As many people already know, radar detectors have one big flaw.
They can't protect you from cops who use their speedometers, or who are just out to hassle you.

A cop can come up behind you, in an unmarked car, and pull you over. Sure, you might be able to spot even an unmarked cop car, but how many times has a cop slipped out of your vision? Or, what would stop a cop car making a U-turn, just to pull you over and hassle you, even if you aren't speeding?

It's been talked about before in other forums, but has anyone considered a device that tracks cop cars no by their radar, but by their radio transceivers?

Theoretically, when calibrated to frequencies used by local and state law enforcement, this device could alert you when any cop is near your location.

There's already a device on the market that can do that, the Uniden BCT series (T for "tracker") scanner. The theory is this: most state law enforcement carry a small portable radio on them. It doesn't have the power or range to get to the headquarters/dispatch station, so its signal is sent back to the police car, which then sends the signal over its considerably larger transmitting system. The BCT hones in on transceiver activity and notifies with audio and visual queues a transceiver within two or three miles.

The most recent addition to the BCT line is the BCT 15

Here's a review of an earlier model, BCT 12

 

wow thats nice only if u could wire it up on the bike

 

dude, i would personally spend 1k+ to have a devise that shows me on a screen where they are within 50 yards or so... just gotta play connect the dots and avoid there cones like metal gear solid bwhahahhaa!!! for those of you who have played the game you kno what im talking about

 

way to much effort and money for me.....

 

awesome, you are going to pick up EVERY cop car, fhp, fwc, rescue, fire engine, fire truck, heavy, sunstar, amr, hospital, boat and repeater station within 2-3 miles. the reason i say this, is because most everyone around here now runs an 800Mhz system.

the only way to get a fixed location on something using its signal strength as a gauge is to triangulate the signal area. like the FCC does to pirate radio stations and other offenders they have to track down.

 

i think it tracks it by the channel thier on not th mhz

 

it'd be somethin nice to have in the mr2 when shes done

 

but there is no "channel" they are on

they use a trunking system, they run alot of "channels" like 804.812mhz...and 804.984 mhz...and god knows how many others. just for SPPD.

 

Cops are phasing out that technology, if I'm not mistaken. So these things will be useless shortly. I may be wrong, but I Don't think I am. Someone call one of TampaRacing's finest in here to confirm/deny?

 

well, the phasing out was brought about, as far as i know, to make emergency management easier so EMS and PD could both be on the same page essentially if either needed assistance from another. but i thought the system in place now was the newest implementation of it. i could be wrong though.