1. The first thing to know about radar detection is that police shoot microwaves at your car from wherever they are hiding. But instead of making your burrito hot, these microwaves bounce off your car back to the antenna which can then calculate your speed.
2. Because nobody likes paying tickets and sometimes you have to break the limit, manufacturers such as Escort, Beltronics, Cobra and Whistler constantly improve their radar detectors to keep you on the road rather than on the side of it.
3. Mounting your radar detector is of primary concern. You want a to mount it in a place where it can maximize signal detection, but you may want to conceal it as well. Generally, the higher you mount, the better detection you'll get.
4. If you do opt for a fancy mounting job, opt for one that is easily removed so you can use your radar detector in other vehicles. This is invaluable for long car trips with friends who don't have the forethought that you do.
5. When actually choosing a radar detector, the more frequencies, or bands, the better. Police radar guns employ many frequencies to detect speeders, and if your radar detector doesn't cover that frequency, you'd better get out your checkbook.
6. If you really want to play it safe, get a radar detector that is invisible to devices that find radar detectors. The Beltronics STi does this, in addition to covering all U.S. radar and laser bands.
7. That said, you don't need to cough up 500 dollars for a good radar detector. Most detectors these days are invisible to VG-2 devices that seek out radar detectors. These can be typically be found for under 150 dollars.
8. You'll also want something with different modes to increase or decrease sensitivity. When driving on the highway, you'll want your radar detector to be more sensitive because you're traveling faster; plus, outside cities there will be fewer signals that might cause false alerts.
9. Remember, no radar detector is foolproof, and the only way to guarantee no speeding ticket is to not speed. False positives occur and a clever hiding place can conceal a speed trap.
10. For POP radar detection, those radars that turn on and off in an instant but can still clock your speed, you need to spend a little more. However, there is some debate on whether this is necessary, because POP detection produces just a speed estimate, and oftentimes tickets cannot be written based on their readings.
