Talk to me about laser jammer.

Also, I'd like to point out that one of the most effective defenses is your eyes and brain. Pick out spots the cops like. Wider shoulders, alcoves, stuff to hide behind, whatever. Remember where you've seen them before. Slow down as you approach suspect sites.
 
This is a really good page that tries to answer some questions about laser jamming:

http://www.radardetector.net/forums...-frequently-asked-questions-faq-glossary.html

Do I really need a laser jammer since my radar detector detects laser?

What is the best laser jammer?

How do I choose a laser jammer?

Can a police officer tell if I am using a laser jammer?

Are laser jammers legal?

etc.


Also Spectre's suggestion of detecting repeaters is quite interesting as well.
 
Great site, I'm gonna do some serious reading now.

Thanks : )
 
Great site, I'm gonna do some serious reading now.

Thanks : )

Ya it's crazy how people get into every niche/hobby imaginable. Those guys are like really hardcore and they actually go out and buy police LIDARs and radar speed guns to test out equipment with diff setups and all! :cool:

I will definitely invest into a radar detector and laser jammer and beartracker / police scanner / etc. not only because I love gadgets but also because well they are extra protection against the long **** of the law :lol:
 
In my experience radar/laser detectors can be helpful. If the cops are using radar that they have on all the time, effectively advertising their presence, you usually get plenty of warning. Also if the cop sucks at aiming his laser gun or does it too far away, you will get a warning in time. However if the cop knows what he is doing, once they tag you with laser it is too late.

I got tagged this summer 4 times with laser, the first was from a cop over a mile down the road... he did it way too far away and I had more than enough time to slow down before he was able to get a reading on my speed. The other was on the freeway and I didnt see the cop and he was hiding behind a construction barrel only 200 meters in front of me. I hit the brakes immediately, but read my speed as 71 MPH at that time... when he stopped me he said he clocked me at 71 MPH. Damn! So don't even bother with laser.

I also got hit with laser two times on my trip down to Cali this summer from freeway overpasses, but it was too early and I was able to slow before they got a good reading I think, or they just didn't think my speed was worth pulling me over for.

So yeah Detectors can help, as I said if the cops suck at aiming or are advertising their presence, otherwise your screwed. All you can do is learn to recognize a police car/bike from a distance, even at night, and use constant situation awareness. Every time i've got a speeding ticket it was because I let me guard down and was either cruising comfortable (albeit over the speed limit) or was screwing off driving like a jerk. Usually though as long as i'm paying attention and not driving like a jerk all the time i'm fine and don't get tickets.



Now this BearTracker intrigues me... does anyone have one?
 
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I've driven a car with a BCT-15X before (this is what happens when your entire extended family is made up of volunteer firefighters). Uniden kit is epic in general and well respected. I was in a pretty quiet area and not paying much attention to it, though, so I didn't get to give it much of a test.
 
I've driven a car with a BCT-15X before (this is what happens when your entire extended family is made up of volunteer firefighters). Uniden kit is epic in general and well respected. I was in a pretty quiet area and not paying much attention to it, though, so I didn't get to give it much of a test.

Hmm well I wonder how well, say percentage wise, you pick up a police car nearby. Don't all the cars have transponders on them you can detect?
 
In my experience radar/laser detectors can be helpful. If the cops are using radar that they have on all the time, effectively advertising their presence, you usually get plenty of warning. Also if the cop sucks at aiming his laser gun or does it too far away, you will get a warning in time. However if the cop knows what he is doing, once they tag you with laser it is too late.

I got tagged this summer 4 times with laser, the first was from a cop over a mile down the road... he did it way too far away and I had more than enough time to slow down before he was able to get a reading on my speed. The other was on the freeway and I didnt see the cop and he was hiding behind a construction barrel only 200 meters in front of me. I hit the brakes immediately, but read my speed as 71 MPH at that time... when he stopped me he said he clocked me at 71 MPH. Damn! So don't even bother with laser.

I also got hit with laser two times on my trip down to Cali this summer from freeway overpasses, but it was too early and I was able to slow before they got a good reading I think, or they just didn't think my speed was worth pulling me over for.

So yeah Detectors can help, as I said if the cops suck at aiming or are advertising their presence, otherwise your screwed. All you can do is learn to recognize a police car/bike from a distance, even at night, and use constant situation awareness. Every time i've got a speeding ticket it was because I let me guard down and was either cruising comfortable (albeit over the speed limit) or was screwing off driving like a jerk. Usually though as long as i'm paying attention and not driving like a jerk all the time i'm fine and don't get tickets.

So until the unit has been switched on and used to get your speed reading, is there no ways of detecting the speed gun / laser gun with a detector??

That is definitely not good news...... If I'm gonna drop like $700 on a detector unit, I'd expect the unit to buy me some "guaranteed" time/distance, enough for me to slow down and not get caught.

I shouldn't need to try my luck with an experienced speed gun user, because that eliminates the purpose of buying the unit. If this is the case, then I'll be much happier with a jammer unit, instead of a detector, even if its illegal.
 
I don't really know much about the lidar guns they use but I think they press a trigger to send the laser beam on its way and get a reading. I don't think it is shooting the laser until the cop pulls the trigger. So there is nothing to detect until he shoots it off. Now they can still shoot the laser at you but not get a reading, depending on distance and how steady their shot is. I don't think it matters much where they hit your car though... I have no front license plate on my car and the freeway copper had no problem getting a reading.

Depending on how effective this BearTracker is I'm thinking that, plus a decent quality radar/laser detector, and some good situational awareness and discipline will be the best bet in fighting back.
 
LIDARs are alot more dangerous because the laser beams are MUCH more concentrated and doesn't scatter and bounce all over place like radar does which allows you to detect it as the cop is hitting other cars infront of you which is what, AFAIK, why radar detectors work well. Some cops do use "instant-on radar" but the accuracy of those have been challenged in court successfully. LIDARs are basically instant-on so if you don't have active and effective laser jamming and if you see a cop with a LIDAR pointed at you it's probably too late.

Spice_Rack, license plate is just 1 variable in the equation. LIDAR works by bouncing off of reflective parts of the car, so license plate is a very nice reflective surface. Another HUGE component that cops know to look to aim for is the headlights, which are very reflective and the 350Z has relatively large headlights:
06nissan-350z.jpg

Also I've read that the color of the car (brighter = more reflective), the paint, and the shape and size of the frontal area of the car also determines LIDAR effectiveness.

This would probably be 1 of the best anti-laser front end you can have: pop up head lights, tiny surface area, just need to black out those turn lights and then paint it matte black!
Black-Chevrolet-Corvette-09.jpg


In the end, the best protection against LIDAR seems to be actively jamming the LIDAR since passive protection haven't been shown to be of any significant use.
 
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So until the unit has been switched on and used to get your speed reading, is there no ways of detecting the speed gun / laser gun with a detector??
Radar is MESSY. That shit bounces everywhere and you can detect it reliably around corners. It's made even more reliable because a lot of police cars have static mounted radar units which are always on. This will give away a lot of officers who are using laser to do actual enforcement.

You'll never get a guaranteed detection - but keep in mind that being able to detect the cop using laser even on an off chance is going to end up being cheaper than not detecting the cop using laser who can tell you're jamming - you're essentially trading your speeding ticket for a reckless driving ticket AND an illegal equipment ticket.

Jamming is the LAST line of defense. Radio (the BearTracker) is cheap and reliable, and a great first line. Radar detection is inexpensive and reliable, and a great second line. Laser detection is somewhat expensive and reliability gets a bit iffy, but is better than the alternative, jamming, which is potentially flying a flag saying "HI GIVE ME A TICKET" to any officer who can point the appropriate laser gun at your car - even if you're doing 25 MPH.
 
Actually, it would be "HI GIVE ME A TICKET AND DISMANTLE MY CAR TO LOOK FOR ILLEGAL EQUIPMENT". :p
 
Don't you guys have the "mobile" places in the GPS too? I have those, and they're usually right. You can also update them yourself and upload it, so as long as a couple of people do this, you're always up to date
 
Don't you guys have the "mobile" places in the GPS too? I have those, and they're usually right. You can also update them yourself and upload it, so as long as a couple of people do this, you're always up to date

I'm talking about those cops that hides in random spots with their lidar/laser gun.

GPS unit can't do jack shit against those, I guess this is the reason why California has very few fixed cameras compared to SA or Europe.
 
BearTracker... Do I see a Smokey And The Bandit reference there?
 
actually, radar detectors are indirectly illegal in California and New York. This is because there are laws that prohibit putting things on your windshield (like a radar detector) since they "obstruct your view" :rolleyes: So I am almost positive they would pull u over and give u a ticket for that if they see it.

Visor mounted :) An Audi dealership in LI sells laser jammers here that are mounted with no external controls visible. They use the fake buttons we have above the radio to turn on and off and audible alerts.

Also I'm not sure how enforceable these laws are since alot of people use portable GPS and the only place you could put it is on the windshield. I'm guessing they would only use it against you if they really wanna fuck you up :)
So yeah Detectors can help, as I said if the cops suck at aiming or are advertising their presence, otherwise your screwed. All you can do is learn to recognize a police car/bike from a distance, even at night, and use constant situation awareness. Every time i've got a speeding ticket it was because I let me guard down and was either cruising comfortable (albeit over the speed limit) or was screwing off driving like a jerk. Usually though as long as i'm paying attention and not driving like a jerk all the time i'm fine and don't get tickets.
I agree about situational awareness. I got a ticket for 90mph the other day because I was stupidly not paying attention to overpasses and there were too few cars on the road to be able to hide. Ofcourse had there been more cars I wouldn't be going as fast.

MadCow,
There is no such thing as a full proof detector. Especially in the case of LIDAR it is very focused and very accurate even as an instant on system. Also keep in mind that they don't need a radar to stop you. If you blow past a cruiser that's not using a speed measuring device they can still stop you for a million and a half reasons and whether you can get out of a ticket or not is down to your luck.

I got a ticket driving a 100-150 feet BEHIND a cop who was driving like a complete ass hat (he almost rear ended a car in front) and then decided to pull me over.
 
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BearTracker... Do I see a Smokey And The Bandit reference there?

The reference predates the movie, comes from the "Smokey Bear" anti-forest-fire advertising campaign that started decades back.

With the advent of the CB radio, cops were referred to as "Smokey Bear" (due to the commonality of hat types and usual physical builds) and later simply as "Smokey" or "Bears". The movie drew inspiration from this.

I don't really know much about the lidar guns they use but I think they press a trigger to send the laser beam on its way and get a reading. I don't think it is shooting the laser until the cop pulls the trigger. So there is nothing to detect until he shoots it off. Now they can still shoot the laser at you but not get a reading, depending on distance and how steady their shot is. I don't think it matters much where they hit your car though... I have no front license plate on my car and the freeway copper had no problem getting a reading.

Depending on how effective this BearTracker is I'm thinking that, plus a decent quality radar/laser detector, and some good situational awareness and discipline will be the best bet in fighting back.

That's pretty much how it works, yes - though the newer lidar guns can have the detector head on without the trigger being pulled to detect jamming.

And yes, the Beartracker works well. :D

So until the unit has been switched on and used to get your speed reading, is there no ways of detecting the speed gun / laser gun with a detector??

That is definitely not good news...... If I'm gonna drop like $700 on a detector unit, I'd expect the unit to buy me some "guaranteed" time/distance, enough for me to slow down and not get caught.

I shouldn't need to try my luck with an experienced speed gun user, because that eliminates the purpose of buying the unit. If this is the case, then I'll be much happier with a jammer unit, instead of a detector, even if its illegal.

Unless the unit is transmitting, there's no way for a detector to pick it up - which is why I prefer the BearTracker as primary warning system. It detects standard police radio retransmission and tells you if there are police in the area. Once you know that, you slow down and use your radar/lidar detector to determine more precisely where the officer might be. Once you have located the officer, then you can figure out what to do from there.

A jammer is an invitation to get arrested and your car dismantled.

Now, many police units rely on onboard radar that's constantly on, so you can detect that - but that's not the usual problem. It's the cop hiding behind a sign or bush with an instant on or near-instant on radar or lidar gun that's the primary ticketing issue. Unless he radars or lidars someone ahead of you, no radar/lidar detector will ever spot him. If you have a jammer, he might spot you first.
 
I don't think it has been mentioned that to be fully effective you'd need a laser jammer in the front and back of the car. And I really don't think laser jammers have become such a problem as of yet for law enforcement. The laser gun will just get a generic error message when it hits a jammer equipped car, nothing uncommon. This is all subject to change as technology marches on however.
 
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