Re: Radar Detectors
First, I agree with oledoc2 that instant on or laser will catch you, especially if you are the only car. I have a 5 year old Bel 795 and it has worked reliably many times. I would rather get several false alarms than a ticket, so any time it chirps I slow down. That has save my bacon many times. If a trooper is using instant on ahead of me, I often pick up the pulse 1/2 to a mile ahead and slow down in plenty of time. On the NYS Thruway, they seem to drive with the radar on which gives plenty of warning that they are coming. Mostly I stay in the right lane or back in the pack, and generally only drive 7-10 miles over the limit. I do a lot of OTR driving between MI and the east coast (and to FL next weekend), and the radar detector is a definite plus.
Secondly, any trooper with a knowledge of radar detectors (and they all do) would just set up next to one of those false alarms and use it to mask his signal. Gotcha. Even when I am pretty sure it is a traffic warning using K or Ka to trigger sign illumination, I still slow down since a clever trooper could be lying in wait, hidden by the radar you expect. They have a ton of these on the PA Tpk.