I have a question about radar detecter.

I was out with a few friends, I have my radar detecter on (Passport 8500). On a hilly section of the road, right after we went up to the top of a small hill, we saw at a cop pointing a (seems to be) radar gun at our direction at the bottom of the small hill.

We are assuming the cop was checking our speed with his radar gun. but none of our radar detecter picked up anything when we saw the cop.

Would he be using instant on laser and didn't get picked up by the detecter? Our detecters are too old and missing the frequency? Cop was just scaring people off without actually using his radar gun?

We were not speeding excessively and nobody got stopped. but that was just weird to me.

Any thoughts?

 

You need to pay extra for the cop detector feature.

Seriously though, either his radar was off or he was using laser. Laser is only going to give reliable results if he points it at your radar detector, which he won't. Otherwise you're just going to pick up scatter which by nature is totally unreliable. it is almost worthless for prevention, typically it is more effective as a notification that you just got shot with laser...which of course is too late..

I believe the protocol, which some cops follow and some don't, is to visually estimate speed of the car and if it is estimated to be speeding excessively, then pull the trigger on the gun. So he may have never even shot at you.

 

It's because you were using a detecter. If you used a radar detector, it would've sensed the radar properly.

 

 

my passport 8500 rador detecter picked up a lazer gun

lazer guns project a very narrow beam. if it didnt target your car korrectly then you may not have pict it up

 

^lol

i am actually looking for a radar detector myself so I clicked on this thread to see if it was about reviews...

don't mean to thread-jack the OP but what is a good reliable detector out there?

 

"POP" mode?
You would have to manually turn that function on if you have Passport, 8500 X50, not available on the regular 8500.

With laser at least one of the detectors should go off. Usually most good ones will pick up laser bouncing off another vehicle.

Only a handful of detectors are "POP" sensitive, I can think of the Escort Passport Redline, 9500IX, 9500I, 8500 X50; BEL STI. Not sure on the new Valentine.

 

its pretty unanimous that the pecking order goes Valentine V1 > Passport 9500 >> Passport 8500 >>>>> everything else
The Valentine has nice directional indicators (i.e. arrows) that noone else has
For value, a used 8500 works perfectly fine... very low false-positives, decent range, etc

 

^cool, thanks man. I'm leaning more towards V1 for that "peace of mind" unless there are other less expensive alternatives that can offer similar features.

 

cops are smart about getting past radar detectors.. they like to get you right when you see them and its too late