The MSRDL FAQ Sheet Most Commonly Asked Questions

Internet services provided for free by Alachua County FreeNet. Mobile Scanner and RADAR-Detector Laws		While this site is not one where you will find out which scanner or radar-detector is best for you, or how to fight that traffic ticket, or about the technical aspects of scanners and radar-detectors (mostly because, believe it or not, I'm a technical idiot), please do see my "Links/Resources" page. It contains links to other sites which should be able to help you with those kinds of questions. I've tried to fill it with links to places which would answer most common questions that I tend to get. Before you write me, please check there, first; because, unfortunately, if you ask me anything dealing with any of the above, you'll probably just get a stupid look from this technical dunce. (grin) CONTENTS Scanner- and Scanning-related Questions RADAR-Detector-related Questions RADAR-JAMMER-related Questions Speeding- and Ticket-related Questions Copyright- and ``Borrowing''-related Questions Regarding Federal-level and Communications Monitoring Laws Technical-related Questions What's New? Problems Loading My Pages? Scanner- and Scanning-related Questions: Which make and model scanner is the best one? Don't have any clue about that, actually. I'm sort of the technical "dunce" around, here. Kinda shameful considering the fact that I'm a "ham radio operator," I know. However, all this site keeps track of are the laws regarding their use while mobile in each state, and nothing more. Can you tell me how scanners work? Same thing, unfortunately. How do I program this thing? I'm still figuring out my VCR, here. (grin) What are the [frequencies/codes] for [this city/county/state]? No idea. However, I DO have links to some other sites which might help you there. What are the scanner laws in other cities/counties? Unfortunately, this is a one-person operation, and for me, tracking the laws in other cities is just too much to possibly do. It's nearly impossible. Fifty states once a year is enough for me. As for the number of CITIES in every state, across the entire country, I really don't think I WANT to know the number, there. I just don't have the time or the manpower, unfortunately, to peruse three or four VOLUMES of lawbooks - PER CITY. That's just not possible, and probably explains why there aren't any sites out there on the internet which specifically tracks CITY laws, either. The best place to check is at your local "Law Library," where they will keep the most current editions of the law books. Every university has one. They are open to the general public and you should be able to go in and look up the laws in those cities that you intend to travel through. I also have some online statutes for some states listed in my links page to make it easier for you. (Please let me know if any of those links become out of date.) What are the scanner laws in other countries? I used to track the laws in other countries, but that has turned out to be just way too much work for this one-person volunteer operation. So I had to let go of that if I wanted any free time to myself. However, Richard J. Wells, N2MCA, who runs the Strong Signals web page, has a sub-page there called Scanner Laws which lists scanner use legality in various countries. You can try that for scanner-related laws elsewhere around the world. [Back To CONTENTS] RADAR-Detector-related Questions: Which make and model radar-detector is the best one? Sorry. I've no clue about that. This site just keeps track of the laws regarding their use while mobile in each state, and nothing more. Can you tell me how radar-detectors work? (same as above) What are the radar-detector laws in other cities and counties? Unfortunately, this is a one-person operation, and for me, tracking the laws in other cities is just too much to possibly do. It's nearly impossible. Fifty states once a year is enough for me. As for the number of CITIES in every state, across the entire country, I really don't think I WANT to know the number, there. I just don't have the time or the manpower, unfortunately, to peruse three or four VOLUMES of lawbooks - PER CITY. That's just not possible, and probably explains why there aren't any sites out there on the internet which specifically tracks CITY laws, either. The best place to check is at your local "Law Library," where they will keep the most current editions of the law books. Every university has one. They are open to the general public and you should be able to go in and look up the laws in those cities that you intend to travel through. I also have some online statutes for some states listed in my links page to make it easier for you. (Please let me know if any of those links become out of date.) What are the radar-detector laws in other countries? Unfortunately, this is a one-person operation, and for me, tracking the laws in other countries is just too much to possibly do. It's nearly impossible. I used to track them back in the beginning, but I found that the laws in other countries were so volatile that my site became outdated on an almost DAILY basis. Fifty states once a year is enough for me. Some commercial radar-detector web sites do randomly mention some radar-detector laws in other countries, though. So, check around. But be aware...that information may well be old and VERY out-of-date; so be very careful with it. The best place to check is at your local "Law Library," where they will keep the most current editions of the law books. Every university has one. They are open to the general public and you should be able to go in and look up the laws in those countries that you intend to travel through. I also have some online statutes for some states listed in my links page to make it easier for you. (Please let me know if any of those links become out of date.) [Back To CONTENTS] RADAR-JAMMER-related Questions: Important Note Regarding Radar Jammers. This site does not track the laws regarding radar JAMMERS. See here for the reason why. I'll gladly link to anybody who asks from my links page; but users should pay particular note to the fact that there are not very many commercial entities at ALL - who sell radar-detectors, laser-detectors, and jammers concurrently - who have even bothered asking me for a link. (I'm actually kinda proud of that - believe it or not.) ...It is because they do NOT want you reading the things that I mention herein about the illegality of the use of jammer devices. [Back To CONTENTS] Speeding- and Ticket-related Questions: Actually, this is NOT a "speeding-related site," as so many people seem to keep wanting to so list me. I hate that. I track nothing of the sort, here. What does the legality on the USE of a radar-detector have to do with an actual speed "TRAP?" If there's going to be a "trap," it's going to be there whether you have a radar-detector or not. Please don't list me as a "trap" site. That's the majority of the reason behind why I get so many of the "dumb questions" that I so much dread and complain about. If you would, please list me under another category, and try to keep me separated from any groupings with "speeding-related" links. How about "Motorist Laws," or something like that? When you list me otherwise, then people get the idea that I'm the Answer God for speeding and speedtrap-related questions, when actually, I haven't the foggiest about that and really don't want to know, either. Here are some of the most common questions that I get. I don't know the answers to these. Sorry. I got a ticket for speeding. How can I fight it or get out of it? The cop clocked me with his radar gun. I asked to see his radar gun's display, and he refused, saying that he didn't have to. Can he do that? Can I demand it and get out of the ticket, if he refuses? The cop said he used VASCAR. What's that? Can I fight it? The cop said he used VG-2. What's that? Can I fight it? The cop said he clocked me using his speedometer. Is that legal? Can I fight it? The cop said he used a radar-detector-detector? What's that? Are they real? Are they legal? Can I fight it? I was passing by an airport when a cop ticketed me. I understand that radar can interfere with radar guns. Can you tell me how radars work? how radar guns work? how radar can interfere with radar guns, and how I can use it to get out of this ticket? [Back To CONTENTS] Copyright- and ``Borrowing''-related Questions: Can I link to your page? Sure! That's not a problem. As I see it, people don't really need permission just to link - although some might disagree with that. As long as the link makes it clear that what you are pointing to is someone else's work, owned by someone else, then it should be fine. For example, a good link is one which describes the name of the site, and adds the name of the author next to or near it, perhaps with a quick text description, such as: Mobile Scanner & RADAR-Detector Laws In The U.S. - Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH. or NF2G Scannist Pages - Dave Stark/NF2G NY area frequencies and information, and a GREAT section on federal monitoring laws! That's the convention I try to adhere to whenever I link to someone. Note that descriptions aren't always necessary, though. Often the title of the site describes itself, enough. For example, while my own title is kinda long, but it is wholly self-explanatory in itself; so if it didn't have a description with it the user would still have no problem understanding what the site is about. (The title of my pages was a tactical decision made long ago.) Where it gets irritating is when people make links with descriptions that are so generic and vague that they leave the user wondering if the link is a subpage of your site, or if he/she is going somewhere else, or if the work was done by you, or by someone else. Scanner Laws With that description, what does the site deal with? ...General scanning-related laws only? Mobile scanner laws? Both? Do you know that it deals with mobile RD laws, too? Does the link make you think it's just another subpage of the guy who CREATED that link? or that the link belongs to someone else? Want more examples of bad linking? (I won't make them clickable. These are link or descriptions examples to me that I've actually seen.) another scanner laws by state Radar Get out of tickets! Another speedtrap site Some people have something to hide! Would you believe that that one was actually on a site that often DEALS with hams (who often use scanners) in emergencies? ... a state emergency management agency site! Go figure! this site check this out here See this this guy The hint that your link might not be so good is if you are getting e-mails thanking YOU for the work of the other guy. If this is occuring, then you should go back and try to make that link a little more obvious, because users are getting an incorrect impression from it. There ARE some unscrupulous people out there who do not MIND that error occuring if it brings them more publicity and if it tends to increase their profits; and they will deliberately AVOID making any corrections in the descriptions in order to take advantage of that longer. SpeedTrap, by it's own actions (or lack thereof over the past six years) seems to be one of those types. THAT "attitude" over authorship and credit I do NOT condone. Try to be accurate in your description, too, if you give one. A wrong description can cause great headache for the other web site author. For example, the predominant linking category most people use to link to my site is an incorrect one: "Traffic Ticket Sites", or something close to that. Actually, my site has nothing at all to do with traffic tickets or getting out of them; and because of that incorrect link description, many people ask me questions regarding how to get out of traffic tickets. When I am unable to answer their questions, they then become irate, and they usually part with some form of a nastygram. Yes, you are correct, this is not a "correct" attitude, and I shouldn't let it bother me. Yah-dih-dah. I know. But after six years of it, CONSTANTLY, one can be only so patient for so long So please, when you create a description, or sort sites by category, try to be accurate. Can I ``borrow'' your graphics? The animations are free "generics" that I'd found far and wide across the web. Everything ELSE, on the other hand, is of my own doing, and I want to try to retain the rights to those as best I can (not that they're very good). So, no. (Sorry.) Once I let something get used in one place, it becomes impossible to keep control over its use from there. If you would like to know about where you can get some of the graphics and scripts, or know at least where they come from, please see my Kudos and Acknowledgements page. Can I borrow/copy your web pages to my own site? They're GREAT, and would do WONDERS towards increasing my customer hits, and of course, my PROFITS! I'd give credit to you, of course, and offer a penny per hit - regardless of whether they actually bought anything or not. There are people who do what I do, here - and get paid $250 to $500 an HOUR to do it. (chuckle) ...Sorry but, I have to say NO. ...But if I find that you've already put my pages up at your site, ANYWAY, I'll charge you just that much as a minimum - for the "use" of my "services" - BEFORE we even get into the Courtroom. Meanwhile, please see my Copyright Notice and Warning. It's automatically assumed that you have, for legal purposes. I created these pages. I'm proud of them. And I intended them to be freely available to the general public AT-NO-COST, because that's the way it should be. HOWEVER, I did NOT design these pages to help commercial entities make a profit. WHY do you have all that whining copyright-related SCRIPTING on all of your web pages? It's IRRITATING! You're a LOUSY web page designer, and you should get a life, Dude! Don't you have anything better to do than COMPLAIN? Ask Roy Reyer, of RadarBusters and LaserBusters, why that idiot Todd Sherman has all that copyright-related whining on his web page. Roy knows. He's stolen some of my work, and uses it to try to make himself a profit. Do you run web pages of your own? Have you ever had someone come along and steal it, then place it up at their own site, and put their own copyright logo at the bottom - claiming credit for all of your hard work? I have. ...REPEATEDLY. When it happens with "Internet Newbies," I at least understand what the problem is. It's because they haven't a clue how copyright works, or what it is, and because they've fallen victim to a lot of the incorrect wives tales about copyright that are floating around. But when it happens with commercial entities - like RadarBusters - then THAT'S another thing, entirely. These people run businesses, and are well familiar with it. They wouldn't DARE let it happen to themselves; so why they still then do it to other people blows me away. But that's ALSO happened to me. Please see my COPYRIGHT NOTICE, where I have a little about some of those stories. It also goes into some of the copyright misnomers floating commonly around. Roy actually stole an older version of my whole subpage on radar-detector laws and then pasted it onto his own site (without even bothering to change the words for quite a while) - where, for the past two years, he's been attempting to use it to help increase his personal profits. He has repeatedly refused to remove the pages, Since then, I've tried to make pointers to his blatent infringements, and has engaged in continually moving those pages around, and slowly modifying their look, in efforts to hide his practices from the public and to make me look like a liar, I suppose. He's changed his radar laws page so much now that it doesn't look like the original thing he stole anymore, but the fact remains...the original work he stole was indeed mine. He did not do any of the research. I did. However, he claims credit for my work by placing his own copyright at the bottom of it all. Regardless of what he thinks, it's still a "derivative" of my work, and I still own the rights to it. People need to know what to be wary of when creating their own web pages. There are some REALLY unscrupulous people out there who have no beef about stealing your work and using it to make a profit for themselves. The other reason I have scripting like that is to protect YOU. SOME sites like to hold my site hostage within their own frames, so that they can spam you with banner ads, cookies, unauthorized Active-X and Java applications, and those infamous "hiding" browser windows. I have scripting installed on my pages which prevents other sites from doing that. CarTimes.com is an example of one site which attempts to do that. This is my site. I created it in a certain way with my own "paint strokes." I meant for it to be for free. When companies attempt to "add strokes" to the work, they are violating copyright, for one; and for another, they are attempting to make a profit off of my work. For yet another, they are harassing my users. ...And I will not stand for any of that kind of nonsense at all. First you will (usually) see the other site attempt to load a banner ad graphic across the top of my page. Then you will hear a click, and that ad-frame across the top will disappear, and my site will then load WITHOUT that banner ad (and all of its cookies, and programs). You don't have to send me a "thank-you" note. I already know that you appreciate it ... I understand it ... and you're very welcome. [Back To CONTENTS] [Back To CONTENTS]
Mobile Scanner & RADAR-Detector Laws In The U.S. c/o Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH Gainesville, Alachua Co., Fla. E-mail: mobilescannerlaws@cox.net Page Created: May 08, 2002. Last updated: February 09, 2011. Copyright © 1995-2011 by Todd L. Sherman. All Rights Reserved.