Speed Detectors
Discussion
I have just ordered a new gadjet and as a result I am £400 lighter. I have used radar detectors for as long as I have been driving and they do work. Though, like many things in life you get what ya pay for. Buy a cheap detector and it will drive you round the bend in less than a week !! Beeping non-stop to such an extent that you will just come to ignore it. The detector I am using at the moment is a Bell Euro 550 (replacement to the 990)and was the best tested by ukspeedtraps.co.uk at that time (on par with the more expensive valentine 1). It is by far the most reliable detector I have ever had. With hardly any force alarms and a range that is still impressive today it has served me well in 2 years or so that I have had it, easily paying me back its then £400 price tag.
The problem is the number of Truvelo cameras now appearing and the arrival of some new gadjets from the states - that no longer use radar and of course SPECS. Instead they use wire strips in the road or number plate regognition which are hard to spot in the day and near impossible at night. Add to that the fact these cameras are forward facing and usually positioned so they have you by the time you see them (unless i'm in the 'vette - no mumber plate - haha)and are usually placed on really good roads in the sticks. So I thought I would also use a GPS detector as well (I will still use the bell - best to keep both bases covered I think. I've opted for the Road angel which also comes with a very good laser detector, is easy to swap between cars and has a motorbike mount option which I have also bought. You can see all the gadjet tests on ukspeedtraps.
I should have it by mid week and I will report back on its performance. I know a few of you in the club are using Bell 990's or 550's and like me, no longer have the full protection these detectors once had because of the move towards these other cameras. At £400 some would argue why bother, well as a field engineer I am driving 1000 miles a week and my license is easily worth £400. Slow down ! Give me sensible 21st century speed limits then I might obey them, until then, b******S. Speed Dose not kill - there is no proof just propaganda. Speed makes money - stop the gatso tax now
ON A LIGHTER NOTE, GOTO
www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm
The problem is the number of Truvelo cameras now appearing and the arrival of some new gadjets from the states - that no longer use radar and of course SPECS. Instead they use wire strips in the road or number plate regognition which are hard to spot in the day and near impossible at night. Add to that the fact these cameras are forward facing and usually positioned so they have you by the time you see them (unless i'm in the 'vette - no mumber plate - haha)and are usually placed on really good roads in the sticks. So I thought I would also use a GPS detector as well (I will still use the bell - best to keep both bases covered I think. I've opted for the Road angel which also comes with a very good laser detector, is easy to swap between cars and has a motorbike mount option which I have also bought. You can see all the gadjet tests on ukspeedtraps.
I should have it by mid week and I will report back on its performance. I know a few of you in the club are using Bell 990's or 550's and like me, no longer have the full protection these detectors once had because of the move towards these other cameras. At £400 some would argue why bother, well as a field engineer I am driving 1000 miles a week and my license is easily worth £400. Slow down ! Give me sensible 21st century speed limits then I might obey them, until then, b******S. Speed Dose not kill - there is no proof just propaganda. Speed makes money - stop the gatso tax now
ON A LIGHTER NOTE, GOTO
www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm
Also next time there is a regional vote or general election go and talk to your local MPs(ive never really done this before)my opinion is is that this government hate cars(all governments fleece the driver)
but i feel this lot are particularly nasty and have demonised the driver...GGGGGGrrrr
,makes my blood boil when i think the government who are elected democraticaly wont listen to its people
..,the opposition on the otherhand seem to be grasping the nettle some what when the opposition tranport minister announced that they would raise m/way speed limits,do away with speed bumps and half the amount of speed cameras.
In the mean time,yes!! ime gonna get a bl**dy good detector cos 400 quid's nothing compared with a public hanging.
but i feel this lot are particularly nasty and have demonised the driver...GGGGGGrrrr
,makes my blood boil when i think the government who are elected democraticaly wont listen to its people..,the opposition on the otherhand seem to be grasping the nettle some what when the opposition tranport minister announced that they would raise m/way speed limits,do away with speed bumps and half the amount of speed cameras. In the mean time,yes!! ime gonna get a bl**dy good detector cos 400 quid's nothing compared with a public hanging.
Bought my Bell detector in Circuit City in the US last year, cost about $320 if I remember correctly. Works brilliantly here in the UK as well as the US.
Same detector over here costs £320 which means I saved about £120.
I am going to the states next month so if anybody wants one let me know and I will see what sort of price I can get you one for.
Same detector over here costs £320 which means I saved about £120.
I am going to the states next month so if anybody wants one let me know and I will see what sort of price I can get you one for.
The problem with a detector now is that they are not going to detect the majority of the new cameras that are popping up every where as they no longer use radar so you are going to need a GPS detector as well to be fully protected. The 6 newest cameras near me are all of the forwards facing , 3 wires in the road type. As were most in and around Notts. when I was there at the weekend.
Also, the first case of being caught using a jammer is about to go to court. Some idiot in Wales got caught 6 times for speeding by a mobile camera unit. Each time they couldnt get a reading because they were jammed but from experience they knew what kind of speed he was doing. In the end they paid him a visit and he admitted using a jammer. They are now doing him for various driving offenses and worse still for perverting the course of justice which carries around 7 years in jail --- ouch
There are some other smart features that come with the GPS detector I should have by Tuesday I'll try them and and let ya know waht its like next meeting.
Also, the first case of being caught using a jammer is about to go to court. Some idiot in Wales got caught 6 times for speeding by a mobile camera unit. Each time they couldnt get a reading because they were jammed but from experience they knew what kind of speed he was doing. In the end they paid him a visit and he admitted using a jammer. They are now doing him for various driving offenses and worse still for perverting the course of justice which carries around 7 years in jail --- ouch
There are some other smart features that come with the GPS detector I should have by Tuesday I'll try them and and let ya know waht its like next meeting.
Well the new toy arrived last night and at first I was not impressed as it failed to detect the newest camera near me. I registered the product and then I had to wait upto 24 hours before being able to update the gps with the latest camera sites (although it said in the book that all units are shipped with the latest update already on them)
I updated the gps at lunch time and have been testing it out this afternoon. I am now impressed. It knew where the 3 newest cameras were in my area and warned me (there are 3 warning settings : 250,500,1000m and a function that doubles the selected warning distance when doing over 50mph). With these 3 cameras the bell beside it didn't make a peep as they don't use radar.
Next, I tested it on a road which has cameras on both sides. It only warned me about the cameras on my side of the road and ignored the others. I turned round and drove back and it now warned about the cameras in the new direction.
Other features inc. serial out so that it can plug into a laptop or palm top and run gps with Autoroute software etc. It can give your co-ordinates so you can give the AA etc your exact location if you break down.
Accident black spot warning (this can be turned off and the volume can be changed without changing the camera warning volume.
The gps speedo is also interesting as it shows how inaccurate your car speedo is (4mph on my Vectra).
I will still use the bell as well - it just means a bit of extra clutter on the dashboard.
I have not tested the laser detector on it yet but usually see the mobile van a few times a week so that will be tested soon thats for sure.
I updated the gps at lunch time and have been testing it out this afternoon. I am now impressed. It knew where the 3 newest cameras were in my area and warned me (there are 3 warning settings : 250,500,1000m and a function that doubles the selected warning distance when doing over 50mph). With these 3 cameras the bell beside it didn't make a peep as they don't use radar.
Next, I tested it on a road which has cameras on both sides. It only warned me about the cameras on my side of the road and ignored the others. I turned round and drove back and it now warned about the cameras in the new direction.
Other features inc. serial out so that it can plug into a laptop or palm top and run gps with Autoroute software etc. It can give your co-ordinates so you can give the AA etc your exact location if you break down.
Accident black spot warning (this can be turned off and the volume can be changed without changing the camera warning volume.
The gps speedo is also interesting as it shows how inaccurate your car speedo is (4mph on my Vectra).
I will still use the bell as well - it just means a bit of extra clutter on the dashboard.
I have not tested the laser detector on it yet but usually see the mobile van a few times a week so that will be tested soon thats for sure.
Went past one this week but I think he was 'clocking' the traffic in the other direction, so I had no warning. I have been doing a bit of searching on the net about the equipment they use in the vans. Its state of the art and they can get you with ease a 1000 meters away :-( The beam they use is very high intensity and when they point it at you (a flat surface, usually your number plate) at that kind of distance it only spreads to about 2-3 feet. From that I wonder if the receiver will only beep if the gun is pointed at me, which is too late.
I also looked at jammers. They work in the tests I've read. One company is selling the Road Angel bundled with a jammer (see below) but again, there was a draw back - at a close range to the gun, it failed to jam, allowing a speed reading to be taken. I can't remember what the distance from the gun was when this occurred (it was some where like 200m). My point here is that it was about the distance I was when I got clocked, so even if I had the jammer I may well have got the NIP still.
We are going to Devon for the first full week of October (Devon is laser gun land, in case you didn't know). So lots of testing there then.
I think I am going to cover the front plate of the company car with a plastic bag (I'll make it look like it got stuck there as I was driving) That should help. I am only worried about being caught at the front I usually spot them before they can clock me from the back.
Did you know the most popular gun used by our police has been banned in most states in the US as it is a well known fact how inaccurate it is.....
www.radar-detectors-uk.com/index.htm
Brett
I also looked at jammers. They work in the tests I've read. One company is selling the Road Angel bundled with a jammer (see below) but again, there was a draw back - at a close range to the gun, it failed to jam, allowing a speed reading to be taken. I can't remember what the distance from the gun was when this occurred (it was some where like 200m). My point here is that it was about the distance I was when I got clocked, so even if I had the jammer I may well have got the NIP still.
We are going to Devon for the first full week of October (Devon is laser gun land, in case you didn't know). So lots of testing there then.
I think I am going to cover the front plate of the company car with a plastic bag (I'll make it look like it got stuck there as I was driving) That should help. I am only worried about being caught at the front I usually spot them before they can clock me from the back.
Did you know the most popular gun used by our police has been banned in most states in the US as it is a well known fact how inaccurate it is.....
www.radar-detectors-uk.com/index.htm
Brett
Strobe lights eg police 'blues' or AA yellows will cause a jammer to false as will traffic master if you catch it right. Good thing with a jammer is that you have 5 seconds to have a look around before you speed can be taken.
The guy on UK speed traps now runs a service where he will test and set up your jammers with his own laser guns (same as the police now use)
The guy on UK speed traps now runs a service where he will test and set up your jammers with his own laser guns (same as the police now use)
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