• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Laser Jammers vs Radar Detectors

If you could only buy one, a radar detector or a laser jammer, which would you choose and why?

Radar detectors work, laser jammes DO NOT! I have never seen a credible test showing a Laser jammer doing anything but draining ones wallet.


NOW if they did work, Radar detector for sure, I encounter 200 radar set ups to every 1 laser encounter, if not more. Laser is primarily used on Interstates and major highways, and I do not ride interstates, and avoid major highways like the plague.
 
Valentine 1. They do not violate federal law and work. Most so-called jammers do nothing. Those that do are transmitters that violate the law.

I run a V-1. There are others out there that are at least as good in detection, sensitivity and false signal rejection but to my knowledge, the V-1 is the only one that actually shows you how many and where they're located.
 
Laser Jammers vs radar detectors

Thanks for the feedback on the laser Jammers. Also good info on the valentine 1
 
Here's a current thread from the Rennlist (Porsche) site. There are some laser jammer units that work well:

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/993-forum/685126-what-are-good-lazer-jammers.html

There are a number of older threads in the 993 subsection as well, with some of our members swearing by their jammers.

...which would you choose, and why...DVEINEDER

The radar detecter is your first choice, as there are more radar sets around than lasers, and radar detecters will pick up radar miles away, under the right conditions. If you can afford it, a jammer is nice, for additional protection. A radar/laser detecter may help you against laser if you have a scout in front of you who gets lasered, but otherwise not. As soon as you hear and see the signal detection, you've already been clocked.

I've done a lot of research into this topic, and JIMO, the best, cost effective unit is a Valentine V1, if used behind a scout. I have an Escort 8500 X50, and it, and other detecters before it, have saved me dozens of tickets over the years. My usual practise is to follow a scout, by a few hundred metres, depending on the situation.
 
Last edited:
Here's a current thread from the Rennlist (Porsche) site. There are some laser jammer units that work well:
...............


I don't trust testimonials, no one will admit they wasted $500, so they convince themselves it works.

I want a test by a major automotive publication, or completely independent lab (test NOT paid by a manufacturer)
 
I don't trust testimonials, no one will admit they wasted $500, so they convince themselves it works.

I want a test by a major automotive publication, or completely independent lab (test NOT paid by a manufacturer)

The ones that work are not jammers, they are frequency shifters. Still if you get painted by a laser spot at a place on your vehicle away from the shifter device, they are useless. The LIDAR beamwidth is about 3 feet at 1000 feet.
 
I don't trust testimonials...pffog

Fair enough, but I have been a member there for years, and, as with the Forum, you get a feel for the culture of the place, and who you can and can't rely on.

And, like the MOAers, the Rennlisters are a critical bunch, so any BS gets dealt with, sometimes harshly.
 
Last edited:
I haven't seen anything come close to the Valentine 1. Some say "I wouldn't pay $400.00 for a radar detector", actually that's one save-when you add the costs.
When you run any of these devices you need to educate yourself as to how the radar or laser works. If you are first in the line-or the only one on the road-when you are targeted it's pretty much over. IIRC you need a deceleration of around 3 feet per second to compensate for the device to update and you might make it.
The V1 gives such a long distance warning that vehicles targeted ahead of you will set it off. As for false alarms-really no such thing. Anything operating at the radar frequency will set it off. This would include the automatic door openers at the mall you pass on the highway. A use of the wiper/washer while headed into the sun can be seen by a detector as laser shot.
If doing the Ton really gets you going, that's one thing. If you like to be reminded that the speed limit changed when you get off the highway-it's another. OM
 
Radar Detector

Dear BMWMOAers,

Is the Valentine V1 a designed-and-built-for-motorcycles radar detector in that it is compact, can be operated with gloves on, has visual alerts AND is waterproof? I've been thinking about getting one and have been looking at the unit made specially for motorcycles by Adaptiv. Does anyone have a view on that device versus the Valentine? And what good is the Valentine if it can't get wet? Thanks.

Kent
 
The V1 is not specifically designed for motorcycles. Neither is my Escort. If I see rain coming, I just detach it and throw it in the tank bag, as I'm not going to need it in the rain. I believe there are still waterproof boxes available.

As for being glove friendly, these units are set it and forget it; my Escort is on automatic all the time.

The only hassle for me is the helmet wire, so this spring I'm going to have to go wireless, with a BlueTooth rig.

As for the Adaptiv, I took a long hard look at it, but the reviews I read were mixed. I really wish it were as good as Valentine/Escort, but I'm just not sure, so I'm not buying.
 
The V1 is not specifically designed for motorcycles. Neither is my Escort.

I have a rain proof cover that I got from Legal Speeding for my Escort. Unfortunately, they don'y sell them anymore (so I bought two). I've been on Rennlist for about seven years also and I must say, there is a lot of BS on that board (IMS bearing) :stick
 
Dear BMWMOAers,

Is the Valentine V1 a designed-and-built-for-motorcycles radar detector in that it is compact, can be operated with gloves on, has visual alerts AND is waterproof? I've been thinking about getting one and have been looking at the unit made specially for motorcycles by Adaptiv. Does anyone have a view on that device versus the Valentine? And what good is the Valentine if it can't get wet? Thanks.

Kent

No. However, I have mine permenently mounted on the bike. The 2011 IBR was one of the wettest and it handled it fine by me just sticking a baggie over it and continuing to ride normally - the V-1 was on the entire rally that I was riding.

As to operate with glove on - to do what? It's a radar detector, all you should have to do is turn it on and off or adjust volume, which I cna do with Gerbing G5's on.
 
...there's a lot of BS on that board (IMS bearing)...tonyfr

Well, the Porsche world has the IMS issue, and in the BMW world, it's final drives...:D
 
Last edited:
Radar vs. Laser

Radar works by sending a radio signal out and waiting on the signal to bounce back to the patrol car. The Radar unit calculates the amount of time it takes for the signal to return, adjusts for the speed of the patrol car (If it is moving) and provides the operator with the speed of the target vehicle. The tough part here here is that it returns the signal from the largest target. A motorcycle passing a Semi is hard for the unit to detect, because the signal is returning from the semi. The reason Radar detectors are effective is because not all of the RF (Radio Frequency) emitted from the unit is returned. Some of it keeps on wandering out there for 2-3 miles, past the effective range of the radar unit. When your Radar detector goes off, it is indicating that it is receiving a radio signal within the appropriate frequency range for a Law Enforcement Radar unit. There are some other things in this frequency range as well (automatic door oopeners on grocery stores, etc...) which will also give an indication. So, in summary a quality Radar detector will keep you out of trouble most of the time. If you are the lone vehicle on the road and the Officer leaves the emitter turned off until he see's you, your detector will go off but it is too late.
As for Laser, Laser is very target specific and line of sight. It must be operated from a stationary position. The Officer places the target vehicle in the crosshairs (yes, it has a scope) and pulls the trigger. The unit immediately returns the speed and distance to the target vehicle. Ergo, Laser detctors are very good at telling you that you just got nabbed, but provide no warning that one is in use and that you should slow down.

Hope this helps.
 
Back
Top