Speed Camera Detection Etc

Kentish · 11-06-2003, 14:59

I am going to invest in something that will help prevent "inadvertant" speeding tickets etc but which way to go is puzzling.
I am not sure whether to go for something that GPS based so as to warn of the fixed sites and average speed devices, or to go for a radar detection device instead.

What does eveyone use that has one, and how good are they.

Any responses would be appreciated as I feel now is the time to just try and protect my so far pointless license.I know keeping to speed limits is the answer, but real world driving doesnt always allow that.

Cheers

**TaviaRS** · 11-06-2003, 15:05

IMHO:

Go for something like the Snooper S6R-Neo or the Road Angel.

Don't worry about a laser detector as by the time it alerts you you have already been hit. Much better although of dubious legality (OK its abouts as legal as sheep fiddling

) is a laser diffuser. One of those and one of the 2 units listed above would be my choice.

Be prepared to spend about £800+ for the complete setup though.

Jon

**robmawer** · 11-06-2003, 15:07

Know exactly where you're coming from - much the same reason behind why I decided to invest.

I opted for the Road Angel, which is GPS based so picks up fixed locations of Gatsos, SPECS and
also proper non-camera'd accident blackspots. It also have a laser module which plugs into the
back - I need to get round to fitting it, but haven't as yet.

I'm not too sure about laser only solutions - a friend of mine who has been known to talk b*ll**ks
reckons that laser detectors are better, as they will pick up all the cameras without needing to
be updated. However, this seems to rely on the diffusion of lasers which I think is a bit unreliable
for something like Gatsos. I might be wrong (and he certainly seemed to think so!), but I'd say
the GPS solution is more accurate, and I don't see all that many radar guns about these days!

That said, the Road Angel is not a one-or-another solution, and for 400 quid is a bargain IMHO.
(Oh, there are some subscription things to pay that you wouldn't have with a pure laser solution...)

Rob.

**TaviaRS** · 11-06-2003, 15:21

Pure laser, waste of time.

Radar fires out a cone and can therefore be picked up from its spread. laser is a 2mm wide beam which suffers very little scatter. As I said, if your laser detector goes off, you have usually been hit.

**robmawer** · 11-06-2003, 15:31

Quote:

Originally posted by TaviaRS in this post
As I said, if your laser detector goes off, you have usually been hit.

Main reason I haven't hurried to fit my laser detector module.
Of course, my friend who knows better reckons that the detector
can work for upto 1400yds, whereas the laser which nabs you
only works from 200yds.

So, after being needled for not saving 100 quid and getting a
pure laser detector, I told him to go buy one and see who gets
a ticket first.

Rob.

Stuart_J · 11-06-2003, 15:31

Fit Sidewinder missiles as well, then if your detected just take out the camera to destroy the film

fen_l&k · 11-06-2003, 15:51

Reminds me of a story probably posted before about a plod in Northumberland on the A1, who was "radar gunning" passing traffic.

All of a sudden the gun went mad, said the speed was 999 mph and then locked up. He took it back to base and they were confused.

Some time later they found out that there was a joint air force exercise in the area and that a Dutch figher pilot had locked onto the radar gun as an enemy target. Only the swift reactions of the pilot in knocking off the arming system prevented the plod from being attacked (or so the report said).

Shame!

H

Witchfinder · 11-06-2003, 15:56

http://www.radar-detector-shop.co.uk/

They offer some deals where you can get a Radar/Laser detector plus Laser jammer for about 500 notes. They also have the GPS based systems.

AFAIK, Laser jammers aren't illegal, and I would like to know on what grounds they could be considered to be illegal - after all, they just diffuse light. If anything that did that was illegal, then prisms, windows, water, etc... would also be illegal!

***DGW*** · 11-06-2003, 18:18

I would be interested to hear any plausible reason for having a laser jammer in a car on UK roads. Over to you...

steve · 11-06-2003, 18:25

Kentish,
i take it you've heard about the new van's then.
Im in the same boat, i now need one for the cab as they're crackin down in town.
Every morning on the Mall and South Carriage Drive hiding behind a van or tree. Soon to be everywhere.

Makes you f*ckin sick,

Steve

Kentish · 11-06-2003, 18:34

I have heard about the new vans, but my main reason is driving in unfamiliar areas ( when out in the car) and not knowing where the cameras are.

I have decided to go the GPS based route, but are there any features that should be a must have, or stear clear of? or isit a case of hit and hope?

My main concern is physical size, as I will not have anything fixed to the windscreen of screwed onto the dash (sad I know)

Cheers

***DGW*** · 11-06-2003, 18:38

This is what EVO Magazine had to say about laser detectors in a test carried out in 1999:

"Test three - the detectors vs. a laser gun. Most of them picked up the laser - but all gave warnings too late. A modern laser gun will acquire you as a target and measure your speed in 0.3 seconds, thus you get 0.3 seconds warning - and that’s all you get. Unlike radar, a laser gun sends a much narrower pulse for a much shorter period of time, often just a fraction of a second. As even the world’s top drag racers don’t have reaction times that fast, it’s a bit pointless owning a laser detector that can detect laser as you can't react to the warning."

The same article, which appears in the link here, mentions that laser guns can be used up to 999m. Worth a read. The police officer who goes out in the Cambridgeshire Police mobile speed trap van (its called something more socially acceptable, but I can't remember what) demonstrated on Anglia TV how the unit is used. When sited on the A14 near Molesworth, in a clearly visible position, the unit will detect that you are speeding before you see it and can slow down. One of my sons can vouch for that.

BTW, the Cambridgeshire Police do publish details a week in advance in the local free papers of which roads the detector van will be checking vehicle speed on and when.

Dmac1969vRS · 11-06-2003, 20:24

DGW
How about this for a plausible reason " Ive got this in my car so I can speed and get away with it , and not get any points on my license"..Plausible enough to me!

nockmeister · 11-06-2003, 21:29

slightly o/t
I prefer the 5th gear (or was it topgear?) experiment...travelling at 185mph is to fast for the camera to react

Quinten · 11-06-2003, 21:36

Quote:

Originally posted by nockmeister in this post
slightly o/t
I prefer the 5th gear (or was it topgear?) experiment...travelling at 185mph is to fast for the camera to react

It was Top Gear (last season).

SkodiRS · 12-06-2003, 10:02

There was a review of devices in Autocar a couple fo weeks ago.

Road Angel was recommended; now includes laser detection (see everyone elses views on this) and accident blackspot technology. It didn't miss a camera and is easy to install. COst £393, 1yr free subscription then £49/year.

The Orign Blue OB2 was the winner. It's the newest andhte testers felt it's warning were clearning and it's features more extensive. Also it's installation is more subtle being designed to sit in a phone type holder and it's slightly bigger than a pager.
Cost £430, 6 months free subscription then £50 /year.

Also worth checking out is tyresmoke.net as there's quite a good discussion on laser diffusers.

If you want to go the non GPS route a mate of mine has a Bell 550i and swears buy it. I think it's £360.

Cheers.
Adrian.

**robmawer** · 12-06-2003, 10:04

Quote:

Originally posted by Kentish in this post
My main concern is physical size, as I will not have anything fixed to the windscreen of screwed onto the dash (sad I know)

The RoadAngel is good in this respect, as you get a few options
for how to mount it. You get a "cradle" with a couple of plastic
suction cups on the top that stick to the windscreen, and the
cradle rests on the dash (there's a little mat you can tuck
underneath to help it grip better. The Road Angel mounts on the
cradle using some very strong velcro.

Let me know if that's a good enough explanation, or if you'd
like some pictures done at the weekend when I have the
camera out!

Rob.

SkodiRS · 12-06-2003, 10:17

Rob,

how do you rate the Road Angel? After being Jabba-ed I reckon I'll probably need to ge myself one sof these devices; SWMBO says I drive too fast already.

Road Angel appears to be easy to install; just plug and play. Price seems reasonable considering what you get and importantly, it's a proven product.

Cheers.
Adrian.

**robmawer** · 12-06-2003, 10:25

Well, I bought one on Martin's (gunnie) recommendation and having seen it in action in his car.
And in turn, I would definitely recommend it!
Extremely easy to install (<10mins), very discreet (although I do have to run it on mute as it
irritates *someone*), and very effective.

Also, due to the height it's mounted and the accuracy of the speed reading, I now use it instead
of my speedo.

Rob.

Kentish · 12-06-2003, 12:20

Well I have gone the Road Angel route, mainly because I was able to see it in the flesh at Halfords, and only £6 dearer than net prices and no delay with getting it home!.

First impressions are good, and it seems to do everything I want. I especially like the user update features, whereby I can update its memory as I drive when finding new or removed devices, which then updates their database at Blackspot.

The other main reason was the update via pc method rather than seperate modem and phone line.....why do that when I have 1meg Cable broadband?.

Anyway, thats me sussed so thanks to all the guys who have posted advise and such.

Cheers

11-06-2003, 14:59	#1
Kentish Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5,231 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Speed Camera Detection Etc I am going to invest in something that will help prevent "inadvertant" speeding tickets etc but which way to go is puzzling. I am not sure whether to go for something that GPS based so as to warn of the fixed sites and average speed devices, or to go for a radar detection device instead. What does eveyone use that has one, and how good are they. Any responses would be appreciated as I feel now is the time to just try and protect my so far pointless license.I know keeping to speed limits is the answer, but real world driving doesnt always allow that. Cheers __________________ Andy Owner of a sense of humour.

11-06-2003, 15:05	#2
TaviaRS Dinosaur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: North of the Watford Gap Posts: 14,931 Thanks: 19 Thanked 42 Times in 38 Posts	IMHO: Go for something like the Snooper S6R-Neo or the Road Angel. Don't worry about a laser detector as by the time it alerts you you have already been hit. Much better although of dubious legality (OK its abouts as legal as sheep fiddling ) is a laser diffuser. One of those and one of the 2 units listed above would be my choice. Be prepared to spend about £800+ for the complete setup though. Jon __________________ A jolly sensible Mercedes E class saloon in a rather fetching bluey grey colour. No it isn't fast, no it isn't modded, and yes, it will still eat your Fabia for breakfast. Official mobile chicane for Briskoda trackdays

11-06-2003, 15:07	#3
robmawer Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Rochdale Posts: 12,422 Thanks: 2 Thanked 69 Times in 62 Posts	Know exactly where you're coming from - much the same reason behind why I decided to invest. I opted for the Road Angel, which is GPS based so picks up fixed locations of Gatsos, SPECS and also proper non-camera'd accident blackspots. It also have a laser module which plugs into the back - I need to get round to fitting it, but haven't as yet. I'm not too sure about laser only solutions - a friend of mine who has been known to talk bll*ks reckons that laser detectors are better, as they will pick up all the cameras without needing to be updated. However, this seems to rely on the diffusion of lasers which I think is a bit unreliable for something like Gatsos. I might be wrong (and he certainly seemed to think so!), but I'd say the GPS solution is more accurate, and I don't see all that many radar guns about these days! That said, the Road Angel is not a one-or-another solution, and for 400 quid is a bargain IMHO. (Oh, there are some subscription things to pay that you wouldn't have with a pure laser solution...) Rob. __________________

11-06-2003, 15:21	#4
TaviaRS Dinosaur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: North of the Watford Gap Posts: 14,931 Thanks: 19 Thanked 42 Times in 38 Posts	Pure laser, waste of time. Radar fires out a cone and can therefore be picked up from its spread. laser is a 2mm wide beam which suffers very little scatter. As I said, if your laser detector goes off, you have usually been hit. __________________ A jolly sensible Mercedes E class saloon in a rather fetching bluey grey colour. No it isn't fast, no it isn't modded, and yes, it will still eat your Fabia for breakfast. Official mobile chicane for Briskoda trackdays

11-06-2003, 15:31	#6
Stuart_J Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Winchester Posts: 5,605 Thanks: 38 Thanked 81 Times in 74 Posts	Fit Sidewinder missiles as well, then if your detected just take out the camera to destroy the film __________________ Speed is an addiction for which thankfully there is no cure

11-06-2003, 15:51	#7
fen_l&k Briskodian Join Date: May 2003 Location: Deepest Fenland Posts: 2,559 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Reminds me of a story probably posted before about a plod in Northumberland on the A1, who was "radar gunning" passing traffic. All of a sudden the gun went mad, said the speed was 999 mph and then locked up. He took it back to base and they were confused. Some time later they found out that there was a joint air force exercise in the area and that a Dutch figher pilot had locked onto the radar gun as an enemy target. Only the swift reactions of the pilot in knocking off the arming system prevented the plod from being attacked (or so the report said). Shame! H

11-06-2003, 15:56	#8
Witchfinder Briskodian Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Wheelspinning 'round the wet roads of Manchester Posts: 1,284 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	http://www.radar-detector-shop.co.uk/ They offer some deals where you can get a Radar/Laser detector plus Laser jammer for about 500 notes. They also have the GPS based systems. AFAIK, Laser jammers aren't illegal, and I would like to know on what grounds they could be considered to be illegal - after all, they just diffuse light. If anything that did that was illegal, then prisms, windows, water, etc... would also be illegal! __________________ Rob Illing Play Interstellar War: "Fleet Battles" and "Conquest" for free! The ST220 has landed! Die Micra, Die!

11-06-2003, 18:18	#9
*DGW* BRISKODA Staff Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Cambridgeshire Posts: 17,133 Thanks: 49 Thanked 172 Times in 129 Posts	I would be interested to hear any plausible reason for having a laser jammer in a car on UK roads. Over to you... __________________ Denis 2002 Octavia 1.8T 4X4 turbo Estate - rebreathed on by Jabba ... 31.93mpg 2007 Fabia vRS - CC, ESP and full leather trim by Seat Surgeons ...48.09 mpg...

11-06-2003, 18:25	#10
steve Briskodian Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: London Posts: 1,020 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Kentish, i take it you've heard about the new van's then. Im in the same boat, i now need one for the cab as they're crackin down in town. Every morning on the Mall and South Carriage Drive hiding behind a van or tree. Soon to be everywhere. Makes you f*ckin sick, Steve

11-06-2003, 18:34	#11
Kentish Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5,231 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I have heard about the new vans, but my main reason is driving in unfamiliar areas ( when out in the car) and not knowing where the cameras are. I have decided to go the GPS based route, but are there any features that should be a must have, or stear clear of? or isit a case of hit and hope? My main concern is physical size, as I will not have anything fixed to the windscreen of screwed onto the dash (sad I know) Cheers __________________ Andy Owner of a sense of humour.

11-06-2003, 18:38	#12
*DGW* BRISKODA Staff Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Cambridgeshire Posts: 17,133 Thanks: 49 Thanked 172 Times in 129 Posts	This is what EVO Magazine had to say about laser detectors in a test carried out in 1999: "Test three - the detectors vs. a laser gun. Most of them picked up the laser - but all gave warnings too late. A modern laser gun will acquire you as a target and measure your speed in 0.3 seconds, thus you get 0.3 seconds warning - and that’s all you get. Unlike radar, a laser gun sends a much narrower pulse for a much shorter period of time, often just a fraction of a second. As even the world’s top drag racers don’t have reaction times that fast, it’s a bit pointless owning a laser detector that can detect laser as you can't react to the warning." The same article, which appears in the link here, mentions that laser guns can be used up to 999m. Worth a read. The police officer who goes out in the Cambridgeshire Police mobile speed trap van (its called something more socially acceptable, but I can't remember what) demonstrated on Anglia TV how the unit is used. When sited on the A14 near Molesworth, in a clearly visible position, the unit will detect that you are speeding before you see it and can slow down. One of my sons can vouch for that. BTW, the Cambridgeshire Police do publish details a week in advance in the local free papers of which roads the detector van will be checking vehicle speed on and when. __________________ Denis 2002 Octavia 1.8T 4X4 turbo Estate - rebreathed on by Jabba ... 31.93mpg 2007 Fabia vRS - CC, ESP and full leather trim by Seat Surgeons ...48.09 mpg... Last edited by DGW; 11-06-2003 at 18:42.

11-06-2003, 20:24	#13
Dmac1969vRS Briskodian Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 1,160 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	DGW How about this for a plausible reason " Ive got this in my car so I can speed and get away with it , and not get any points on my license"..Plausible enough to me!

11-06-2003, 21:29	#14
nockmeister Briskodian Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Stockport UK Posts: 86 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	slightly o/t I prefer the 5th gear (or was it topgear?) experiment...travelling at 185mph is to fast for the camera to react

12-06-2003, 10:02	#16
SkodiRS BRISKODA Staff Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: darkest Hampshire Posts: 8,650 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	There was a review of devices in Autocar a couple fo weeks ago. Road Angel was recommended; now includes laser detection (see everyone elses views on this) and accident blackspot technology. It didn't miss a camera and is easy to install. COst £393, 1yr free subscription then £49/year. The Orign Blue OB2 was the winner. It's the newest andhte testers felt it's warning were clearning and it's features more extensive. Also it's installation is more subtle being designed to sit in a phone type holder and it's slightly bigger than a pager. Cost £430, 6 months free subscription then £50 /year. Also worth checking out is tyresmoke.net as there's quite a good discussion on laser diffusers. If you want to go the non GPS route a mate of mine has a Bell 550i and swears buy it. I think it's £360. Cheers. Adrian.

12-06-2003, 10:17	#18
SkodiRS BRISKODA Staff Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: darkest Hampshire Posts: 8,650 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	Rob, how do you rate the Road Angel? After being Jabba-ed I reckon I'll probably need to ge myself one sof these devices; SWMBO says I drive too fast already. Road Angel appears to be easy to install; just plug and play. Price seems reasonable considering what you get and importantly, it's a proven product. Cheers. Adrian.

12-06-2003, 10:25	#19
robmawer Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Rochdale Posts: 12,422 Thanks: 2 Thanked 69 Times in 62 Posts	Well, I bought one on Martin's (gunnie) recommendation and having seen it in action in his car. And in turn, I would definitely recommend it! Extremely easy to install (<10mins), very discreet (although I do have to run it on mute as it irritates someone), and very effective. Also, due to the height it's mounted and the accuracy of the speed reading, I now use it instead of my speedo. Rob. __________________

12-06-2003, 12:20	#20
Kentish Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5,231 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Well I have gone the Road Angel route, mainly because I was able to see it in the flesh at Halfords, and only £6 dearer than net prices and no delay with getting it home!. First impressions are good, and it seems to do everything I want. I especially like the user update features, whereby I can update its memory as I drive when finding new or removed devices, which then updates their database at Blackspot. The other main reason was the update via pc method rather than seperate modem and phone line.....why do that when I have 1meg Cable broadband?. Anyway, thats me sussed so thanks to all the guys who have posted advise and such. Cheers __________________ Andy Owner of a sense of humour.

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