Radar detector or scanner?

[jasonmrule]

Also remember that in most states using a scanner to brake the law is illegal, and technically that is what you would be doing. I talk to several people that use the BCT8 and they say that when ever they have passed a trooper the unit does not go off. This unit and the BCT7 are set to key on the use of a mobile extender and if that is not being used then they will not alert.

 

[STiMULi]

Also remember that in most states using a scanner to brake the law is illegal,

Proving I was using the scanner to break (circumvent) the law will be impossible at best.

 

[K5MAR]

Also remember that in most states using a scanner to brake the law is illegal,

Proving I was using the scanner to break (circumvent) the law will be impossible at best.

Can't say about AZ, but here in Oklahoma, posession of a scanner during commission of a crime is a crime. Simple possession (in operating condition) is enough, no need to prove intent. Every police and sheriff's auction has at least several scanners confiscated during drug busts. I generally try to check them out, but the scanners are usually in the kind of condition you'd expect after belonging to a bunch of crack or meth heads.

Mark S.

 

[STiMULi]

Also remember that in most states using a scanner to brake the law is illegal,

Proving I was using the scanner to break (circumvent) the law will be impossible at best.

Can't say about AZ, but here in Oklahoma, posession of a scanner during commission of a crime is a crime. Simple possession (in operating condition) is enough, no need to prove intent. Every police and sheriff's auction has at least several scanners confiscated during drug busts. I generally try to check them out, but the scanners are usually in the kind of condition you'd expect after belonging to a bunch of crack or meth heads.

Mark S.

I thought we were talking radar detectors vs. scanners. Hmmm... As a matter of fact I am sure we were

So you were speeding and then the officer decides to throw you in the klink because you had a scanner. They are tough in Oklahoma! I guess that OK is not all that OK

 

[K5MAR]

Also remember that in most states using a scanner to brake the law is illegal,

Proving I was using the scanner to break (circumvent) the law will be impossible at best.

Can't say about AZ, but here in Oklahoma, posession of a scanner during commission of a crime is a crime. Simple possession (in operating condition) is enough, no need to prove intent. Every police and sheriff's auction has at least several scanners confiscated during drug busts. I generally try to check them out, but the scanners are usually in the kind of condition you'd expect after belonging to a bunch of crack or meth heads.

Mark S.

I thought we were talking radar detectors vs. scanners. Hmmm... As a matter of fact I am sure we were

So you were speeding and then the officer decides to throw you in the klink because you had a scanner. They are tough in Oklahoma! I guess that OK is not all that OK

Just replying to your comment about the mobile use of scanners, who went off-topic first? :wink:

As for the speeding comment, speeding isn't a criminal offense, per say. If you try to dodge or outrun the police, and you have a scanner in your car when they catch up with you, well...... that's another story. But to get back on topic, IF you are pulled over for speeding with a radar detector in your car, you are more likely to get a ticket than if you have a scanner. That should say something about which is viewed as more effective by the police.

Mark S.

 

[CORN]

Actually neither one of ya'll went off topic first. Jasonmrule started this breaking the law stuff. Everytime we start talking about mobile use of scanners, in this case scanners versus radar detectors, someone i guess who has been given a hard time by the PD and is bitter about it always wants to send the topic in another direction by turning it into "mobile scanner listening is a crime, etc" discussion :roll: . Everybody on here more than likely is law abiding. And lets don't be technical here law abiding defined as commiting a crime against a person, property, etc. NOT SPEEDING. Speeding is like that S word. Speed happens!! And your right Jasonmrule using a scanner to break, not brake, the law is a crime but this discussion never was going in that direction. The topic is scanners versus radar detectors. Now off my soapbox. I would never use my scanner for the place of a radar detector. First, on the open road it doesn't pick up that great. Second, you might never hear the HP or PD running radar. Also, I second the choice of a CB. But since the choice of electronic gizmos are limited in my truck thats where my scanner comes in. It does pick up all the CB channels. OK who wants to send this back to the "criminal" discussion. Yee Haw.

 

[okla-lawman]

ok I will start by saying that I have been on both sides. I am currently
on the le side of the coin. Here are MY views.
1, The hughway patrol feature works only in ltd. areas. basically it picks
up a rpeater signal that is in the cars. I have only HEARD of it working
in California.

2. Scanners are usefull if you can determine where they are at (not alaways useful when traveling, as you may not know where you are in relation to the stop). If the officer has not made a contact in a while or has not checked out on a stop they are useless.

3. The radar detectors out there are getting really good. Of course do are the radars. The officer has to be firing radar to be picked up. A good officer does not leave it on all the time but puts it in standby. When he observes the offender, estimates his speed then uses the radar to confirm
the vehilces speed. After the officer fires the radar it takes less than a second to get a reading... how much speed can you loose? If he fires at another car in front of you it may save you. When I worked patrol I used to love to stop cars with radar detectors. It was so funny watching them lock up there brakes after the were already busted. I used to love to come up behind cars with radar detectors and fire my radar. It would
sometimes take 7-8 seconds for it to go off. Of course that brings up another point I have written many tickets to peeps with radar detectors and never turned my radar on by pacing. It seems many people get a false sense of security when using one. In fast one guy I wrote a ticket to
went to court to fight it as he said it was illegal. I could not right him a ticket because his radar detector never went off.......I had been pacing him from behind for 2 miles. One final thing about radar detectors. Most officers I know and myself have a rule....peeps with detectors dont get warnings.....

4) Cb radio is good on the interstates. If the truckers are talking. Most of the time they wont talk to four wheelers. I had one in my patrol cars for
years and never had a trucker report a speeder. A few drunk drivers yes a speeder never. In many cities they are useless. The BIG radios, base stations running thousands of watts walk over everybody. I wish the FCC would do their job on those. It has made the CB a joke.

One of the posters talkes about rabbits. well they do work unless they are using a 3rd officer to detect speed and then others to stop ie aircraft
(yep they got me before). One of our local depts sets up an officer on foot on a bridge with a laser speed detector then 1/2 a mile away they
have the calavary 6 to 8 units waiting. They dont check out on the radio
not a lot you can do.

If you really want to know more I would check out road and track and car and driver magazines they have a lot of stuff about radar dtetectors. Check out the police radar mnf. sites. Custom tends to play both sides.
Surf the web about police radar training. It might give you a view on what radar can and can not do.

Again I am not taking any sides here. Just passing on information from years of experience on both sides.

 

[Thorny41587]

This is what makes our hobby look bad, when ignorant people abuse it.

 

[Tacodog]

One of the posters talkes about rabbits. well they do work unless they are using a 3rd officer to detect speed and then others to stop ie aircraft (yep they got me before). One of our local depts sets up an officer on foot on a bridge with a laser speed detector then 1/2 a mile away they have the calavary 6 to 8 units waiting. They dont check out on the radio
not a lot you can do.

If they don't use the radio, then how does the officer with the laser gun communicate with the interceptor units a 1/2 mile away? Signal mirror? Smoke signal?

Tacodog (unrepentant scofflaw)

 

[Thorny41587]

I know but even thinking about it is what I am saying.

 

[STiMULi]

There are many ways Highway Patrol officers communicate on a regular basis.

Repeater use. Cant get there from here.... use another radio to simultaniosly transmit your traffic.

1) Static repeaters (Hilltops, Mountain tops, Buiding tops) usually found at base

2*) High power mobile repeaters. There are officers who will be in the right place at the right time to get another officers radio transmissions to the base. States with a large unhabited area use this kind of service when a base repeater is no reachable.

3*) Mobile extenders. These are repeaters that are used to retransmit the officers Handheld through his mobile station to the base

4*) MDT Mobile display terminal (listen to the ouput if it uses a different freq)

5) Wireless phone (cell)

6*) wireless mic to in-car video recording equipment.

7*) Car to Car simplex (non repeater use)

If you want to know when you are near one besides the use of a radar or laser detectors you learn the freqs for and listen to the isems with the * located next to them.

If you are in an area with a HP trunking systen be aware... be very aware. Because depending on the sharing arrangements the next transmission you could get a hit on could be the dog catcher.

 

[flyingwolf]

[off topic] STiMULi. Your av is neat but technically wrong. For the US that is. Driver would be on the left hand side of the morror.

And as for communicating. There is always a quick signal. Something you would never get if scanning or even tuned in to the channel. It could be a quick series of numbers only the officers would know what they meant. But then again there is always line of site and a dry erase board lol.

 

[LEH]

Got two comments here.

First to cpohlad. I have a radar detector that I put in the car only when I am planning on driving out of VA. Last I heard if you have a radar detector in your car and you're from VA, they will confiscate the detector. Not worth it to find out.

Second to tacodog - I don't think okla-lawman said the units on the laser trap were not using radios to communicate. I think he said the units did not check out, meaning (at least to me) that the unit on the bridge would call the speeders, but those units doing the pull overs were not telling the dispatcher where they were or who they had.

 

[Tacodog]

Second to tacodog - I don't think okla-lawman said the units on the laser trap were not using radios to communicate. I think he said the units did not check out, meaning (at least to me) that the unit on the bridge would call the speeders, but those units doing the pull overs were not telling the dispatcher where they were or who they had.

I was wondering how the units were notified that a vehicle was speeding and how they were requesting wants/warrants on the speeders that they stopped. If they had 6-8 units in the "posse", then there must have been a fair amount of radio traffic.

Tacodog

 

[LEH]

Tacodog,

When I was in the AF, I spent some time in Fort Worth. Saw the local gendarme parked on an overpass with his hand held radar shooting traffic on the interstate. When he got one, he'd radio the units down the road.

When the ground units stopped the car, they'd use their computers to run any wants, warrants and ID checks as I didn't hear a lot of 28/29 requests.

In Ohio, I could hear the OSP aircraft (VHF-Lo) for MILES AND MILES. They'd call the ground troop(er)s with a make, model and color of the car. I seldom ever heard the ground units as they were not on a repeater. So I don't know if they'd run checks or not. I am sure they did as I heard a dispatcher reporting on a vehicle the aircraft had spotted doing 120+. She told the ground unit the drivier had 180 prior offenses. Now that is ridiculous.

 

[CORN]

Oklahoma Lawman,
When the subject of CB originally came up I don't think it was concerning truckers talking to or reporting four wheelers. I think it has to do with truckers talking to truckers reporting the "Smokey Bear" postions. And if the trooper doesn't move his or her position, which when they hear that they usually do, the four wheelers can be on the lookout. But your right and thanks for the insight about how sometimes a radar detector is usless. I've been busted with a laser gun and after it goes off it's pretty much too late. But i am also interested in how you report to the waiting cars down the road of the impending speeder without radio comms? Cell phone? Just curious.

 

[CORN]

Signal 9 on my last post. Didn't read the second page.

 

[okla-lawman]

Like I said I have been on both sides and was/amnot making judgements.
They do use radios but if they are being sneaky they can encript it. Even if they dont all you hear is white buick 75 and so on. It is a repeatered system and they have many roads they do it on.
CORN check out some of the magazine articles lasar if fairl easy to defeat. I am not certified to use it but have had some training and it has its weaknesses, of course for academic study only :shock:

 

[STiMULi]

Laser Jammin is fun!

 

[STiMULi]

ok I will start by saying that I have been on both sides. I am currently on the le side of the coin. Here are MY views.

While I agree with 90% of what you say I add the following...

The best Radar Detector in the world will not save you without Expierience, Timing, Technique, Luck and extreme Awarness.

Rabbits wake up those silent radar guns. Good Radar detectors will alert you and when you "learn" to read them you will slow safely and avoid detection.

There are a few ways to detect air based speed detection. Famliarity with the area and speed detection techniques, knowledge of the radio traffic protocol between the pilot and the chase teams and again extreme awareness. The Pilots will tend to stay behind the offending drivers and will also tend to avoid bad weather. In mountainous areas they do circles.

Be safe! FOR EVERYONE!!!