By Scott Nyerges on September 19, 2009 in
As we note in our updated report on radar detectors, there's a bit of an outlaw mentality associated with these devices, which most people buy to avoid speeding tickets (despite manufacturer claims to the contrary). Among the more dubious devices we found are radar jammers sold by Rocky Mountain Radar. The problem is that it's a federal felony to attempt to jam police radar. In 2007, The Federal Communications Commission cited Rocky Mountain Radar for selling illegal devices, but they're still for sale at Amazon.com and other mainstream retailers. Ten years earlier, in 1997, Rocky Mountain Radar earned some bad press for its Phazer radar scrambler; reviews by both CBS News and ABC's 20/20 suggested that the Phazer simply didn't work.
User reviews of Rocky Mountain Radar products are decidedly mixed at Amazon.com. Of the 28 people who weigh in on the Rocky Mountain Radar RMR-C450 Radar and Laser Detector & Scrambler, one quarter of them give it the lowest rating possible, and more than one consumer uses the word "scam" to describe the product. Even some owners who post positive reviews admit that they have no idea whether the radar-jamming feature actually works. Another model, the DLS-315, gets as almost many one-star reviews from owners as it does five-star reviews, and as is the case with the C450, even the positive reviewers don't say whether the radar-jamming function actually works.
For their part, Rocky Mountain Radar says the products work. In the FAQ section of their website, they don't directly address the FCC citation. Rather disingenuously, they say their devices are legal in all states except Virginia and Washington, D.C. "when the scrambler is deactivated with the internal switch" (our italics added). They also take a jab at several critics of their products, including Roy Reyer, a former police officer and proprietor of RadarBuster.com (which ConsumerSearch cites as a source in our report on radar detectors), noting that Rocky Mountain Radar products have been banned in eight states: "Makes one wonder why so many states spend so much money and effort passing these laws!"
Although radar jammers are illegal, you can legally jam police laser guns in most states. But laser jammers are also controversial. The manufacturer of the top-performing laser jammer in GuysOfLidar.com's 2008 test, the Laser Interceptor (*Est. $700 to $2,450), was accused in August 2009 of patent infringement by a rival company (see the laser jammers section of our full report). The parent corporation of the No. 2 performer, Laser Pro Park (*Est. $450 to $700), was dissolved by the U.K. government in February 2009. A poor performer in that test, the LaserStar, was accused of "spamming" on more than one car or radar-detector forum; by late 2009, it was no longer for sale.
