Frequently Asked Questions
Scramblers
- 1. How does the Radar Scrambler work?
A: It works on all police radar bands. (X, K, Ka, super wide) Inside the scrambler are 3 elements: an FM chirp generator, a mixer diode and a dual ridge wave-guide antenna. When the scrambler is hit by a signal it runs it through the mixer, adding the FM chirp to mix up the signal and using the antenna, reflect back this new signal to the radar gun. The radar gun?s computer can?t recognize the new signal; it gets confused and won?t display a reading on the gun, leaving a blank screen.
- 2. How does the Laser Scrambler work?
Lidar sends out laser pulses and measures how long it takes to hit your car and come back. From the speed of light it can determine your range. It sends out several more pulses and calculates your speed from the change in distance over time. The DLS310 transmits pulses electronically timed at 100 feet apart. This only allows the Lidar to see up to 100 feet so it is unable to calculate your speed.
- 3. Is the scrambler active or passive?
The radar scrambler is passive and the laser scrambler is active.
- 4. Will my unit protect me from VASCAR (airplanes and helicopters)?
No, VASCAR is basically a fancy stopwatch used to time a vehicle from point A to point B. The time between points determines your speed. It is not radar or laser.
- 5. What is the punch-through zone?
Radar (X, K, Ka super wide and instant-on) Signals come out in a cone shape, the farther it goes, the wider and weaker the signal gets. Punch-through is when the signal being reflected off the car is equal in strength to our scrambling strength; on average about 50-200 feet. At this range lock-on is possible. There is typically no punch-through with laser.
- 6. What is the range of protection?
The scrambler and the combination will only scramble in the direction they are facing. They provide coverage for the entire front of your vehicle, up to 4 times the range of a radar gun.
- 7. What is the difference between the scrambler S201 (Phazer II) and the combination C410 & C430 unit?
The scrambler (S201) is strictly a scrambler while the C410 & C430; incorporate the scrambling capabilities with a high performance radar/laser detector.
- 8. Is the S201 (Phazer II) a detector?
No, it will not alert you to any police radar. It is not designed to provide detection.
- 9. Will the scrambler S201 interfere with my detector?
No, since the scrambler does not transmit a signal of its own, it will not interfere with detectors.
- 10. Do the units have memory?
Yes.
- 11. Does the C430 unit come with the scrambler activated?
Yes.
- 12. How do I know that my jammer is activated on the C430?
When you turn the unit on the light under the ?T? (test) will come on at the end of the start up sequence and you will hear a short chirp.
- 13. How do I know that my jammer is activated on the C410?
When you turn the unit on and two (2) power lights stay on. One under ?P? for power and one under ?S? for scrambler. You may also depress the ?T? ? Test Button.
- 14. Will the units scramble the roadside trailer signs that display your speed as you approach them?
The roadside trailer signs do use radar to determine your speed. However, they do not have a sampling computer like the Police radar guns do. These signs merely take an average and will ignore any extra signals they receive. Citations cannot be issued from these signs for this reason.
- 15. Will the scrambler work on photo radar?
YES, if they are taking your picture from the front. If they are taking your picture from the rear you will need to place a unit in the rear.
- 16. How do I know the scrambler and the combination unit is working?
Both units have a self-test button, when you push the button down a yellow light will appear and you will hear a soft ?chirping? sound. This tells you that the unit is working properly. If the unit malfunctions this test would not work properly and the power light would go off.
- 17. Will the scrambler work with tinted windows?
Yes, unless the tint contains metal particles or the unit is mounted low on the dash where the windshield wipers or other metallic materials exist; this may reduce the effectiveness of the units.
- 18. Do the units scramble 360 degrees?
No, a scrambler is a forward scrambler. The combination units detect 360 degrees.
- 19. What is the range of a radar gun?
Depending on the radar gun, the range can be any where from a mile (1) to two (2) miles.
- 20. How far away do they work?
The radar scrambler works from 4 to 6 times the range of the gun and the laser scrambler works at 2 times the lidar range.
- 21. What is the difference between the C410 and C430?
The C410 and C430 share the same function and price; the chief difference are in styling and the C430 has signal strength meter and selectable alert tones.
- 22. Is the RMR-C410, RMR-C430, and the RMR-C450 really illegal to use?
Some States have passed laws that prohibit the use of scramblers; Rocky Mountain Radar has included a switch for consumers to turn the scrambling portion of their units off in those states.
Detectors
- 1. What is Micro - Scan?
Scans the radar bands 2-4 times faster than as any other detector. This allows us to pick up the new P.O.P. radar - that no one else can.
- 2. What is Smart-Scan?
When we detect radar in one scan we repeat that scan, instead of completing programmed scans and returning. This means we detect quicker with less false alarms than any other detector.
- 3. What is P.O. P. radar?
A pulse similar to instant on radar except it is very short - too short for any detector to see except Rocky Mountain Radar. (On models with Micro-Scan).
- 4. Why does the unit only detect very short ranges?
The officer may have been using instant on or P.O.P. radar
- 5. What do the units detect?
They detect all bands used by police, including X, K, Ka, super wide bands and all laser.
- 6. What is the difference between the D210 & D230?
The D230 has Micro-ScanĂ” signal strength meter and selectable tones added to all the features of the D-210.
- 7. Do the detectors alert you to the Safety Warning Signals?
Yes, the unit incorporates the Safety Alerts (SA) and Safety Warning Systems (SWS) detection. This safety feature warns you of the presence of potential road hazards by detecting signals from safety transmitting devices.
- 8. What is the L/V on my detector?
It will light up when you are hit with laser, and when your VG-2 is activated
- 9. What is the detection range on the detectors?
The range is about 3 miles in highway mode, 1.5 miles in the city.
Legal
- 1. How are these units legal?
The FCC regulates all consumer products that transmit or leak radio frequency into the air. (Part 15 of the FCC code) Since the scrambler and the scrambler portion of the combination units do not transmit but merely act as a reflective receiver they are legal under the FCC regulations; the receiver portion of the combination units are FCC Certified. Regarding the laser scrambler, there are no Federal laws against transmission of infrared light, so the laser-scrambling portion is legal as well. And all the units have an FCC label on the bottom.
- 2. Where are these units illegal?
The scrambler and the combination units are banned in OK, MN, CO, VA, CA, NE, UT, IL, TN, SC and Washington, D.C. They are legal in some providence?s of Canada and many foreign countries. When the scrambler is deactivated with the internal switch, the units ARE LEGAL in all US states except VA and D.C.
- 3. Are your detectors FCC compliant?
Yes, all of our units are compliant and certified.
- 4. What is the registration card for?
The registration card enrolls you in our ticket rebate program. If you ever happen to receive a laser ticket within the one year we will have you on file.
- 5. NEW LAW IN TENNESSEE
Effective on 07/01/06 in the State of Tennessee, a new law has banned the use of scramblers. Under this new law, we can no longer re-imburse ticket fines in Tennessee. In most of our current models, there is an internal switch to de-activate the scrambler. Since Radar Roy, Craig Peterson, Carl Fors, and Tom Martino have attacked our Scramblers as not working as advertised, "8" states have passed laws banning our products..... Makes one wonder why so many states spend so much money and effort passing these laws!
Troubleshooting
- 1. My unit will not turn on.
Check the on/off button and also check the fuse at the end of the power cord. The silver tip will unscrew and the 2-amp fuse is easily replaced. Check the fuse in your cigarette lighter. If it is none of these, return the unit to the manufacturer for repair/replacement.
- 2. Why does my detector give me an alert but no lights?
Check the dim position. If this is not the problem return back to factory for warranty.
- 3. My detector has no sound.
If the unit shows lights when detecting a signal, make sure the mute is not on. The unit has memory.
- 4. Why doesn?t my detector go off at electric doors/alarms?
Make sure the city button is not on. The detector will not false alarm as much if your detector has Smart-Scan.
- 5. Which light indicates what on the combination units?
On the combination units, C410, left to right: green - power/red - X /amber - K /green-KA amber - City & Test/ and the C430, left to right: green - power/ Ka - amber/K - yellow/ X - green/ signal meter - red(3 lights)/ City - yellow/Test - amber. All the lights light up for laser detection.
- 6. My unit worked fine & now it does not go off?
Make sure you have not put the unit in the mute mode. The unit will stay in mute even if you turn the unit off and back on again. The unit has memory, whatever function you place it in will remain until you change it.
- 7. How do I change the tone on the D230?
Hold down the mute button for 3 seconds this will change the tone.
What is VG-2/VG-3
- 1. What is VG-2/VG-3?
VG-2 is a device police use to detect the leakage from a detector. It is used in states where detectors are banned, and for commercial vehicles. VG-3 is a new unit designed to detect Bel/Escort & Valentine detectors.
- 2. What does VG-2 enable?
The DLS310 is VG-2 & VG-3 undetectable. If you are not in a state where detectors are legal or not in a commercial vehicle you should deactivate the VG-2 function to speed up radar detection. When VG-2 is activated, the DLS310 will alert you to an officer using a detector - detector (VG-2) in the area.
- 3. Does my unit cover VG-2 & VG-3?
Yes, but you have to activate that function to detect them. The units are not detectable by VG-2/VG-3.
- 4. Do the detectors come with the VG-2 on?
Yes, normally VG-2 is activated.
- 5. Is my unit detectable?
No, they are not detectable by VG-2 & VG-3. Caution must be used, however, where detectors are not allowed so they are not visually seen.
- 6. How do I know that my VG-2 is activated on the C430?
When you turn on the unit at the end of the start up the power light will flash. This lets you know that the VG-2 detection is activated.
- 7. How do I know that my VG-2 is activated on the C410?
When you hold down the mute button and you get three beeps it is activated, if you get a flat tone it is deactivated. Also the VG-2 alarm will sound at start-up when it is activated.
- 8. Does enabling vg-2 slow down the radar detection or scrambler? Does it affect the radar/laser scrambler?
Yes it slows down detection. VG-2 sweeps just like a detector, so to detect we must stop and wait for it to complete its sweep. The amount of time is short - about 1/8th second. While we are waiting, we are not looking for radar. With VG-2 off, we skip this cycle completely and continuously look for radar. It does not affect laser detection as we do this in parallel. There is no affect at all on scrambling.
Installation
- 1. Where is the best place to mount my unit?
The manufacturer recommends center windshield (right below the rear-view mirror) for maximum coverage. There must be no metallic interference with the unit.
- 2. Can these units be remotely mounted?
No, the units were not designed for remote mounting.
- 3. Which direction do the units face?
On both the scrambler and the combination units, the smoke screen and the green power light faces towards the inside of your vehicle, and the unit must be mounted level.
- 4. Can these units be hard-wired?
Yes, clip off the cigarette lighter end and connect the white stripe (ribbed) wire to 12 volts and the other to ground. Add an in-line wire fuse to the power side (black-white wire).
- 5. Do you offer visor mounts?
No, we only offer the windshield mount.
POP Detection
- 1. How does Rocky Mountain Radar's POP detection compare with other POP detectors?
Rocky Mountain Radar was the first to recognize and design for POP detection two years ago. Rocky Mountain Radar products are 87-100% effective; since we introduced POP detection to the Industry all our competitors now claim to have that ability but they fail to disclose, however, is that their best POP detection is less than 50% regardless of the brand name.
Pricing
- 1. Why are some Internet sites selling your products at a lower price?
Rocky Mountain Radar has noticed that several Internet sites are selling our product at a lower price, then most of our dealers. Not all of these are authorized dealers of Rocky Mountain Radar product. We advise you to think before buying from these dealers because we do not know if those units are not original product as represented, used or pirated.
General
- 1. Why are there so many websites that say Rocky Mountain Radar products do not work?
Rocky Mountain Radar is the Undisputed Technology Leader in the Radar Industry. We have the best pricing, the lowest return rate, no false alerts with our Smart-Scan, and the best warranty service. Other companies have had to resort to negative press to place doubts in our products. By hiring the likes of Craig Peterson, Tom Martino, and Carl Fors, (Fun by Fors and Speed Measurement Labs) these companies have maligned our product so they can look good.
- 2. I placed an order on the Rocky Mountain Radar site, my credit card statement says Radar Solutions Ltd. What's up?
Radar Solutions Ltd. has purchased all the assets of Rocky Mountain Radar including its name and trademarks. The web site will not be different but all billing and shipping info will show Radar Solutions Ltd. name.