Faulty Gatso??
Discussion
This has happened to me a couple of times - usually when overtaking! My (reliable) information is that that this is a result of sidelobe reflection (I can go into radar theory if you want but would rather not) and is NOT a threat to your licence. JR pse tell me if I'm wrong. Truvelo's are of course another matter......
If it is a Gatsometer FIP and not a Truvelo (Blue Arm) then it should not take a picture from the front. As brm points out its most likely side lobe reflections. However the electronics in the Gatso are perfectly capable of detecting speed and triggering from a vehicle traveling towards them but as far as I am aware this is not used in the UK. 
The only forward facing cameras we have are the Truvelo ones. They are triggered by metal strips in the road not infra-red or radar.
As 911T said, they can't be detected by radar detectors (or anything other than the good old Mk 1 eyeball !) and use infra-red film to take the picture which is why there's no flash.
Or the Geodesy unit which screams even at Truvelo, junk that detector. A collegue with a top notch Bell unit laser/radar the lot got hit yesterday by a hald held laser unit and they'd got him before the unit even reacted ! Its true the same trap would have got me with my Geodesy but with the increase in truvelo's and other really "sneeky" stuff I think they're the better buy !
Gatsos DO flash at items coming twoards them. Public-spirited bikers (with no front number plates) have taken to doing wheelies towards them. I've also seen cars go on to the wrong side of the road to set them off. By the time the lights flash, they are too close for the film to catch a number-plate anyway... I think it's a public duty to waste as miuch film as possible on these useless devices, so let's all have a go!
quote:Hi Lee, There's one that does this to me most mornings on my way to work, each time I've been at 30MPH driving towards the gatso, and no other car has been on the other side of the road to set it off. Two of my mates are in the Police, they both have said this must be faulty. If not, I'm going to get about 30 speeding fines, and experience public transport for a while
A friend of mine was flashed by a Gatso at the weekend (normal one) from the front, I was under the impression that they could not take a forward facing picture.Anyone know any different?? Cheers LeeBee
I have been flashed by Gatso's when facing towards them quite a few times, the first once or twice, I was waiting for the dreaded letter in the post, but a friend who worked for the Police as a mechanic said they cannot nick you from a front picture, only a rear, don't know if its true, or more to do with how the picture comes out?
This has mostly been on small roads though.
quote:A couple? More like about 10 or 12 these days... The A14 being as congested as it is, I almost think it's a good thing, although a variable limit would be nicer for traffic flow IMHO. Mind you, my biker friends are all very happy that the majority are front-firing. Arse. Must buy a bike...
Hi In actually fact there is a totally different type of Gatso Camera that takes speed readings by infra red, not radar and is forward facing. There's a couple of the A14 and on the A1
Am I not right in thinking that when you set off a Gatso on the other side of the street it only flashes once and hence only takes one picture. The police therefore are unable to calculate your speed as they need the two images to show the distance you have covered.
As for the front facing new cameras there are some on the A5 too, in fact all over sodding Northants!
I remember reading on the Speedtrap bible site that some Gatsos have the real mechanism replaced with a dummy one that just flashes (they usually have more camera housings than mechanisms), and the speed sensing technology isn't smart enough to tell which way the car is going and flashes anyway to scare you into slowing down.
On a related note, my mother (who is a magistrate) remembers that the reason original cameras took pictures from the rear was nothing to do with safety (getting dazzled by a flash), but rather that the MPs of the day were terrified they'd be photographed with their mistresses in their cars and blackmailed with the pictures!
The Gatso is supposed to be accurate to around 1mph. The lines are not required for a conviction (as far as i am aware) as the fact that unit was triggered is good enough. The lines are used should the driver dispute the reading and to establish which vehicle was speeding if there are more than one lane that the gatso covers.
As for the flashes. There are many variations on the gatso internals. The Camera is expensive bit. There are two radar units. The live one contains a control unit that can select direction of traffic vehicle size etc.. This will always flash twice as it needs two photos. The other is used as a dummy gatso and does not include the control unit (It will trigger your detector tho). The dummy can be set to flash once or twice. There are also Gatso boxes (FIPs) with a dummy flash unit and and no radar or camera.. hope this helps
Just another interesting fact...
When i first got my radar detector I though i best to test it on a live camera. We drove around the my local area (northwest) determined to find a live gatso. After passing through 60 FIPs only 2 had a radar unit and one had a camera unit.... Never one when you need on eh!
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