Laser Detector Test 2008

[TambourineMan]

Jammers are getting better than others about not throwing error codes that will make the officer suspect you have a jammer. You would need to match the characteristics of the jammer you want to the types of guns used in your state.

Some guns can be set to only jam for 8 seconds once an incoming signal is detected and then go silent - enough time for you to get down to the PSL and not throw a code that will make the offcier suspect a jammer.

Also, even if the officer sees the jammer heads some jammers double as a parking assist and that function can be demonstrated to an officer. AFAIK those are not illegal in VA and DC.

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Good jammers are expensive, so if you are going to risk of just going with an RD alone with no jammer, then maybe you do want to select one that has better laser detection. Except if you are in VA, then the stealthiness of the STi-R vastly outweighs the better laser detection ability of the V1 which can be more easily detected by radar detector detectors per the Delonix test results. But your chances of surviving a laser trap are still slim. I wouldn't bet on you. You've got to be lucky.

[TSi+WRX]

Originally Posted by TambourineMan

Jammers are getting better than others about not throwing error codes that will make the officer suspect you have a jammer.

Virtually all of today's top jammers fare just fine in this respect. Stateside, I honestly don't see anything to fear in this, whatsoever. The Stalker LZ-1 is noted to throw the E04 code routinely, and even the feared Laser Atlanta SpeedLaser III, in its latest firmware revision, still throws plenty of spurious "potential jam" (JA3. etc.) codes.

Particularly combined with good tactical disengagement, this should be a non-issue for Stateside jammer users, since the hardware we face simply isn't quite as sophisticated as our European and Far-Eastern counterparts' concern, and also since our enforcers are typically less knowledged about both what such codes mean and how to interpret them, as well as have grown accustomed to seeing such codes on a more-than-frequent basis.

You would need to match the characteristics of the jammer you want to the types of guns used in your state.

This is always wise - however, I'll interject with the caveat that it should not necessarily be in terms of "state," but rather, in terms of one's most frequently traveled areas.

Although your State Bears may favor one piece of hardware over another, if you more frequently see local enforcement, and they favor another piece of hardware, obviously, you should bias your selection differently.

It's according to one's SPECIFIC ENCOUNTERS, more than anything else.

Some guns can be set to only jam for 8 seconds once an incoming signal is detected and then go silent - enough time for you to get down to the PSL and not throw a code that will make the offcier suspect a jammer.

Not "guns," but I know what you mean - you mean the jammers.

Note that there are units which offer not only an 8-second jamming mode, but even just a 4-second jamming mode.

The other thing to note is that whether or not a jam-code - or error code - of any kind is elicited by the jammer itself is just that, and it doesn't matter whether or not a "timed jamming" mode has been enabled. [ Instead, what you may be thinking about is the "Optimized Jamming" or "Max-Power" modes of some of today's leading laser-diode based jammers. The concern with these jamming modes is not necessarily that they'll provoke any more or less error/jam codes on Stateside police LIDAR hardware, but is moreso a concern again for our overseas counterparts, who, in utilizing these jamming algorithms, may trigger true jam-codes on certain other LIDAR devices - which would cause them much more grief with both the officers, as well as in terms of greater legal ramifications as well as punitive actions.

Note, also, that in some cases, enabling timed-jamming modes will also incur a more significant initial "readiness to jam" time-delay. Although such delays are typically very short in duration (on the LPP, for example, the 8-second jamming time-limit translates to an initial parking-assist only, with no jammer activity, period of around 60 seconds, from the time at which the power switch is thrown) and should not negatively impact most drivers, those who routinely need to engage jammers "from the get-go," such as those who must commute short-distances on city surface-streets (myself, for example - if my vehicle is already warmed sufficiently, I will simply pull out of my garage and proceed directly to my errand destination, and within even a one-minute time-period - or even just 30 seconds, in two of my most frequented errand/commute locations - I could easily come upon local LIDAR threats; this is actually the reason why I have my LPPs set to "permanent jam" mode, bypassing the initial time-out, and thus allows for my LI's, with the appx. 20-second duration initial parking-assist time-delay, to come online, and thus not be without at least some form of protection), will not be able to take advantage of this feature.

Similarly, although this feature can be quite handy, one must still understand that the timer won't necessarily work properly - tactically speaking - under all conditions. Even the short, four-second timer is much too long of a delay for those who face routine short-distance (less than 500, or even 300, ft.) engagements. Here, manual actuation is the only way to go, and lots practce is required to fine-hone one's tactical response, particularly under pressure. Additionally, forethought is necessary to plan for switchgear placement and actuation (both in terms of speed as well as safety, and also with an eye towards not "telegraphing" such movements, excessively, outside the vehicle [i.e. from an onlooker's/enforcer's perspective]).

Also, even if the officer sees the jammer heads some jammers double as a parking assist and that function can be demonstrated to an officer. AFAIK those are not illegal in VA and DC.

I think that road-side, carrying a manual for the "parking assist device" may help defuse and de-escalate the situation (and possibly either avoid a citation [or "worse" citation], or worse-yet, a tow-and-impound), but that overall, the full legal issues remains to be played-out in further, more rigorous, courtroom examination.

Currently, there's just no good data - not even anecdotes - to support any conclusions in this matter. (And honestly, I'm glad that is so, as it shows that most users are indeed using such devices wisely - and/or that current enforcement practices/knowledge, combined with hardware shortcomings [ref: spurious error/jam-codes, previous], have made this a non-concern, here, Stateside. To-note, though, that such concerns have played out against the jammer user, overseas, already!)

Good jammers are expensive, so if you are going to risk of just going with an RD alone with no jammer, then maybe you do want to select one that has better laser detection. Except if you are in VA, then the stealthiness of the STi-R vastly outweighs the better laser detection ability of the V1 which can be more easily detected by radar detector detectors per the Delonix test results. But your chances of surviving a laser trap are still slim. I wouldn't bet on you. You've got to be lucky.

Whichever way the end-user decides to go, there's tactical considerations - difficult ones, at that - to be made.

The STi-Driver may win the battle, in terms of cloaking/stealth, but its usage still requires a good deal of tactical forethought as well as good drive input (i.e. the detector may not be noticed by detection devices targeted at its detection, but a sudden braking maneuver will be noticed by the naked eye - even un-trained or poorly-trained). On the other hand, a V1, despite its "leaky" nature, when employed in a crafty manner by an experienced driver, on densely traficked streets or a packed highway, may effectively "cloak by practice."

The Veil Guy wrote a very nice and descriptive little paragraph to this effect on his Bel STi-Driver review, when it came out a while ago, and I truly think that it's a great read for anyone who must utilize countermeasures in banned areas.

It's never completely about the tool - but it's always about the driver.