RE: laser/radar detectors

[Aleksander Mierzwa <alex@matrix.com.pl>]

Svein wrote:

	>Have been looking around for info about laser/radar detector.
But the only thing I found out 
	>is that a gadget costs from 99,99$ to 600$.

In USA they can be had for as low as 50 bucks. In Europe such toys are,
as always, much more expensive :-(

	>Are they reliable?

Depends on what you understand by reliability. If you ask if they really
do detect the radio waves emited by police radar - the answer is yes. If
you ask if they will always warn you about a cop waiting for you around
the corner - the answer is no. Most of police radars used nowadays is of
"instant-on" variety, it means the radio energy is transmitted only for
a fraction of second needed to measure the speed. If there's enough
traffic, your detector will usually pick up the signal as the cop clocks
the cars ahead of you. If you are alone on the road, your chances are
next to zero. Same goes for laser.

	>Does they interfere with police radar/laser signals?

No, that's what jammers are for

	>Can the police detect if I have a radar/laser detector in my
car?
	>What is VG-2 ?, and what does it mean that the detector is
cloaking the VG-1 signals'

VG-2 is a device developed in USA to detect the radar detectors (I don't
think it is being used anywhere in Europe). Some older or poorly
designed detectors actually do generate radio signal of the same
frequency as the radar. Almost all newer detectors of good brands are
"VG-2 undetectable"

	>Which gadget is the best buy?

I'm using Uniden 2150 which costed me around $100 here in PL and am very
satisfied with it, mainly because it's giving few false alarms (which is
very annoying in case of some other brands). Many people swear by
Valentine 1, although it costs over $400 I've heard it is well worth
that price. If you live in Europe than remember that detectors are
illegal in majority of European countries and the fines are *HIGH* if
you are caught using one. Normal detectors have to be mounted so they
can "see" through the windshield and therefore are easily visible from
outside. It is good idea to buy a remote detector, eg. one that has the
antenna mounted behind the grille and the control panel in discrete
place (for example in the ashtray)

Aleksander Mierzwa
Warsaw, Poland
mailto:alex@matrix.com.pl
87 Audi 5000CS turbo (mine)
88 Renault Medallion wagon (mom's)
91 mountain bike (just in case both cars broke at the same time :-)