The raw power of a fast car and an open road cannot be underestimated. Getting in my vehicle and letting the engine rev as it shows me what it’s got is one of the best ways I can think of to spend my time.  Avoiding detection in the costly game of cat and mouse with the police is something that those of us who like to speed regularly have to contend with. Radar detectors and GPS detectors are going to be an inevitable investment if you’re in this position. Whether you spend $200 or more than $500 on your radar detector, you’ll need to know how to use all of its features and technology to the greatest extent. Get the necessary accessories as well and you’ll get it tracking the cops from far away no matter where you are!

Just like they say in the online videos from the manufacturer of the products, you have to put the product together in the right way for it to work best. If your radar detector is supposed to be dash-mounted, then make sure and read the manufacturer’s users instructions and install it the right way. For windshield mounts, make sure they are in the proper horizontal and vertical positions to get the optimum performance.

Do your homework online and check out products and shipping prices at various online sites from home. You can sign up for discounts and promotions from manufacturers by providing your email address. You can also find the location of the nearest stores and go see your top picks in person for a better idea of what they feel like, what they are made of, and to ask any questions you may have to the professionals at the store.

Some of the units offer a city mode and a highway mode. There are certain instances when you should be using these modes to get the most “alert power” out of your detector. By not using these features properly, the system will have a hard time and won’t always locate threats and you’ll miss getting a warning. You’ll be an unhappy customer and blame it on the unit instead of “operator error”.

If you have a GPS unit and radar detector in one, be sure you watch free product videos by experts and reviewers who already know how to use their systems and who can teach you how to do the same. These units are especially helpful in this day and age where machines are doing more of the work for the police when they can’t be in all places at once. For example, red light cameras and speed trap cameras are popping up all over the U.S. If you don’t have a detector to tell you when they are close, you’ll get ticketed. Look for GPS detectors with a programmable database, such as the Escort Passport 9500ix or the Beltronics Bel Pro Series GX65. Both have the ability for the driver to add red light and speed camera traps to its database, but the GX65 takes it a step further and already has thousands of existing locations preprogrammed into the devices. This technology allows you to travel anywhere in North America and be confident that you’re one step ahead of the threats! Don’t forget to subscribe to the bi-monthly database updates to stay on top of things. It costs around $30 and pays for itself the first time you don’t get caught.