is less than 10% and maybe 5% is a good estimate. An occasional blast from the Bushnell rarely produces brake lights. But I live in a metro area too. Maybe more rural areas the number is higher.Quote:
Originally Posted by category4
Here in Maryland I do not see many around Baltimore and Annapolis area. (besides the occasional piece of garbage cobra hanging in the middle of the windshield) However I have spotted a few V1 and Escort users on I-95.
Nice article, I was reading in that articel that the TX DPS bought like 185 VG-4's. How are they different than a VG-2. Can they detect V1's, Escort 8500's, etc. Or are they pretty much obsolete like the VG-2.
Probably need to factor in that the RD market nose-dived in the years following the national 55 mph speed limit being lifted.Quote:
Originally Posted by category4
"Binoculars"
I thought Imight be the only one using these things to look down the road. :)
The bumps in the road can make you feel sick though. They do work, I have spotted the backend of a patrol cuiser going in the same direction and they do have rear radar. But the Binoculars helped!!!
I'm very cognizant of looking at windshields when I'm walking in a parking lot or driving to notice what people are using. The majority of what I see is escort 8500/9500 or a really cheap POS. I see very few v1's.
Because V1s are their owners' babies, and they wouldn't leave them out all conspicuous like for everyone to see. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by kappaz
Though the law doesn't believe that RD's work I figure they are like fishermen going for the big catch 80+ in NC And they figure those who approach those excess speeds are counting on more than luck to help them out. So if they are fishing for the big catch they will deploy tactics just like a fisherman to add to their advantage. I sure there are braggin rights about what they caught and how they caught it with their buddies.
Yeah - I drive a lot in open desert. There are numerous places in Nevada where you descend a valley and up the other side, you can see every car ahead, more than 10 miles away - sometimes I see what 'looks' like a NHP, but as it gets closer and closer - ends up being something entirely different - like a dark colored guardrail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Green Voodoo
Like this spot : http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=4...12,278.56,,0,5 Although the camera does not have the range as the human eye - from this vantage point you can easily see 5-6 miles down the road.
Binoculars are nice to have sitting on the passenger seat. You never know, you might even spot a moose.
It's nice to see these posts about binoculars. Being tragically nearsighted, I have been thinking about putting some in the car for quite awhile (for long interstate trips) and was just about ready to post inquiring about it.
I hope the binoculars are for everyone's co-pilots to use...
Yeah, would look kinda funny driving for more than a few seconds with binoculars as your only viewport.Quote:
Originally Posted by supercowpowers
I notice Radar Detector use is more popular in certain areas of the US vrs others. The southeast seems to be very popular, compared to the Western states.
Anything that distorts your vision while moving is a bad idea imo. I used a set of NVGs that had minor magnification built in while on a night sortie in an F-16, dear god almighty! All I could to keep my dinner down..... and still failed. All my previous sorties I had done ok, and had used NVGs before (though a model that didn't have magnification) on different planes but the combination of quick movements and the minor magnification were too much that night.:crazy_pilot:
On the highway there is a much higher percentage. In our office, most of the people that have to come in on interstates have them and the ones that live in town do not. All of our sales people who travel have one.
That's a good observation. I'd guess that if a particular area doesn't have a collection of multiple-lane roadways where it's easy and safe to speed, people might not consider purchasing a RD a good investment.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrewT55
That is why you mount a gyroscope on it. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Green Voodoo
There is a lot of people that use RD's in NYC and NJ. Practically, the majority of car forum members have one.
I bet! I've used them a lot as a helo crewman and on ground combat ops, and it takes a lot of getting used to, even in those environs. Flying a high performance aircraft with them would be a significant challenge. Just trying to render basic medical care with them on is nearly impossible. It's easier to do in total darkness!Quote:
Originally Posted by stinger11
Probably see about half a dozen or so a day on the roads here in FL, mostly Cobras and Whistlers and very rarely I may see an Escort or V1.
Never seen anyone with a Laser Jammer (which means they're hiding them well I guess!).
I have had a few J-outs on my V1 here in Ireland that led me to believe that I have encountered a few (crappy) RDs on the road here but I have never seen one in a car.
A few cases have turned up on Irish motoring forums where the LEO spotted the RD on their dash and so they ended up in court and got fines of €500+ and court costs etc.
I am not aware of anyone in Ireland being caught with a laser jammer and so far, I have not seen one on any car here yet.
I've been playing with my Bushnell for a few weeks now, and only a few people have slowed down when I've hit the button. No wonder so many people get tickets.
I think that overall, there is a small percentage of cars with RDs on board, and of those, an even fewer percentage with decent equipment.
Whenever I have someone new in my car, it never fails. Today I had lunch with a co-worker who noticed the RD firing up. "Aren't those things illegal?" was his first question.
I have almost never seen another V1 on the road, although it may be that informed users, which tend to have the V1, mount them high and out of sight.
I've seen a few V1's, but mostly Cobras. Maybe 1 in 10 of those i see with detectors have a decent detector. Most people will not spend the money to get decent protection, but most people stay within 15 of the PSL here in GA so they are for the most part safe. 99% of the ones I see exceeding that limit have no visible countermeasures!:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by SquiddOhio