Are radar detectors legal here in canada? If they arent legal, can a cop tell if you have it just by driving by? Can the cop tell if you have it if the power from it is removed?

 

So what your sayin' is... you want one [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boomer @ April 23, 2006, 4:36 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
So what your sayin' is... you want one [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]
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It would be convenient, but I also do not want to get a ticket for it.

 

Ive done a bit of research on this topic, even though I cant even drive yet, but whatever. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img] Here it is.

1. Radar detectors are illegal in most provinces (except like Alberta and Nova Scotia or something like that). As you live in TO, they are illegal in Ontario.

2. The OPP has a couple of cars with what are known as "Radar Dectector Dectectors." (Creative huh?). They can dectect your radar dectector and they will bust you, take the dectector, and fine you something like 500 bucks. The radar dectector dectectors pick up RF leakage for your dectector.

3. YOUR SOLUTION! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen.gif[/img] Fortuantly for us, Beltrontics makes a dectector called the STI driver. It totally blocks all RF leakage and is therefore invisible to the RDDs. Apparently it is also pretty good at radar dectecting as well, which is key. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

4. Make sure if a cop pulls you over for something else, they dont see the radar dectector.

Heres a http://www.speedzones.com/smlTests.html]full article about the STI Driver.

Note that it doesnt dectect or block the laser detectors, theres stuff about that in the article.

IF you pick one up, let us know how well it works, I'd be interested for the future.

Colin

CORRECTION: Apparently it can dectect lasers too. Heres another article.

http://www.laserveil.com/beltronics-sti-dr...etector-review/

 

Borrowed a Valentine One before for a road trip and had good experience. Also borrowed a Bel one and it seemed to go off a lot on just random things maybea little too sensitive or it was picking up too many things.

 

Radar detectors are legal in B.C. and Alberta, pretty sure they are illegal everywhere else in Canada.
Many RCMP cars have radar detector detectors.Even if your Radar has the VG-2 feature sometimes if the cop is close enough he can still sniff it out.Also cops can see your detector on the dash or windshield so be careful!! I had a detector confiscated by a Manitoba RCMP a few years back!! Buggers!!!!!!

BTW I have a Passport 8500 detector and its paid for itself 10 fold over the last few years!!

 

As a professional speeder, I try to keep on top of all of this.

Here are the facts:

-Radar detectors are illegal in all of Canada except Sask, Alberta, and BC. In sask, they are illegal in commerical trucks.

-Until a few years ago, police forces (including the RCMP in provinces where they are not allowed, and OPP ) used a RDD device called VG-2 that was able to detect the lo frequency leakage of radar detectors. Radar detector manufactures quicky adjusted their lo frequency outside the range of VG-2, and detectors became VG-2 detection proof.

- In late 1990's an australian company began selling devices Known as the Spectre RDD to police forces in Canada. The new Spectre radar detector detector also functioned by scanning for lo frequencies, howevwer, scanned a much larger bandwidth than the VG-2 did. Thus many detectors that were VG-2 undetectable, were now detectable. Again, manufactures changed their LO frequencies such that they could not be detected by the Spectre device. However, spectre was fast to make revisions to its RDD, and the spectre 2, and spectre 3 followed. The spectre 3 is the latest, and scans a very large piece of bandwidth to detect radar detectors.

-At present the OPP and RCMP have invested heavily in spectre 3 rdd's.

-Just before Xmas 2005, Beltronics released a new detector know as the STI Driver (Which you've mentioned) This detector uses shielding rather than tuning the lo frequency. The STI IS detectable by the spectre 3, however, only at a range of a few feet. (IE, less than the length of the hood of your car.)

-If you plan on using an RD in Ontario, the STI is your safest choice.

-In addition to the benefit of not being able to be detected by the Spectre 3, the STI recently scored consistantly higher Ka band scores than the V1, which is the benchmark to which all other RD's are tested against. (The test was performed by a reputable group of radar enthusists knows as guys of ladar, and Radar Roy, and ex-police officer, and Radar instructor.)

-The vast majority of RCMP units are ancient Decatur Genesis series gun that run in K band, however they are very quickly being replaced by Decatur Genesis 2 guns on Ka band, with forward / rear radar, and same lane capability. Having a RD that is competent on Ka band such as the STI, V1, or X50 is essencial. Other detectors are a waste of money.

-One last note: Even if your detector is not visible to RDD's, if you have it hanging in your window, and they see it, it is as good as gone.

Hope that helped you out a little.

 

Thnaks for the help guys.

So basically, if i had an STI, and just took it off the window as soon as it went off, I would be able to drive without getting caught, right?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(friedmaster @ April 24, 2006, 3:35 PM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>
Thnaks for the help guys.

So basically, if i had an STI, and just took it off the window as soon as it went off, I would be able to drive without getting caught, right?
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Thats a good idea in theory, but there is a few problems with it.

First, very rarely do police just leave their radar in. The turn it on and off (known as instant on) for a few moments, only when they want to catch a speeder. If you are caught with instant on (paying attention or having a rabit are ways around this), you are caught. They will be close enough to see you dismounting your radar.

Second, if you are driving in traffic, and you are observed having the device by police car that is not currently using its radar (either an unmarked traffic unit, or otherwise), again, you will be pulled over, and have it confiscated.

Your safest bet is to do some sort of stealth installation where you would mount it high in your winshield, mounted into the headliner just above your mirror. Of course, it would have to be hard wired in as well.


A stealth install is the only way I would go about doing it, if I lived where you do. A Bel STI is way too much money to have the police take, if you are not careful.

EDIT: Bel currently has a couple of remote detectors with the sensors mounted in your grill or bumper. At present, they do not utulize the technology the STI uses for stealth. However, I would bet that these remote RDs will encorporate the stealth technology in the future that the STI has.

I would really be tempted to wait to see if they come out with this. If they do, that is the way to go.

 

Don't buy one, don't use it. They're illegal as most above have said. And the police can search you and the car if they "suspect" there's one in there. And the fines have gone way up for Possession of a Radar Detector. And it now costs you points in Ontario. And most services have the detector detetectors that can detect anything.....and I mean ANYTHING. And of course, if they do, the detector is history.

Take it from one who knows......FYI, Mark