SEMA 2008 – The Radar Detector Experience
A love for cars, trucks or anything else automotive is the founding principles for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade association. For over forty years, this organization brings a diverse group of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, publishing companies, car clubs and automotive enthusiasts together each year for the world’s largest automotive trade show.
Several of the speed counter measure manufactures attend this week long event to show off their new wares and to network with others in the automotive industry.
Yesterday was opening day for the 2008 event and I felt that this would be a great opportunity to interview the CEO’s and/or engineers of the various radar detector and jammer companies to discuss their various products and their commitments to the industry and customer.
I first met with John Larson, the CEO of Escort Radar Incorporated. Over the past year Escort/Beltronics released three new GPS based radar detectors to the market, the Escort 9500ci which is high performance remote mounted radar detector and laser jammer combo; the 9500ix which is their dash mounted version; the Bel GX65 radar detector and their updated ZR4 laser defense system.
During our interview John stressed Escort’s commitment to the customer saying that they consider “the customer their boss” that they consistently seek input from the radar detector user to improve and develop new products. John revealed some of the new products that they are now working on saying they have several products in the works that will tie other automotive electronic devices into one central unit.
Next I interviewed Leon Gruner aka “Blinder Dude” the CEO from Blinder USA. Leon discussed their updated J16 version of the Blinder M-25 and M-45 laser jammer and their ability to remain strong in the speed counter measure market place for over eight years while others have failed. We also discussed our exploits during the Fireball Cross Country Rally and next year’s run from the west coast to east on Route 66.
Just prior to this year’s show, Don Norton the CEO from Cheetah USA gave me one of their new GPS based photo radar and red light camera alert units, the C100. I had an opportunity to test and review this unit in the Phoenix metro area just as the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Redflex activated sixty new speed enforcement cameras. Don and I discuss this new unit and how during a short eight mile trip it saved me from four of these new cameras and $600.00 in fines.
Cobra Electronics has also embraced GPS technology into their line of radar detectors. Tony, one of the lead engineers of Cobra introduces me to their 2009 line up. Tony who is a long time participant at the annual “Radar Detector Shoot Out” in El Paso, discusses their improvements in processing the incoming radar threats with their detectors and the free GPS update plan they offer.
Notably absent from this year’s show was both Michael Churchman, CEO of Rocky Mountain Radar and Raul Elguea their head engineer. At previous SEMA and CES (Consumer Electronics Show) I approached Raul with cash in hand and television news cameras rolling challenging Raul to demonstrate to me one of his radar jammer products in action in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center . During this interview Raul backed down saying “Our product will not work in a parking lot”.
During last year’s SEMA event Michael Churchman also was a “no show” at his company’s booth. However I did find him at a Las Vegas bar where we sat down to discuss my $50,000.00 reward that I offer to anyone that could show me a Rocky Mountain Radar jammer/scrambler that worked. When I asked why he and his company had refused to take me up on my challenge he first replied saying that my test was rigged. I reminded Michael that it wasn’t my test, that I (we) would higher off duty police officers to perform the test and if his product worked, he would receive $50,000.00. Again Michael refused to take me up on my challenge.
This video recapping Rocky Mountain Radar’s history in the radar jammer/radar detector marketplace was shot directly in front of their booth and their staff was invited to participate, but they refused.
Bounty Raised to $50,000.00!
Sometimes you just couldn’t ask for a better encounter, that was the case at this years SEMA show…..
Last year when I issued my $5000.00 challenge to Rual, the head engineer at RMR, while tv cameras were rolling, the RMR staff were a little gun shy at the CES show, held just a few months later. When I was spotted near their booth at CES in January, CEO and President Mike Churchman would quickly duck under the display leaving his staff to handle any questions.
So at this years SEMA, Mr. Churchman manned a booth for a new company that he just formed, KAT radar detectors and he never went close to the RMR booth.
On November 2nd I just finished off a great dinner at the top of the Stratosphere restaurant and was meeting with a few associates at a lounge on the casino floor. Don, who is the business rep for Cheetah USA nudged me and pointed to the bar. Standing there was my nemesis in the speed counter measure industry, Michael Churchman.
Mr. Churchman is the founder and CEO of Rocky Mountain Radar, the main retailer of those radar scrambler devices you hear blabbed all over the radio and e-mailed to you in junk e-mails. I get countless phone calls and e-mails each day regarding these devices from customers that found out the hard way, that these devices just don’t work.
In 1998, when I started in this industry, I offered my first $5,000 challenge to anyone that could show me one of these products that worked.
Now I had my chance to personally offer my challenge to the huckster himself!
After getting a glass of wine at the bar, Mr. Churchman walked directly toward me and my table. As he passed I said “Hi Mike”. At first he seemed surprised that someone would call out his name at a bar, but as he made eye contact the surprise seemly turned to shock.
I invited Mike to sit down and introduced him to other attendees at the table and made small talk. After a few minutes I then dropped the question that I have been waiting to ask Mike for over 8 years, why he wouldn’t take me up on my $5000.00 challenge.
He responded that my test was rigged and that it had to be performed by Carl Fors at Speed Measurement Laboratories. I responded that was not the case, that Carl Fors had no involvement in this challenge and that I would even let him hold the radar and laser guns, that all I asked that there would be an impartial party involved to judge the test.
At first Mike seemed taken aback and replied “Let me think about this” but then quickly responded, I don’t have anything to prove to you, just to my customers and they already know my product works, so no, your $5000.00 means nothing to me.
I then offered to raise the challenge to $50,000.00 and Mr. Churchman stated “I don’t care if you make it five million dollars” I have nothing to gain. I then responded by saying that potential customers would have something to gain, knowing that a product actually worked as advertised and that I would get off his back in seeing for the first time, an actual product that worked.
Mr. Churchman related that my challenge had no effect on his operation, other then perhaps losing a sale here and there. Even letters that I had written to DBL and Cabellas about him selling illegal jammers had no effect.
I then asked if I had no effect, why would he dispute my video right on the home page of his website. Mr. Churchman related that my video was all rigged and that you could tell that by looking at the lights on the detector, they were not on. Mike related that he had since removed my name from his homepage, and that I was just a footnote now, buried on the site.
Mr. Churchman was also asked why his products were removed from the Radio Shack stores and he related my actions had no effect what so ever, that his detectors were outselling the Radio Shack brand and only had a 2% return rate.
Since I personally raised the challenge to $50,000.00 to Michael Churchman, I have decided to let that offer stand. Here are the details if ANYONE can show me a passive radar jammer that works in scrambling the speed of a vehicle so equipped with such a device.
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