tv_dir

I have been using the Valentine 1 for about 10 years now. I really like the "arrows" and it has been the best radar detector I've owned. The big problem is when I do have the road to myself...ZAP! LASER!

Do the Laser jammers REALLY work?? When I'm alone on the road and there is a police officer "lurking" behind a tree, will they REALLY scramble his signal?? Will he not SEE that I am going "a little fast"?? Do the police NOT pull you over because they don't get a true reading??

Please give your thoughts on laser jammers before I go and spend a small fortune for something that won't help. Before you slam me I know JUST SLOW DOWN!!

Thanks for your thoughts

Gearhead Jim

As you probably know, jamming RADAR is illegal everywhere- technically, it's a federal felony. Besides, the radar jammers you can buy are junk.

Jamming laser is not illegal under federal law but about a dozen states states have passed their own. Illinois made it illegal Jan 1 of this year, mere possession in the car is an offense. And they take the jammer as evidence. Fine isn't very high though, and you are supposed to get the jammer back after court.

Some jammers work very well, others are junk. The Blinder unit gets good reviews, try a Google search.

xs650

There are reports on some LIDAR jammers that sound good. Like Gearhead said, they are illegal in several states, so be discrete in how you mount it and use it if you are in one of those states.

The "discrete" technique I have read is to slow down, then turn the jammer off so the cop is able to get a reading. If you drive right down his LIDAR unit without showing a reading on it he might get suspicious.

Abomination

Yes laser jammers do work, check out http://www.guysoflidar.com/ its reviews of laser jammers and there are many reviews of actual people using them, plus corvettes (esp dark ones) are VERY hard to get a lock on anyway, very few reflective surfaces (unless you have a front plate).

not08crmanymore

not all of them work and i forget the famous/popular name of the one that got crap reviews in a vette magazine test done a year or two ago...but there's another that was on here recently that the guys said worked well..

TommyDeVito

What we should be asking ourselves is why cops even use Laser devices.

Why not just use a traditional radar gun on K, KA band?
They are still very effective as not everyone has a radar detector. Also just by keeping it on, those of us that have radar units will slow down anyway. So if an intersection or section of a highway is a problem then park a cruiser there with lights on and radar on, problem solved.

I will always have a problem with my tax money going to Laser or any other supertech device. What is next Satellite detection? A guy sits behind a computer terminal and points a Satellite at a certain area and dispatches troopers to nail cars? It's ridiculous and it feels like our local officers are out to get everyone, even the people that pay their salaries (local residents).

Cliff Notes: I hate Laser because it's very difficult to detect and I end up getting a ticket every few years because of it

tv_dir

I COULD'NT AGREE WITH YOU MORE! A BIG THANK YOU!

vette ruminator

Check out this article in Motor Trend

http://www.motortrend.com/features/m...ide/index.html

yukongt2000

GPS tracking is possible with the Onstar stuff in the car. They can easily monitor your speed at any time- unless your in a tunnel. I doubt they would ever use this- but you never know.

lytmup

Laser jamming could work IF and ONLY IF you could intercept the beam that is shooting at you.

The problem is that cone of light is very small and focused. And its only aimed at certain places on the front of the car.

One of those prime places would be a front license place (the only true reason for a law requiring front plates).

Other places are headlights, and grill areas. Basically, anyplace that is flat and reflective is what the LIDAR aims for. Remove or diminish the reflectivity of these areas, and you are less "detectable" to LIDAR. Color also has an effect, as darker colors reflect less than lighter colors.

RaDaRkInG

http://jasonsvideoproductions.com/


Laser jammers work, the videos don't lie.

shopdog

It is small, but it isn't that small. Beam divergence is approximately 5 milliradians, or a beam diameter of about 5 feet at 1000 feet. As most people with laser detectors will tell you, they do get detection alarms when hit by police lidar. If your theory were correct, this could only happen if the cop was aiming directly at the laser detector.

With respect to jamming, it isn't the diameter of the lidar beam that matters. It is the diameter of the jamming beam that matters. As long as it includes the lidar receiver in its beam, the jammer will be effective. All of the laser jammers with which I'm familar have beam divergences larger than that of a police lidar. What that means in plain English is that if the police lidar can hit the car with its beam, the police lidar will be in the beam of the jammer.

Front plate laws existed long before lidar, long before radar for that matter. The reason given was so that a cop could quickly identify a car he was meeting on the street. Of course speeds were lower in those days. I doubt a cop could read the plate of an oncoming car at interstate speeds.

Realize that lidars operate in the infrared, 904 nanometers. Things that appear bright or reflective in the visible spectrum may not be bright in the infrared, and vice versa. What that means is that you can't tell with the naked eye whether a particular surface or color will appear bright in the infrared.

knewblewkorvette

great article....thanks

lytmup

I never said that LIDAR was the reason for the creation of front licence plate laws, rather that they are the reason why front plates still exist today.


* Georgia license plate, by itself = 2577 ft.
* Colorado license plate, by itself = 1339 ft.
* With no plate- detection range of a Mazda RX7 with headlights retracted is around 800 ft.
* No plate, and the lights covered - detection range < 500 ft.


as referenced from: http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/FAQonLidar.html

In fact, this is a really good fact site on LIDAR that all might want to read.

RAO-3

And wouldn't you rather get a ticket for no front plate, rather than for speeding?

-Ray

DPG

isnt there a limit as to how far cops are allowed to trap you at. I heard that anything further than 1000ft is grounds for dismissal.