speed radar detectors and jammers

[pentae]

Hey Guys..

I am dead keen on purchasing a speed radar detector and jamming device for my car.

As I understand the higher end models are pretty good at detecting and jamming both radar and laser.

It's my understanding in QLD that these devices in cars are illegal, right?

I was considering putting a stealth setup in my car that was wired to my stereo system.. and the detector mounted inside the lower area of the engine bay near where the air scoop in my lower guard. If it blipped through my stereo speakers.. if a cop pulls me over i turn off my stereo.

Is there a more cost effective way than this? What have you guys heard of that works well...

Is it worth just driving around with it mounted on your windscreen with suction caps, and if you get pulled over quickly chuck it under the seat?

What are the penalties for being caught?

[Sydneykid]

Dude, the penalties are harsh - loss of car, massive fines, loss of licence... do a search on ANWERS, lots of sites in this field.

Plus, cops can trace IPs from forums... say nuffin in here

S of S

[pentae]

I did a search for ANWERS in australia.. nothing came up except a bunch of typo's for ANSWERS. doing a search for answers is an obvious waste of time

Cops can trace IP's from forums, yeah. But fortunately for me the only people who can access my IP's are the moderators. Because I have not done anything illegal I don't think discussion is cause for concern either..

Loss of car. That is harsh.

[HKSgtst]

"Loss of car." Are you sure about that ?

[GeneralSpeed]

Qld police use Spectre radar detector detectors - only a few of the top brands of radar detectors can go undetected by it, and only one can actually detect the Spectre (unfortunately, at the same time the Spectre detects it). Also keep in mind, by mounting it in the front of your car you lose rear detecting capability.

If you want to use a radar detector like the americans do (ie stick it to the windscreen whenever you want) - forget it. The only real way you will get away with it is to be very serious about it. Not only have a radar detector, but make sure its hard to see from where you mount it, hard to find during a RTA inspection (ie good hiding spots in your car), get yourself a radio scanner (so you can listen to police radio), and so forth.

And keep in mind, radar detectors are fairly obvious to notice even without seeing them - if you are speeding and all of a sudden as soon as a radar/lidar is turned on you slam on your brakes so you don't get booked for speeding, they will notice this.

And as was previously mentioned, penalties are very severe for having even an unopened, boxed radar detector in the boot of your car. However, it's your car, license and money, so ultimately it's up to you.

[Timmy G]

i called up the NSW police and asked about penalties. they said it was like a $1000 fine or something. I didn't ask too many questions but it was inferred that only fines would make up the penalty.

and continuing with what GeneralSpeed said, no matter how good your detector is, it won't stop it being blatantly obvious you know about a radar. i've heard that cops will just turn their radar on/off and try and listen for the screeching of tyres however, you could just say you just saw them and you slowed down cos you thought there was a hazard.. mmmkay!

[Sydneykid]

Radar detector dectectors (RDD)are no problem. Just turn off the radar detector once you see the cop. Plus, most RDD's pick up mobile phones, and RDs are not common enough, most people don't even know what they are. Plead ignorance, it is one of the only times ignorance might save your ass.

The penalties vary state to state like most infringements. RDs they take very seriously, because it makes the highway patrol loss effective. You can hear it before you see the cop alot of the time, and anyone who's been busted'll tell ya

"I didn't see him til it was too late"

S of S

PS. www.ANZWERS.com.au is a search engine based in Australia. A search like "radar laser detector" might help you. That, or take a drive to Canberra or WA...

There is a lot of information to be found about speed cameras, lasers and their detectors on the internet, and I recommend you read up on the subject. Most of the websites contain the laws, which can get you out of speeding fines (such as a cop, holding a laser gun with his hands - FALSE READING - Must be on a tripod (in the boot of the cop car, theres a tripod - Ever seen it used??) or rested upon something - like a bonnet/roof/boot or car, tree...)

[CerealKiller]

how about driving legally and do all the speeding on the race track? at least there are no innocent bystanders on the track.

[Sydneykid]

It only takes a 1 second slip on the right foot to land you a speeding ticket. Money is not a problem, loss of licence is worth more to most of us than money can buy. Better be safe than sorry, and be safe as much as you can.

S of S

[pushead]

Not sure with other states, but in Victoria if you get busted with a RD, its $1100 fine and 3 points deducted. No they do not confiscate your car nor will you loose your license.

Cops can trace IP's from forums, yeah

that is if the adminstrator/moderator will cooperate with the cops. and even if the coppas got your IP address they then have to go through and ask for your info from your ISP. Your ISP will NOT give out your personal details as it will be against the privacy act and what if your ISP go through a proxy server? even harder to trace you! lol . I doubt they go through all the hassles just to bust someone here with a RD when there are more serious crimes happening across australia lol.

Also keep in mind, by mounting it in the front of your car you lose rear detecting capability.

Not sure what kind of RD you are referring to but MOST NEW RD has a 360 degree detection so it doesnt matter where you mount it.

[Kinks]

If you mount a RD in your engine bay just forward of the firewall, it may have a detector at the rear but it won't be getting any signal because the car's metal blocks it.

Most RD's have 360 degree detection but the mounting point is important.

[pentae]

Hey guys.. lot of good replies there. thanks

A few observations..

When i'm driving along the freeway/street and see a cop car way ahead in the distance... and i'm speeding? I do a quick mirror check and slam the brakes.

I think everyone else does as well. So I don't think they'll "know" based on that.

The radar mount point I was talking about was in the front of my body kit, mounted in my side air intake pocket.. staring out, maybe behind some perspex to protect it from road debris.

"It only takes a 1 second slip on the right foot to land you a speeding ticket. Money is not a problem, loss of licence is worth more to most of us than money can buy. Better be safe than sorry, and be safe as much as you can. "

This is also very interesting. SydneyKid, have you ever been pulled over for speeding by a cop doing this and said "Sorry Officer, me and my passanger both witnessed you holding the speed gun in your hand and not on a tripod. I was doing the limit so therefore you're reading is inaccurate." ?

[FunkBrother]

This site has some good info for Australian laws and radar/laser equipment used by the police.

http://radarlaser.com.au/

A friend of mine recently got busted with a radar detector on the way to the snow. Cop was going in the opposite direction and the radar detector picked up the police radar. There happened to be a radar detector detector installed on that car and got pulled over. My friend was fined $1000 and had to hand over the detector. If he didn't hand it over the cop threatened a further $1000 fine on top of that. I'm not sure if he could do it but my friend wasn't going to find out the hard way.

Thinking about it my friend could have been a bit smarter about it. He should have turned the detector off once it had picked up the cop. Once he saw the cop turn around he should of taken it off the sun visor and got his passsenger to stuff it down their pants. If the cop wants the detector he has to search for it. I believe they can search your car but not your person, but don't quote me on that.

[Sydneykid]

Originally posted by pentae

This is also very interesting. SydneyKid, have you ever been pulled over for speeding by a cop doing this and said "Sorry Officer, me and my passanger both witnessed you holding the speed gun in your hand and not on a tripod. I was doing the limit so therefore you're reading is inaccurate." ?

Yes, twice I have been pulled over (Kingways Miranda, Shell Servo at Padstow) both times the lasers were not mounted or resting on anything. I have never seen the fine.

I have also seen it happening at Mascot, next to the airport hilton. I wasn't busted, but i pulled over, got out and reminded them what they were doing was illegal, with a video camera in my hand (was on my way to a mates house to edit a movie, had to do it). The promptly (2 seconds) went for the tripod.

I personally recommend if you must, to have a "hidden" unit, rather than a mounted incar RD. This is mainly for when they want to search your car, you can let them (saves hassles when the issue is over an RD). let them search your car, and with a hidden unit, they will never find it. They then have to prove what it is. But cops know how innaccurate they are, and they often get things like GPSs, Mobile phones, and anything that transmits. Maybe you should buy a RDDD (Radar detector dector detector) so you know when those nasty things are around too. Thing is though, RDs are not that commonly known in the community, so when they say "you have an RD, hand it over", give them a funny look with a "what the??"

S of S

[awill]

All i can say is its not worth it. and i will throw a pink fit if they ban them in WA

[tanghy]

http://www.australianradar.com.au/profile.htm

these guys claim to be undetectable to stalcar

[JimX]

If you really want to do it, I think the best way to do it is to leave it switched off most of the time (assuming it can't be detected when off), and stick to roughly around the speed limit for general driving (maybe 5-10kph over or so). Then when you decide you need to floor it for a bit (for example, to get around dickheads or when the road is wide and open) then flick it on for the few seconds while you do the manoeuver, then switch it off again.

When used this way it'll be serving a much better purpose - that is saving you from an automatic licence suspension for 20k+ over the limit. I don't think the risks of getting busted with it are worth it if you are trying to save yourself from a 10-15kph over the limit fine, and I don't think it's good driving practice to stick to 20kph+ over the limit constantly.

[Timmy G]

yeah jimx has the right idea.

less exposure (i.e. when it's on) is directly proportional to less risk of being caught.

cops definitely don't pull you over for <10km over the limit. and radar traps prolly won't bother either.

[hippy]

why not just stay on the speed limit .. how much time do u actually save going a bit faster? 1 minute?? 2 mins?? 1000 bucks to save urself a couple of mins isn't exactly good value ... but thats just my opinion ... but i'd be interested to know if there is actually a real detector that is undetectable ...

[Airzone]

Originally posted by Timmy G

cops definitely don't pull you over for <10km over the limit.  and radar traps prolly won't bother either.

Unless you're in Victoria - lol!