Joe, would "blacking out" the headlight reflector area with some special paint reduce the effectiveness of aiming a radar gun at the front of the car?
Does the Viper have any advantage over say, a Ford F350, in that it has a more rounded shape, with less flat surfaces to bounce micro waves off of?
A few years ago, there was a magazine write-up on a "stealth" Vette. Ok, mybe it was quite a few years ago, since it was a (then new) C4. Some of the mods they did to it were brake and tail lights cut-out switches, narrow beam headlights that made a small illuminated patch on the ground, making the car difficult to spot at night from the rear, special paint on the body and rims, etc... The most notable feature was a highly illegal radar-jammer. This wasn't something small that was stuck on the windshield! It was a big as a "bread box", (old phrase there), sat on the floor of the passenger side, and it had some dials on the front of it, where I think you could set what speed you wanted the radar gun to display.
Any ideas what brand that was? Doesn't sound like something I've heard for sale anywhere. Maybe it was handbuilt. Years later I saw the same car for sale in the classifieds, sans radar jammer.
About my Valentine 1, it has given me warnings over hilltops, but like has been said, thats probably just because of reflected signals. Most of the time, its giving me warnings so early, I'm the only one slowing down! On our flat freeways, sometimes it goes off miles before I finally actually see the CHP, which makes me slow for quite a ways. If I get a forward arrow, I can tell the difference between a bogey that is stopped in front of me on either side of the freeway, or traveling in the same direction, but up ahead, (CHP has rear-facing radar, as well as front), as compared to a moving bogey coming at me from the opposite lanes of traffic. If they are stopped in front, the signal strength tone gets louder and higher pitched at a normal rate, and if they are moving in the same direction in front, the warning changes much slower, but if they are coming from the opposite lanes, the warning pitch increases much faster. What good is that, you say? Well, there are so many cars on the freeway in SoCal, a CHP is not likely to take notice of speeders in opposite lanes, unless its something really wild. So when I get a forward arrow warning, I don't have to slow to below the pace of traffic, if the bogey warning isn't on my side of the freeway. Since the Valentine 1 is so sensitive, this helps me to generally stay with the flow, and not have to slow down suddenly just because I get a moving bogey from the other side of the freeway.
My Valentine 1 did not work so well, when cresting a hill that was also a turn. One time I was doing 80, and the warning went off like two seconds before he crested from the other direction, then we were eye-ball to eye-ball! Thank God I got a warning only, 'cause he had me dead-to-rights! When he asked me how fast the car went, I told him I've had it up to 170. Then I thought I shouldn't have bragged, because there aren't any tracks out here where you can get up that fast! Which would have begged the next question, "Where did you go that fast?" (He didn't ask me)
I think radar detectors can serve to slow people down, because it (1). Makes them aware of their speed and surroundings, which promotes mirror use and general alertness, (2). Scares the bejeezus out of them when it goes off, (3). Causes other cars to "surf" the detector owner's car, which slows them down also, especially if they got Valentine 1, 'cause it picks up a lot of bogeys!
