Virginia is the only state banning radar detector use in cars. Washington, D.C. and all U.S. Military Reservations do not permit radar detectors, DOD 6055.4, in any vehicle. The U.S. Department of Transportation banned radar detector use in all commercial vehicles in all states, CFR 47, parts 392, 392.71 meaning mainly busses and 18 wheelers in February of 1995. Many metropolitan police departments have formed their own commercial enforcement divisions and Radar Detector Detectors, RDDs, play a big part in their enforcement efforts. In the past such commercial enforcement was handled exclusively by state police authorities. Only Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia allow radar detectors in Canada. According to the Federal Communications Commission, states and local jurisdictions can ban the product although they are considered as “radio receivers” by the Commission per the Federal Communications Act of 1934 as amended. Radar detectors were invented in 1972 and became wildly popular with the federally mandated 55 mph national speed limit caused by the Arab Oil Embargo. Although illegal in 18 wheelers approximately 9% of truckers still use a radar detector. Banning detectors from trucks was a big blow to the detector makers. Truckers were their biggest customer. Radar detectors are still sold at truck stops and many claim to be “invisible” or “undetectable” by RDDs. Most are not invisible. Once a year we test all new radar detectors and radar detector detectors during our Annual Radar Detector Test. See www.speedzones.com for the results.

GOT'YA!

     The first RDD was the VG-2 Interceptor which looked for a specific leaked frequency of radar detectors at 11.55 GHz. All radar detectors convert frequencies using an IF, intermediate frequency, and the VG-2 was looking and detecting radar detectors up to 1/4 mile away. Many times you are driving on the interstate and your radar detector alerts. It’s not the police, but a leaking radar detector approaching you. The VG-2 has a speaker and a bar of red signal strength lights as shown above on the left. As the radar detector gets closer to the VG-2, more lights would flash and the speaker beats would be closer together. This is called the Geiger Effect named after Geiger counters. The radar detector makers didn’t go to sleep. They did two things. First, some radar detectors detected the detector detector before the detector detector could detect the radar detector. In essence they became radar detector detector detectors! They then shut down the radar detector until the RDD was no longer detected. Second, the detector makers changed their IF frequency away from 11.55 GHz and the VG-2 couldn’t see it. With this change the Spectre RDD from Australia was introduced. It could detector all old and new detectors. It still can with the exception of Bel STi Driver.

     The game plan had changed in the technology wars of the highways. Now, police agencies bought Spectres instead of the dated VG-2. The VG-2 is no longer in production. Literally thousands of RDDs are in operation here and around the world. Now, a new RDD has entered the market called the MD-3D which is a directional RDD. It is made by Hill Country Research of Fredericksburg, TX.

     Directional means its circular red lights show the officer which car or truck has the radar detector by a changing light warning pattern and using two microwave receiver horns. The red, circular lights move following the microwave emission of the vehicle containing the radar detector. If you drive a car there is little to worry about unless the officer is having a bad day. If you drive an 18 wheeler, drive in Virginia, Washington, D.C. or on a military reservation worry a lot!