Radar Detectors Illegal in Virginia


BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
Spectre Testing
All of the Spectre I units in North America have been upgraded to the Spectre II or III.

Spectre III Testing
Detector

Cobra 9700 Detected 917 feet

Cobra 9400 Detected 946 feet

Bel 895 Detected 1131 feet

Bel RX65 Detected 517 feet

Bel V995 Detected 426 feet

Escort 8500 X50 Detected 954 feet

Valentine 1 Detected 166 feet

Whistler 1788 Detected 1321 feet

Whistler 1776 Detected 485 feet

Whistler 1778 Detected 531 feet

PNI RW 3000 Detected 1362 feet


Roy Zegers from "Australian Radar Detection Services" was a guest at the SML 2005 Radar Detector Shoot-Out and he had a closed demonstration of a modified Valentine One that he and his company have been working on. His modified Valentine One was not detected by the Spectre III.

His unit also seemed to operate with the same capabilities on K and Ka bands when compared side by side to a normal Valentine One detector during other field tests.

For more information about the Spectre, click here

POP Mode Testing >>



http://www.radarbusters.com/2005spectretestingarticle.cfm
 

red gt 1442

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Dec 23, 2005
754
NY Metro Area
Just a FYI.......I had a radar detector in my car running thru VA.....although the radar was plugged in, I was traveling 5 miles below the speed limit..........it was at night, and suddenly I get pulled over. Immediately I stick the RD under the seat. The officer comes up to the car and asks me to get out of the car, come into his cruiser, and BTW, bring your radar with you............You can imagine that I was cursing up a storm, how the hell did he know I had a radar? Well, he proceeded to give me a ticket for a radar, although I was not speeding, it didnt matter. He took the serial number from the RD, and wrote it on the ticket. $275.00 later, he then tells me, oh BTW, Happy Birthday....... I went Whaaaaaaaaaaaa?..it was just after midnite on Nov 12th, my birthday....a real character......So the point is....if the RD is plugged in, it will show up on a little box they have on the computer module.......for you guys that have it installed in the cluster...you need to find a way to disable it....they mean business.....speeding or not....they will pull you over.........Be careful, and most of all, BE SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Gino

P.S. This was better than getting pulled over in Connecticut, where he asked me, drive over it, and I wont give you a ticket..............guess what I did??????????????
 

Nafod

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Possession of a RD is illegal. It cant be NIB , in the glovebox, under the seat, in the car, a christmas present, period. They can and may take the RD. So, if pulled over for something , and not using a RD and they see it, they can take it. If using a detector to prevent speeding tickets, their detection range may be farther than yours. They my not target you until it's to late to slow. Then it may be 2 tickets. They use hidden vantage points very well (rolling terrain). I81 south of Roanoke/Blacksburg they tend to be more prevalent .
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,927
NorCal
If you are in sparse traffic or alone you may be able to be singled out but I doubt in traffic they would be able to single you out. I've used my radar detector in VA without being caught & it has saved me from a few tickets there; although, I guess I haven't driven enough in VA. Still a detector ticket won't go on your record like a speeding ticket would. The cost of the detector or the fine would be less than the speeding fine i suspect. I'm bringing my spare detector just in case the first one gets confiscated.

Ed

PS It just goes to show that VA is no longer south of the M-D Line. It's a big suburb of Washington & filled with Liberal Lovin' Yankees!
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,927
NorCal
For those that don't want to use a radar detector at the Rally I would recommend looking into Trapster or PhantomAlert for your GPS or Smart Phone. Anyone have experience with these?

Ed
 

Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
For those that don't want to use a radar detector at the Rally I would recommend looking into Trapster or PhantomAlert for your GPS or Smart Phone. Anyone have experience with these?

Ed

Yes, I like trapster on the iPhone but it is only useful on well traveled roads. It relies on others with the same software reporting the whereabouts of police. Therefor the information becomes quickly irrelevant. My commute to/from work is much swifter because of trapster.
 

Beach-GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 8, 2006
887
Seminole Florida
Just carry a cheap detector to hand over. Turn the good one off.
 

Cyclenirvana

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Feb 7, 2006
596
Winston-Salem, NC
Just happened to see this thread...ironically, I was going to VA 2 weeks ago to do some bicycling on the parkway....I was travelling through southern Virginia and decided to keep my Escort Solo S2 detector turned on (in the past, I would unplug it and put it in my glove compartment)...well, low and behold, just outside of Danville (about 30 miles from VIR), a state trooper pulls me over. I know I am not speeding; he knows this too but also knows I have a radar detector. He issues me a ticket...so here is what I have learned.
1) They do issue tickets, and they use radar detector-detectors...which is how he detected mine. He also informed me that even if the radar detector is visible in your car but not turned on, you can be cited. He took my radar detector and wrote the serial number on the citation...but returned it to me and asked me to put it away so that it could not be seen. Sooo, not confiscated.
2) The fine is a little over $100 including court costs if you decide to pay ahead of time. You will not get points on your license, but, according to my State Farm Agent, State Farm Insurance will add a point...I had not realized up until this event that points on your driver's license were not the same as points via your insurance carrier...they are related but not the same. Not sure exactly what this means, as it seems odd to me that my insurance could be affected by something that is "legal" within my state, NC.
3) I drive to VA several times a year, including VIR. The good news is VIR is literally just across the NC border and, in fact, on your way there (for those staying in Raleigh/Greensboro area) you may cross back into NC (specifically Milton, NC) briefly before turning into the main road. Because of this, I would recommend that you simply turn off your radar detectors once you cross the state line. I started to ask the Trooper if they were running short on cash...I cannot help but wonder, especially given all of the times that I have been to VA, if the poor local economies have made such tickets a more likely possibility!
4) Every time I have crossed the border into VA there are clear signs stating that radar detectors are illegal in VA...so, trying to act like you don't know is useless.
So that is my recent experience! Hate that you have to learn from my experience...I prefer to learn from other people. Ha.
 
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Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,362
Washington State
I don't see how any particular state can get away with CONFISCATING equipment of any kind from an OUT OF STATE visitor's car. Especially if the equipment is LEGAL in his own state and it's 'custom installed' in said car. After all, 'detectors aren't any MORE illegal than window tint that may be too dark. I mean, "illegal" is "illegal", right?. Does Virginia scrape 'illegal' window tint off visitor's cars too?
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
I don't see how any particular state can get away with CONFISCATING equipment of any kind from an OUT OF STATE visitor's car. Especially if the equipment is LEGAL in his own state and it's 'custom installed' in said car. After all, 'detectors aren't any MORE illegal than window tint that may be too dark. I mean, "illegal" is "illegal", right?. Does Virginia scrape 'illegal' window tint off visitor's cars too?

What if you were transporting a radar detector through the state for the purpose of legal sale in another state. Confiscation in that case would be a violation of interstate commerce!
 
H

HHGT

Guest
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,927
NorCal
If the radar detector ticket doesn't go on your record how could your insurance company know? They can't. Unless you tell them. It's no different than a driving with high beam headlights in traffic, etc. No points, mail in fine (bail) & carry on! The radar detector ban in VA will someday be overturned but in the meantime it's a minor annoyance!

Ed
 

Gierkink

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Oct 5, 2005
672
Wellington, FL
Does anyone know the list of states in which detectors are illegal?
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,362
Washington State
Does anyone know the list of states in which detectors are illegal?

Neb., Minn., Utah., Cali (of COURSE), Ok., Vir., Colo., Ill., & D.C. as far as I'm aware.
 

RALPHIE

GT Owner
Mar 1, 2007
7,278
Does anyone know the list of states in which detectors are illegal?

From RadarBusters.com:

"The use of a radar detector in a passenger vehicle is legal in all states with the exception of Virginia, Washington DC. and on military bases.

"Radar detectors are illegal in all commercial vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds

"In Canada, the only three provinces that allow their use are Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

"Many overseas countries also ban their use, such as Portugal, Finland, France and Spain.

"In areas that radar detectors are illegal, law enforcement use a device called the Spectre that is able to detect the use of radar detector in your car or truck.

"Laser Jammers and Radar Jammers are illegal in the states of Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC."
 
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Jason's Auto Spa

Well-known member
May 22, 2007
1,272
IL & AZ
Just carry a cheap detector to hand over. Turn the good one off.

I like this idea, "Cheap Insurance"
 

RALPHIE

GT Owner
Mar 1, 2007
7,278
More Info, from Wikipedia...

Radar detector detectors

The superheterodyne receiver in radar detectors has a local oscillator that radiates slightly, so it is possible to build a radar-detector detector, which detects such emissions (usually the frequency of the radar type being detected, plus about 10 MHz). The VG-2 Interceptor was the first device developed for this purpose, but has since been eclipsed by the Spectre III. This form of "electronic warfare" cuts both ways - since detector-detectors use a similar superheterodyne receiver, many early "stealth" radar detectors were equipped with a radar-detector-detector-detector circuit, which shuts down the main radar receiver when the detector-detector's signal is sensed, thus preventing detection by such equipment. This technique borrows from ELINT surveillance countermeasures. In the early 1990s, BEL-Tronics, Inc. of Ontario, Canada (where radar detector use is prohibited) found that the local oscillator frequency of the detector could be altered to be out of the range of the VG-2 Interceptor. This resulted in detector manufacturers responding by changing their local oscillator frequency. Today, practically every radar detector on the market is immune to the VG-2 Interceptor.

The superheterodyne receiver in radar detectors has a local oscillator that radiates slightly, so it is possible to build a radar-detector detector, which detects such emissions (usually the frequency of the radar type being detected, plus about 10 MHz). The VG-2 Interceptor was the first device developed for this purpose, but has since been eclipsed by the Spectre III.[1] This form of "electronic warfare" cuts both ways - since detector-detectors use a similar superheterodyne receiver, many early "stealth" radar detectors were equipped with a radar-detector-detector-detector circuit, which shuts down the main radar receiver when the detector-detector's signal is sensed, thus preventing detection by such equipment. This technique borrows from ELINT surveillance countermeasures. In the early 1990s, BEL-Tronics, Inc. of Ontario, Canada (where radar detector use is prohibited) found that the local oscillator frequency of the detector could be altered to be out of the range of the VG-2 Interceptor. This resulted in detector manufacturers responding by changing their local oscillator frequency. Today, practically every radar detector on the market is immune to the VG-2 Interceptor.

Radar scrambling

It is illegal in many countries to sell or possess any products that actively transmit radar signals intended to jam radar equipment. In the United States, actively transmitting on a frequency licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) without a license is a violation of FCC regulations, which may be punishable by fines up to $10,000 and/or up to one year imprisonment.

LIDAR Detection

Newer speed detection devices use pulsed laser light, commonly referred to as LIDAR, rather than radio waves. Radar detectors, which detect radio transmissions, are therefore unable to detect the infrared light emitted by LIDAR guns so a different type of device called a LIDAR detector is required. LIDAR detection, however, is not nearly as effective as radar detection because the output beam is very focused. While radar's radio waves can expand to 85 feet (26 m) across at 1,000 feet (300 m) from their source, LIDAR's light beam diffuses to only about 6 feet (1.8 m).[citation needed] Also, a police officer targeting a car will most likely aim for the center mass or headlight of the vehicle and, because radar detectors are mounted on the windshield away from the beam's aim, they may not alert at all. Lastly, with such a focused beam, an officer using a LIDAR gun can target a single car in close proximity to others at ranges of up to 3,000 feet (910 m).

Despite the advent of LIDAR speed detection, radar remains more prevalent because of its lower price relative to LIDAR equipment and the amount of radar equipment already in service.

Confiscation

Confiscation and/or destruction of the detector was once a common practice but lawsuits raised by drivers arguing violation of property rights have resulted in temporary removal while a citation is written, then return of the device after its description (make, model and serial number) has been entered on the ticket - usually for speeding and possession/operation of detector.
 
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Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,927
NorCal
The only states were radar detector use on highways is currently illegal is DC & VA.

Ed