ChrisW
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 12:23 PM |
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A warning to those driving to Stoneleigh...
Those of us driving to Stoneleigh from the South beware!
The last few times I've been up the A46 there has been one of those nasty mobile speed trap transit vans parked on one of the bridges between
the M40 and Coventry. I have it on good authority it was there again yesterday (Friday).
It looks like a normal white transit as you approach but has a window in the nearside rear panel through which a speed camera pokes out. Not that
I'm suggesting any of you would be exceeding the speed limit but just in case might be an idea to watch out!!
Chris
My gaff my rules
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Viper
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 12:28 PM |
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One of those Bas***ds got me.. in that wonderfull county of the speed camera, Northants...
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Jasper
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 02:40 PM |
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U can get radar detectors now for only £70, price of one speeding ticket. Gonna be wiring one into the locost.
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PaulBuz
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 04:34 PM |
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'Fraid the radar detector won't help you Jasper.
Most of the mobile traps use laser guns.These have a typical target aquisition time of 0.4 seconds!!
Now I know you may have fast reactions, but 0.4 seconds leaves you no chance, even if you have the latest laser detection.
Your only recourse against laser technology is a device called a diffuser.
Without getting too technical these devices jam the polices laser guns.
The problem is while there is currently no laws regarding the emmission of IR, no doubt the police will do you for perverting the course of
justice.
I suppose we could all drive everywhere at 30mph, but considering what we are all building, wheres the fun in that!
Paul
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ChrisW
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 05:52 PM |
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The laser *can* work if you're in traffic (ie the laser isn't being pointed at you at the time) Then again, if there is traffic
you're unlikely to be going fast I guess. At least with the lasers there is a human on the other end so rather than a blanket enforcement you
at least a chance to point out the fact that the road was clear, dry, good visibility, car in good condition etc etc. All "gatso" type
cameras are radar based.
Cheap radar detectors (in my experience) are crap. I bought a Bel E Series about 4 years ago for £350 which knocked the socks off the Snoopers and
such that a couple of my mates had (£100 or so then). At the time I was in my probationary licence period (maximum 6 points before a ban) and had 3
already. It saved me on at least two occasions so as far as I'm concerned it was money well spent.
The thing I'm most impressed with recently tho is the Geodessy GPS unit but it's no good against mobile units as it just looks up your
position against a database of cameras.
Guess the sensible answer is to keep to 70mph 
Chris
My gaff my rules
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 06:46 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Viper
One of those Bas***ds got me.. in that wonderfull county of the speed camera, Northants...
as a northants citizen I can tell you there are SEVEN of those vans.
Basically, DO NOT SPEED unless you can see the whole road ahead when driving in northants.
atb
steve
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ChrisW
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 06:47 PM |
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quote:
Basically, DO NOT SPEED...
Guess it works then...
Chris
My gaff my rules
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 06:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by PaulBuz
'Fraid the radar detector won't help you Jasper.
Most of the mobile traps use laser guns.These have a typical target aquisition time of 0.4 seconds!!
Now I know you may have fast reactions, but 0.4 seconds leaves you no chance, even if you have the latest laser detection.
Your only recourse against laser technology is a device called a diffuser.
Without getting too technical these devices jam the polices laser guns.
The problem is while there is currently no laws regarding the emmission of IR, no doubt the police will do you for perverting the course of
justice.
I suppose we could all drive everywhere at 30mph, but considering what we are all building, wheres the fun in that!
Paul
I was caught from 190 yards by a van looking under a bridge that was behind a bridge.
They use lasers that reflect from the car.
you cant beat these things with electronics.
Further, a lot of cams - the truvelos - dont use radar - they use inductive loops in the ground.
atb
steve
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 06:51 PM |
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quote:
At least with the lasers there is a human on the other end so rather than a blanket enforcement you at least a chance to point out the fact
that the road was clear, dry, good visibility, car Chris
It dont work like that Chris.
In northants the vans dont stop you - you dont even know you are caught until you get the ticket.
There is no chance to grovel. Its a done deal.
In 2000, I refused to fill in the form.
Northants police sent 2 cops 30 miles to my place of work and interviewed me for 90 minutes.
I got 180 fine.
once you are zapped, you are zapped.
atb
steve
[Edited on 3/5/03 by stephen_gusterson]
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Mark H
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 09:23 PM |
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What happens if your front plate "falls" off?
Mark Harrison and
Q986 KCP back from the dead...
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 3/5/03 at 10:28 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark H
What happens if your front plate "falls" off?
not a lot
they got my from the back of the car.
atb
steve
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Jasper
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| posted on 4/5/03 at 10:12 AM |
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Ah - so I wont bother with the radar detector then. My old man has a GPS one, excellent at Gatso, but I know them all locally, it was the mobile units
I was try to avoid.
But if they're unavoidable then why bother....
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ChrisW
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| posted on 4/5/03 at 12:29 PM |
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They're only really any good when you're away from your local area for pointing out fixed speed traps.
Oh, and if you switch X band on it will detect automatic doors too
Chris
[Edited on 4/5/03 by ChrisW]
My gaff my rules
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kingr
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| posted on 6/5/03 at 04:08 PM |
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The answer to all your speed trap woes? You'll need three things, radar detector, gps warning system and a laser scrambler. Radar will detect
gatso and muppets with radar speed guns, gps will warn you of truvelo, gatso and average speed systems, laser scrambler will detect the laser used by
tranny vans and send out a laser back to it which causes it to error, it also give out a beep which gives you time to slow down and switch the thing
off before matey policeman checks you again and finds out for sure that you've got a laser scambler. All that ain't cheap though, but it
does pretty much safeguard your licence, the only thing that can get you is newly installed truvelo and average speed systems and the popo in cars
following you.
Kingr
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 6/5/03 at 04:29 PM |
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I saw one of those vans on Sunday - fortunately (a) I wasn't in much of a hurry, and (b) I was in a slowish line of traffic.
For once I was well under the speed limit! 
David
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Jasper
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| posted on 6/5/03 at 07:36 PM |
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They were selling a piece of kit at Stoneleigh that apparently did the lot, warns of all radar based systems including Gatso's, and scrambled
the laser systems.
The 'RRP' was around £475, they had 'show specials' at £275.
Anybody know if these things really work, especially the laser scrambler part?? The salesman, of course, reconed they did.
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uberf1end
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| posted on 6/5/03 at 08:34 PM |
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Changing tack a little but I thought I'd tell my tale (well, my friends' tales actually).
A road out of Brighton (A23 or something) - friend got caught doing 125 in his Alfa GTV 3.0 V6, open road (6am Sunday)
3 month ban, £500 odd quid fine.
Fair enough I thought, 125 is taking the p*ss. Car was pretty important for his job too but they obviously didn't think that was relevant.
Another friend - 3 points for 40mph. Gatso, actually totally hidden behind a big road sign. Dirty, dirty piggy.
He then picked up 6 points for going 64 on a dual carriageway which had a temporary speed reduction to 40 for roadworks.
Said roadworks had finished about a week earlier and the only sign of them ever having been was a few cones on the side of the road (on the grass,
nowhere near the road).
Fair? Me thinks not.
Later that year (2001 I think), a secretary at friend 1's company sadly killed a postwoman whilst doing 40-odd in a 30.
The first thing she said to the copper when he arrived was
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't really looking" !!!!!!
One court case; 'broken home', 'ex heroin addict with psychological problems', 'severe depression', 'genuine
remorse' etc etc....
Charge reduced from 'death by dangerous driving' to 'driving without due care and attention'.
Sentence? 120 hours community service, 2 year driving ban. As she was an attractive lady, her community service was helping with the gardening at an
old people's home or something.
Now, I am a fairly liberal chap and I am perfectly willing to accept the broken home, pyscho problems etc when they are relevant to the crime (EG
stealing etc) but in this case....WTF????
I am sure the guilt she feels is a fairly tough punishment but something seems wrong here.
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uberf1end
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| posted on 6/5/03 at 08:41 PM |
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Feel a little guilty after bringing everything down with my salutory tale so I thought I'd point you all in the direction of some amusing
low-riders...
http://www.lowrider.pl/download/filmy/index.php
They amuse me (but I am simple)
It's a polish site so the words probably won't mean much but it is pretty straightforward - each picture is a little video.
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 7/5/03 at 08:44 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
They were selling a piece of kit at Stoneleigh that apparently did the lot, warns of all radar based systems including Gatso's, and scrambled
the laser systems.
The 'RRP' was around £475, they had 'show specials' at £275.
Anybody know if these things really work, especially the laser scrambler part?? The salesman, of course, reconed they did.
I value my license more than hoping that a bolt on goodie will 'see' a lazer from 500 metres and do somethign about it. The beam from a
lazer pen is only about 2mm in size - if these things can detect a spot like that on your car they have gotta be really good!
One thing thats been missed out is stuff like vascar. You are measured between fixed points - often white squares painted on the carirageway - by a
following police car. (Sometimes they are parked o bridges or behind bushes). There is nothign to detect. They measure time s distance.
There is no holy grail on speed detection. Where you are depends on what your gonna =get done with, so a solution one place isnt a fix in another
county.
A good rule is dont speed unless you can see behind and in front, and NEVER speed on roads you dont know. There could be a cam behind that sign you
just passed. Not all counties use visible bright yellow cams.
atb
steve
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PaulBuz
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| posted on 7/5/03 at 08:02 PM |
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Re: Laser jammers
Having just received 6 point in the last 12 weeks (one of which is for 34mph on a dual carriageway, with railings on both sides!)
you think you have it bad in Northhants Steve, you should try Leicester, the council here is so anti car they would bring back the death penilty for
minor misdemeanors if they could!
Anyway,rant over- Laser jammers
I've been looking very carefully at protecting myself with one of these devices.
It would appear that they DO work, but as with all things you get wot you pay for.
The cheap units only emit IR on 1 pulse freq.
The better units analyse the modulated beam & send back an appropriate beam.
There is also the matter of beam divergence. the police typically aim their laser at your number plate, as this will give the best reflected pulses
(stealth bomber anyone?)
The beam, even though it is a laser, may still have a beam width of quite a few inches when it hits your number plate( dependant on the distance from
the source)
If the laser detector is mounted adjacent to the number plate, then you are covered.
The thing putting me off at the minute, is the legality of these devices.
They ARE legal to operate as there is currently no law regarding the emission of IR
However, the police may do you for 'perverting the course'
But if you are sitting on 9 points , it may be worth the risk.
It may sound from all of the above that i'm some speed freak who deserves all that I get.
This could'nt be further from the truth, however the current siting policy of the speed cameras in this area, solely to generate revenue, is
utterly dispicable.
It do'sent matter who you are , its only a matter of time untill one catchs you.
www.abd.org.uk
[Edited on 7/5/03 by PaulBuz]
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Jasper
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| posted on 7/5/03 at 08:07 PM |
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Paulbuz - keep us up to date on your research. If you can recommend a good system then let us know.
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