Laser Detector Test 2008

[TSi+WRX]

Be careful with the bubble-level, too.

ALthough it may indicate true-level, if the vehicle isn't parked on level ground, or the suspension deranged/loaded, the level might not properly indicate level.

Don't get so worried about the trees, that you miss the forest.

[whistlerfan]

Normally the car is more true then your eye especially if your tires are pump to even pressure. If you are on level ground then the leveler bubble will be pretty true. I have done other test besides the bubble to see how good the bubble is and its pretty damn close. Lets put it this way I would trust it more then my eye.

[TSi+WRX]

^ Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying "trust only your eyes," by any means.

What I mean is that one should't take a leveling bubble - or any such device - simply "at face value/at it's word," *EITHER*.

What I'm trying to say is that one should always use their own good sense when performing the critical tasks of leveling/placing their detector(s)/jammer(s), and while good tools/instruments can and will help significantly towards optimizing one's setup, they should not be the only items used to make such determinations, either.

One should assess that their vehicle is parked on decently level ground, that their vehicle does not present special considerations for rake/stance, as well as both eye-level and true-level their detector in-vehicle. It should't just be one or the other.

[TambourineMan]

It is really not that important which radar (laser) detector works the best for laser detection, as the chances of it saving you are slim or none. the laser gun gets your speed so fast there is no way you can react in time to reduce speed to PSL, or even close to it. Yes in rare cases you may get lucky with some scatter if you have a rabbit up front, but more likely you won't.

To protect against laser, you need a laser jammer which reacts sufficiently fast to jam the gun.

[TSi+WRX]

^ True to an extent - but far from true, when taken as a blanket-statement.

The problem is that although we've all been led to believe that police LIDAR is an "instantaneous" speed-measuring device, it's actually far, far from that.

While the vast majority of speed locks do occur at the "at or less than 1/3 of a second" speed touted by the various manufacturers, the actual lock-time can be many times longer - and not infrequently, vehicles, at-random, without being equipped with any type of countermeasures, can return with no-lock or spurious errors.

Look at any of the various hobbyist testing videos - when they're just clocking passing traffic, you'll see that this is true. Now, keeping in mind that only a small fraction of any such test is what's actually "on tape," and combine this with the typical difficulty in terms of obtaining an "enforcement scenario" reading (vehicles traveling at-speed, without the help of a stabilizing tripod setup, etc.) - it's not at all unlikely for a good detector to catch scatter, nor is it impossible for such "saves" to occur.

The key, I believe, is that instead of debating whether such "saves" can occur (far from impossible, such "saves" take place nearly every-day - look on RD.net, there's many, many tales of such saves, and not all from the V1; similarly, look at the stories of those who have jammers - and note how many times their high-mounted detectors have provided advanced-notice/"save" [one of my own tales is among these ranks]), is rather to point out the fact that yes, one can get lucky and have such a "save," but your overall odds against are such that the only viable recommendation to give, when speaking of proper LIDAR defenses, is to advise for the use of a good jammer setup.

[TSi+WRX]

Also, I should clarify -

Don't get me wrong....I do *NOT* believe that, in a LIDAR-as-primary-threat area, a detector (even a top-line detector, or even the superior laser-sensitivity V1, outright) is "sufficient" protection.

While I've said above that police LIDAR is not as infallible nor as instantaneous as it's made out to be, the truth of the matter is that this device still greatly shifts the favor of the field-of-play towards the side of the enforcers.

Although a good detector, plus good mounting considerations, plus a good amount of tactical usage consideration (plus luck) can effect "saves" from "scatter," reflections, and the "down road" painting of preceeding vehicles, you must remember that you're still playing the odds - and these odds are stacked well against you, and much favors the enforcer, who not only can pick his equipment, but can also alter the physical constraints of the engagement circumstance (i.e. recall the close-range overpass shot, frontal, using a LA SpeedLaser-III, which defeated the infamous noory's single front LPP setup).

The fact is that early-detection - and "save" - via good detector is *possible*, and is not so infrequent nor rare as to make it an unlikely event, and should not disuade anyone from the dollar-investment necessary to obtain a top-flight detector.

However, the fact also remains that if you face LIDAR as your primary daily threat, eventually, your odds are going to run out. This is why a good active jammer (plus good mounting considerations) is an absolute NEED, if your primary threat is LIDAR, as it helps shift the balance-of-favor back somewhat into our court.

Even then, it should be noted that no jammer is "100%." There's always, always, that chance of an unfortunate - and unexpected - PT, whether this be due to equipment failure or user-error (to include, but is not limited to: failure to switch-on the jammer, failure to properly operate the jammer [i.e. incorrect mode selection], failure to regularly check head leveling/aim, etc.). This is why not only is it of utmost importance to have as good of a jammer setup as possible, but also to further "layer" one's defenses, and again, in this respect, a good detector, capable of picking up down-road paint-spill, scatter, or reflections, is just one such layer.

[delonix]

Originally Posted by TambourineMan

It is really not that important which radar (laser) detector works the best for laser detection, as the chances of it saving you are slim or none. the laser gun gets your speed so fast there is no way you can react in time to reduce speed to PSL, or even close to it. To protect against laser, you need a laser jammer which reacts sufficiently fast to jam the gun.

I agree with what you say, but for those living in areas where jammers are illegal, a radar detector + Veil may be their only solution.

I personally had a laser save with a Bel 990i in 2003. I had no Veil (or anything else). In fact it was my first laser hit on that detector and I don't know if it was the car targeted in front of me (unlikely) or whether I was just very lucky, but if I didn't get that alert, on that particular day, I would have been toast.

And I agree with TSi+WRX in that my experience is that going down to the highway to shoot lidar; 80% of the time I can get a reading in under 1 second...but then there are other times when it takes a few seconds. A few seconds and a good radar (laser) detector can be the difference between a ticket or a save.

In fact on the day we tested out the 6 jammers shown on our YouTube vids, there was this once incidence where a SUV (not in our group) was coming towards us and the lidar operator shot him for speed. He couldn't get a reading until which time yelled out to us "He must have a jammer!!" Car drives past and there was this old couple in there, that in no way could have possibly had a jammer, but on that occasion, he couldn't get a reading straight away.

[TambourineMan]

My main point was not to use the level of laser detection as a significant reason on why to get one radar detector versus another. I said the chances of laser detection were slim to none, not just none.

Are there cases where a Leo can't get a reading at all on unprotected cars? Sure. Are there cases of him pointing right at a car with a top notch laser detector and the detector not going off, sure.

Your signature cites DelonixRadar as a good source of radar/laser testing. Here's a link to their testing of top notch detectors: Most did not detect laser.

Laser Detection test with 7 radar detetcors versus LTI Ultralyte

I have a V1. Does it mean that if I live in VA, I should not get a STi-R versus a V1. Absolutely not.

['09 Milan]

Originally Posted by delonix

for those living in areas where jammers are illegal, a radar detector + Veil may be their only solution.

Why not just turn the jammer off once it warns you and you have reached legal speed? Once it's off, their LIDAR will work fine and they won't suspect anything.

[TSi+WRX]

^ In theory - and *just about every time*, in the real world - that works very, very well.

But therein lies the problem.

It's not always possible to react quite that fast, depending on the situation surrounding the encounter.

----

Originally Posted by TambourineMan

My main point was not to use the level of laser detection as a significant reason on why to get one radar detector versus another.

Ah! Now I see what you mean.

In that regard, I agree - particularly when framed in the context of an active jammer being the first-line defense.

Your signature cites DelonixRadar as a good source of radar/laser testing.

I think that delonix is actually the principle of Delonix Radar!