Radar Detectors and Software?
Written by The Geekette on November 2, 2005 – 5:22 amPosted in Ramblings, Technology |
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Loading ...While on a 16 hour drive back from vacation, one of the things that struck me - while going through a state where Radar Detectors are illegal - was that today, we use laptops in cars for Mapping, Wardriving and other things.. how come I have not seen Radar Detector software? Maybe I have not really spent time looking for it.. or is there even such a thing?
Up until the last year or so, I always had a radar detector in my car. The more it beeped, the happier I was. Although, I am not one to speed (ok, I have been known to go 5mph above the speed limit - and that is honestly about as much as I speed. I refuse to take the chance of getting a ticket or getting into a wreck speeding. I guess old age has gotten to me - The consequences of higher insurance rates seem like an unnecessary expense to me, so it is easier just not to speed), I enjoy listening and watching the radar detectors go off. I have owned 3 of them since I was 16. The last one (I still have it somewhere) is a Cobra. The latest one I had did all of the K, X and other bands, plus laser and construction warnings. I guess maybe I am addicted to beeps?
Actually, for me, it was fascinating just to see when it went off and look to see who was clocking where - or to see if it DID even go off. I learned to filter out where microwaves and alarms set off the highway mode. As far as I am concerned, if a Cop wanted to really and truly get someone, he would sit where there is a false alarm in the city due to alarms or microwaves. That way, if someone had it on, and it went off , and that person assumed it was a normal beep…. Well ok, I will stop here to give anyone any ideas 
But, back to the original idea.
There are places where driving with a Radar Detector in your car is illegal. It does not matter if you have it packed deep in stuff in your trunk, if you have it there, than you can be fined and have it confiscated. It is considered breaking the law if it is in possession in the vehicle period. If you are pulled over for any other reason, and your car happens to be searched, if it is in the trunk, or under your seat - whether in use or not - consider it history.
On the flip side, many people have a handheld GPS stuck to their window or mounted on their dashboard. This may be connected to a laptop. How hard would it be to add an IR device to the wire and have it run to the laptop which has the same type of software as the radar detector itself does? It would serve the same function as a radar detector would - detecting the bands and reporting if one is actively clocking… And it would not be noticeable at all. Do they even exist as this? I would have to find it hard to believe this has not already been created for a laptop.
I believe this is an ongoing subject I will have to check in on and search for a little more just to see what has been done.
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Tags: detector, gps, laptop, radar, software, wardrive
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November 3rd, 2005 at 5:53 am
Wow, an interesting topic!
Um, you mentioned a GPS receiver. Well, you’d need to mod the receiver to pick up the Kx and X and whatever bands of radar being used these days. In addition, you’d probably want to watch for the laser guns. I think those are being used as often these days, since they’re harder to detect and avoid.
Next is getting a usb/serial port hooked up so you can interface. I’m sure with an out of the box gps unit this is a no-brainer, but dyi kits may require more work.
As for the software, a quick google search didn’t turn up much, so you’d be doing a bit of research before you came up with anything.
Finally, you’d have to paint your car camouflage colors and have the words “URBAN ASSAULT VEHICLE” prominently displayed on the back.
I’d say you’d have more fun creating a radar jamming device. IIRC, you should be able to start with any garage door transmitter and start modding.
At least you would have a great excuse to head into the garage and put down a few six-packs.
November 11th, 2005 at 7:54 am
As far as the cop hiding next to a false positive i had a cop do that to me 2 days ago. he hid like 20 feet down the road from a speed sign behind a tree. My V1 told me there were more than one signal and what 2 they were. I slowed down and waved as i went by. If you get a kick out of radar detectors V1’s are fun to watch. there is onlt one place by me it becomes useless and that is near the george washington bridge because there are 9 or more signals and the V1 can only handle 9.
December 3rd, 2005 at 3:16 am
Neat concept, but really unworkable.
A radar detector and a GPS are very, very different animals.
As previously mentioned, you would need something sensitive to several frequency bands. The circuitry in this section is what the radar detector - detector homes in on. And, basically, the pc would be a glorified idiot light. Having the rcvr section would be what puts you in abeyance of the law.
Detecting LIDAR is another subject, requiring a different type of sensor (your IR detector wouldn’t sense the LIDAR output).
Many radar detectors don’t really pick up LIDAR very well. The beam spread of a LIDAR unit is very, very small.
The multiple signal hiding spot isn’t a good idea from an enforcement perspective, because if its’ giving you interference, its’ giving us interference, too. Most units are designed to shut down in the presence of interference strong enough to affect a reading, btw….
What we do is simply turn the unit off. We call it instant-on, and we’ve used it for years. You won’t pick us up, because we aren’t transmitting. Then, we flip a switch, and poof, you are locked in about an 1/8th of a second. The beep tolls for thee, but we already have what we need.
Interesting topic. You should research RAM (RADAR Absorbent Material)…… we can’t hit what we can’t see….
Cheers!
-Shawn
PS - I love nerdy girls!
December 6th, 2005 at 11:30 am
Very interesting. This seems very do-able. The proper hardware to pick up on the proper signals, connected to a laptop via USB. The beautiful thing with this method (as opposed to the old school radar detector method) is you’ll be able to filter out false signals. Kind of like how your email filters out spam messages, either by you specifying, ‘this is a microwave, ignore it’ or by it comparing it with known ‘good’ signals and known ‘bad’ signals. You are on to something, here…
December 6th, 2005 at 11:39 am
Shawn is right.
The thing about instant-on is that normally there are cars ahead of you getting clocked. This allows you to, with a good detector, pick up a signal from them being clocked. If you disregard no signal, no matter how weak it is, it will be much harder to be caught by instant-on. Speeding during the daytime on a road with no one in front of you is risky business.
I don’t think there are any publicly-available RAMs that actually work, are there?
December 6th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
I have a Cobra XRS 9700 and it works real well. However, it depends on a few variables - the location of the detector, the equipment the police use, and the skill of the police.
The ideal location should be as low on the windshield as possible. This is so it is aimed to pick up signals at headlight position, usually refracted from other cars.
The actual radar/laser equipment can vary, in my area, Tucson, AZ; the motorcycle police use Kustom Signals “PRO LASER” to catch speeders. They are quite effective and are very accurate. The acual “beam” is about 33nm (nanometers), and is hard for laser detectors to pick up, unless aimed directly at the detector (very rare).
What works to beat Laser detector? The Blinder. It works real well to defeat the laser detection - and is LEGAL! http://www.blinder.dk/
good luck
drive safe
December 6th, 2005 at 3:23 pm
Where does it say that The Blinder is legal? check it’s “product support” page, they say turn it off and slow down to avoid any trouble with the police so that they won’t suspect you, would they say that if it was LEGAL? I don’t think so.
December 6th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
radar jammers are illegal because of the FAA however a laser jamer isn’t cause another agency regulates them (forget whitch) but the jammers do work they just emit the same frequency beem. The problem (well for others) is that you’ll be setting off every laser detector behind and infront of you
As for RAM materials, yes there is stuff, but unless you figure out a way to mask your windshield you outa luck. Iron ferite paint isn’t a great RAM but it does work and is that flat black paint they use on stealth planes, follow that w/ carbon fiber and fiberglass. SO i suppose you you had your old school roadster made out of CF and painted in iron ferite paint w/ no windshield and stuff you could speed w/ a little more impudience.
December 6th, 2005 at 7:05 pm
I don’t know if there is something like this with a laptop, but I do know that there is a radardetector with an erasable memory (Stinger DSI). So if you get stopped by a cop, just erase the memory and your radardetector won’t function as a radardetector anymore!
http://www.stinger.com/index.php?sec=index&lang=en
December 6th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
Whats the point with radar dectors anyway! you can determine if there is one but remember the police can tell that you have one too as it scambles their signal, ive learnt from past experience
December 7th, 2005 at 1:53 am
As a cop, I figure I better chime in here…
It works like this (at least as far as I’m concerned when I’m on duty)…
In Ohio, where I work, detectors are not illegal unless you’re driving a CDL vehicle (like a tractor-trailer).
But if I pull you over for anything and I notice that you have a detector, there is no way in hell you’re getting off with a warning. In fact, I will probably write you for any infraction that I can find.
We hate radar detectors. If we see them hanging from your windshield, we’ll find a reason to pull you over and cite you.
Jammers, as far as I know, are illegal everywhere because, as stated, they transmit a signal and are unlicensed to do so. Hope to God that you don’t get pulled over with one of those b/c it’s then a federal offense.
As far as making a detector to interface with your laptop… well if you can get it to work, awesome job. But it’s still detecting RADAR and would then be illegal in those states that have that statute. What difference does it make if it reads out on a tiny plastic box or on a laptop screen?
December 7th, 2005 at 9:46 pm
>>> What difference does it make if it reads out on a tiny plastic box or on a laptop screen?
Because if it is done well, no officer is going to realize that it’s a detector.
>>> Jammers, as far as I know, are illegal everywhere
Like an above posted said, laser jammers are not, radar jammers are.
>>> We hate radar detectors. If we see them hanging from your windshield, we’ll find a reason to pull you over and cite you.
Police officers here(FL) are not like that. They’re more respectable and intelligent. Instead of making up some bogus charge to fine those with detectors, they use their guns the way they were meant to be used. Those ways give the average speeder-with-detector almost no chance.
February 13th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
I think radar detectors are the most effective way to make drivers limited to the appropriate speed. Without them streets and highways would turn into messy rallies and dangerous zones. Radar jammers are nothing more than evil tools, i can’t understand how its authorized to be sold and used in some areas.
September 21st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I have a question? Is radar able to pick up fiberglass vehicles?
September 28th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Yes, a speed RADAR unit can pick up a fiberglass vehicle, like a Corvette. The issue is more of angles than material.
RADAR reflects off surfaces back to the antenna. (This is why stealth fighters look like they do).
The most reflective surface on a vehicle is the headlights, (think parabola) folowed by a front license plate.
RADAR jammers have little to do with the FAA. Google “FCC intentional radiator jammer” for more. You just can’t transmit anything designed to interfere with something else, which is why cellphone jammers are verboten.
It is ILLEGAL to jam LIDAR. The FDA regulates LASER / IR emissions, btw.
Even if it weren’t, all so-called “Laser” gun speed detector (which doesn’t use a LASER beam, but an Infrared one), displays an indicator showing that it is jammed.
I *promise* you, nothing is going to perk up a bored traffic cop more than trying to find out who is jamming them.
It’s just not worth it.
Oh - several states have laws that prohibit the driver of a vehicle from being able to see television or similar monitors while in motion. So, there’s that.
And, it doesn’t matter if the item is a software defined radio. If it has no other obvious purpose than detection of traffic speed RADAR, and has the appropriate circuit to detect it, it’s a radar detector.
The truth is, you don’t need a radar detector. Use situational awareness, watch way ahead of where you are. The same things you should be doing to avoid an accident.
Speed laws in general are kind of stupid. The group gets punished for the few that can’t drive fast and not wreck or cause a wreck, but that’s kind of where we are at.
And for the record, I still love nerdy girls!
-Shawn
September 28th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I had to admit, I did away with my radar detector a couple of years ago when I moved to North Carolina.
I often traveled to Virginia where Radar detectors are illegal. There are nice big signs letting you know this when you enter. And, as much as I traveled there, it became easier to just forget it anyway. So, I have not used it since. I am not even sure where mine is now.
@Shawn, I agree about the speeding laws. Although as a former Paramedic, I have seen what speeding can do first hand, there are so many places I have driven where it seemed like the point was more to catch people than for safety reasons. But, that is my 2 cents.
After my recent trip back to Tuscaloosa, AL and hitting a deer.. I am more concerned about hitting deer than I am about a speed limit. But, that is a whole ‘nother story