Talk to me about laser jammer.

MadCow809

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so, long story short... I got pulled over for speeding, AGAIN! :mad: :mad: :mad: This time is around the Pasadena area : (

Anyway, I'm fed up with this fucking policy of having like 1000+ police vehicles on the road, ready to catch ppl out for stupid mistakes, just so the government can squeeze more money out of us, cos pulling ppl over for speed is much safer than fighting crime. <_<

This got me thinking, what is the current Californian law about the usage of laser jammers/speed trap detectors/etc?? Are they effective against any random speed traps or they only work with the fixed cameras? Is it worth my time & money to have it installed, or am I just wasting my time?

Thanks in advance
 
I'm not from California, but I GOOGLED it and found http://www.guysoflidar.com/usa-laser-jammer-laws.html

which clearly indicates that it is illegal to use it in California.

Jamming: Electronic Speed-Measuring Devices

28150. (a) No vehicle shall be equipped with any device that is designed for, or is capable of, jamming, scrambling, neutralizing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with radar, laser, or any other electronic device used by a law enforcement agency to measure the speed of moving objects.

(b) No person shall use, buy, possess, manufacture, sell, or otherwise distribute any device that is designed for jamming, scrambling, neutralizing, disabling, or otherwise interfering with radar, laser, or any other electronic device used by a law enforcement agency to measure the speed of moving objects.

(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), a violation of subdivision (a) or (b) is an infraction.

(d) When a person possesses four or more devices in violation of subdivision (b), the person is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person who has a valid federal license for operating the devices described in this section may transport one or more of those devices if the license is carried in the vehicle transporting the device at all times when the device is being transported.

Added Sec. 1, Ch. 493, Stats. 1998. Effective January 1, 1999.
 
I'm not from California, but I GOOGLED it and found http://www.guysoflidar.com/usa-laser-jammer-laws.html

which clearly indicates that it is illegal to use it in California.

okay, so it's illegal like the South African law. But, can I use the jammer to stop the pigs from getting a reading, and then when the pigs tries to pull me over, stash the unit away under the seat/cubbyhole and act stupid. Cos that's generally the way how ppl use their radar jammer in South Africa.

Another thing, if the jammer is illegal, what about a speedtrap detector? It doesn't jam the speed reading, but it will warn you in advance that you are approaching a speedpig trap.
 
Before people start chiming in with "oh, you shouldn't have been speeding in the first place," :roll: laser jammers aren't as effective as you might think, in terms of how often you'll get a chance to use them. Most cops use Ka, K or X band radar guns, for cost reasons compared to LIDAR (correct me if I'm wrong). Laser jammers are usually over 300 bucks; for that price you could pick up an Passport 9500i or a Valentine One, both of which can detect multiple bands of radar and lasers.

And radar jammers, on the other hand, are completely illegal in all 50 states unless your vehicle of choice is an SR-71 Blackbird.

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=8502
http://www.copradar.com/preview/chapt7/ch7d1.html#jammir


If all of that seems too complicated, you could always go with one of those nifty license plate covers.
okay, so it's illegal like the South African law. But, can I use the jammer to stop the pigs from getting a reading, and then when the pigs tries to pull me over, stash the unit away under the seat/cubbyhole and act stupid. Cos that's generally the way how ppl use their radar jammer in South Africa.

Good luck with that, CA cops are trained for that sort of thing. ;)
 
Radar jammers are quasi-legal if you happen to have the right ham radio license.

Speedtrap detectors that are GPS based aren't illegal in CA (that I know of - yet.) There's also my old favorite, the BearTracker, which gives you a range (and sometimes a bearing) to the nearest police radio repeater. Police cars often mount radio repeaters; an officer cannot practically carry a powerful enough radio to reach base at all times so the police car or motorcycle is equipped with a repeater unit so his belt radio can be heard back at base. Those are legal in jurisdictions that do not prohibit scanners and I've found them to be more effective at detecting police traps than radar or lidar detectors.

Lidar jamming detectors are going to be appearing in the next couple of years from what I've read; this means that if you buy a jammer and use it, then the officer has probable cause to pull you over, yank you out of the car and search the vehicle for the illegal-in-CA jammer. Not to mention that a laser jammer that doesn't have an active multidirectional emissions array is not notably effective anyway. (Hint: Those are military or million-dollar-pricetags only.)


Also, Lidar is becoming more and more common as the price of the units comes down and more of the older radar gear is decommissioned due to age. The newer lidar units are also harder to rebut in court as they will take a picture of the car they are targetting at the time of the reading - with the nice little IR laser dot clearly visible.
 
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Just invest in a good laser/radar DETECTOR like the aforementioned Valentine One - they'll pick up the stray radar bouncing off other cars and the terrain and such and give you advance warning. Same applies to laser - but you'll find that actual police deployment of laser is a lot lower than they pretend it is. You do get a lot less warning with laser, though, because the beam is much more focused compared to radar. Jammers are often immensely ineffective (especially with laser) and INTENSELY illegal - and yes, they will see you shove the thing under the seat. CHP is on their game about this stuff. Radar jammers are a federal crime. However, I do believe radar/laser detectors are illegal in CA anyway - but you can have them mounted in invisible spots use the audible warnings.

There's also the issue of so-called VASCAR systems, which are absolutely passive and time you as you pass between two points on the road. Painted white stripes across the road? SLOW THE FUCK DOWN. (We get this a lot in PA because only the state police are allowed to use radar and laser).
 
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Before people start chiming in with "oh, you shouldn't have been speeding in the first place," :roll: laser jammers aren't as effective as you might think, in terms of how often you'll get a chance to use them. Most cops use Ka, K or X band radar guns, for cost reasons compared to LIDAR (correct me if I'm wrong). Laser jammers are usually over 300 bucks; for that price you could pick up an Passport 9500i or a Valentine One, both of which can detect multiple bands of radar and lasers.

And radar jammers, on the other hand, are completely illegal in all 50 states unless your vehicle of choice is an SR-71 Blackbird.

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=8502
http://www.copradar.com/preview/chapt7/ch7d1.html#jammir

Thanks for the link :cool:, read through the pages and the verdict is pretty disappointing, it seems like I need to scratch the laser-jammer idea out for good.

What about laser/radar detectors? I'm almost positive it's legal to have these devices since it does not interfere with the speed reading. I just need some sort of device to warn me of a possible speed trap / laser gun.
 
If you're serious about this...

BearTracker BCT-8 or BearTracker BCT-15X
Valentine1
As for GPS speedtrap warning devices: http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/njection-and-garmin-partner-to-identify-speed-traps/

The GPS unit and the radar/lidar detector are legal for ownership and usage in California. The most effective against VASCAR and aircraft, not to mention surprise traps and rolling pickups, the BearTracker - is not.

California Penal Code Section 636.5 Wrongful Interception and Divulgence of Police Radio Communication.

Any person not authorized by the sender, who intercepts any
public safety radio service communication, by use of a scanner or any
other means, for the purpose of using that communication to assist
in the commission of a criminal offense or to avoid or escape arrest,
trial, conviction, or punishment or who divulges to any person he or
she knows to be a suspect in the commission of any criminal offense,
the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect or meaning of
that communication concerning the offense with the intent that the
suspect may avoid or escape from arrest, trial, conviction, or
punishment is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Nothing in this section shall preclude prosecution of any person
under Section 31 or 32.
As used in this section, ?public safety radio service
communication? means a communication authorized by the Federal
Communications Commission to be transmitted by a station in the
public safety radio service.



Courtesy of RadarBusters.com:
Currently the only state that it is illegal to operate a radar detector is Virginia and Washington D.C.

Laser jammers are illegal to operate in the states of: Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado and Washington DC.

Radar jammers are illegal to own and/or operate in all 50 states per the Federal Communications Commission.

Radar detectors are also illegal in commercial vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds in all fifty states, per Title 49 Transportation Act.

Radar detectors are also illegal to operate on any military base.
 
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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.
 
Thanks Spectre & EyeMWing. You guys are awesome, thanks for pointing me to the right direction as I'm not very familiar with way how things work here in California.

And yes, I'm extremely serious about this.

Another question, the GPS speedtrap warning device that you guys mentioned...... I've got a TomTom XLS GPS unit installed in my car, which records all the locations of speedcameras and speedtraps, but I'm not so worried about the fixed traps. It's those spontaneous, side of the road, hand held laser gun thingy that I'm worried about. Will a detector unit be able to pick up the signal in time?

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.

I've already got a GPS device attached to the windscreen, and the pigs never said anything when they pulled me over. I guess they aren't so picky about this issue.
 
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Yeah, but you could mount it to your sunvisor, in which case it's not on the windshield. Or you could mount it to the headliner/roof, or invest in something like the K40 integrated detector system.


Despite K40's claims, the V1 is a better detector - but the K40 is 'invisible' to prying eyes and if properly installed can be concealed from nosy police.

Edit: Unless the cop is 'shooting' traffic ahead of you, any detector will only alert if it picks up "leakage" from the radar gun while it's idle (unlikely). Hence my preference for things like the BearTracker.
 
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I've already got a GPS device attached to the windscreen, and the pigs never said anything when they pulled me over. I guess they aren't so picky about this issue.

right, but i feel like if they saw a radar detector and not a gps detector, they would suddenly care that its "obstructing" your view

Edit: spectre's idea seems to be the best solution if you decide to go with one.
 
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My fathers friend has a laser jammer in his corvette, it works like a dream, gotten him out of atleast one ticket on highway 2 here in Alberta, they are illegal here but of the units that are any good, all them mount inside the bumper and a cop wouldn't find it without tearing off some panels.

Also a laser detector is pointless since the instant it detects laser, the cop already has your speed, and you will be screwed.

Radar detectors are excellent when it comes to detecting your average K,X or Ka band, you should never get a ticket from one of those again.

Unless you spend really big $$ on a laser jammer you're still gonna get a ticket every now and again but with a good radar detector (9500 passport and valentine as mentioned above) you should be relativly safe.
 
Yeah, but if his theoretical jammer gets picked up by a jammer detector (which I have just been informed are currently appearing in law enforcement circles), the California police then have probable cause to dismantle the entire car on the roadside to find it. And that's no idle thread or doomsaying, they actually do that now when searching for other materials - so they'll be tearing off those panels.

Edit: I'd post up info about what I used to use to evade tickets, but I need to check on statutes of limitation on certain CA laws...
 
Another question, the GPS speedtrap warning device that you guys mentioned...... I've got a TomTom XLS GPS unit installed in my car, which records all the locations of speedcameras and speedtraps, but I'm not so worried about the fixed traps. It's those spontaneous, side of the road, hand held laser gun thingy that I'm worried about. Will a detector unit be able to pick up the signal in time?
Yes, the handheld units are actually usually higher power than the static ones anyway.



I've already got a GPS device attached to the windscreen, and the pigs never said anything when they pulled me over. I guess they aren't so picky about this issue.


It's a fairly new regulation if I recall, and you're exempt if you mount it over towards the A pillar, instead of towards the center of the windscreen.
 
Yeah, but if his theoretical jammer gets picked up by a jammer detector (which I have just been informed are currently appearing in law enforcement circles), the California police then have probable cause to dismantle the entire car on the roadside to find it. And that's no idle thread or doomsaying, they actually do that now when searching for other materials - so they'll be tearing off those panels.

Edit: I'd post up info about what I used to use to evade tickets, but I need to check on statutes of limitation on certain CA laws...

I didn't even know that technology exsisted, Why can't CA be cool and something like north dakota have all these ridiculous laws?
 
I didn't even know that technology exsisted, Why can't CA be cool and something like north dakota have all these ridiculous laws?

....

I'm guessing you don't read many of my posts... :p
 
Also a laser detector is pointless since the instant it detects laser, the cop already has your speed, and you will be screwed.
You'd be surprised just how reflective highway environments are - if he hits other vehicles near you first you'll have a few seconds. If you're first in line, you're done.
 
My fathers friend has a laser jammer in his corvette, it works like a dream, gotten him out of atleast one ticket on highway 2 here in Alberta, they are illegal here but of the units that are any good, all them mount inside the bumper and a cop wouldn't find it without tearing off some panels.

Also a laser detector is pointless since the instant it detects laser, the cop already has your speed, and you will be screwed.

Radar detectors are excellent when it comes to detecting your average K,X or Ka band, you should never get a ticket from one of those again.

Great, so it sounds like the Radar detector (valentine one etc..) should do the job against those mobile police units with speed guns/laser gun.

And I'm not planning on abusing the device, or use it to evade the law and not respect other drivers on the road. But getting pulled over for a mere 40~50mph on an open road is just plain ridiculous.

Thanks again.
 
Yeah, but if his theoretical jammer gets picked up by a jammer detector (which I have just been informed are currently appearing in law enforcement circles), the California police then have probable cause to dismantle the entire car on the roadside to find it. And that's no idle thread or doomsaying, they actually do that now when searching for other materials - so they'll be tearing off those panels.

Which is why I'm glad I live in Missouri where radar detectors, laser detectors (built into most detectors these days but passive laser protection has been quite useless anyway), and laser jammers are all legal.

A dark colored car, small or no headlight area (ie, pop up head lights), small frontal surface area(most sporty cars like corvette/camaro), no front license plate(sucks for state that requries front plates), and VEIL spray are supposedly all help with protection against LIDAR. Although the only effective (up to a certain point) protection from what I've read on this topic is active laser jamming:

08_laser_results.gif

note: TraffiPatrol not used in U.S.
CTR - center of mass = license plate / middle of the bumper/grille

JTG - Jam To Gun. The process and ability of jamming a laser gun shot from the front, from moment of engagement all the way up until you reach the gun and officer shooting it.

PT - Punch through. The point where LIDAR is able to lock your speed despite your jammer. The lower the number, the better.
source, also GREAT page to read about laser jamming:
http://www.radardetector.net/forums...-frequently-asked-questions-faq-glossary.html



Also, some LIDAR already can detect if it is being jammed and will produce a certain code, but not all LIDARs can do this:
08_jam_codes.gif


On the radardetector.net forum, which is an active radar/laser community, the Laser Interceptor seems to be the #1 laser jammer so far, along with the V1 being the top dog radar detector. It is also possible to install rear laser jammer heads (double the price). And its about $700 for the Laser Interceptor package it seems.
 
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