radar detector mounting

One doesn't, one simply tries the novel concept of doing the
speed limits and finding it a much more relaxing way to drive.
.
_H*

 

I'd like to know if this is possible too!

Mine is a Passport 9500ix, so I think it does front and back. I couldn't find a place where I could visibly see the detector pointed front and out the back as well, the bar through the back window (and because the back window is so high) made it hard for me to determine the best place for it.

 

This is a great idea. Our nice police have upgraded their cars, and have front/rear radar. In the past, you wouldn't get stopped unless they were parked on the side of the road - now they'll hit you driving towards you

I know coming home, I can coast 1.5 miles - but that gets me upwards of 10mph over the speed limit - which is a magic number for our local police

I seem to recall some radar detectors have the ability to mount an external antenna (under the front hood) - and this gives better range (???). This feature would allow you to place the detector itself more discreetly in the cabin....

 

There is a company called Blend Mount that makes one for mounting your radar detector to your rear view mirror. MGT Motorsports Shopping Cart

 

Here are a couple of pics of my radar detector mouted up high. All the wires are routed out of sight.





Here is a picture of unit.



I has a built in GPS for the radar/speed/stop light cameras. It also detects radar and laser in the front and rear of the car. It hardwired to accesory power. When the car turns on, it turns on.

 

I used high-end radar detectors (V1) for years. Honestly I don't see the point anymore. For one thing, hobbit is right about chilling out and driving such that one doesn't need to worry about speed traps or rolling radar. For another, if an officer wants to catch you he's going to catch you whether you have the detector or not. LIDAR completely precludes an advanced warning and instant-on radar used by a savvy officer is equally deadly. The RD can be informative I guess but it offers zero security. You get just as much information from your rear view mirror as the LEO makes a U-turn. Those who positively insist on speeding can learn a lot more from observing the behavior of traffic ahead.

 

I totally disagree. If you live in a city with the latest radar equipment and never leave that city you should never get a new radar detector. If you travel outside of that hi-tech city you will find some Barney Fife like cities still using X-Band detectors. Some more advanced are using K-Ku band and others laser.

The old and new radar detectors will make you check your speed twice when entering those cities. I recall 15 years ago when laser detectors came out people clamed radar detectors will not help anymore. They were very wrong.

If you drive a Prius and try to save gas your biggest hurdle is not speeding. It’s not stopping. This might make some people run a through a yellow light and accelerate a little to make it through. This is where next gen detectors will help. They will warn you way in advanced about the speed/red light cameras. This is the fastest growing revenue source most cities. One ticket will save you the cost of the radar detector.

 

I've had a V1 for years and I'd say in the last four years I have really not needed it. I still use it for entertainment purposes while on long drives. I've been into fuel mileage for a long time but I only got really serious in the last four years. Since then I dropped to maximum of 65 mph and the speed limit or less at speed limits below 65 mph. But there are places where a radar detector is still needed.
When I drive to Fl. I still have go though little speed trap towns on Rt 19 through Summersville WV and Rt 301 from Baldwin and Ocala in Fl. These little town jurisdictions have no sense of humor or a 5 mph over buffer. 1 mph over and you get a nice little pink ticket.

The Prius has never been over 60 mph.

 

I mounted mine in the lower right windshield since its voice output means I don't really need to reach it while driving. It's not too hard to unsnap the plastic trim pieces in order to route wires underneath them.

Fortunately, I have a very long stretchy power cord, so I plugged mine into the front power outlet under the center console, ran the wire under the glove boxes and up from there. It's true this mounting location doesn't give a completely unobstructed view to the rear, but even signals from the rear reflect off of things in front of you.

With the economy what it is, most states are facing budget deficits which, in NV anyway, has resulted in much stronger traffic enforcement and expensive tickets. Some days on the highway, 8-10 highway patrol motorcycles will be lined up with a single radar gun operator. I am seeing a lot of instant-on and what seem to be low power signals, but as long as they pop a driver somewhere in front of you first, the detector does help around the blind corners they like to use.

For those who always drive the limit or less, some detectors include approaching emergency vehicle warnings that go off from time-to-time. I did have an odd one in a grocery parking lot, though, when the detector threw a warning tone I'd never heard before and announced "TRAIN APPROACHING!"

 

And if you're not from Summersville you might not know that. I find a radar detector useful as driving locally the limits change frequently between 25, 35, 40 and 45 mph. Often times for no apparent physical reasons. It's nice to get a wake up call. The same about the Florida Keys. You might follow traffic, but the limits change often and I'm not used yet to knowing where they change. I often miss the sign and if I'm not in a small town I wouldn't instinctively know to lower my speed just because a municipality decided to change the limits.

 

Fair enough, but how do you know the speed limit when the radar detector goes off? Do you drop to 40mph? 35? 20? You can't tell without seeing a speed limit sigh.

The only purpose of the radar alarm is to remind you to check your speed against the posted limits, which is something you should do anyway. Other than the entertainment factor, a radar detector only does one thing: help speeders speed without getting caught. Any other purported use is just a rationalization.

On second thought, at one time the Israelis used stock radar detectors to warn of missile locks on their aircraft. That makes for one other legitimate use.

Tom

 

9500ix here too! That thing is sooo sweet and worth every of the 5 bills it brought me down! It's perfectly legal to use a detector, so I don't about hiding it. I just leave mine on the windshield centered below the rearview. It's towards the middle so it has enough space to look behind and over the rear seats.

Also remember there's a debate on whether to mount detectors high or low. Low would likely be best to catch laser, but it might be too low to see over cars and see radar. Too high and you will likely not see laser, but you will see over cars and likely see radars bounce off other cars better.

 

Unfortunately, I received a ticket at 6:15 am on a work day last week. It was an unmarked car. In this City they have really, really started giving lots of speeding tickets. We've had traffic light camera tickets for a couple of years now and even my now deceased 84 year old Mother received one of those. This is the first speeding ticket I've gotten in many years. I believe it's because I'm used to driving a big SUV; this car is so different, I often focus more on the miles per gallon instead of the speed limit. I'm amazed that I'm driving as fast as I am.....by the way; I've owned the car about a month--just getting used to the huge change in driving this car. I do love it though.

 

I have a V1, haven't even put it in the Prius. My opinion is simple, if they have the right to monitor my activities covertly, then I should have the right to detect the monitoring. Has nothing to do with speed, although honestly, I wish I had a scangauge instead. Be more useful.

 

I have both and neither is in the car.

I got the Scan Gauge on Thursday and haven't had time or figured out where I want to mount it.