Radar/laser Detectors

[nezerr]

Hi all

Can anyone recommend a good Radar/laser detector for less than £200?

i like the look of the ROAD ANGEL-GPS and laser detector but dont really wanna pay £349. Just want a basic gatso camera detector.

also anyone know if these are legal?

Thanks

Neil.

[dave5282]

I can't advise on what is good...

.....But whatever you do DONT buy a whistler, they beep just as you get flashed, more of a HA..HA.. you just got a ticket kind of thing!

[nezerr]

I can't advise on what is good...

.....But whatever you do DONT buy a whistler, they beep just as you get flashed, more of a HA..HA.. you just got a ticket kind of thing!

lol thanks Dave i'll remember to stay clear of them mate

[Fidgits]

I had a snooper S5-R, was pretty good, no complaints..

[dazwan]

Before you think of getting a radar/laser detector have a look here http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/frames.htm.

Not all speed cameras detect using laser, look at the description for the tri-eye camera. It uses stips on the road to detect speed and no laser detector is going to detect that. There is one of these near where I live, it's very small as well and high up, so it's quite difficult to spot, even though it is painted yellow.

[kimi]

i've got a snooper s5R its brilliant,saved me a few times,

u wont get one for £200 though,b carefull with some of the

cheaper ones they dont pick up till its too late,

u still have to be carefull as mentioned b4 some cameras dont

use rader or laser .

kimi :D

[jaxx]

if i were you id save the extra 150 and get the angel. ive got one meself and theres not one thing it doesnt detect and not one false alarm!

[nws25]

Don't buy a cheap one, your regret it.

Save up and buy a road angel, snooper s6r neo or another one which I cant remember :doh:

[nezerr]

thanks guys think im gonna save abit more yet and go for the gps road angel....alot of money though but should save me a few points so guess it will pay for its self

(i hope)

thanks

[MSC_Kev]

Right....

I own a road angel and what ever you do, do not purchase one!!! They are over hyped and will not protect you like you think and when you really need it. The only reason people think there so good is because they have a massive PR campaign going on.

Right where to start....

I have had 5 years clean driving until a few months back with the road angel in, I was driving my extremely moddified micra at the time, just before I sold it and some idiot behind was up close and giving me loads of hassle. I went through every limit dead on the speed, but I looked up lost sight of his headlights and went from a 40 into a 30 without knowing and a mobile camera got me with the road angel in and it didn't even warn me!!! it was a laser gun btw

They do false alarm, a lot actually. I can be driving along on dual carriage way / motorway and it will go off every few miles with no camera's about. Not all the time, but it does happen.

The protection is fine for fixed camera's as it picks everyone up I've ever been passed. The laser detector is terrible unless you buy the £1000 version. It doesn't always pick up the mobile laser guns, be it hand held or the transit van types. It will sometimes not pick up any type of laser/mobile gun at all!

It has to sit on the dash to pick up the GPS to make the thing work and give you speed readout. So you constantly taking it in and out of the car. I have a perfect position on my corolla but can't use it as the GPS won't read where I put the road angel.

IMO the best protection we all need is from the mobile hand helds and van type camera's where you don't expect it and catches most people out. Most of the time fixed aren't a problem as your aware of them and you shouldn't get caught by one. I'm selling my road angel soon on eBay or lol your welcome to buy it off me ;)

I'll be changing my setup to the Morpheus, which gives the ultimate laser and radar protection upto a 100mile radius with the correct setup front and rear. I'll also be getting something similar to road angel, but a lot smaller and better, can't remember the name of that at the minute.

Kev

[knightrider]

hmmmmmmmmm always thought road angel was a good un?

[MSC_Kev]

it's ok.........

but don't just think it will protect you from everything as it doesn't!

You can do better for your money really and it's not as good as it's hyped up to be.

Kev

[T V O R]

Save youself hundreds of pounds and stick to the speed limit, it’s there for a reason....................

Just my 2 pence worth.............

[dazwan]

Save youself hundreds of pounds and stick to the speed limit, it’s there for a reason....................

Just my 2 pence worth.............

It'll never catch on

That's just what I do, though! Saved myself hundreds of pounds on naff detectors and it's saved me from getting a ticket hundreds of times, EVERY camera I've ever driven through in fact. And it detects ALL types of detection.

[Braindead]

Hi,

I used to have a snooper radar/laser detector. We renamed it the Little Chef detector as the automatic doors used to set it off ever time! It picked up a lot of false alarms on radar. ALso, if it detects laser, the chances are you've already been 'shot'.

It could give no warning of Truvelo cameras that use wires in the road and are on the increase nor could it help with SPECS cameras that work out your average speed between two camera points as on the M6 viaduct roadworks.

Sold it on eBay and bought a Cyclops GPS system. It's brilliant!!!

Not only does it warn me as I approach cameras, it tells me the speed limit and warns me if I am going too fast. Its GPS based and has an onboard database of camera sites which is updated from the internet.

Many of the GPS based systems have loads of bells and whistles you don't need. I think Cyclops is the cheapest GPS based system you can get, well built, effective, legal and simple to use.

Down sides?

Well, it won't warn you about laser vans etc. The concensus is the only way to beat them is see them or obey the limit or buy a jammer at £300+. Jammers are on dubious legal ground.

Also, it doesn't tell you if a camera is armed and contains film.

I don't agree with speeding as such but there are a lot of cameras that are placed to make money not as safety aids. I think my Cyclops helps redress the balance

[jaxx]

well i have to disagree beacuse even tho i do stick to the limits ive had the angel go off on every occasion that ive been pointed at by a laser, which is three (!) twice on the a60 in mansfield and once on the m1 where the rozzer was stood on top of a bridge! ive even had it beep at the tax camera things, ok so a bit of a flase alram but they still worjk on the same laser principles

[Braindead]

Jaxx, not sure what you're disagreeing with.

Trouble with Laser detectors is that they tend to only go off if you're in the process of being zapped and then it's too late if you happen to be speeding. If you are lucky you can pick up a reflection from another car.

Trouble with the obeying the limit argument is that the day you let your attention wander and creep up slightly over the limit you stand a very good chance of being nicked.

Anyway, I guess you pays your money and takes your choice.

[nezerr]

I’m only looking for a detector to stop me getting any points. as im a taxi driver its hard not to speed sometimes but i always try and stick to the limits, thing is when u drive to a place u have never been b4 its so easy to get caught out

Thanks for your help but im still unsure what to go for as i dont want to waste my money

[jaxx]

braindead - i was disagreein with Kevs thoughts on the angel being over hyped and not always accurate as ive 100% reliability from it

[Braindead]

Doh! :D

[atikali2000]

A quick background to my situation and then my view on detectors.

Well, I have 6 points (both gained at the same fixed speed camera - DOH).

However, I dont consider myself to be a 'speeder' as such. It was only that the road is a dual carriageway, and I assumed it was a 40 limit. So first time I got flashed - I was talking to a friend doing 41mph (in a '30' limit).

Second time, I was adjusting my sat nav settings and doing 41mph and just didnt realise that I was on that same 30 limit road.

Generally though, I really do stick to the speed limits. They are there for a reason!

Now... my views on detectors. I really dont like the idea that someone on the road ahead of me may have a detector. They speed up to it and slow down for the small detection area, and then speed up right after it. everyone should be doing the safe thing which is sticking to a safe speed. Not slowing down just for a few yards and then dashing off again.

However I can see the positive aspects of the detectors. I have 6 points so I technically have 2 flashes before I get a driving ban, even though I consider myself to be a safe driver.If a £200 detector will help me to stay on the road, then I will seriously consider purchasing one. It is this reason that I too am in the market looking for an 'all-round detector'.

The information on this thread has been helpful, but I think I may take some more time in researching the detectors out there.

Thanks.

Atik

[MSC_Kev]

I have recently been to Car Electronics to buy stereo equipment for my install. A good friend of mine works there and was informing a customer at the time of what products to go for and what to avoid and this is where I found out about road angel and confirmed my concerns about it.

Road Angel does false alarm, it's fact! mine has several times and the laser protection isn't as good as it's percieved to be, it's not a bad unit but is over priced...

This is best package available. A 'Road Pilot' does everything a road angel does but an added bonus of telling you your braking the speed limit if you do over the limit, good way of not getting caught out by any camera's.

Morpheous for laser protection, this will give advance warning of upto a 100 metres for laser guns be it handheld or the van type camera's. The £400 Road Angel does not cover all laser types and in most cases will not go off on laser guns and the warning isn't early enough to save you getting caught. Only the £1000 version does this!

No one peice of kit will give you ultimate protection, but the above will do and that is what I will be getting very shortly.

[jaxx]

fair point, no kit is gonna gaurantee 100% safety but as said, just drive at the speed limit like ya supoposed to. my angel is for my own common sense at the end of the day. just reminding me to STAY at the limits.

it not as if i tear round and then s*** stamp on the anchors, slow down and then nail it again

[starletsy]

Well i've just got a S6R neo and it seems pretty good i've been looking at getting one for a while and then a friend said that they had been offered one for £150 second hand so i snapped there had off quick :D will keep you posed on how i get on with it First test will be coming down to Gaydon on Sunday see if it detects anything then

Simon

[SuperRetard]

With the advent of hand-held lasers, and tru-velo fixed cameras, I'd say that the classic radar detector is absolutely useless. The only combination that's gonna work is a GPS for the fixed sites and a laser jammer for the hand-held stuff. Laser detectors only tell you when you've just been zapped. A 'fix' only takes less than a second for most operators! A jammer will sort that out, but if the same copper sees you twice - or just suspects foul play - you're in a world of hurt! The legal precedents are there to see your jammer destroyed and you fined upto £3000!!!

Even then, there's mobile Tru-Velo units in Lincolnshire - they throw two wires across the road and link it to a camcorder. Absolutely nothing you can 'detect'.

The only advice I can give is:

1) ride a fast bike - nearly all the stuff today is forward-facing!

2) never stop on said bike

3) if pursued by helichopter head to the nearest RAF base (and hope they're operational right at that moment) or head for a busy Civvy airport (Sheffield is not only too small - it's the S. Yorks Police heli-pad!)

Even then, most forces I 'know' have a no pursuit policy nowadays! Cha-mone! The only thing they can 'pursue' you with is a heli-wobbler...

Is that a bit too much info?