Radar Detectors.........which is best?

[greensdi]

I am seriously considering buying a radar detector as points are a problem. What type and make do you use and which is the best value for money?

[Guest westallc]

learn to control the right foot is the best one on the market gauranted no points :thumbup:

[kiddy1]

I used to use one called a Snooper, not sure on the model. It was bloody good though.... until that model was made illegal as it could pick up radar guns.

[Lady Elanore]

I had an early SEL (Snooper) radar detector and to be honest it wasn't worth the price of the magazine I saw it advertised in. The problem as I see it, is radar beams travel at the speed of light and in the brief micro second that you are zapped, your detector may well tell you about the bad news, but you are already too late. you can not react fast enough. The manufacturers tell you they pick up stray reflections as the gun is zapping motorist preceding you, but in my experience this is cobblers. The conditions need to be exactly right for this to be of real use. So I would recommend getting a SatNav with a data base of cameras, such as the Excellent TomTom devices (I have the TomTom940 live) or perhaps the Road Angel stand alone GPS radar alerter. TomTom use the same information as Road Angel for their alerts too. Only my opinion of course

Edited 15 December, 2010 by Lady Elanore

[SNH]

i have tom tom on my iphone and it's got the camera locations and lets you know well before they come up

[The Skud]

I do 25K miles pa and having used the old radar detectors, sat nav based warning and road angel...the best warning devices for speed traps and cameras are those two your head! given the number of mobile traps around and the fact that if you have seen them with your radar detector, they have sure as hell seen and clocked you then the only real worthwhile method of keeping a clean licence is to be super vigilant and hone your powers of observation.....I've had a clean licence for years and still have ( touch wood) and I don't have a reputation for hanging about

[prolfe]

is there any value in them as mobile cameras in the vans etc have to get planning permission to sit there - therefore tomtom's etc have got all the locations built in or are downloadable.

[Llanigraham]

is there any value in them as mobile cameras in the vans etc have to get planning permission to sit there - therefore tomtom's etc have got all the locations built in or are downloadable.

Are you sure about that?

[snow_muncher]

Some authorities release the location of mobile sites as a 'deterrent'.

Doesn't mean they'll be a van there.

Would be fun to install an AN/ALQ-99. Burn those bar-stewards radar kit out

[prolfe]

Are you sure about that?

Yep, that's why they are in the same place and why the positions get published

[mannyo]

Dorset police park theirs anywhere. Planning permission is not required, and they are allowed to park wherever they like as long as they dont cause an obstruction. The fact that some publish their locations and when they will be there is just a deterrent, but they do not all do this.

Radar detectors are useless these days, since most forces/partnerships use laser detectors obtain your speed. Since laser has a very narrow beam, chances are once your laser detector has registered its presence then you have already been caught. GPS based devices will tell you the location of fixed cameras, and also where the common places for mobile traps are but you'll be forever slowing down for the odd occasion when the mobile trap is actually there.

[PhilP1903]

Some authorities release the location of mobile sites as a 'deterrent'.

Doesn't mean they'll be a van there.

Would be fun to install an AN/ALQ-99. Burn those bar-stewards radar kit out

Would be a bit obvious sat on top of your car tho

[snow_muncher]

Would be a bit obvious sat on top of your car tho

Fit it inside a thule roofbox - simplez