The 2 modes that most radars detectors have are city and highway. In the city mode, false alarms are reduced because the signal needs to reach a certain strength before actually alerting you. In high mode, every signal, no matter how weak or strong is given to you as an alert. That much I believe is correct.

Maybe someone can help shine some light on the following:
When driving in highway mode, does the detector actually scan farther in front of you than in city mode? The reason that I ask, is because when moving at highway speeds, if the detector alerts you of the signal the same distance in front of you as it does when you are driving in the city in city mode, you are really in trouble. So does the highway mode actually scan farther in front of you and city shorter? If not, please clarify and correct anything that I may have said which is incorrect.

 

hmmm good question to bring up.. bump

 

I've been using one for many years. Keep in mind I may be out of the loop on some models etc. and more advanced technologies. But I do consider mine a nice one.

The detector itself behaves the same regardless with the exception that it takes a stronger signal in city mode. Most notably the X-band. Mine also provides some K-band false positives from irritating me. Ka-band is pretty much open which is mostly what I see from actual police guns. Mine will also pick up laser but it's just about pointless because laser is so pinpoint accurate by the time it goes off they've already got you.

The discrepancy that you are noticing between city and highway modes and distance is due to these reasons.

The radar guns that the police are using can be adjusted for different distances. Naturally, the police in the city keep them set shorter and will often use a "pop on" technique which is one of a few reasons why I refuse to get too wild in town.

Another reason is because of all the buildings and surrounding traffic that causes the radar bands to bounce all over and just distribute wildly.

Hope this helps.

Z

 

Well here's some insight... First of all don't speed!!! (too much) It's dangerous to you and other drivers. Now, with that out of the way let's talk radar.

First thing. Your radar doesn't actively "scan" in the way you're thinking. All a radar detector does is receive signals. Kind of like your radio. When a police officer uses a radar gun it emits radar waves that bounce off other cars back into the gun. The gun then uses the speed of the waves to calculate speed. Those radar waves are weakened by the atmosphere as they travel further away, therefor creating a weaker signal at longer ranges. Once it gets too far away the wave can't make it back to the gun in time to give any reading.

Now, when you're in highway mode it will alert you when any radar signal is received, even weak signals. In city mode it has to receive a sufficient strength signal to trigger an alert. This is because other devices, such as the automatic doors at your supermarket, use technology very similar to radar guns. These can result in false alarms if you drive by them.

SO! Since your detector is triggering on a weaker signal in highway mode, basically it will give you an alert and a much longer range. In city mode it won't trigger so far off since it ignores the weaker signal it gets.

Of course... all this doesn't mean jack if the cop is using a laser, which most do nowadays. If you're on a long flat stretch of highway, lasers can clock you before you even see the cop.

 

Yeah what he said too. However, I think the laser thing is dependent on where you live. I've only ever heard of one laser being used here where I live and that was just rumor.

Z

EDIT: http://www.howstuffworks.com/radar-detector.htm Howstuffworks FTW!

 

great discussion we got going. very informative

 

Yeah, hopefully it doesn't turn ugly like the one going on ClubRSX. Some kid got busted for 110 in a 65 (maybe 55?) and it started a whole big radar debate.... er.... flaming argument.

 

So far, I do understand what you guys are saying and that it receives rather than scans which I find interesting. On my detector, even if I pick up a real weak signal (1) on x-band, it gives me one beep and then quiets until it reaches 3 or above. On K or any other band, it doesn't matter if i'm in city or highway, it is always audible. So in all reality, I can leave it on city mode constantly b/c it will always give me an alert even at the weakest signal no matter what, and since the detector is not scanning but receiving, highway mode seems useless (at least on my detector). Correct?

I was hoping that the highway mode would detect something farther, but as we said, that is not the case. So do you all change back on forth between the 2 modes when driving on the given type of road?

 

Correct. Also different detectors offer little features like you describe with one beep, or will even talk to you. I personally like it simple.

I do switch between modes but only in certain circumstances. The only time I switch to highway mode is for two reasons:

If I'm going to be on the highway for long time. (Like an hour or so without the disruption of some little town)

Or if I plan on screwing around a little bit on some lonesome road. Keep in mind I grew up in the area I live now so I know the area well. There are a few roads outside town with no homes, no turn offs or anything. (they exist for a power plant) But anyway, that's how I do it. It's your preference.

95% of the time I don't even need it. I generally follow all of the rules, especially in city traffic. The more time you spend speeding, YOU WILL GET CAUGHT. I've been pretty fortunate for the last 3+ years.

Z

 

Yea, I probably should have said at the beginning that i'm not a speed demon and that I don't speed. But i received 2 speeding tickets in my 5 1/2 years of driving. When I was in my dads z3, I got a ticket for doing 7 over the limit (62 in a 55) and another in the tC for doing 13 over (68 in a 55 while people were passing me). So I am clearly a target and got this to make sure i'm below the limit when passing cops. I'm not a speed demon.

Anyway, so you put it on highway mode in those 2 instances because your city mode won't alert you when it detects a weak signal until it reaches a certain level?
For me, since it alerts me anytime it first detects a signal (and then constant alerts when stronger), it is fairly meaningless to put it on highway mode then. On highway mode, when driving through a city, I go crazy hearing weak X-band signals. I really thought that it would detect farther away on highway mode, but since this isn't the case, i'll leave it on city mode!

 

Eh, it's still useful. At least where I live when you hit the highway is when you run into state troopers and the ones I've come across do use X-band. You may just miss that beep. But I mean honestly, that's just how I use it. Use how you like and enjoy!

I got 11 tickets (not constantly speeding, just doing it at the wrong time at the wrong place) in my first... oh... 7 or 8 years of driving. Then it slowed a little, but once I got my detector it pretty much dropped to zero. I've gotten caught once or twice but was still able to slow down to a respectable speed by the time they were able to register it.

Z

 

Awesome, those are some pretty impressive numbers. Which detector do you use?

I've never actually come across a cop yet with his radar on in the 3 weeks that i've had it, so i'm yet to get anything other than X-band, K-band, and a safety alert (ambulance).

 

I use a Cobra. I have no idea what the model is. But it's second from the top of what Cobra offers. I think the next one up just has some stuff I'd never use like full speaking mode and crap like that.

 

Ah, I use a cobra also...not at all the top of the line. Its the xrs9330.

It looks like i'll be leaving it on city mode. I have the volume all the way up to the point where it scares the daylights out of me when the radio is off, but i'd never hear it otherwise with the radio on!

I'm glad I posted this thread, I wasn't sure if i'd get any info between the city/highway modes, and I was getting tired of switching back and forth. Plus, on I-95 (where I do a lot of my travelling), they have towers that clock the speed of moving traffic so the traffic signs can say if there are delays or what not. So I am ALWAYS getting the x-band alerts for extended periods of time even when moving at 65mph. On highway mode, it would sit there and beep. On city, it beeps once and the visual remains, but doesn't bother me so much! I'll definitely leave it there. I thought I was doing myself a favor by switching to highway b/c I thought it would detect farther - foolish me! lol

 

You pretty much got it... it won't DETECT a signal further away in highway mode, but it might ALERT you to a signal sooner in highway mode (further from the cop than city mode would due to the weak signal). Though, if it's telling you anyways with a single beep then I'd just leave it in city mode like you were saying, especially with the speed towers... that'd get so annoying.

One thing to remember. If you get pulled over and the cop sees you have a radar detector you're pretty much guaranteed a speeding ticket. Not necessarily because he knew you were speeding but because he can assume you were at some point. What other reason would you have one? PLUS! It's your word against his in court, so there's not a lot you can do about it =/

As far as lasers, I know the cycle cops in Oregon use them. A buddy of mine got nailed the other day by laser, it even said so on his ticket. Just be careful and don't speed too much =P (I'd love to say don't speed at all, but I always drive 5-10 over myself haha)

 

Yea, you're probably right. I mean, like I said, I don't speed (I don't consider 10 over speeding, 30mph in a 30 zone, people are going to be mad, at least here in the northeast lol). I got the detector to protect myself from the cops who apparently love to harass me, however ridiculous that may sound!

From what i;ve heard, the only chance that you have against laser is that hopefully the cop hits a car around you first and the detector picks it up, but thats unlikely. Laser really gets speeders!

Quite honestly, I hope cops aren't as corrupt as you were saying. I know that if I get pulled over, there isn't much chance of not getting a speeding ticket when he sees my detector, but I really hope they wouldn't falsify a speed just to give a ticket to somebody that they want to...if these are the people protecting us, we are really in trouble! Honestly seems to be a fading characteristic these days...

 

I can recall two tickets since getting my detector years ago. I think there is more, but I clearly remember two of them. In both cases yes I got a ticket BUT, in both cases they knocked it down significantly because I was polite. Or so I guess I'm assuming that's why! LOL I stay calm, pull over in the nearest safe area, shut off my car, take the keys out, don't move around a bunch and wait for them to ask for my license. The only thing I am dishonest about is playing a little dumb like I wasn't watching my speed. But when they tell me what they clocked me at I just go with it. They almost always knock it down.

Seems to work for me. It must work for some people to just fight the snot out of tickets. But this method works for me even with a detector.

Z

 

I keep it on Highway no matter where I'm driving, it tells you everything it picks up.

I'd rather slow down for a Best Buy's security system every time to prevent me from flying by the rare X band cop that one time.

 

Does it alert you even to a weak X band when on city mode or does it wait until its a stronger alert? Like I said earlier, when it detects the weak signal, it beeps once and then quiet until it reaches a higher level (of course not all are made the same)

 

I'm not even sure if City mode tells you if it picks up the X band at all. Its really going to depend on what radar you have, but I'd guess that City mode either only goes off for high X band signals, if it goes off for them at all.