Radar detectors.
Discussion
Noticed a few at the Surrey RR day the other day, are they still 100% legal?
Do they work well, and can anyone recommend one?
Im not looking for one because I will be flying everywhere!! But I see no harm in being for warned of accident hotspots ;-) and 3pts on a gatso that was well tucked away hitting me for 44 in a 40.
Do they work well, and can anyone recommend one?
Im not looking for one because I will be flying everywhere!! But I see no harm in being for warned of accident hotspots ;-) and 3pts on a gatso that was well tucked away hitting me for 44 in a 40.
They're not illegal yet and if the current thinking gets turned into legislation then GPS detectors should still be ok. IIRC the law will outlaw devices that interfere with police transmitted signals - so laser detectors will go. But GPS devices, that merely tell you the location of gatsos etc in relation to your own GPS position should be ok.
I've been running a 1st Gen Road Angel (the 2nd Gen ones look so much cooler) for a year with no problems at all. It sits in the central cubby hole and works fine.
I've been running a 1st Gen Road Angel (the 2nd Gen ones look so much cooler) for a year with no problems at all. It sits in the central cubby hole and works fine.
IMO, the road angel 2 (one of which i own) should not be made illeagal as anything that slows down the traffic (in the eyes of the law) can never be a bad thing can it ? and thats exactly what the RA2 does isnt it!! so if we cant use these devices we can easily sale past a camera doing silly speeds and yes we will get points and a fine but at the same time have a bad accident and someone get hurt!! now surely it would be in the authorities interests to make sure we keep our speed down so therefore should keep these devices legal??
My RA2 is stuck in the centre of the windscreen, as low as possible. Works a treat, and so far has been 100% reliable including stopping me blasting through a SPECS area one night - there is no way I would have noticed the overhead cameras if it hadn't started flashing. Funny - I thought it was malfunctioning at the time... then I drove back the next morning and saw all the cameras!!! I've also got a Lidatek LRC100 laser diffuser mounted on the front number plate which I know is not really legal, but hey... you take yer chances....... not been hit by laser yet, but at least I can relax a little bit with the two systems working in parallel!!
chris063 said:
Does it have to be on the windscreen?
The reason for placing it by the windscreen is so it has a clear line of sight to recieve the incoming radar signal, this also goes for a radar pointing at you from behind, as long as nothing is obstructing the line of sight between the RA2 and your rear window.
I believe the instructions recommend placing it high enough so that it can pick up lasers through the rear window, which I do in the Audi, but in the cerb it sits low, wedged in the hole in the dash and use it more for the cameras.
Odd thing today, being 1st April etc, on my daily commute this morning, the thing went nuts for 10 minutes. Kept flashing up school & blackspot warnings. Back to normal now. Think the makers have got a sense of humour?
Odd thing today, being 1st April etc, on my daily commute this morning, the thing went nuts for 10 minutes. Kept flashing up school & blackspot warnings. Back to normal now. Think the makers have got a sense of humour?
i tried a road angel on a long trip the other day.
it was very good at telling me where all the
cameras were, but they were all sign posted anyway.
i've been told that some detectors pick up hand
held laser guns, but by the time they have its
to late anyway, soi cant realy see the point in
them. if someone could explain their merits i
would be interested in buying one.
it was very good at telling me where all the
cameras were, but they were all sign posted anyway.
i've been told that some detectors pick up hand
held laser guns, but by the time they have its
to late anyway, soi cant realy see the point in
them. if someone could explain their merits i
would be interested in buying one.
The GPS systems are great, but you're reight, usually you've seen them by the time the warning goes off.
I know others would disagree with me, but I'm of the opinion that laser / radar detectors really aren't much use. They need to be hit pretty squarely to trigger, and when the chap holding it is hiding behind a bush, round a bend, or over a hill, there's not much chance of it being picked up until it's too late....
I've now passed my RA2 on to my wife, and switched to using TomTom on my IPAQ with camera warnings - far more useful, it not only tells you where the cameras are, but what the limit is, so that momentay panic when you're sure you'e doing the speed limit is reduced!
I know others would disagree with me, but I'm of the opinion that laser / radar detectors really aren't much use. They need to be hit pretty squarely to trigger, and when the chap holding it is hiding behind a bush, round a bend, or over a hill, there's not much chance of it being picked up until it's too late....
I've now passed my RA2 on to my wife, and switched to using TomTom on my IPAQ with camera warnings - far more useful, it not only tells you where the cameras are, but what the limit is, so that momentay panic when you're sure you'e doing the speed limit is reduced!
In a way, thats true in that fixed cameras all have warning signs, but there are times, especially with the sneaky ones behind signs etc and while driving at night on sweeping A roads that you can easily miss one, and it only takes one, once in a while to rack up dangerous levels of points. Think of it as a safety net, and hopefully with good awareness and a gps system, you shouldn't get caught by a fixed camera again (so long as you keep the map updated!). However, to beat the mobile vans etc you need a laser diffuser and radar jammer to physically stop the police getting a fix on your speed, as more often than not, by the time you see the van/copper its too late. So thats another safety net to add on. But to be fair, both times I have been caught speeding has been by VASCAR.... did you know that police helicopters can also clock you for speeding?!?!? Not sure how to beat that one...
Road Angel 2's have a function that allows you to set the camera spotting distance in front of the car!
IIRC 750, 500 and 250 metres ahead of the car.
Great piece of kit, just remember to get the external Ariel if you have a heated screen.
BTW buy your Ariel from Chandlers mine cost about £24, I check the price with Halfrauds yesterday for the same part £69
I also wanted one of those little rubber mount thingies to stick on the dash to hold the angel in place, Chandlers FOC! Halfrauds £10 Feck OFF. At that price I'd make one from a fridge magnet!
IIRC 750, 500 and 250 metres ahead of the car.
Great piece of kit, just remember to get the external Ariel if you have a heated screen.
BTW buy your Ariel from Chandlers mine cost about £24, I check the price with Halfrauds yesterday for the same part £69
I also wanted one of those little rubber mount thingies to stick on the dash to hold the angel in place, Chandlers FOC! Halfrauds £10 Feck OFF. At that price I'd make one from a fridge magnet!
Another possibility is to get a TomTom Go sat nav and upload the camera locations to it. There are around 7000 locations available from www.pocketgpsworld.com including Gatso, red light, SPECS, mobile sites and temporary locations. You can then edit which types you want to be warned about and how far in advance it warns you. TomTom Go is available now for around £370 as much as a Road Angel 2 with the benefit of Sat Nav too. I've uploaded this data for a couple of friends and it's easy also the Sat Nav side of a TomTom is simple to use and very accurate in my experience.10/10.
I have a RA2 at present,works well,but was looking for one that doesnt have to be mounted on the windsceen to be able to receive the GPS signals.On my investigations i've found the Origin B2 to be the best alternative as it has in addition to the RA2...
1.It can be mounted in cubby hole under stereo,due to it having seperate sensors for GPS,front and rear
2.It tells you the road your on (ie A38 etc)
3.It tells you speed limit of the road the camera is sited on and if travelling at less the that speed it doesnt alert you
Happy motoring!!
1.It can be mounted in cubby hole under stereo,due to it having seperate sensors for GPS,front and rear
2.It tells you the road your on (ie A38 etc)
3.It tells you speed limit of the road the camera is sited on and if travelling at less the that speed it doesnt alert you
Happy motoring!!
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