First-timer needs help

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08-26-2015, 06:19 PM
sfscott

First-timer needs help

Hi all,

I'm new to jammers and this site. Years ago, I used a V1 radar detector but left it off since it falsed so much. That and the Calif Highway Patrol wasn't using radar much if at all.

I am about to take delivery of a new BMW X5 M-sport and have been researching the options on jammer/radar combinations. It's clear that people view AL Priority as the best jammer. Usually, that would be enough, but there are some wrinkles that I could use some help with.

The confusion for me is that in CA, laser jammers are illegal, so people are saying that continuous jammers are a sure-fire way to get pinched here. The better option is a timed jam or a kill switch. That led me to consider the Escort 9500ci with laser shifters, esp since the laser shifter heads can be swapped with Laser Interceptor's vertically mounted versions. The downside to the Escort was the need to install a display and a control unit in the car, which is leased as well as really nice without modification.

When visiting two local installers, both swore by the K40, which people on this and other forums dismiss as not worthwhile. One of the installers, who's been in business for 30 years recommended the K40 without reservation, citing performance, cleanness of installation and customer support. He represented that one of his best customers has put them in each of his 15 cars and has never had a ticket or a complaint. In fact, the guy was installing one for that customer on a $3million La Ferrari in the shop as we spoke. He also noted that the Dragoneyes were not used in CA and that the 4 sec jam to standby operation was optimal in CA so that the LEOs would not know that they were being jammed as they would if a jammer jammed to the gun. He also felt that the radar was very good and easy to use. This installer also sells AL/P and Escort so he is not biased because he doesn't offer the others. His assessment was similar to another installer that works closely with the local Porsche/Audi dealer.

Both installers also said that they had experience installing on cars with active cruise control, blind spot warning and park distance warning systems, all of which my vehicle has.

The K40 is expensive and not loved by the experts, so I am torn.

For my situation and where I live, is the recommendation of the K40 fair?
08-26-2015, 07:38 PM
BestRadarDetectors

Why is the dealer recommending the K40? Because he makes a shit load of money selling them. Dealer cost on a system that they sell for $1995.00 before they charge installation is around $800 so they are making $1200 profit even before they charge you installation. They might make $200 if they did right by you and recommended you the ALP system. Its all about the money. There are some dealers that actually care about their customers and do the right thing but most dont care.

K40 Laser Systems are poor at best and their radar systems also leave room to be desired. If you are looking for a decent priced concealed radar detector look at the Beltronics Sti-R Plus and combine it with a AL Priority system.

Its Funny that he states that a 4 Second Jam time is optimal which is what the ALP defaults to but did you know the K40 does not offer a selectable jamming time? With a K40 you can either use 10 Second or Unlimited? Jam a cop in a banned area for 10 seconds and see what happens. Did he also show you the size comparison of the sensors? The K40 Jammers are 3x the side and very difficult to conceal unless he mounts them behind a grill which would also make them useless.

Browse the different countermeasure forums and you will quickly learn the truth.

Also check out this RALETC Laser Review which included the latest K50 G5 Diffusers... There are many more guns then just Dragon guns that the system is useless against.

http://www.raletc.com/2014/09/2014-r...shootout-live/
08-27-2015, 12:34 AM
awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

Hi all,

I'm new to jammers and this site. Years ago, I used a V1 radar detector but left it off since it falsed so much. That and the Calif Highway Patrol wasn't using radar much if at all.

I am about to take delivery of a new BMW X5 M-sport and have been researching the options on jammer/radar combinations. It's clear that people view AL Priority as the best jammer. Usually, that would be enough, but there are some wrinkles that I could use some help with.

The confusion for me is that in CA, laser jammers are illegal, so people are saying that continuous jammers are a sure-fire way to get pinched here. The better option is a timed jam or a kill switch. That led me to consider the Escort 9500ci with laser shifters, esp since the laser shifter heads can be swapped with Laser Interceptor's vertically mounted versions. The downside to the Escort was the need to install a display and a control unit in the car, which is leased as well as really nice without modification.

You should jam only as long as you need to in order to get down to the PSL, and then kill the jammers immediately. Don't jam for even half a second longer than you have to, regardless of whether jammers are legal or illegal. The ALPs have an easy way to kill them: hit any button on the control pad during an alert.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

When visiting two local installers, both swore by the K40, which people on this and other forums dismiss as not worthwhile. One of the installers, who's been in business for 30 years recommended the K40 without reservation, citing performance, cleanness of installation and customer support. He represented that one of his best customers has put them in each of his 15 cars and has never had a ticket or a complaint.

Yeah well, if you don't speed, you're not going to get a ticket. If you hardly ever drive the car, you're unlikely to get a ticket. And if you do happen to get a ticket, do your research, and then realize that you got taken for a ride by a dealer who was more interested in making money than recommending a quality product, and you've got so much money that you didn't bother to do the research before buying, you're probably too embarrassed to complain. And even if you do complain, the dealer isn't going to tell the next guy who comes in about the complaints. He'll just mention another of his "best customers" who put the device in 14 of his cars and never had a ticket or complaint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

In fact, the guy was installing one for that customer on a $3million La Ferrari in the shop as we spoke. He also noted that the Dragoneyes were not used in CA and that the 4 sec jam to standby operation was optimal in CA so that the LEOs would not know that they were being jammed as they would if a jammer jammed to the gun. He also felt that the radar was very good and easy to use. This installer also sells AL/P and Escort so he is not biased because he doesn't offer the others. His assessment was similar to another installer that works closely with the local Porsche/Audi dealer.

A few points:
1. Just because the Dragoneyes aren't used here, what makes you think they won't be purchased tomorrow? Then what?
2. If you were a dealer and made 5-10 times the profit off of one product, what would you recommend, even if you sold the other?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

Both installers also said that they had experience installing on cars with active cruise control, blind spot warning and park distance warning systems, all of which my vehicle has.

The K40 is expensive and not loved by the experts, so I am torn.

For my situation and where I live, is the recommendation of the K40 fair?

No one who recommends the K40 has your best interests in mind. My recommendation is don't buy ANYTHING from ANY of those dealers as they clearly don't know what they're talking about. If anyone ever did this to me, I'd go back in or call them and tell them that they are full of **** and I won't be buying anything from them, and furthermore will make sure to spread bad word-of-mouth about their business. I have very little tolerance for people who take advantage of others to put extra money in their pockets, especially when they do it by pushing inferior products on unsuspecting customers.
08-27-2015, 09:37 AM
RedRocket

Quote:

Originally Posted by awj223

You should jam only as long as you need to in order to get down to the PSL, and then kill the jammers immediately. Don't jam for even half a second longer than you have to, regardless of whether jammers are legal or illegal. The ALPs have an easy way to kill them: hit any button on the control pad during an alert.

Yeah well, if you don't speed, you're not going to get a ticket. If you hardly ever drive the car, you're unlikely to get a ticket. And if you do happen to get a ticket, do your research, and then realize that you got taken for a ride by a dealer who was more interested in making money than recommending a quality product, and you've got so much money that you didn't bother to do the research before buying, you're probably too embarrassed to complain. And even if you do complain, the dealer isn't going to tell the next guy who comes in about the complaints. He'll just mention another of his "best customers" who put the device in 14 of his cars and never had a ticket or complaint.

A few points:
1. Just because the Dragoneyes aren't used here, what makes you think they won't be purchased tomorrow? Then what?
2. If you were a dealer and made 5-10 times the profit off of one product, what would you recommend, even if you sold the other?

No one who recommends the K40 has your best interests in mind. My recommendation is don't buy ANYTHING from ANY of those dealers as they clearly don't know what they're talking about. If anyone ever did this to me, I'd go back in or call them and tell them that they are full of **** and I won't be buying anything from them, and furthermore will make sure to spread bad word-of-mouth about their business. I have very little tolerance for people who take advantage of others to put extra money in their pockets, especially when they do it by pushing inferior products on unsuspecting customers.

x2 what he said !
That Dealer has only his best interests ($$$$ wise)in mind, NOT YOUR's !!!
08-27-2015, 10:10 AM
Jaguar

Also, I believe we've seen videos of California cops using the XLR not too long ago too. K40's aren't updatable, range isn't as good, and jamming is garbage.

ALP for jammers, V1+YaV1, Redline, 9500ci, or STI-R+.

Talk to @BestRadarDetectors and he'll get you a good deal on a setup.
08-27-2015, 10:41 AM
jdong

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Also, I believe we've seen videos of California cops using the XLR not too long ago too. K40's aren't updatable, range isn't as good, and jamming is garbage.

ALP for jammers, V1+YaV1, Redline, 9500ci, or STI-R+.

Talk to @BestRadarDetectors and he'll get you a good deal on a setup.

Don't forget that this state is a HEAVY Truspeed S user, and we know that gun has gone all VPR on us!
08-27-2015, 10:48 AM
awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaguar

ALP for jammers, V1+YaV1, Redline, 9500ci, or STI-R+.

or Stinger for radar (NOT for laser as the laser jamming portion of the Stinger is unproven). If you want to spend a few thousand dollars on countermeasures, at least you'll get a quality product in the Stinger, whereas the K40 is garbage. ALP is king of the hill for jammers though.

Remember that in CA, all you need to run is Ka subband 5 (34.7). Everything else, including the entirety of the X and K bands, can be disabled except in special circumstances (see the "West Coast" section for a discussion on this). Your V1 was probably falsing because you were running unnecessary bands full of junk from door openers, blind spot monitors, other radar detectors, etc., without proper filtering. The Redline, 9500ci, and STiR+ will let you turn off individual Ka subbands, while the Stinger will let you filter out falses like nothing else can.
08-27-2015, 11:02 AM
awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdong

Don't forget that this state is a HEAVY Truspeed S user, and we know that gun has gone all VPR on us!

Good point. I wouldn't be surprised if the K40s alert, but are basically IPT (instant punchthrough), against the VPR TruSpeed S guns.

Honestly, I think the reason cops never get suspicious of K40 users, despite the fact that there isn't an easy way to kill them once you slow to the PSL, is that K40s don't jam worth crap in the first place. The cops are probably getting speed readings off of all these cars with K40s in them and the drivers just aren't going fast enough for the cops to stop them. sfscott: Remember, if a cop measures you doing 80 mph on Interstate 280 between CA-85 and I-380, and your K40 "jammer" goes off and you slow down to the PSL, this does NOT count as a "save". Cops generally don't stop people on that freeway unless they're doing at least 85, and most of the people who get stopped are probably around or over 90. But I'll bet that most of the exotic car owners with K40s in them count those encounters as "saves" because they have no idea that the cop got their speed, and just decided they weren't going fast enough and to wait for a bigger fish. I think exotic car owners tend to test their car's capabilities a few times, then drive like my grandparents whenever they take their cars out.

In the unlikely event they get a ticket while testing their car's capabilities, well that's why K40 pays for LIDAR tickets: to keep those people happy. But they don't pay for the insurance hikes that come with the ticket (not that the super wealthy care about that though, as that only happens if the traffic court lawyer they hired fails to get it dismissed).
08-27-2015, 11:04 AM
SurrealOne

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

Hi all,

I'm new to jammers and this site. Years ago, I used a V1 radar detector but left it off since it falsed so much. That and the Calif Highway Patrol wasn't using radar much if at all.

I am about to take delivery of a new BMW X5 M-sport and have been researching the options on jammer/radar combinations. It's clear that people view AL Priority as the best jammer. Usually, that would be enough, but there are some wrinkles that I could use some help with.

The confusion for me is that in CA, laser jammers are illegal, so people are saying that continuous jammers are a sure-fire way to get pinched here. The better option is a timed jam or a kill switch. That led me to consider the Escort 9500ci with laser shifters, esp since the laser shifter heads can be swapped with Laser Interceptor's vertically mounted versions. The downside to the Escort was the need to install a display and a control unit in the car, which is leased as well as really nice without modification.

When visiting two local installers, both swore by the K40, which people on this and other forums dismiss as not worthwhile. One of the installers, who's been in business for 30 years recommended the K40 without reservation, citing performance, cleanness of installation and customer support. He represented that one of his best customers has put them in each of his 15 cars and has never had a ticket or a complaint. In fact, the guy was installing one for that customer on a $3million La Ferrari in the shop as we spoke. He also noted that the Dragoneyes were not used in CA and that the 4 sec jam to standby operation was optimal in CA so that the LEOs would not know that they were being jammed as they would if a jammer jammed to the gun. He also felt that the radar was very good and easy to use. This installer also sells AL/P and Escort so he is not biased because he doesn't offer the others. His assessment was similar to another installer that works closely with the local Porsche/Audi dealer.

Both installers also said that they had experience installing on cars with active cruise control, blind spot warning and park distance warning systems, all of which my vehicle has.

The K40 is expensive and not loved by the experts, so I am torn.

For my situation and where I live, is the recommendation of the K40 fair?

I also live in the Calif So CAL Orange county area. I have done lots of research asked lots of questions and I'm going with the advice that I got from this and other forums. BRD and RR are spot on with the AL-P and STi-R combo.
I have my AL-P set to jam for 6sec I think and that's more then enough time for me to reach the PSL. And I will kill my jammers with a push of a button. Keep in mind if you get asked about your jammers it is a parking sensor. BTW the parking sensor really works well. Easy setup easy for installer to install.
08-27-2015, 01:45 PM
sfscott

Quote:

Originally Posted by SurrealOne

I also live in the Calif So CAL Orange county area. I have done lots of research asked lots of questions and I'm going with the advice that I got from this and other forums. BRD and RR are spot on with the AL-P and STi-R combo.
I have my AL-P set to jam for 6sec I think and that's more then enough time for me to reach the PSL. And I will kill my jammers with a push of a button. Keep in mind if you get asked about your jammers it is a parking sensor. BTW the parking sensor really works well. Easy setup easy for installer to install.

Ok, I am convinced.

Is anyone using the AL/P bluetooth module and iPhone App in place of the internal control? What are the pros and cons? I am interested in having as little as possible in the cabin.

Is there anything that you lose by integrating the STiR in terms of functionality? I thought I read someplace that you forego GPS.

With the STiR being the same as the Escort 9500ci, is there any benefit to getting that radar with Escort's laser shifters? Drawbacks?

Is it a bad idea to mute the voice alerts and just rely on the LEDs? The siren and voices will scare the crap out of the wifey.
08-27-2015, 02:04 PM
awj223

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

Ok, I am convinced.

Is anyone using the AL/P bluetooth module and iPhone App in place of the internal control? What are the pros and cons? I am interested in having as little as possible in the cabin.

Pros: you get visual alerts. The smartphone screen shows you the gun you're being shot with. If integrating the STiR+, you get the exact frequency readout.
Cons: if your smartphone crashes or runs out of batteries, you are unprotected. The system will not jam if a BT device is not connected.

Honestly, the internal control is not very big. About the size of two keys on your computer keyboard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

Is there anything that you lose by integrating the STiR in terms of functionality? I thought I read someplace that you forego GPS.

You forego GPS. You also forego frequency readouts, if not using the BT module. Personally, the GPS lockouts are not a big deal for me, being in California, because I have everything except Ka subband 5 disabled most of the time. I don't get any falses.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

With the STiR being the same as the Escort 9500ci, is there any benefit to getting that radar with Escort's laser shifters? Drawbacks?

Don't use the laser shifters if you get the 9500ci. You can't run two jammers on the same car at the same time. Well, not if you want to actually jam the guns. The 9500ci has a better LNA in its receiver. Other than that, it's pretty much identical to the STiR+'s receiver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfscott

Is it a bad idea to mute the voice alerts and just rely on the LEDs? The siren and voices will scare the crap out of the wifey.

The voice alerts can be loud, and they're loud for a reason. Bad idea to mute the alerts. If you don't hear an alert, you could do what's known as a JTG (jam to gun) on a police officer. That's a really bad thing, not just for you (you could get a jammer ticket), but for the entire community of people who use jammers, as it teaches cops what to look for. Don't do it.

By the way, if anyone else (like your wife) is going to be driving your car and is not instructed how to use the jammers properly (using the jam-to-kill technique of slowing down to the speed limit and killing the jammers ASAP), then you should turn the jammers OFF when the other person is driving. It really depends on the other person though. Some members here have taught their wives/girlfriends how to use jammers properly, while others have SOs who are not interested at all.
08-27-2015, 02:17 PM
SurrealOne

I used the BT module for a short time on a Samsung tablet that I keep in my car 24/7 but I did not trust it. So I have a extra iPhone 6 that is running iOS 9 and that worked way better. But my BT module just went out. Not sure what happened but I turn on my car and the red LED would blink and then it would go to green and stay green(needs to turn blue). red is alert green is parking and blue is defense mode. So I unplugged the BT module and plugged the control set back in and life is good again. I'm ok with not using the BT module. If you like I can post some pics of my install inside my car but it's pretty basic.