Steve27

It depends on your state (i.e. whether or not they use repeaters). Assuming they do, there's nothing else at that frequency, so they're very reliable.

niran916

Any scanner is capable of of picking up the repeaters/ extenders frequency. Just find out the freq and program it into your scanner. How it works is, if you pick them up on that freq. They are in the area because extenders have enough power to broadcast up to 3 miles. When the extenders broadcast, the repeater picks it up.

Spect2K3

so is there a such thing as false alerts in Ka band?

I get them all the time w/o cops around.

niran916

I never get false Ka. I just get false x, and k

Spect2K3

does anyone get flase Ka alerts? Its kinda crazy, I get them all the time. In parking lots, on empty roads, etc

niran916

Spect2K3, your best bet is to sign up with a radar detector forum. The one I use is www.radardetector.net They will have more help for you. I would say if your Ka keeps going off your RD is defective.

Illusion

Are they legal in Nevada? I asked my friend about radar detectors and he told me police can detect radar detectors. Is this possible?

niran916

Yes they are legal in Nevada, and yes they do have radar detector detectors.

djct_watt

File a lawsuit for wasteful use of tax payers' money if they have radar detector detectors in Nevada. Having a radar detector detector is utterly pointless, since it is completely legal to own one. What are they going to do? Bust you for the possibility of travelling to D.C.?

The only P.D. or highway patrol officers that would need RDD's are the ones in states where detectors are illegal. What's next? Fart detectors?

djct_watt

What detector do you have? Does it distinguish between K and Ka? The cheapo crap ones do not.

allen03lv

Are there any protection against detector-detectors? I'm in Nevada too!

Also, what kind of devices set off K band alerts? I always though automatic doors were on X-band, but I'm thinking otherwise now..

Steve27

Yes it's possible, but the better units can't be detected. The problem arises from the superheterodyning performed by your radar detector. It's a process by which a known radar signal is combined with the received radar signal in order to be able to better identify the received signal. The detectors used by the police pick-up on the signal generated by your detector. The better units use a lower strength signal and apply shielding, in order to limit detection.

Spect2K3

I have the whistler pro-58. It distinguishes between the two - K & Ka.

niran916

It has got to be defective then. That's not a bad detector for the price. It should not be giving false Ka signals. I would invest in a new one or exchange it.

sciontC

I never saw the point of a radar dectors, how often are you doing something so insane your going to get pulled over and get a ticket equal to the money invested in the radar detector...I don't need bashed, beaten or pricked with rusty nails for saying this, I have always wondered how these things sell and the reasoning behind getting them.

niran916

Thats what we want everyone to think including cops. This way we dont have to worry about them becoming ilegal to have.
Also one more word for you...

Insurance

tml057

http://www.radartest.com/
http://www.radarbusters.com/
http://guysoflidar.com

These are great sources of information. Anyhow, here's a few (more) answers to your questions

X-band: if it is a cop, it's typically a stationary radar. But, most of the time it's not.

K Band - Depending on where you live, K band can be widely used by cops for radar. However, a lot of companies use automatic doors that emit K-band signals to detect a person's presence. Not always a cop, but I be sure to slow down if I am over the speed limit. Better safe than sorry.

Ka Band - "I thought this was 100% of the time going to be a cop. My detector gives me Ka band alerts fairly frequently though even when there is definitely no cop in sight. This is where i'm looking for help... "
Just because you can't see him, doesn't mean he's not there. He may be a ways down the road, or under an intersection, in a parking lot, etc. I'd slow down if you pick up a KA reading.

Ku Band - "Only in europe" I thought the same until my Bel RX65 picked up KU twice the other day in Tampa Fl... Didn't see a cop, but I sure as hell slowed down anyhow

Laser - "100% of the time a cop....I've never had the detector go off for this"
Pretty much. I've been lasered once. I was paying attention (and thankfully not speeding) to what was in front of me all along. By the time my eyes focused on the cop car, my detector went nuts and I saw the red glow on the cops face. If you get hit with this and you are speeding, pull your detector off the windshield and toss it out of sight.

VG-2 is supposed to be a radar detector detector.

POP - "I honestly dont even know what it does and i've never experienced it, but its on. I think that is for the cops 'instant-on' radar? I dont know. " I've been hit with POP a few times. It basically comes up as an instant, very strong (6-9 out of 9 bars) Ka or K band. You basically have a matter of a few seconds to slow down. It's not as fast as Laser, but damn near as effective.


As for why you are getting KA bands so frequently, it could be the "quality" of the detector. I had a whistler at one time, and vowed never to get one again. Read the links I posted above for more info on this matter.

djct_watt

Yeah. . . I've NEVER had a Ka false on my detector. . . I get a visually confirmation EVERY time. I've owned them all (and borrowed many). . . never getting a Cobra or Whistler EVER again.

djct_watt

It depends on how much you drive, your age, and the average speeds you drive.

@10 mph over the speed limit, it takes 1-2 tickets to payoff the detector.
1 ticket = $150 + traffic school = Roughly $200 (a good mid/high level detector can be had for about $250)
2 tickets = $150 + insurance premium bumps (for many years)
Total = $350 + insurance bump x #of payments = any detector you want paid off, and then some

@30 mph over = tickets upwards of $200, which means that it would pay for itself if it saves you 1 time.

Even with a POS detector, I've been saved dozens of times. . . and I've had ones that worked (and falsed a LOT) for about $40.

With a GREAT detector, I've been saved over 50 times. . . if not into the hundreds.

sciontC

^ good info you kinda sold me lol, Guess I have just been lucky when driving, I don't drive ALOT but I don't drive a small amount either...may actually look at em.