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radar and laser protection

I generally detect from a mile or more away from any transmitter. Even if you POP or Instant On and I get a blip I'm going to slow down till I see the threat/determine what made my detector blip for a second even if I have to "putt" around for a few miles.

Watching traffic ahead of me helps a lot. The detector isn't a catch all ticket shield it's just another tool in the electronic warfare toolbox. If I'm looking ahead and see cars brake for no apparent reason in one lane or multiple lanes I'm slowing down cause around here there's most likely a FWPD car sitting over that hill that those folks just topped.

Sad to see potentially life-saving speed enforcement labeled as "the threat...." There was a day when we were the good guys, but no longer in today's soceity. To me, that is what's sad.

Nevertheless, by your title, I see you were a Marine. Thank you for your service. My son was with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines out of 29 Stumps from 2000 - 2004. SEMPER FI.

Now he is a US Army Sgt. (formerly 82nd Airborne) with the 4th Infantry Div. at Fort Carson (CO).
 
Any time I ride I always try to remember to "keep my head in the game." That goes for all phases of riding including detecting LEO's. I do have a RD but consider my eyes a much more reliable source. Instant on is everywhere now. Unmarked cars with instant on are death. In urban areas VASCAR totally defeats any type of detection. After getting up to 10 points in a 12 point system, I decided to change my tactics. I pick where I speed more carefully. I factor in how much over the limit I will go compared to what I consider as the probability of detection. Part of that is I love twisties and LEO's are rare in good twisties unless some moron gives them a name like Dragon, Diamond Back, Back of the Dragon, Devils Triangle, or Snake. I love the Snake, and I have seen as many as 6 Tn State Troopers camped out on it, plus an occasional sheriff. So I just make a legal run, turn around and blast it. Do you know a 35 or 45 mph speed limit can still allow you to have a legal blast in the twisties.
 
Sad to see potentially life-saving speed enforcement labeled as "the threat...." There was a day when we were the good guys, but no longer in today's soceity. To me, that is what's sad.

Nevertheless, by your title, I see you were a Marine. Thank you for your service. My son was with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines out of 29 Stumps from 2000 - 2004. SEMPER FI.

Now he is a US Army Sgt. (formerly 82nd Airborne) with the 4th Infantry Div. at Fort Carson (CO).

You see it as "life saving" most see it as revenue generation. Are there times where I believe people deserve to get a ticket? Yup. Flying though traffic at an excessive speed differential, school zones, ect. But I'd much rather see my tax money be put to use on writing tickets for stuff like driving in fog or rain with no headlights on, people not using their blinkers, left lane campers, ect. instead of picking out one car of a sea of cars all going the same speed (or there abouts) and they're all over the limit, then use the excuse of "well do you ever go fishing?...blah blah blah"
 
My only-partially tongue-in-cheek suggestion is to get a RTP. The only times I've been stopped while on the RTP, the officer wanted to know about my bike. Three times over 7 years and 60,000 miles of RTP riding, I've been stopped only so I can answer questions about where my bike came from, how I acquired it, etc.

I have a riding buddy who has the TPX motorcycle-specific radar detector, and he HATES it with a passion. I, on the other hand, have a 7-something year old Escort 8500 in a "Legal Speeding" waterproof case and the previously mentioned LED alert gizmo mounted on top. I routinely "see" speed traps over hills, around corners, and from miles away. I've often encountered the county sheriff deputy in his cruiser with the oncoming traffic radar permanently on. I can "see" those guys from five miles away. The Escort 8500 units in my wife's car and in my truck have saved us thousands of dollars in speeding tickets and higher insurance rates over the years.
 
But I'd much rather see my tax money be put to use on writing tickets for stuff like driving in fog or rain with no headlights on, people not using their blinkers, left lane campers, cell phone talkers/texters, make-up appliers, breakfast-eaters, tinted windows at nightect. instead of picking out one car of a sea of cars all going the same speed (or there abouts) and they're all over the limit, then use the excuse of "well do you ever go fishing?...blah blah blah"

Had to add a few transgressions to your list of common offenses...

My complaint is that the law enforcement agencies in my area seem to focus on speed violations as they're easier to prove in court. The fall-out is that they thus NEVER enforce prohibitions against talking on the phone while driving, or other far more serious offenses because it's "too hard" compared to writing a speeding ticket. In the Seattle area, we now have a large subculture of HOV lane violating/cell phone using drivers immune from these laws because our local LEOs won't enforce our prohibition against having tinted windows. Tinted windows give drivers immunity to do anything they want while behind the wheel. Eliminate tinted windows and you'll eliminate a whole bunch of other illegal and unsafe activity.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.37.430
 
Edit-after re-reading this might be considred political. If so please feel free to delete or edit :usa

Aww, come on, Kevin, we know you're a good guy. :thumb

Most cops are good guys. But with the proliferation of personal video cameras we get flooded with reports and videos of officers abusing their authority and then getting away with it even with video evidence on hand. They hide behind the thin blue line and are protected, but this sets a bad face on all police officers. It will continue to get worse until the good cops out the bad cops.

I haven't been pulled over for a while but everytime I pass a cop all I can think in the back of my head is, "So is this the guy that is going to violate my civil rights today?".

And there are lots of folks out there that think that way now. The police are now a force to be feared instead of one to be repsected. This is coming from a guy that has grew up in a military/law enforcement family with many memebers of my immediate family in law enforcement.
 
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Edit-after re-reading this might be considred political. If so please feel free to delete or edit :usa



Most cops are good guys. But with the proliferation of personal video cameras we get flooded with reports and videos of officers abusing their authority and then getting away with it even with video evidence on hand. They hide behind the thin blue line and are protected, but this sets a bad face on all police officers. It will continue to get worse until the good cops out the bad cops.

I haven't been pulled over for a while but everytime I pass a cop all I can think in the back of my head is, "So is this the guy that is going to violate my civil rights today?".

And there are lots of folks out there that think that way now. The police are now a force to be feared instead of one to be repsected. This is coming from a guy that has grew up in a military/law enforcement family with many memebers of my immediate family in law enforcement.

Ride safe and often. :thumb
 
A lot depends on where you are. I know lots of guys who ride WV and they will tell you the State Police are pretty good guys. They will also tell there are Barney Fife officers in small towns with radar guns who have one job, revenue generation. Then cross the border into VA. You don't see the any signs for change in speed limit. Any place that could possibly trap an out of state driver is heavily patrolled. If someone would push it they could put their entire VA police enterprise in jail for violation of RICO laws.
 
You can mitigate ticket risk without a radar detector. It's not that I don't ride fast, I do believe in having speed separation with surrounding traffic, and I'm the one going faster. Just not blatantly so. I'm not a big fan of riding with others, mostly because they generally ride slower than I like.

I have always practiced "tactical riding". I probably pass 90% of the traffic and 10% passes me. There is a time and place to go fast. It doesn't include built-up areas, or where police potentially have cover on open stretches of road. With the current police radar and laser units that can be left turned off and then "blip" you, a radar detector doesn't help until it's too late.

I probably get pulled over going "sensibly" fast every couple of years, but haven't gotten tickets as the officers didn't think the circumstances warranted a citation. I'm rarely dissatisfied I can't go fast enough, but haven't had a ticket in over 25 years. For me, money on a radar/laser detector would be wasted.
I never seem to meet those "officers that don't think the circumstances warranted a citation":laugh
and FWIW, I quit using detectors some years back as it works better for me to pay close attention to my speeds-the fast roads/slab as riders call it do get away from you at times even at that.
 
Busted

Got pulled over yesterday doing 72 in a 55 by the sheriff of the county I live in. He was coming toward me following close behind another car. I never saw him until his lights came on. I just pulled over before he even made his U turn.
I had met him once a couple years ago while getting my RT registered. When he approached me I acted like an old friend and with my most neighborly attitude I could muster. How're you doing sheriff . I could tell he didn't recognize me and gave him my name and where I lived. He was friendly and asked about my bike. I was loaded up with a big duffel bag full of camping gear. He asked if I was going on a trip and I explained that I wasn't leaving until Saturday and that I was just checking out the new bike to see how it handled with a load ( which is true). He was amazed at the size of my side cases.
The only thing he mentioned was that my speed would be appropriate on a highway but not here. And went back to his cruiser. Nice

A lucky day
 
I could have used a detector while riding through Bluff City TN. on HWY. 19. They lower the speed limit from 55 to 45 for 600 feet at a intersection where there radar camera is mounted. I received a ticket two weeks later in the mail for speeding. What should have been two or three miles over the limit was now 12 or 13. I didn't remember the lower speed signs or the intersection.
 
My project this spring is to take my Escort wireless. I've got the dongle, a Sena SMH5, and now I just need the smart device in between so they can talk to each other. I've learned a lot about Bluetooth.
 
My V-1 has moved to the trunk of my wife's car for the last 4 or 5 years where it sits unused. It used to live on the bike. I don't use it any more for several reasons, one of which is that mostly I don't care where the shopping centers are and don't need a radar detector to find one when I do care. :laugh

I really liked the arrows on the V-1 telling me the rough direction of the "threat". I do believe it saved me from one ticket over the years of use, maybe more. The one was where CHP were out in force to slow down a section of US 395 where traffic tended to move around 80 MPH. They were pulling over just about everyone. I had about 3 miles of warning with the detector chirping every time I hit a rise in the undulation of the road. I and the group of bikes following me were going the limit as we passed 4 cars being cited and 2 more CHP cruisers on the hunt.
 
I could have used a detector while riding through Bluff City TN. on HWY. 19. They lower the speed limit from 55 to 45 for 600 feet at a intersection where there radar camera is mounted. I received a ticket two weeks later in the mail for speeding. What should have been two or three miles over the limit was now 12 or 13. I didn't remember the lower speed signs or the intersection.

IIRC they removed the camera after a big rally was in the area and dozens of motorcyclist got hit with tickets on the same day. There was a big stink raised with one of the locals who attended the rally spearheading the effort. They managed to get them taken to court and had them remove the camera and the people who fought their tickets won. It was determined to be a speed trap even by the courts.

I have too, it mostly doesn't work. If you can get it to pair at all, it drops connections for no obvious reasons.

You have/had a bad unit or soemthing else was amiss.
 
You have/had a bad unit or soemthing else was amiss.

Bluetooth was intended to be a standard so devices from different manufacturers would work with each other. The reality is that it isn't that simple and all devices are not created equal. I have, or had, at least 50 or 60 bluetooth devices in the past 8 or 9 years. Very few reliably work as they were intended. Now we are up to Bluetooth v4.0. It's very likely that one generation will have a problem with another. Audio quality is also highly variable depending on the device.

What Rinty intends to do should be fine as long the dongle works with his headset. I have dongles that work with some devices and not with others. Read the Amazon reviews, I'm not the only one.
 
Bluetooth was intended to be a standard so devices from different manufacturers would work with each other. The reality is that it isn't that simple and all devices are not created equal. I have, or had, at least 50 or 60 bluetooth devices in the past 8 or 9 years. Very few reliably work as they were intended. Now we are up to Bluetooth v4.0. It's very likely that one generation will have a problem with another. Audio quality is also highly variable depending on the device.

What Rinty intends to do should be fine as long the dongle works with his headset. I have dongles that work with some devices and not with others. Read the Amazon reviews, I'm not the only one.

Geeez Tom - if you're going to post something that I can completely agree with, you can't do that first thng in my morning routine - now I have to clean the coffee spray off my computer monitor! :coffee

I too have experimented with many BlueTooth devices - some work, some don't. Some mate well with others. Some don't want to play nice.

All will drop a signal without so much as a 'head's up' - which you should have given me before posting your comments while I was drinking coffee - OK, OK, I'm over that now.

BlueTooth is a handy option in my electronic toolbox, and I own three systems on which I enjoy hearing the GPS directions in a wireless manner (SENA), occasionally some music (SUOUMY) and communicating with my son, bike-to-bike, when we tour together or tear up and down The Dragon (CARDO Q4).

But I wouldn't want the current technology running a pacemaker - that's for sure. Perhaps once version 275.3.1 shows up, they will have the bugs worked out. :scratch
 
What Rinty intends to do should be fine as long the dongle works with his headset. I have dongles that work with some devices and not with others.

The dongle is a version 2 and the Sena a 3, so it may not work. I'm going to have to do some more research.
 
But I wouldn't want the current technology running a pacemaker - that's for sure. Perhaps once version 275.3.1 shows up, they will have the bugs worked out. :scratch

I think the real problem is the competition in the marketplace. "Our bluetooth is better than theirs." The same thing happened with musical devices and MIDI. Both MIDI and Bluetooth were meant to be a common language for devices to communicate. Whether it works or not depends on how well the individual manufacturers adhere to the published standard.

I use BT to connect the phone to the Garmin, but the rest of my system is hard wired via Autocom. I don't drink coffee anymore either. :laugh
 
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