General

An interesting news story is making it way around. Arizona has decided to remove state ran speed and red light cameras. According to the story:

Even Gov. Jan Brewer has said she doesn't like the cameras, and her intention to end the program was first disclosed in her January budget proposal. That was followed by a non-renewal letter sent by the Arizona Department of Public Safety this week to the private company that runs the program.

This is great news to motorist, and even better news for people living in Arizona. Regular readers of this blog know that speed cameras create more safety problems than they solve. Arizona has been one of the heaviest users of speed and red light cameras, and this may set a precedent for other states to stop using cameras to generate revenue.

Unfortunately, the removal of the cameras will not be at the local level. For now, only state ran cameras are going away, until perhaps a possible November ballot on the issue:

The end of the state program does not affect local governments' use of cameras for speed enforcement, but the proposed ballot measure would prohibit state and local governments from using cameras for both speed violations and red-light running.

So everyone in Arizona needs to contact their state and local representatives, and let them know about how you feel about the issue, then voice your opinion in the November ballot.

For now red light cameras will continue to operate in towns and cities across Arizona. Until all of the cameras are gone, we will continue to find camera detectors, plate covers and other protective devices to help defend yourself from these obtrusive and wreck causing cameras. They only exist to make money off of people. The so called "representatives of the people" that put them in do not care about your safety, just your wallet.

I have more free t-shirts to give away! This contest is rather simple, just send an email to contest @ buyradardetectors.com (no spaces!) and let us know what type of speed detection or camera detection product you would like to see someone produce. If you win, I will send you a Buy Radar Detectors t-shirt! Make sure to lets us know where to ship the t-shirt to and the size (small, medium, large, x-large). Speculate away, the more original the better. Our crack team of radar detector experts will pick their favorite three as winners. I may even post an entry here on our radar detector blog.

If you are trying to find the best radar detector around for under $100, then the Whistler Pro 68SE may be what you have been searching for. The new Pro 68SE is based on a very proven design, the Pro 68 (previously our pick for the best under $100). The new model has retained the performance of the venerable Pro 68 and added a few updates.

One new feature we like a lot is the ability to use Whistler's IntelliCord Power Cable. The Pro 68SE retains the popular display of the Pro 68 and the LED warning periscopes. The Whistler radar detector also comes with a hardwire kit and dash pad in addition to the traditional power cord and windshield mount. We have them here ready to go for $99.99 with free shipping!

An article about a city shortening yellow lights in order to boost fines from red light cameras is in the news again. An interesting point brought up in comments to the article, some cities are removing the cameras after they are no longer generating enough money. So much for having the cameras in place for safety.

We carry a growing line of red light camera products designed to protect you from being a victim to some town's money making scheme. From red light camera detectors to items offering a more direct defense, we have what you are looking for!

Our recent contest winners should be getting a package in the next few days. I also went ahead and tossed in a Buy Radar Detectors t-shirt. Congratulations to the winners, and keep checking out our radar detector blog for future contest!

I am sure that many of you have read the news articles that have recently been showing up. There is a big cash crunch out there and your local government wants your money. Police used to give a 5 mile or so cushion to drivers, because in truth the speedometer on some vehicles is a bit off, often the speed limit is not clearly posted, and no one is capable of always driving the exact speed. Most police would give us some room for human error, or just out of courtesy. Well no longer, with times being what they are many states now want to make things worse on all of us.

The same politicians that are bemoaning the lack of jobs and how bad off we are, now want to raise money for their own pet projects by having police give you a ticket for even going over the limit by one mile per hour. I used to joke that a speeding ticket was just a road tax we all get from time to time, now sadly it is very true.

For now on, we will all need to pay a bit more attention to our speed. You might also want to consider a radar detector. They are great at reminding you to watch your speed, to pay attention to your surroundings, and in turn makes you a better driver. Check out our guide to radar detectors and let us know if you have any questions.

Radar is short for RAdio Detection And Ranging and is the use of radio waves to determine the range, location, and speed of an object. Police use radar by focusing radio waves at an area (or object such as a car) and then measuring the radio wave that is reflected back. By using the Doppler effect they can then determine an objects speed.

Police use a radar "gun" that was invented by Bryce K. Brown in March 1954. Most radar guns used by law enforcement today are a basic variation on the original design.

A radar gun is a simple radio transmitter and receiver. The radio waves sent have a frequency measured in Gigahertz (GHz). When the radio waves reflect and bounce off of an object there is a slight change in frequency. The frequency shift (Doppler effect) is measured by the radar gun and the objects speed is determined.

The frequencies used by the radar guns are called radar bands. X band was once the most common but is becoming rather rare since it is very easily detected by radar detectors. K and Ka bands use frequencies that are much more difficult to detect and are now more common. Ku band is mostly found in Europe.

• X Band is in the 8.0 to 12.0 GHz range (most common is 10.5 in the US / 9.4-10.6 in Europe)
• K Band is in the 18 to 26.5 GHz range (most common is 24.12 - 24.17 in the US / 24.12 - 25.15 in Europe)
• Ka Band is in the 26.5 to 40 GHz range (most common is 33.8, 34.6, 34.7, 35.5, 35.7 GHz in the US / 34.0, 34.3, 35.5 in Europe)
• Ku Band is in the 12 to 18 GHz range (Ku is not used in the US, most common is 13.45 in Europe)

A radar detector is a radio receiver designed to scan for these frequencies. When it detects radio waves in the X, K, Ka, or Ku band it sends out an alert, and many detectors will even tell you how strong (close) the signal is. High performance detectors usually are able to alert faster, detect radar at a greater distance, and also filter out false radio signals better than entry level designs, but they all perform essentially the same function.

In the US most radar guns used by police are K or Ka band, however some police departments still use X band. We know that a lot of people advocate turning X band off, but before you do we recommend driving around for a while with it on to make certain you do not encounter any police still using the band in your area. In fact, some departments now purposefully use X band because so many people treat it as a false alert and turn it off.

In addition to being used by police, many automatic doors and some car navigation systems emit radar as well. This results in false alerts. The signal from an automatic door, etc... is often rather weak so most radar detectors have a city mode to lessen the detectors sensitivity. A few radar detector models also allow you to manually lock out false signals, or will even block them for you automatically.

How you setup your radar detector can also be a determining factor in how effective it is. First, the detector should be placed so that the forward sensor has an unobstructed "view" ahead. For a windshield mount detector, the best location is in the center, and middle of the windshield. The detector should also be level and not pointing up, or down. You may want to turn off X band depending on where you live. Next, in town set the detector to city mode to lessen the number of false alerts, and switch back to highway when outside of urban areas. There are compromises in setting up your detector related to how tolerant you are of false alerts. Some prefer to use highway mode constantly, others will never turn off X band. As you use your detector you will be able to decide what you want to change from the basic settings.

Certain radar detector models are better for highway use where you want long range, and very quick detection, but they tend to have a lot of false alerts in urban area. There are other models that tend to be much better at filtering out false alerts but may not alert fast enough for someone that travels mostly on the interstate. Because of this, here at Buy Radar Detectors we work with you to find the radar detector that fits your specific needs.

Here at Buy Radar Detectors we do not consider you a true road warrior until unless you have a CB radio. Well it is a good thing we carry a nice selection of CB radios along with CB radio accessories so we can help you out!

If you are looking for a quality, traditional CB radio, give the Cobra 25 LTD Classic CB Radio a look. While not as advanced as its big brother the Cobra 148 GTL SSB CB Radio, it still has everything you expect to find in a CB. It has a switchable noise blanker, which will block unwanted engine noise, Cobra's Dynamike gain control and adjustable squelch control, and it can also be used as a public address (PA) system when combined with an external speaker.

We have the Cobra 25 LTD Classic CB Radio here and ready to ship from our warehouse for $77.95. You will also want to add Cobra HG A1000 CB Radio Antenna for $19.95. Give us a call at 1-800-584-1445 if you have any questions!

Are you looking to buy your first radar detector and want something that has high performance, but are not interested in some of the additional features found on top of the line models? Are you looking to upgrade from you current detector to a new, better performing one? Well you might want to look at the Beltronics Professional Series RX65. It does not quite have the range or sensitivity of a 9500ix or an STi Driver but it is very close.

The Bel Professional Series RX65 has voice alerts, a Multiple Threat Display, KU band detection, and auto mute for $299.95 with free two day shipping. Here at Buy Radar Detectors we feel that the Bel RX65 is one of the best radar detectors available. The performance level comes close to the $500 radar detector level and has the features most people want.

We have the RX65 here in stock and ready to ship out. And yes the blue display model cost more because the blue led display is a real pain to make. I asked what the reason was, and when I was told, I am surprised they even make them.

Bel Professional Series RX65 Radar Detector (Red Display) $299.95 + Free Two Day Shipping

Bel Professional Series RX65 Radar Detector (Blue Display) $339.95 + Free Two Day Shipping

If you want, you can say this model has a 9 out of 10 Awesome! rating or some other nonsense. Honestly, everyone here at Buy Radar Detectors think such random ratings are meaningless. Many people just use them to sell what they like, not what works the best. Instead go out and read some reviews and see what other people have to say:

Veil Guy has a great review.

If you have any question, as always give us a call at 1-800-584-1445

We have recently been able to find a long lost supply of Whistler XTR-690 radar detectors! They were hidden deep in the wilderness of Arkansas until just a few days ago! Once news that a cache of new XTR-690s had been found our specially trained radar detector experts jumped into action! We immediately were able to acquire the rare and elusive XTR-690 radar detectors for further study here at our radar detector lab. Before today they were only glimpsed in the wild in an employee's vehicle, only to be quickly hidden before it could be grabbed in jealousy!

The Whistler XTR-690's performance is legendary and we are pleased to announce that we have a limited number available for a very low price! According to Whistler, the XTR-690 will deliver performance very similar to that of a high performance Bel or Escort model - at less than half the price!

We have them here and ready to go for $99.99 and FREE SHIPPING!
Again, our supply is limited, so if you have been wanting one, now is the time to get one before they are all gone!