cobra 9860 dissapointed!
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,329
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
There are three radar bands and they aren't divided by who uses them (other than state police usually have bigger budgets so they get newer stuff).
X-band is the original police radar but the FCC also licensed that frequency for other uses such as alarm systems and automatic door openers. The X-band radar units had to be on all the time (making it easy to detect) so police switched to K-band when it became available. Only the poorest police departments still use X-band but it is still used a lot for other purposes. Drive up to the front door of your local supermarket and you will pick up a strong X-band signal.
K-band offered the advantage of being able to stay in "standby" mode until the officer wanted to take a speed reading when he would trigger the "gun" and measure your speed. The only time a detector could pick up the K-band operated in this mode was when it was triggered so you would get less warning. Basically, you had to pick up the stray radar beam from the tracking of somebody else because if you were the target they already had you by the time your detector sounded the alert. K-band is still in use in most police jurisdictions (state and local).
Ka-band was originally used for photo-radar but is seeing increased use for normal patrols and speed traps as the prices go down. Ka-band is a higher frequency that is less prone to interference and is almost exclusively used by police. It too can be used in constant-on or triggered mode and is more selective than the other bands (i.e. it can pick a single vehicle out of traffic better).
So the alerts you get on your detector will depend on where you are and what type of radar the local police are using (in other words, what they can afford). Most X-band alerts will be false alarms (but not always so be careful). Also, more and more K-band alerts may be false as security companies incorporate that band into their alarm systems. If you pick up a Ka-band alert you better hope that it was targeting somebody else or you might as well pull over and wait for the ticket. Laser is even worse - the chances your detector can pick up a stray laser signal before they target you are pretty small.
X-band is the original police radar but the FCC also licensed that frequency for other uses such as alarm systems and automatic door openers. The X-band radar units had to be on all the time (making it easy to detect) so police switched to K-band when it became available. Only the poorest police departments still use X-band but it is still used a lot for other purposes. Drive up to the front door of your local supermarket and you will pick up a strong X-band signal.
K-band offered the advantage of being able to stay in "standby" mode until the officer wanted to take a speed reading when he would trigger the "gun" and measure your speed. The only time a detector could pick up the K-band operated in this mode was when it was triggered so you would get less warning. Basically, you had to pick up the stray radar beam from the tracking of somebody else because if you were the target they already had you by the time your detector sounded the alert. K-band is still in use in most police jurisdictions (state and local).
Ka-band was originally used for photo-radar but is seeing increased use for normal patrols and speed traps as the prices go down. Ka-band is a higher frequency that is less prone to interference and is almost exclusively used by police. It too can be used in constant-on or triggered mode and is more selective than the other bands (i.e. it can pick a single vehicle out of traffic better).
So the alerts you get on your detector will depend on where you are and what type of radar the local police are using (in other words, what they can afford). Most X-band alerts will be false alarms (but not always so be careful). Also, more and more K-band alerts may be false as security companies incorporate that band into their alarm systems. If you pick up a Ka-band alert you better hope that it was targeting somebody else or you might as well pull over and wait for the ticket. Laser is even worse - the chances your detector can pick up a stray laser signal before they target you are pretty small.
Nicely put WhiteBird. Laser is aimed at a reflective surface (hence some states front license plates laws.) It is instant on. Once your hit its too late. Also KA band, being newest, is also hardest to detect.
