Clarification Appreciated Regarding Instant-On Radar (Not I/O Lidar)

[MadMax]

Hey Guys,

Just signed up for these forums. I have learned a TON of stuff through posts people have already made but would really love some clarification on instant-on k & ka band radar.

I have a Passport 9500ix and will have the ZX3 (or maybe ZX4) laser shifters installed by the end of the week. I figured that setup would protect me pretty well but have started learning about instant-on radar. Radar jammers are illegal so I can't get one like I can for lidar. Everyone seems to talk about instant-on lidar but I haven't found much info on instant-on k/ka radar. I figured that was because it took a while for the guns to start up or something and would give me a few seconds warning unlike lidar. I am learning that this may not be the case and that radar, at close range (like a cop simply missing my eye at the opposite corner of the intersection) is just as lethal to our defense system as instant-on lidar. Another example I can think of where this would come into play is when I'm the only car on the highway (or the only one a cop bothers to clock) and he shoots me with k or ka band instant-on before I see him. Am I basically screwed? I have read that our defense works best when we have a bunny car but I didn't buy all this stuff so I would have to follow behind a car going a mere 75-80 MPH on a populated highway. Got it for night driving when I'm (unfortunately) one of the only cars on the road.

Anyways, do k and ka guns have some sort of boot sequence that will give me a few seconds of warning or can they pop off just like a laser gun? If they are just as lethal why don't more people talk about how to avoid/minimize this threat?

[V70r]

Instant on radar is the worst animal out there!!!!! Lidar can not be detected til you are shoot. But unlike radar ,laser can be jammed. And it is legal as far as the FCC is concerned(and really , they are all that matters).so if you are worried about lidar get jammers. It's that easy!! With a good set of jammers you will not have to worry about laser. Now back to instant on or quick trigger. Just because the cops radar unit is on doesn't mean it is emitting radar. The radar gun is in standby til the cop wants to get your speed , then he has to psychically trigger the radar to emit the radar signal. At that time , it's the only time on which your radar detector will be able to detect radar. Now if you are the only customer to be targeted with I/o he will get your speed before yu have a chance to slow down. Simple as that. This is where a quality radar detector comes in . Chances are the the popo has been hitting cars in front of you with I/0 before you got to him. And the further range your detector has and it's ability to detect q/t the better chance you have of detecting it. It's not legal to own or use a radar jammer. So buy the best radar detector out there. NOT THE BEST ONE YOU CAN AFFORD.

[djrams80]

The ZR4s are not good laser jammers. Unless you are driving something tiny, like a Fiat or Smart Car, I would suggest getting something better. And no, radar does not have any boot up sequence. Here's a video from a LEO using I/O radar. As you can see, readings are instantaneous. When the display shows "HLd", the radar unit is not emitting any detectable signal.

[WDG]

...Here's a video from a LEO using I/O radar...

He's driving, using a radar remote, watching the radar display, AND running a video camera... Is this not a good example of driving-while-distracted?

[MadMax]

Totally valid observation WDG. Not illegal though! Going ten over is much worse in the eyes of the law.

Is there an in-car video of a car with a good radar detector (preferably my 9500ix) on while something like that is happening? I want to know the range I can except to get alerts when cops are doing short bursts of radar like this. Anyone have any experience with alerts from instant-on being used in front of them? What can I expect?

...I actually just found a few videos of this happening. It seems like unless there is virtually NO cars being clocked for over a mile ahead of me I get a warning. This basically means that highways shouldn't be a big deal. I still need to be on the lookout for cops that can see me from close range to the point where they turn on their gun just for me though. Those seem to be the worst threat. Just a cop cruising, not out to catch speeders but seeing me speeding and making a special exception to shoot me with radar. The good news is that this would probably happen in traffic and where the cop is obviously visible to me (if I make the effort to look for him).

[TwoLitersOfFury]

Hey Guys,

Just signed up for these forums. I have learned a TON of stuff through posts people have already made but would really love some clarification on instant-on k & ka band radar.

I have a Passport 9500ix and will have the ZX3 (or maybe ZX4) laser shifters installed by the end of the week. I figured that setup would protect me pretty well but have started learning about instant-on radar. Radar jammers are illegal so I can't get one like I can for lidar. Everyone seems to talk about instant-on lidar but I haven't found much info on instant-on k/ka radar. I figured that was because it took a while for the guns to start up or something and would give me a few seconds warning unlike lidar. I am learning that this may not be the case and that radar, at close range (like a cop simply missing my eye at the opposite corner of the intersection) is just as lethal to our defense system as instant-on lidar. Another example I can think of where this would come into play is when I'm the only car on the highway (or the only one a cop bothers to clock) and he shoots me with k or ka band instant-on before I see him. Am I basically screwed? I have read that our defense works best when we have a bunny car but I didn't buy all this stuff so I would have to follow behind a car going a mere 75-80 MPH on a populated highway. Got it for night driving when I'm (unfortunately) one of the only cars on the road.

Anyways, do k and ka guns have some sort of boot sequence that will give me a few seconds of warning or can they pop off just like a laser gun? If they are just as lethal why don't more people talk about how to avoid/minimize this threat?

All LIDAR works on a trigger pull so it's instant on. As for instant on radar, it's controlled by a nice remote in the police car with a "HOLD" button, one click for on and another click for off. Fast radar operators can even "quick trigger" it with half a second or less making most Escort/Beltronics radar detectors silent...The V1 is reliable against these types of radar operators.

The 9500ix will detect slow radar trigger operators running instant on (talking about 1 second trigger pulls and up) with GPS filtering off AND set into highway mode pretty reliably. It's not the greatest at it, but sometimes it will detect instant on for you. If you're the only car on the road, LIDAR/Instant On = You are toast since you have no protection.

With radar detectors there's two things.

One is sensitivity, being able to pick up far away signals...the Redline is excellent at this but will sometimes react slowly due to it's filtering.

The other is reaction, the V1, STI-R and RX65 are very good at this because they can segment the KA bands and only scan select portions of the bands allowing them to react faster to instant on threats.

Also depending on your car the ZR4's are only slightly better then not having anything at all, but some LIDAR guns will punch through them like a hot knife through butter. It's VERY old technology on those ZR4's...switch to Blinder (above average chance) or Laser Interceptor (top of the line)

[North Alabama]

Sorry to inform you MadMax that you have much more to learn. Nobody is safe to speed, no RD will protect you...... Lidar (laser) jammers are not legal in certain states. Laser is a hand gun with cross hairs to aim at one speeder. Laser scatter some times can be detected by a RD if the Leo shoots the guy in front of you, and sometimes your RD can detect the laser beam when you are the target depending where the laser scatter and beam hits. Do not buy the laser jammers you stated, go to "Guys of Lidar" on the web and read......Your Escort has at least a 1 second alarm delay on I/O radar, therefore your speed is already locked in on the fastest display or/and strongest display on the radar before your RD alarms, your nailed. Just hope the rabbit in front of you is clocked so you will get a RD warning to slow and hope you are not faster than the rabbit because your speed can be the fastest display, and again, your nailed. If you thought that a RD is a free pass to speed, sorry to inform you that your RD is not going to save you some of the time....

[EscortRadar]

The 9500ix eliminates false alerts. Eliminating the "crying wolf" syndrome, the chattiness, which other detectors have. To me this is more dangerous than a slight delay in the alert.

If false alerts is a factor for you then go with the 9500ix. It is our best selling detector due to it's elimination of falses, alerts to fixed location cameras (red light, speed, etc), and it's excellent radar performance. It will automatically learn your area quickly then not alert unless there is a threat.

If you have a iPhone or Android smartphone then you would probably be interested in Escort Live and a X50, if you are on a budget, or the RedLine if you want the longest detection range. Escort Live will wirelessly link your detector with your smartphone and communicate with other Escort Live users. Escort Live offers a potential answer to instant-on radar and a passive answer to laser. Should someone else ahead of you who is using Escort Live detect radar or laser then you will be alerted to it. You will also enjoy the elimination of false alerts and fixed camera location alerts that the 9500ix offers. We are currently accepting pre-orders for Escort Live, see our website for more details.

[MadMax]

Is there anything I can change in the settings to make my 9500ix more sensitive to I/O radar? Would it help if I turned GPS off when I am on the highway? I already always keep it on highway mode. Any other settings or techniques I can use to increase my chances of picking up I/O radar better? I'm willing to give up some of the filtering of false signals.

[djrams80]

Is there anything I can change in the settings to make my 9500ix more sensitive to I/O radar?

No

Would it help if I turned GPS off when I am on the highway?

No

I already always keep it on highway mode. Any other settings or techniques I can use to increase my chances of picking up I/O radar better? I'm willing to give up some of the filtering of false signals.

There is nothing. I have been asking for a solution to the same problem on my 9500ci for literally, three years now. I even showed Escort several real world failures, against real LEOs, on video, to prove that their detectors have reactivity issues. Still nothing. I finally gave up and bought me an STi-R Plus.