Scooter Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 If you think that was uncalled for, the local PD has given someone a ticket for snoring too loud. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...751C0A962958260 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 (edited) Okay guys, I've narrowed my choices down to the Passport 8500 or the Valentine 1. What am I getting for my extra $150 bucks with the V1? Is it really *THAT* much better than the 8500? Kathy, Do the LEOs in your area use Laser? If so, nothing will help. I learned the hard way last week. Our City PD just converted to Laser (a very advanced one). The officer got me and I never got a peep out of the radar detector. He told me that the laser is emitting a beam that is 8 inches wide at 300yds. He aimed at the grill of the vehicle and the signal never came near the detector. He told me he had pulled people with all kinds of detectors and they never had a chance. Bummer. I just learned that our Highway Patrol will be getting them soon, too. Take care. 8 inches at 300 yards? Aimed at the grill of a moving car? Wow............Here's a cop that can aim a hand held laser gun better than I can aim a rifle. He won't get me I've got the stealth bumper/grill with the radar/lydar obsorbing paint. It all boils down to "instant on." If the gun isn't emitting you aren't going to pick anything up. The unit comes on and nails you the same time your detector goes off.... done deal, you're toast. You can only hope that he emitted for someone else in front and you pick up that pulse. I just try and keep it to 5 over in the city and 8-10 over on the road unless I have a rabbit out front. It's make for a less tense trip and keeps my insurance man happy. Edited May 23, 2007 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overkill Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Suffice it to say - there's no fooproof method anymore. Personally, I don't even both with the equipment. When I sat down and figured out how much time speeding would save me on the bulk of my day to day travels, it turned out to be a ridiculously small amount of time (5 minutes or less across the whole day), so I essentially just stopped doing it around town. On a big trip, it definitely makes a difference, ...... Now that right there is the truth. I received a Garmin GPS for Christmas. You put in a route and it calculates your arrival time to the minute. You really have to hustle to shave more than a couple minutes per hour. If you want to cut 5 minutes off an hour you'll have to really put yourself out there as ticket bait. Truthfully, on a long trip, you'll save much more time by speeding through your food, potty, and gas stops. Those are the time killers. However, I still speed. One reason is I hate driving on the right hand side and the left lanes are 15 over when ever possible around here. The people in the right hand lanes are stupid, lame, and scary and I don't need to play grab ass with all the people that were never taught to accelerate to freeway speed before attempting to merge. Plus, driving the limit is just flat boring. I find my alertness level stays higher longer and my peace of mind and contentment is higher if I feel like I'm making good time even if its not true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folsoml Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 I received a Garmin GPS for Christmas. You put in a route and it calculates your arrival time to the minute. You really have to hustle to shave more than a couple minutes per hour. I have one of these, and when it was new, I would use the "Trip Calculator" to find my average speed while driving around town. It didn't really matter what speed I drove when I was moving. With stops at traffic lights and such, my average speed to and from work would be about 20 to 25 MPH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 My question is why people buy radar detectors at all since all the PD I know of switched over to the "instant ON" kind a long time ago. If you do get a hit on your detector, it would be a stroke of blind luck. Because when they shoot some guy half a mile ahead of you, that beam, even if its only on for an instant, will bounce off that guys car, and the cars and buildings around him casting microwave reflections all over the neighborhood. The V1 will pretty easily pick these reflections up and alert you to the fact that some things up. If you're out on the open road all by your lonesome and the cop is running instant on you're hosed. But if there's other people around he's interested in you stand an excellent chance of picking him up long long before he can see you. You guys are lucky. Out here if there is a pack of cars going relatively the same speed and the radar one of them, they just pull the herd over and write them all up for the same speed. been there, got that ticket, King City 50 miles south of Monterey. 8 inches at 300 yards? Aimed at the grill of a moving car? Wow............Here's a cop that can aim a hand held laser gun better than I can aim a rifle. You could not hit the grill of a car driving pretty much straight at you with a rifle from 300 yds? Slight exageration perhaps, but I was trying to make a point. Looking across my parking lot, I seems the average grill size is about 1 1/2 to 2 ft wide and maybe 6 to 8 inches tall. Thats way smaller than the average whitetail and they make a pretty small target at 300 yds. I am a mechanical engineer and often use a hand held laser meter to measure distances in factories. Its harder than you think to hold a laser steady enough to take a reading off of something the size of a clipboard at much more than about 100 feet. 900 ft.? ..... I won't say it can't be done, but its a pretty good trick. Tony You're going on the assumption that either the cop or the judge actually cares whether the beam hit your grille or somebody else's. The check cashes the same either way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Unless there is a cop behind me physically pulling me over and then staying there once I do pull over....I ain't stopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Having a radar detector doesn't mean you should rely on it 100%. If you know areas where cops like to watch the traffic while they eat their donut, you should still slow down regardless. A radar detector is just another tool to have.My main reason for getting the V1 was because of the local PD love to set up speed traps and nail people for doing 27 in a 25 mph. No one drives that slow on a wide open road, heck I don't even ride my bicycle that slow. In kali, we used to have a law that the CHP could only issue radar tickets for at least "ten mph over". They can clock you below that, but radar was limited to +10. The city cops could use radar all they wanted, but were required to post a "speed survey" where they monitored the traffic speed and adjusted the speed limit so that some large percentage (like 80% or more?) was in compliance. They geta round that as follows: they set up a radar truck with speed readout to take the survey data.... and it has a six foot high symbol of the police department displayed alongside a sign that says: SPEED LIMIT: XX YOUR SPEED: XX Amazing how thiose surveys show the original spped limit is always "right"..... Unless there is a cop behind me physically pulling me over and then staying there once I do pull over....I ain't stopping. Out here they mail people tickets. One guy mailed the cops back a photo of a hundred dollar bill to cover the fine.... the cops mailed him back a photo of a pair of handcuffs. Seriously. If you think that was uncalled for, the local PD has given someone a ticket for snoring too loud.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...751C0A962958260 I guess we are becoming more civilized as a nation: John Wesley harding (an outlaw in the old west) shot a guy dead because he was snoring. I'll bet it got really quiet after that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 "Out here they mail people tickets. One guy mailed the cops back a photo of a hundred dollar bill to cover the fine.... the cops mailed him back a photo of a pair of handcuffs." Now, that was my laugh for the day!! Good one."...shot a guy dead because he was snoring. I'll bet it got really quiet after that...." Hmm... that could easily be applied to middle-of-the-night, yapping dogs...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p99shooter Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 When I sat down and figured out how much time speeding would save me on the bulk of my day to day travels, it turned out to be a ridiculously small amount of time (5 minutes or less across the whole day), so I essentially just stopped doing it around town. On a big trip, it definitely makes a difference, but as others have noted, if you want to go fast on the open road, there are more reliable methods - though a detector may not hurt in that case. I pay attention to cars as far up the road as I can see, too - inevitably, if someone sees a cop, they jump on the brakes.... Good points. Try this experiment: jump in a vehicle that can tell you your average speed since start, and procede to the nearest freeway. Once on the freeway, accelerate to 80 MPH, and stay there. Watch that average speed meter; it will be a LONG time before that meter gets to 65 MPH as an *average* speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver8M3 Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Try this experiment: jump in a vehicle that can tell you your average speed since start, and procede to the nearest freeway. Once on the freeway, accelerate to 80 MPH, and stay there. Watch that average speed meter; it will be a LONG time before that meter gets to 65 MPH as an *average* speed. you'll get to the 80 average faster if you punch it up to 120 for a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 you'll get to the 80 average faster if you punch it up to 120 for a few minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Suber Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Okay guys, I've narrowed my choices down to the Passport 8500 or the Valentine 1. What am I getting for my extra $150 bucks with the V1? Is it really *THAT* much better than the 8500? Kathy, Do the LEOs in your area use Laser? If so, nothing will help. I learned the hard way last week. Our City PD just converted to Laser (a very advanced one). The officer got me and I never got a peep out of the radar detector. He told me that the laser is emitting a beam that is 8 inches wide at 300yds. He aimed at the grill of the vehicle and the signal never came near the detector. He told me he had pulled people with all kinds of detectors and they never had a chance. Bummer. I just learned that our Highway Patrol will be getting them soon, too. Take care. 8 inches at 300 yards? Aimed at the grill of a moving car? Wow............Here's a cop that can aim a hand held laser gun better than I can aim a rifle. What he was telling me was that the beam would only be about 8" wide at that distance - therefore, unless he aimed it directly at my radar detector, I would never pick him up. The guy that got me was less than 1/2 a block away (I was in the City). My detector saved me this morning coming into Charleston - two guys passed me (I was running about 80 in a 65). The HP was hiding underneath an overpass behind the bridge piling clocking people going by. I am always looking for places they can hide but this guy was completely concealed. Anyway, I start picking up a signal so I start slowing down. These guys blow by me in the left lane and never saw the patrolman. The HP pulled both of these guys. Better them than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Good points. Try this experiment: jump in a vehicle that can tell you your average speed since start, and procede to the nearest freeway. Once on the freeway, accelerate to 80 MPH, and stay there. Watch that average speed meter; it will be a LONG time before that meter gets to 65 MPH as an *average* speed. P99, you won't like my answer. Under 4 minutes and I'll be averaging 65 mph. I live less than 1/2 mile from the freeway on ramp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Unless there is a cop behind me physically pulling me over and then staying there once I do pull over....I ain't stopping. Jake, okay, here's a story for you... years ago I lived in Indianapolis. I was coming North on SR37 from Bloomington. It was middle of a weekday... sunny skies... dry pavement... and NO TRAFFIC. For the most part I was 'behaving' because I didn't have anyone to run behind. Finally, some beater station wagon with a women at the wheel, and six or seven kids in the car came flying past me. In fact, she was half turned around, swatting at one of the kids in the back seat. I thought 'okay, here's my runner' and stepped on it. She went by me so fast that it was taking a while to catch up to her.... Shortly thereafter, I see a Ford Mustang coming up behind and being cautious, I backed it down a little bit. Well this 'kid' (at least that is how he looked in my rear view mirror) sat on my ass for awhile, so I thought 'heck, he is just using me to run behind' so I started picking it up so I could get back behind my runner. Well, I picked it up pretty good, and all the sudden he flew around me, put his Smokie hat on, and pointed to me to pull over! I couldn't believe that he had tricked me (he even had shirts hanging in the back window), but as I was pulling over, he gunned it and flew down the road (kind of hilly down there, so I could no longer see him). So here I am... sitting on the side of SR37 in the middle of a gorgeous day with no one around. I knew the Indiana County roads pretty well since I spent a ton of time in the seat of a bicycle riding them so I thought... 'why the h*ll am I sitting here? I should just boogie back to the next County road and go the rural routes. He will never find me!' Well, about the time I decided to get moving, guess who showed up behind me?? You got it, and as he was handing me my ticket, I noticed my license plate number written on the palm of his hand.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Here's my foolproof method for really speeding: Stay in the right lane, PIN IT and slow down to pass. You want a ticket? Hang out in the left lane, trust your fuzzbuster and cruise 15+ over. With the right lane/pass method, I've never been caught. That's on 4 wheels or 2 wheels...Most occifers seem to scan the passing lane. At night, all bets are off. Set the cruise at 9 over and be happy. SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Who wants to bet that Steve gets a nice fat speeding ticket in the next week??? (not wishing you ill, Steve.... just.... "foolproof"??? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Anderson Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I am 0 for who knows on the bike, with some healthy 3 digit ...ahem...evasive maneuvers. We'll see! SA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Kathy, Well, the Warren County Sheriff's are now using laser. I know because they shot me mid-day today, and they certainly would have had me but I was only running around 39 in a 35. It was kind of funny, because the volume was down on my V1, and I do not hear the laser tone very often, so it took me a second or two to realize what was going on and pick him out of the background... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampleworks Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Unless there is a cop behind me physically pulling me over and then staying there once I do pull over....I ain't stopping. Out here they mail people tickets. One guy mailed the cops back a photo of a hundred dollar bill to cover the fine.... the cops mailed him back a photo of a pair of handcuffs. Seriously. Fine and dandy, they better hand deliver it or send it certified or it'll find my shredder. I hope he has a good enough memory to remember 5 or 6 tags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Unless there is a cop behind me physically pulling me over and then staying there once I do pull over....I ain't stopping. Out here they mail people tickets. One guy mailed the cops back a photo of a hundred dollar bill to cover the fine.... the cops mailed him back a photo of a pair of handcuffs. Seriously. Fine and dandy, they better hand deliver it or send it certified or it'll find my shredder. I hope he has a good enough memory to remember 5 or 6 tags. Generally if you continue to ignore the mail, they'll arrange to suspend your driving privileges ---- that typically works to get otherwise solid citizens to deal with the ticket appropriately....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n2ipsc Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Here's my foolproof method for really speeding: Stay in the right lane, PIN IT and slow down to pass...With the right lane/pass method, I've never been caught... Then you've clearly never been to the People's Republic of WA, where the WSP routinely trolls the RH shoulders/lanes for just this technique (seemingly a favorite among the slammed rice-burner-with-coffee-can-exhaust crowd)... Another "local favorite" is hanging out on the on-ramp on the "downrange" side of overpasses and lasing cars from behind...cannot tell you how many folks I've seen popped when I've backed going under an overpass...and they haven't... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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