dashmount
radar / laser detectors |
installed
radar / laser detectors |
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below are a selection of Frequently
Asked Questions: |
| How does Laser (LIDAR) work? |
| The latest addition to Garda speed detection equipment is the LIDAR (Laser Infrared Detection And Ranging) or Laser speed gun. To measure a vehicles speed Laser guns time how long it takes a pulse of light to travel from the Laser gun to the vehicle and back. From this information, the Laser gun can quickly find the distance. By taking several distance measurements and comparing the distance the vehicle traveled between measurements, the Laser gun very accurately determines the vehicles speed. Laser guns use a laser beam of visible infrared light. The light reflects of any flat surface on your vehicle. Because the laser beam is very narrow, it is impossible for any laser detector to indicate how far away the Laser gun is. As Laser can calculate your speed in under one third of a second, sometimes with a detector it can be too late to get slowed down. But with a laser diffuser like the Target Laser Track, you will be guaranteed time to adjust your speed. |
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| How does Radar work? |
| Garda radar transceivers, including Gatso cameras, operate by sending out radio signals at a set frequency which are reflected by the target vehicle. The reflected signal's frequency is shifted in direct proportion to the vehicle's speed and this shift is used by the transceiver to calculate the speed. |
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| How do Mobile Speed Traps work? |
| The Garda use a variety of mobile and hand devices to catch speeding motorists. These systems include; Mini-Gatso, laser guns and laser cameras. The technology used in a Mini-Gatso unit is very similar to that used within a fixed position Gatso speed camera, using radar type 24GHz. |
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| What is VG-2? |
| All detectors made in recent history are superhets. This means they have oscillators which send out a weak, but detectable signal. Some genius decided to take advantage of this fact to make a product to sell to liberty-loving governments the world around. He called it a vg-2. The cops hold this black box which simply detects the presence of a detector. A new crime is born! Your defence is a detector with vg-2 shut down. That is, the detector senses the signals put out by the cops black box and shuts down its oscillator. It's still basically a quick draw contest between your box and the cop's box, so if you're in one of those fun-loving places like Virginia, D.C. Ontario, Quebec, France, Belgium, Switzerland, New South Wales, etc. where they'll confiscate your detector; get yourself a detector which puts out far less signal to detect in the first place. |
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| What is VASCAR? |
| It is all about timing. You cross a line on the road and X seconds later you cross a 2nd line. The cop knows the distance and he's got a stopwatch. Zap, they gotcha. No radar, no laser, just a stopwatch and time/ speed/ distance table. If they're doing it right, usually you'll find a timer car and one or more chase cars to collect your money. In the UK it is mainly used by traffic cops when they are behind you, you should be able to see them in your mirrors. |
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| What is Radar? |
| Radar stands for Radio Detecting And Ranging. The system operates by transmitting radio waves at certain frequencies which reflect off objects and are picked up by the receiver. When the beam reflects off a moving object, a measurable frequency shift occurs which is then converted into miles per hour to determine the object's speed. |
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| What is SWS? |
SWS or Safety Warning System is starting to feature on more radar/laser detectors. Manufacturers of the detectors designed the system as a way of combating the bad image of radar detectors. SWS is currently being installed in police cars all over the US. When a police car is attending a roadside accident the SWS transmitter is switched on. Owners of radar detectors received a warning in advance of a dangerous situation. The new generation of smart SWS detectors use text messages and sometimes voice messages as well.
Radar detectors such as the Whistler 1770 offer various text and voice messages ranging from, accident ahead, school crossing ahead, ice on road, moose crossing and so on. Currently SWS is only used in some parts of America and Canada. Germany has recently been granted a licence for its use, plans are now in the advanced stages and SWS can be expected to be in use by 2001. A British company is also currently in discussions with the manufacturer to bring SWS to the UK. SWS is without doubt one of the best safety features for a driver to have fitted in his car, and the sooner it's use becomes world-wide the better. |
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| Where do they go in your car? |
| Nearly all are attached to the windscreen by suckers on a mounting bracket and run either off the cigarette lighter or on their own power supply. Its important to note that Heated windscreens and heat reflective windscreens will effect the range of some units. This can be overcome by fitting a remote detector, these have a remote radar sensing head and IR unit, that fit in the grill of the vehicle. A control unit sits inside the car. |
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| Are they Legal? |
In January 1998 the Queen's Bench Divisional Court stated that radar detectors had in fact never been illegal in the UK , contrary to popular folklore and the repeated claims of the police.
Radar detectors are also legal to use in Germany, Netherlands and Italy. Denmark legalised the sale and use of radar/laser only to reverse its decision 12 months later.
Countries such as France, Belgium and Switzerland continue to take a very dim view of anyone found in possession of a radar detector. Confiscation of equipment and an instant fine is normal. In the Republic of Ireland the legal situation is somewhat of a grey area.
Most police officers don't know they are legal so watch out. It seems that there are still quite a few police officers that still think they are illegal. It is NOT against the law to own a unit.... you can go back and claim it back, if they take it from you.
Quote the following.... "A judgement of the Queens Bench Divisional Court dated 29th January 1998 makes it clear that the use of Radar Detectors is not unlawful as has hitherto been claimed by some. In the past a few prosecutions have been brought by claiming the use of radar detectors was contrary to section 5(b)(I) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 as amended by section 3 of the Post Office Act 1969.
However the Acts refer to the interception of wireless communications for the purpose of obtaining information as to the content, sender or addressee of any message.
The Court concluded that the radar transmission was not communicating a 'message' and therefore equipment designed to detect the presence of the transmission could not decode any such message. It was further stated that section 1(1) of the Act, which requires a licence for the reception of radio signals, has been superseded by the Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus (Receivers)(Exemption) Regulations (SI 1989 No123) which exempts radar detectors and similar equipment from the need for such licences." |
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