Question: Will my radar detector work overseas?
Answer: A lot of people ask us whether or not their radar detectors will work overseas (or not in the USA in general).
The answer to this question is quite complex, but as a rule of thumb, it will probably work partially.
The USA defines specific frequencies that police radar can use and your detector is designed to detect those frequencies. Other countries may have different frequencies which your detector will most likely not be able to pick up. Also, there are a lot of different speed detection techniques overseas so you may not be protected against all of them. Finally, radar detectors may or may not be legal in other countries. As a general rule, I’d say leave your radar detector at home and either get one there, or obey the speed limit.
Question: Can police tell if I am using a radar detector?
Answer: The technology to detect radar detectors does exist, but is usually only in use where radar detectors are illegal. The latest police technology to detect radar detectors is called the Spectre Radar Detector Detector. At the time of writing this, these units can detected all current radar detectors except the Escort Redline, Escort Passport 9500ci, Beltronics STi Driver, Beltronics STi Magnum, and the Beltronics STI-R (Plus).
Keep in mind, most police will notice your radar detector if it’s hanging on your windshield in plain view.
Question: Will my radar detector kill my car battery?
Answer: It could. Luckily my car automatically turns off power to the cigarette lighter when I turn off the car, but not all cars do this. If your car doesn’t automatically turn off power to the lighter when the car turns off, your radar detector may continue running and could kill your car battery. There are a couple of possible solutions to this issue:
1. Unplug the radar detector when you stop. 2. Some radar detectors have an automatic turn off function that can turn off your detector after a period of inactivity.
3. Hardwire your radar detector to a fuse that turns off when the car turns off.