A radar detector review : for the peace of mind, not for speed !
Copyright 2006 Marc Deschamps
This radar detector review is a look at the history of product
development as well as the features and brands that will offer
you a protection against abusive speeding tickets and driving
hazards.
Before we begin this radar detector review, let me tell you a
personal story. We are on a quiet sunday morning, around 7h30, I
am driving on a local road in a suburban area. I am all alone
and working my way to the office to do some catch-up work. The
speed limit is 50 mph and I am doing 60 mph in a downhill part
of the road. I haven't had a coffee yet, so I am focusing on the
road and nothing else. All of a sudden I see this cop waving
down the hill and asking me to pull on the side. He tells me I
am over limit and that residents have complained, particularly
when school buses are on the road that people are driving too
fast behind and have to brake suddenly or do not have time to
stop and end up bumping into each other. I answer that we are
sunday morning, there is no school and I am all alone driving 10
mph over the limit !! Not 30 !! Not at 80-90 mph !! Did not do
too good and got a $125 ticket !!
Stories like that are by the thousands, so this radar detector
review is biased. The peace of mind is worth the investment !!
Ok, let's start our radar detector review
Detectors are scanning radar beams and catch them before they
can catch you. They also detect beams around curves or over
hills and it extends their range straight ahead. A X-band radar
is the easiest to detect because of its lower frequency and
higher power output. Depending on outdoor conditions X-band
radars can be detected from a distance averaging three miles,
yet it can only take accurate readings of speed from a distance
of a maximum of one half mile.
Constant radar detector review and research of new technologies
have allowed police forces to figure out how to combat the
"ennemy". And so the Ka-band technology was introduced. Then
came photo systems, combining Ka-band radar guns with an
automated camera. A vehicle approaching at or above a
predetermined speed triggers the camera. The photo shows the
front of the vehicle, license plate, driver's face, the date,
location, and time. But only a limited number of north-american
cities use photo radar systems due to budget and legal
constraints.
Think that was the end of the radar detector review and
development process ? Nope. Then came the Ka Wide-Band operating
at frequency levels of 33.4 to 36.0 GHz which cannot be catched
by detectors designed only for X, K, and photo radar. In
response, radar detector manufacturers have developed the "Super
wide-band" technology that sweeps all of the Ka-band allocated
to radar, as well as providing continued protection against X,
K, and photo radar.
Governments responded with the laser gun technology. The
advantages of a laser gun are great : the laser light beam is
far narrower than a radar beam, allowing more accurate
pinpointing of a specific vehicle and the time needed for
capturing a speed reading is less than half a second versus 2 to
3 seconds for radar.
The drawbacks are also important : laser guns are very
expensive, they can't be used from a moving vehicle or from
behind glass, and accurate aiming requires a tripod or a very
steady hand. Despite initial claims that the energy from a laser
gun is not detectable, it is. And as the laser beam moves away
from the laser gun, it widens and becomes easier to detect.
Finally, the VG-2 radar detector detection technology was
introduced allowing the identification of vehicles with
operating radar detectors on board.