Old days of radar/radar detectors?

[computersoc]

For those of you who used radar detectors in the 70's and 80's, what was life like?

No door openers to deal with? Short range, long range? No instant on to deal with?

Did slamming on one's brakes lower the speed displayed on the radar gun?

Earliest I remember was the late 80's/early 90's when NYSP ran constant on all the time and gave a good 2-3 miles range... don't remember the band, but I remember instant on being introduced which ended the good old days.....

[jerry540i]

Life was constant on X-band. In the 70's alot (most?) detectors were not superheterodyne, yet they gave enough warning (plus you'd have to stomp on your brakes alot) not to get a ticket.

In the early 80's when the original Escort was introduced, it gave X-band protection like no other up to that point. (X band protection was close to what we get now.) Then as detectors shrank and performance increased, you were pretty well protected, since X-band still ruled the day, and constant on was pretty much the standard. Some good detectors of the mid 80's included the Escort and the Passport, as well as Unidens (RD-9, RD9XL) plus, believe it or not, Cobras (3160, Trapshooter II, and Trapshooter III)

Like I said, 95% of radar was X-band, and most of it was constant on. I actually felt "safer" driving then, than I do now, with IO Ka, and laser.

J/

[nascar]

Like I said, 95% of radar was X-band, and most of it was constant on. I actually felt "safer" driving then, than I do now, with IO Ka, and laser.

J/

That is what I remember with my old CMW Escort. I don't even recall band identification on my early 80's model. Just an analog meter and a red light.

[peachtreecity]

I had the original Passport in the 80's and RD were essentially undefeatable. I used to get 3+ miles detection on X-band on I287 in NJ. You ALWAYS had lots of time to slow down. Aaah, the good old days!

[Orbital75]

Yep, I'll agree. Constant on X was the only threat back then.
I remember I had a Whistler Detector that had one red power light that
doubled as a blinking warning light. It had this distinctive tone,
it sounded more like todays K band alert.

[carboncopy]

But they had IO in the 70's and 80's didn't they? I know in the late 80's IO K band was big in my area.

I sort of see laser use as a good thing, because the laser counter measures we have are more effective than the current radar counter measures.

[stray444]

those must have been the good ol' days, constant on X band.......... that's about as good as it gets

[Ray]

I started using an RD in '87 when I got my license. IO has always been a threat for me. My RD was a Cobra Trapshooter 3110 X, K band. It didn't have the capability to tell me what band it was. Like a few posts back, Cobras were pretty good back then. Fox RD's were the sub par ones. Escort was legendary and the RD I wish I could afford at the time.

[kpatz]

I got my first RD in '89 (not counting a POS Maxon in '88 that got stolen), and even back then K band ruled the roost around here. In fact, the only time I ever saw X in NH was in a podunk town that was using 70s vintage radar guns (the huge ones). I think I picked that gun up from 5 miles away. Though I haven't been through that area recently (Belmont), I'm 99.9% certain they've upgraded their equipment since then.

But this was when instant-on was starting to appear.

[Spinner55]

Hello,

The good old days, S and X Band CO radar.

Analog meters: No digital read outs on them. Had a needle that would swing up and the operator would then push down on a bar on top and it would 'hold' the needle in place to keep the reading. The one that I remember getting a look at was in Batavia Illinois, about 35 miles outside of Chicago. Stopped to ask directions and the LEO was nice enough to let me take a peek at it. Was CO, think the name of it was called the 'silver moon' Had a huge X band chrome horn that mounted on the rear window. The readout reminds me of the old TV rotor boxes of the day with that analog need readout.

If I remember right, S band was about 2 gigs. No moving, no IO etc. I ran one of those battery operated detectors which I have long forgotten the name of.

S band was phased out about late 60's early 70's.

(kind of like X band is now, hit and miss. But still could get hit by a small department. I got hit with S band in a small village in north central Wisconsin in 1978 while on my honeymoon. The next week while headed home, the same village had a new X band unit. Oh and forgot, most of the departments where on 33 mhz low band with long 8 Ft whips or VHF. Running Tube sets with single channels and a separate ISPERN radio and had a single 'gum ball' on top of the cars.)

X band was the king for years, most of the Chicago land and Northern Illinois stuck with the old stationary / moving K-55 units and some of the Decatur Rayguns 'series' for years till the late 90's when they where replaced with K. Funny how X band stayed around for years and years and most departments have jumped quickly from K to Ka in a few years.

The rest you all know, K band / Ka / Lidar / Digital radar Moving / IO etc.

Take care,

Spin