Hardwire a radar detector

[niral622]

Ok here it is...
I don't like the whole suction cup idea and the velcro mount doesn't please me either. I'm planning on making a "HARD" wire mount by using some sort of bracket to hold the radar detector with a hollow support coming down from it with power wires going through it. The power wires then connect to a male power adapter plug (radio shack). You can see the rest in the picture. I like this because I never have to deal with wires with the radar detector again if I want to take it off the dash for example. It's plug and play though i'm not so sure its a toy to play with ;)

Leave me your thoughts :)

btw, it would pivot too if you wanted it to

[BLK03GXS]

Interesting....
I have been using the suction cups that came with my radar for um.. 6 monthes? and i just hardwired it to the cig lighter and ran the wire thru the trim at the front of the dash... works good and is easy to get outta the way if neccicarry....
Im not sure if you want to acually cut your dash up and put a grommit in there... could result in some issues... like the dash padding pulling... etc etc...
Just some things to concidder :thumbsup:

[alerosport.com]

just get yourself one of thoes waterprof ones and mount it next to ur fog lights, and then run the long wire up thru ur fier wall and plug that in and mount ur blue tooth wireless thingy that lights up in ur car

[niral622]

Originally posted by alerosport.com@Apr 22 2004, 10:12 PM
just get yourself one of thoes waterprof ones and mount it next to ur fog lights, and then run the long wire up thru ur fier wall and plug that in and mount ur blue tooth wireless thingy that lights up in ur car
hmm thats a new one to me, usually arent the external "hidden" ones installed in front and back and inside the bumper covers?

[dadirtybulldog]

Originally posted by alerosport.com@Apr 22 2004, 08:12 PM
just get yourself one of thoes waterprof ones and mount it next to ur fog lights, and then run the long wire up thru ur fier wall and plug that in and mount ur blue tooth wireless thingy that lights up in ur car
damn.... that's a great idea... i know what my new project is...keep modding! :thumbsup:

[ptrudel]

ya but aren't u supposed to hide those from the cops?? if u had it permanently mounted(unless i'm too dumb to understand what u want to do) wouldn't u get caught??

[mlcroy20]

You only have to hide them if they are illegal in your area!

[ptrudel]

so i'm guessin this is legal in his area then...must be damn nice

[BLK03GXS]

Legal fer me here too... its great when a cop pulls ya over and asks your speed and you know he wasnt runin radar... you can just say dont you know my speed? has worked several times for me :D lol

[niral622]

yeah, legal here :)....and it does come in handy for defending against possible speeding tickets too tho I haven't run into that kind of trouble yet ;)

I just got an escort passport 8500 for a really good price ($180) like 2 months ago but haven't been using it too much since I haven't been driving, but it seems like it picks up every little source of radiation and its REALLY sensitive (and yes its in city mode). It picks up random spikes of Ka and K bands which in most cases is POP radar I would think, but I never see any cops so all I can assume is that it's picking them up from farther than I can see :lol:

I used to have a Cobra 9860 which had pretty decent range (probably about 3/4 mile of straight road). The only reason I upgraded was the good price I got for this one and the Cobra doesn't have good range for highway travel (still 3/4 mile maximum but you'd be travelling faster, so not as much reaction time).

But anyways, enough of my talking...hope that helps anyone who wants to buy one lol :thumbsup:

[brim]

http://www.grandamgt.com/radar.html

llittle hardwiring on gagt

[jojo0715]

I also have the passport 8500 it has saved me a few times especially driving from MI to CA as much as i do. I read some where that it has allmost a to mile radius and your right it pic up everything..As far as keeping it hidden and out of the way I kept mine under my stereo and it still picks everything up.

[FormulaNERD]

Originally posted by BLK03GXS@Apr 28 2004, 09:38 PM
Legal fer me here too... its great when a cop pulls ya over and asks your speed and you know he wasnt runin radar... you can just say dont you know my speed? has worked several times for me :D lol
yea, but they CAN give you a ticket without radar, they can "pace" you and pull you over

but anyways, they are legal here, and i've been wanting to mount mine like this for a while now... keep us posted with pics

[midnightalero01]

does any one know if they are legal in michigan or know where i can find out?

[1WhiteOSV]

even if it's legal..it's still be stupid to leave the radar detector on the dash if you get pulled over because you can basically kiss ANY chance of getting a warning goodbye because the cop will just figure "well, he's gotten away before..so I'm gonna just write him one" --(quoted from a police officer..my dad)

[mike2002]

Originally posted by jojo0715@Aug 7 2004, 11:50 AM
I also have the passport 8500 it has saved me a few times especially driving from MI to CA as much as i do. I read some where that it has allmost a to mile radius and your right it pic up everything..As far as keeping it hidden and out of the way I kept mine under my stereo and it still picks everything up.
you put your's in the pocket below your HVAC/radio? thats a awesome place, but i thought they weren't effective unless they were on the windshield ,radar waves go through glass no problem, but not sheetmetal. they even say make sure the windshield wipers arn't in the way. maybe its just certain bands. around here, cops use everything, laser, alot of Ka, k, and even x

mines not hardwired, but on my last car it was, and i mounted it up next to the rear view mirror, you cant see it from the front because of the tint, and when someone's standing next to your car, they cant see it, i turn mine off when i see a cop if i think im getting pulled over, or if he's behind me, they seem to piss off cops

ive got the escort passport 8500 too.

btw, radar detectors are only illegal in 2 states, dont know which, but its not minnesota

[Vtolds]

I dont get why you would want to hardwire your radar detector it seems stupid to me, seeing how it is only 1 frigin wire but whatever to each his own I guess. Mine is just plugged in on the passenger side 12volt hookup doesnt bug me seeing the wire, I just think you guys just like doing the difficult way.

[mike2002]

because its alot cleaner install, the wire going up to my radar detector is tacky. some people like to do it half-assed, some people like to do it right. i just havn't gotten around to hardwiring it, to much other stuff to do first

[Vtolds]

Now what would be the right way? I think mine is the right way not half assed at all. I think drilling or hiding a non permanent wire sounds stupid, yet it may work and may look more clean. Having the radar detector plugged in like it suppost to be is the RIGHT WAY it is suppost to be hooked up especailly if live in a state where they are illegal, or if you have several cars you wanna use it at different times. I still dont get the need to hardwire something that is meant to not be hooked up that way, its like hardwiring all of the electronics in your house right to the fuse box there just isn't a need.

[mike2002]

Originally posted by VTOLDS@Dec 12 2004, 11:31 AM
Now what would be the right way? I think mine is the right way not half assed at all. I think drilling or hiding a non permanent wire sounds stupid, yet it may work and may look more clean. Having the radar detector plugged in like it suppost to be is the RIGHT WAY it is suppost to be hooked up especailly if live in a state where they are illegal, or if you have several cars you wanna use it at different times. I still dont get the need to hardwire something that is meant to not be hooked up that way, its like hardwiring all of the electronics in your house right to the fuse box there just isn't a need.
omg....i dont want to start another stupid debate, calm down

they do sell hardwire kits slick. escort makes and sells them. they arn't going to include it in everyone because that would cost them more, and they'd loose profit. i never said drill into the car, i just want to hide the wire so you can see it. yes, its the right way. ever buy a car wit a wire comming from below the dash up to the top of the dash, no, it looks out of place, tacky. it looks alot cleaner to have the wire hidden, not so out of place and "added on" and if you have 3 cars, you could always get hardwire kits for all 3 cars, that way your not messing around with cords or anything

yes it costs more, and takes more time, and some think its worth the effort.

do you live in a state where its illegal? doubt it, they are legal just about everywhere

[Vtolds]

I live in a legal state to have it, and I still dont get it. And lots of people dont own a Escort Radar Detector I dont think most do, I have a Whistler.

[mike2002]

http://www.whistler-radar.com/acc/acc_store.html

not trying to be a smart-ass..lol, all the radar detector companies have hardwire kits

[Wildman]

A Simple solution:
I apologize for the very fuzzy pics, but the camera doesnt do close up shots very well at all. Here is what I did, put the detector right above the rearview mirror, run the wires (purchased at radioshack, not a radar install kit or anything, just a simple wire with the proper size plug on the end that fits in the detector), run those wires along the headliner, tucked in nicely, and down behind the A pillar, and into the fusebox. Then, (as I attempted to show in the lower pic) ground the negative wire onto one of the black screws just above the fuse panel (crimped on an eye connector) and slide the positive wire under a fuse while plugging in the fuse. And there you have it. When you shut the car off, it turns off, when you start the car, it comes on. I just leave the volume all the way down until I need it, then I turn it up. No need to mess with unplugging it or having it look tacky hanging over the dash and stuff. And besides, I believe they recommend having your detector mounted as high as possible for optimal detection anyways, so this is also a benefit. Good Luck!

[Wildman]

Fusebox (drivers side)

[Vtolds]

Anyone ever read the owners manual on there Radar detector,it says in mine to mount it as LOW as you can on the windshield. Mounting above your mirrow like that may be less affective since they arent aiming a the top of your car they are aiming at the middle of it.

[Wildman]

That may be true for laser, but not radar. Odds are that when your detector goes off via laser, your already screwed because they already know your speed.
http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/geoffm/radar/Radarfaq.htm
About 3/4th the way down it says where to mount it. Not just on that site, but I could have swore that my manual said mount it high also, but i'm no expert

[Vtolds]

I'm not to worried about mine not working, mine detects the standard X band, and laser, but K band Ka band and it also has VG2 which when it detects a radar detector detector it hides itself so if they happen to be looking for cars with radar detectors mine stealths itself.

[Grouch]

Originally posted by VTOLDS@Dec 12 2004, 03:29 PM
Anyone ever read the owners manual on there Radar detector,it says in mine to mount it as LOW as you can on the windshield. Mounting above your mirrow like that may be less affective since they arent aiming a the top of your car they are aiming at the middle of it.
Wildman is right on this one. It doesn't matter where you mount the detector as long as it's on/behind the glass. X and K bands use radio waves. These waves get larger the further they get from the transmitter. So with these types of radar units there is no aiming involved other than pointing it at the vehicle. Hell it doesn't even have to be point at the vehicle depending on the distance. X and K bands are pretty much always on unless the operator switches it off. Ka is instant on/off, user selectible by switch or trigger.

Laser (lidar) on the other hand does have to be aimed and it's usually aimed at the front plate or bumper/grill area of the vehicle. Not many departments use Lidar as it's costly, needs specific training and has to be held very still/steady when in use. Not many use X band either. It's become to common for other consumer goods and has interference problems.

If you get tagged with Lidar or Ka band it's usually too late, your nailed. I don't use any form of radar anymore. I have an unmarked vehilce with hidden lights. I just pace people. Tagged one guy in a GASE with a radar detector for 105. Don't rely on the radar, look in your mirrors for that car following you! Watch the cars in front of you cresting the hill and slamming on their brakes. Might be something hidden on the other side that they can see and you can't.

A few other myths:
-officers don't calibrate radar guns. They verify the calibration with tuning forks. The gun only has to be verified once before shift, not before each use.
-there is NO requirement that an officer has to show you your speed on his radar. This may vary in a few states, but I don't know of any that it is required.

it also has VG2 which when it detects a radar detector detector it hides itself so if they happen to be looking for cars with radar detectors mine stealths itself.

Not stealth mounted on your windshield in view of that cop rolling up behind you without radar when your not watching your mirrors. :P

[mike2002]

wildman, thats where mine was in my last car, really good spot for it. i agree, the only thing it hurts is laser. laser is so specific, once your nailed, your done anyways. k,ka,x they could be going for the cars in front of you. ka is pretty specific but if they're nailing cars in front of you, or around the corner, mine still picks it up. ive only had my laser go off once, i think only highway cops have them. i was speeding like 15-20 over, and he never came after me, it was pretty congested, maybe he didn't know who was speeding, i hit the brakes but i know it was to late. who knows why i didn't get pulled over

btw, wildman, what year is your car? i have a 2001 gls, and i dont have a temp thing in my rearview, wish i did, that and i miss my autodimming rearview...:(

[Wildman]

Mines a 99, (best year IMO, heh) and thats not factory ;)
Only thing I miss is no map lights now :(, but the autodim is pretty nice, along with the temp and compass