Conference terri::cars_uk

    The operation and ownership of a detector is not illegal. But acting on
    the information given by the detector is.
    
    So in short the police would find it very difficult to prove that you
    used it to detect their traps.
    
    Ian.

    Try note 329.* for further info an radar detectors.......
    
    -Dave.
    

    RE.0
    
    I purchased one about 5 weeks ago, after careful consideration of
    licence vs expense.
    
    The radar won !!
    
    I have avoided both the camera and hand-held radar in the last couple
    of weeks, one of which was 300 yds from my house at 8.15am one cold
    morning.
    
    It's the Uniden RD6000W, approx 180 - 230 pounds, depending on the
    source, UK or US. Beware of US imports.!!!!
    
    Only trouble is, it will not pick up the loops in the road !
    
    Andy

    What sort of range has it got, have you actually seen the Police
    lurking ?
    
    
    Jason.

    Jason,
    
    I've only managed to find radar traps that are approx. 300 - 400 yds
    away, but the bumph says 3 miles on a clear road. (What is a clear
    road)???
    
    On dual cariageways, it will probably pick up signals bouncing from
    other cars at up to a mile plus.
    
    Andy

    	I have to say that in 18 years of motoring I haven't seen more
    	than half a dozen speed traps in operation, and I've never been
    	stopped by one. I drive 25000 miles a year. 
    
    	Where do you people go to encounter the density of police with
        VASCAR guns to make these Radar detectors financially viable?
    
    	Joe. 

    	The main locations for gatso's seem at present to be just after
    changes in the speed limits, e.g. Where the M40 becomes the A40 and the
    limit becomes 50mph at Swakely's, and where there are dual-carrigeways
    restricted to less than the derestricted limits, e.g. A30 along the
    bottom on Heathrow.
    	As far as the normal policeman with a hairdryer type of speedtrap
    goes, they'll tend to be around where the local blackspots, speedruns
    are, often in response to complaints from the locals.

... and the financial justification occurs the first time you
get nicked, because probably everybody who contributes to this
conference will earn enough to get hit by a few hundred quid
fine, even for a few miles and hour over the limit.

Even so, i too am amazed by the number of traps down South -
i have only seen half a dozen radar traps in my life n'all!

mb

    Traps are pretty common in the Edinburgh area too.
    
    The Police down your way must realise that there are more important
    criminals to catch than somebody breaking the speed limit.
    
    If they paid as much attention to housebreaker/murderers/rapists
    maybe the crime rate for these offences wouldn't be so high and people
    could feel safer <FLAME OFF>
    
    Ian.

    I thought that Gatso cameras used induction loops in the road surface,
    not radar (or at least, some of them do).
    
    Dave.

    Heard yesterday that a police motorcyclist was killed when a car
    crashed into him.
    
    This was on the A5 in North Wales, at Froncysyllte. Apparently he was
    sat on his BMW by the side of the road watching the traffic in the 30
    limit when a Montego ploughs straight into him.
    
    Sad. 
    
    Some people can't even see police traps when they're painted bright
    green and are visibly parked!
    
    Huw.

    
    		If you're interested in buying a Radar Detector ...how
    about this for a deal???
    
    		We are working a bulk buy deal with a importer of the 
    Uniden range of detectors for one particular model.
    
    	The spec is  Uniden "Stalker" R5000W wideband radar detector.
    It covers all three bands i.e. X,K,Ka (Photographic trap latest)
    It is the same electronics and spec as the R6000W model which is 
    currently adavertised @ 189 pounds sterling plus.
     		The only difference between the two models is one has 
    suction caps for mounting and no visual indication of signal power
    (its does however have audio indication).
    
    		The R5000w comes with a full of goodies including sunvisor 
    clip, cigarette lighter plug and cable and various mounting goodies.
    It fits in the palm of your hand and has edit "anti falsing" circuits,
    and indicators for each band X,K,KA...together with power indicator
    and buttons for city,audio mute, etc
    
    		The price if we can get thirty people interested will be
    approx 100- 110 pounds sterling (depends on dollar rate etc) ahich
    represents quite a saving?? We have approx 6 people in my local office
    interested.....any more???
    
    Legal note:- Whilst it is not illegal to import or sell radar detectors 
    actual use may constitute an offence under the Wireless telegraphy Act
    
          Please mail me if your interested.....once I have the thirty 
    people together I will firm up the exact price and delivery.
    
    
      mail on VAXmail Comics::Heaney
         or Allinon  Mike Heaney@ UCG 

    .13�     		The only difference between the two models is one has 
    .13�    suction caps for mounting and no visual indication of signal power
    .13�    (its does however have audio indication).
    
        Anyone got any comments on how much use the visual indication of
    signal power is, as opposed to use the tone?

    I was talking to a guy recently who's getting a detector from the
    states, apparently you can get them over there with credit card sized
    detector units, so you can keep them in your top pocket and hence if
    you get pulled over they won't see the unit.
    
    
    Is this a good idea?
    
    Greg

Being completely dense in the area of radar detetors (amongst others! ;-)),

Will this work in Europe? Do they use the same bands????



					Lewis.

Saved again this morning by my Uniden detector.

What you have to get used to is when the detector goes off at the
same place. (Just ignore it)

But on a road you know where the detector never goes off, then all of a
sudden bleep,bleep bleep. (Step on those anchors)

Today the trap was in Gotham (pronounced Goatam by the locals)
going from a 60 limit to a 30 limit.

Matt.

     Re .16
    
    
    	Lewis,
    
    		I can confirm that the R5000W/R6000W work extremely well
    here in the UK ....as for Europe in general I have not had any
    experience so therefore cannot say for definite.....but the wideband
    technology that allows them to work here in the UK when other USA
    non- wideband detectors hadn't previously worked should be a good
    indication. Uniden don't as such make a Euorpean model so claims 
    by various UK suppliers about tuned UK frequency are misleading as they
    are not tunable as the term implies. This information came through the
    Uniden technical department in the States, who claim that it "scans"
    the entire  wideband hence the reason they work over here as well as
    the states.
    
    
    					Mike
    

Re: .9

After strict enforcement of drink driving laws, strict enforcement of speed
limits has the highest payoff in terms of reduction of death and injuries.

The number of people murdered in the UK each year is far less than the numbers
killed on the roads.

jb

    
�After strict enforcement of drink driving laws, strict enforcement of speed
�limits has the highest payoff in terms of reduction of death and injuries.

�The number of people murdered in the UK each year is far less than the numbers
�killed on the roads.
    
    These figures, as always, are misleading. The figures include, all
    people who die on, near, next to and close to roads. They are not
    figures for motor vehicle "accidents". 
    
    The figure also inflate ;-) the "drink/drive" risk, because the
    statistics include pedestrian drunks killed by their own stupidity
    and drunken passengers of sober drivers.
    
    It's ironic that the same figures show that motorways, where speeds 
    are highest, are the safest types of roads with fewer accidents in
    total and fewer accidents per mile travelled.
    
    
    
    It is very easy for the authorities to trot out excuses about why
    people die on the roads. It is very easy for them to blame others.
    It is very easy for them to say "speed was a contributing factor".
    But how many people obey speed limits? 
    
    Perhaps I'd be more inclined to listen if they were stricter about
    who could drive (a tougher, more realistic test), stricter about
    making sure road hazards were properly marked, stricter about keeping
    roads in a good state of repair and much stricter with councils over
    poor street lighting.
    
    Richard.
    
     
    

Actually you will find that the number of people who die each year in
the UK while driving the Lamborgini Diablo is tiny, compared to those
killed whilst driving other makes of car, so isn't it about time that
the law was changed to FORCE everyone to drive Diablos?

I can back this up by another statistic that says that NOBODY was killed
last year by driving at 190mph on any road in the UK!

;-)

After discussions with a collegue, i have to agree that the safest car
on the roads is actually the Maclaren F1, as this is a 3 seater and the
number of deaths per *passenger mile* will be less than in the Diablo!!!

Obviously the 190mph "safe speed" still stands though.

;-) ;-)

    re .22
    
    Surely the Sinclair C5 must be high up in the list as well 
    
    ;^)
    
    Greg

    
    re .23
    
    Only if it's been turbocharged ;-)
    
    

    
    
    Hi All,
    
    I've been reading the slagging off the Police have been getting in
    here, and I thought I'd say a few words in defence of the Police.
    I'm a special constable in Essex, so I see them operate from the
    inside, I would just like to point out that the Police do not make the
    laws, they are employed to enforce them!
    If you're not happy with the law's of the land don't take it out on the
    Police force.......tell your MP. he's the way to get them changed!
    and for those of you who don't believe speed kills you better believe
    it I've been in a head on collision at a collision speed of approx.
    100mph and I don't recommend it,I wasn't speeding!.....what if I
    was?....would I be here today talking about it?... I doubt it, I think
    I got out of that by the skin of my teeth!!!!
    I'm not a kill-joy I like fast cars too and I'm just about to order a
    Renault 19 16valve.
    As for radar detectors just think, if everybody had one the Police
    could put dummy traps just emmiting a signal, at stategic points and
    control everyones speed with very little manpower, you'd have to take
    notice because if it was noticed that people were speeding at a
    specific point they could go out with a real trap you wouldn't know the
    difference......remember the Police know the accident blackspots and
    that is their prime consideration if you know a spot where radar traps
    are regularly used observe the speed limit there always and you won't
    go far wrong.
    Radar traps are not used to increase the number of people in court for
    speeding they're used to prevent life threatening accidents. When did
    you last see one on a motorway where every other car is speeding?
    
    Richard

�    As for radar detectors just think, if everybody had one the Police
�    could put dummy traps just emmiting a signal, at stategic points and
�    control everyones speed with very little manpower,
    
    Great.  I see nothing wrong with that.
    
    Disregarding the radar detectors, how about leaving 'jam sandwiches'
    in visible points, so that people will slow down, rather than an
    unmarked car which doesn't improve local traffic conditions - other
    than 'nicking' a vehicle every now and then ?
    
    I know, it's manpower/money/whatever, but if they want people to slow
    down, then marked cars achieve that.  Unmarked cars don't work so well.
    
    J.R.
    

    
    I agree unmarked cars don't achieve much but it's the deterent that
    works, any car can be a Police car not just a jam sandwich.
    
    BTW. saw a great video of a car chase filmed from helicopter over 10
    miles and ending in a police car ramming it, to stop it.
    
    Richard

    This raises the old story about the police putting cardboard cutouts of
    Jam Sandwiches at strategic points, and finding them just as effective
    as the real thing...
    
    Given that the definition of a hazard is something that causes you to
    change speed and/or direction, would this include police cars?
    
    	90 mph+ in outside lane
    	Spots JS
    	Hauls on anchors
    	Swerves into middle lane without looking or signalling
    	Chunters along at 65 mph blocking up the road for next 1� miles
    
    Not me, of course.  I know how much speed I can lose by just stepping
    off the gas at those speeds....8*)
    
    
    Richard (Smith)
    
    
    

    
�    Radar traps are not used to increase the number of people in court for
�    speeding they're used to prevent life threatening accidents. When did
�    you last see one on a motorway where every other car is speeding?
    
    This is simply not true. How can something that records your speed
    without you knowing about it "prevent life threatening accidents"??
    
    They *are* being used :-
    
    1. On motorways nowhere near accident blackspots
    2. On ordinary roads nowhere near accident blackspots 
    3. As revenue generating devices
    
    
    Richard.

    Well said, .29
    
    These TRAPS should be in urban areas, especially near schools, parks,
    shopping areas and the like. *IF* speed kills (which I'd argue with),
    then the killing is done there, not on motorways.
    
    Laurie.

don't forget those incredibly dangerous places, like totally empty dual 
carriageways, dead straight, visibility 5 miles....

    Especially at 3am...
    
    Laurie.

    ...first-class conditions for radar reception.  Even the lamp-posts are
    doing 120 mph...
    
    Richard
    

Well I better put this in before Mr Moakes spills the beans.

My car is in the garage, so I have got a hire car for a couple of days.
I left the Radar detector in my car, and guess what......

Yep I got nicked yesterday in a radar trap. ! (More little stars on my license)

I think the term is sods law, as my RD would have spotted the trap, and thus
I would have avoided my little brush with the boys in blue.

Matt.

re.34:

You could, of course, stick to the speed limits like the rest of us.

Dave.

    
�re .35

�You could, of course, stick to the speed limits like the rest of us.
    
    Is this the royal us?
    

    
    Regarding the point about the police only enforcing the law......
    
    It's rather difficult to get a change in the laws when the people that
    make them don't appear to have to adhere to them. I mean, how many
    times have you seen John Major hop into his official car and it streak
    off at high speed, chauffeur at the wheel, police all over the place
    doing pig all. Perhaps, the police ought to force these figures to set
    a decent example before dumping on us poor plebs.
    
    Steve

    Agreed!
    
    And how many times do you see Judge so_and_so done for speeding down
    the M4 in his jag ?
    
    Lead by example.
    
    -tony

Ther's a company called Tensor who are selling a pocket 
sized radar detector for �79.95. It has visual and 
audiable alarms with a distance warning feature that can 
detect radar devices upto 3 miles away. It checks X, K 
and Ka bands. It comes with both windshield and sunvisor
detachable mountings and just plugs in to the cigarette
lighter socket. It claims to have advanced features for
'over the hill, around bends and rear' trap detection as 
well as city and motorway setting to stop false signals.

The company is based in Darlington and their phone number 
is 0325-469-181.

I'm thinking of purchasing one of these devices as I can
always return it for my cash within 14 days. However, 

what I want to know is has anybody used this particular 
device (the RD2000) and is it any good.

Regards,
Anil....