Les Gendarmes, Sat Nav & Speed Camera Locations

[jeremyc]

Now we're all familiar with Les Gendarmes' vitriolic hatred of any kind of radar, laser or speed camera locating devices.

However, does anyone have any experience of their attitude to sat nav systems that have speed camera location overlays? Clearly sat nav is legal in France, but is it OK to have the GPS positions of fixed (and mobile) camera sites flagged?

[Beggarall]

Unless they did a detailed search of your SatNav's data base I don't know how they would find out that you had the camera emplacements logged? The fixed camera sites are all on the web [url]www.radarsfixes.com/[/url] ..but how do you find the mobile sites?

[jeremyc]

Beggarall said:

Unless they did a detailed search of your SatNav's data base I don't know how they would find out that you had the camera emplacements logged? The fixed camera sites are all on the web [url]www.radarsfixes.com/[/url] ..but how do you find the mobile sites?

I just wondered if there is any evidence of them objecting carte blanche to any electronic device suckered to the windscreen of a British car.

I have a TomTom and the European camera sites are available as a POI overlay download from www.pocketgps.co.uk

[targarama]

I had my PDA with Tomtom running when I was stopped last June by two quite nasty flics. They said nothing about the PDA and didn't look closely at it at all. I guess overlays might be spotted if they take a look, but you could turn them off as you're coming to a halt. A Tomtom Go might look a bit more like a speed detection device though compared to a PDA.

[markmullen]

At each toll booth the operators glowered at my navi unit (Medion pocketPC jobbie) but did nothing, similarly the gendarmes had a look into the cabin at one point but did nothing.

[Le TVR]

Its just detectors or jammers that are illegal.
SAT-NAV with radar locations is OK, you can download the overlay files in many places, or you can subscribe to TomTom Go Radar (~40 euro).

Mapping the locations is not a problem.

Even the 2006 calendar from La Poste contains maps showing all radar fixes existing and planned for this year.

[jeremyc]

Le TVR said:

Its just detectors or jammers that are illegal. SAT-NAV with radar locations is OK, you can download the overlay files in many places, or you can subscribe to TomTom Go Radar (~40 euro). Mapping the locations is not a problem. Even the 2006 calendar from La Poste contains maps showing all radar fixes existing and planned for this year.

Thanks! In your experience are the police good at identifying the difference between sat nav and detectors?

I simply want to avoid any undue hassle when travelling through France - perhaps I need to update my French vocabulary to include "satellite navigation" and "not a speed camera detector".

[shnozz]

shirley the nicest man in the world doesn't get pulled by the police either here or abroad?

Jeremy, is it that much of an issue? The only hassle I have had in France has been from mobile traps, not fixed cameras. The few that I have seen have been well signposted or smashed

[jeremyc]

shnozz said:

shirley the nicest man in the world doesn't get pulled by the police either here or abroad?

Only took the first day of MiniHoon last year for me to be presented with a souvenir certificate of my visit to France.

shnozz said:

Jeremy, is it that much of an issue? The only hassle I have had in France has been from mobile traps, not fixed cameras. The few that I have seen have been well signposted or smashed

My main concern is not being nicked by the cameras, but by some power-crazed cop wanting to confiscate/destroy/insert-where-the-sun-don't-shine my sat nav unit thinking that it is a camera detector.

[Raify]

jeremyc said:

perhaps I need to update my French vocabulary to include "satellite navigation" and "not a speed camera detector".

"non no monsieur. C'est seulement pour navigation. C'est pas un detecteur."

I had the same thoughts recently, and took my tom tom in the end.

>> Edited by Raify on Friday 6th January 10:15

[shnozz]

jeremyc said:

shnozz said: Jeremy, is it that much of an issue? The only hassle I have had in France has been from mobile traps, not fixed cameras. The few that I have seen have been well signposted or smashed My main concern is not being nicked by the cameras, but by some power-crazed cop wanting to confiscate/destroy/insert-where-the-sun-don't-shine my sat nav unit thinking that it is a camera detector.

then learn to read a map and leave it at home you tart

[Le TVR]

shnozz said:

The few that I have seen have been well signposted or smashed

Very true.
The radar fixe have clear signs telling you to expect them:



If you cant see them then a map wouldnt be much good either

Just keep an eye for the mobile traps.....


Oh yes, TomTom is quite popular here, so les flics have a good idea what they are.

>> Edited by Le TVR on Friday 6th January 15:16

[woof]

Hi

Road Angel sell they're units 100% legally in France - legal to own and to use
(note - non laser units)

[ledfoot]

What about laser jammers?

Would the Gendarmes look for these under your number plate ?

[woof]

Laser Jammers are illegal
I've got them on mine though and haven't had a problem - depends how discrete they are - on the 930 they're fairly obvious - red paintwork - black jammers
On the Cooper JCW it's all black and it's pratically invisible

I had an old set of jammers, which I brought with me - with loads of wire and the control unit - and I figured that I could possibly claim that I'd removed all the wiring etc but couldn't remove the sensors. You can't get them off anyway.

Generally they're looking for detectors on windscreens

[hypocrite]

When I took my IPAQ/TomTom to France the year before last I printed out the French Tom Tom web site which showed how it worked (after checking that there was no mention of POIs for speed cameras).

I didn't get stopped but with my level of French it seemed a good idea to be able to give the policeman something to read and to show him it was a sat naq rather than a detector.

Simon

[joust]

See my answer in your other thread

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=233033