So whos got a snooper/ camera detector device?
Discussion
Reading the thread about being scammed twice in short spaces of time it got me thinking.
Ive got a cyclops camera detector and although I dont rely on it, I feel uncomfortable driving without it. Many of my friends see the device on the dash of my saxo, and say "why do you need that in a saxo"...
Although I do a fair amount of driving, and a lot of motorway miles I still dont see all that many people with camera detectors...despite speed cameras and mobile scams spreading like a virus.
So just to satisfy my curiosity, who here on PH has a camera detector, and do you think it was a good investment?
Ive got a cyclops camera detector and although I dont rely on it, I feel uncomfortable driving without it. Many of my friends see the device on the dash of my saxo, and say "why do you need that in a saxo"...
Although I do a fair amount of driving, and a lot of motorway miles I still dont see all that many people with camera detectors...despite speed cameras and mobile scams spreading like a virus.
So just to satisfy my curiosity, who here on PH has a camera detector, and do you think it was a good investment?
Bought a radar detector for a laugh - just to see if it worked, really, and because it had a laser feature that might be useful on the M4.
The level of false alarms mean that it is unusable, really.
My Sat Nav (Navman) has Camera locations in it. Much more useful. But only because once I'd got the Sat Nav adding the scamera locations was free. So far I've not failed to spot a camera anyway...
>> Edited by Don on Wednesday 13th July 13:46
The level of false alarms mean that it is unusable, really.
My Sat Nav (Navman) has Camera locations in it. Much more useful. But only because once I'd got the Sat Nav adding the scamera locations was free. So far I've not failed to spot a camera anyway...
>> Edited by Don on Wednesday 13th July 13:46
My dad has a snooper but we don't use it any more. I used to use it in his mondeo if I needed to get somewhere quickly (just in case 
). I found that it slowed me down in urban areas where it would constantly go off due to automatic doors etc, which may or may not have been a good thing. I found that I looked at the speedo less as the beeps made me more aware of how fast I was travelling at any given time as it seemed to make me concentrate more. Which has to be a good thing.
I did find it helpful when driving on SC NSLs as it would give me a better idea of how sharply I had to brake (if it all, obviously) if I hadn't seen a camera and found myself too near its zone for comfort. ie if there was no bleeping i could brake gently (if i needed to) just in case, otherwise I would brake more.
Also useful for checking cameras to see which ones are operating.
Didn't use it if I was in no hurry at all or going somewhere where there were no cameras.
Now though, it's largely irrelevent because I know where the local scams sit and my life operates in a way that I don't often need to get anywhere in a hurry. Add to this the fact that a Ka and a diesel Fusion
aren't really up to the task of setting land speed records
). I found that it slowed me down in urban areas where it would constantly go off due to automatic doors etc, which may or may not have been a good thing. I found that I looked at the speedo less as the beeps made me more aware of how fast I was travelling at any given time as it seemed to make me concentrate more. Which has to be a good thing. I did find it helpful when driving on SC NSLs as it would give me a better idea of how sharply I had to brake (if it all, obviously) if I hadn't seen a camera and found myself too near its zone for comfort. ie if there was no bleeping i could brake gently (if i needed to) just in case, otherwise I would brake more.
Also useful for checking cameras to see which ones are operating.
Didn't use it if I was in no hurry at all or going somewhere where there were no cameras.
Now though, it's largely irrelevent because I know where the local scams sit and my life operates in a way that I don't often need to get anywhere in a hurry. Add to this the fact that a Ka and a diesel Fusion
aren't really up to the task of setting land speed recordsI've had a Snooper for a few years. Some odd random alarms but they keep one alert. Useful to know which Gatso's are live especially on the M25. Also for when many traffic lights are about to change. The laser detector bit is probably pointless and whenever I have spotted a mobile scamera unit and had an opportunity to to go through it a few times to see what happens then answer has been - nothing. But then maybe the traffic was too slow to even make it worth squeezing the trigger.
Also have a Road Angel. Same comments about laser detection though I have never seen an opportunity to 'test' it. RA is good but of course won't tell which Gatso's are active. No room on the dash for both (and the Tom Tom GO) so the Snooper sits in the armrest storage. Still works but only with strong signals.
I like the large speed display on the RA. Tend to use that rather than the speedo much of the time. Useless at night though and when the screen alarms to red as the digits are invisible to me! RA can sometimes take a while to lock on to enough satellites to give a reading.
The TT GO has the free database on it (not the new Tom Tom subscription product) but no idea how accurate it is since it relies on voluntary submissions and their accuracy. On the one or two occasions when I have been out of the areas I know the correlation with RA seemed close. However it does have many more categories and also includes some mobile sites which RA tends not to have, though sometimes they come up as if they are fixed sites.
My conclusion is that whilst none of the systems are full proof I would rather have them than not. RA, with it's large format speed readout, seems the obvious one to use all the time since Snooper is no use for the ever more prevalent local Truvelo's and TTGO's speed presentation is too small to be comfortable to use all the time (with my old eyes). Also I don't need Satnav for most local journeys so I leave it out of view along with its mounting bracket.
If you only do local runs you know, and depending on how often your local scamerati go for moves, additions and changes, you may get away with limited risk by local knowledge. But as soon as you visit places you do not regularly visit, especially if you are fimiliar with the territory but not a regular, anything that helps awareness could be vital.
IMHO.
Also have a Road Angel. Same comments about laser detection though I have never seen an opportunity to 'test' it. RA is good but of course won't tell which Gatso's are active. No room on the dash for both (and the Tom Tom GO) so the Snooper sits in the armrest storage. Still works but only with strong signals.
I like the large speed display on the RA. Tend to use that rather than the speedo much of the time. Useless at night though and when the screen alarms to red as the digits are invisible to me! RA can sometimes take a while to lock on to enough satellites to give a reading.
The TT GO has the free database on it (not the new Tom Tom subscription product) but no idea how accurate it is since it relies on voluntary submissions and their accuracy. On the one or two occasions when I have been out of the areas I know the correlation with RA seemed close. However it does have many more categories and also includes some mobile sites which RA tends not to have, though sometimes they come up as if they are fixed sites.
My conclusion is that whilst none of the systems are full proof I would rather have them than not. RA, with it's large format speed readout, seems the obvious one to use all the time since Snooper is no use for the ever more prevalent local Truvelo's and TTGO's speed presentation is too small to be comfortable to use all the time (with my old eyes). Also I don't need Satnav for most local journeys so I leave it out of view along with its mounting bracket.
If you only do local runs you know, and depending on how often your local scamerati go for moves, additions and changes, you may get away with limited risk by local knowledge. But as soon as you visit places you do not regularly visit, especially if you are fimiliar with the territory but not a regular, anything that helps awareness could be vital.
IMHO.
I have both gps and radar detector and do enjoy the security of having them.
The Snooper S3 gives more warning but I dont rely on the database. The Snooper 715 goes off at garage doors etc but its nice to know it wont miss an active camera.
If Im going anywhere where I dont know the area I use a Tomtom satnav with the scamera database and by regularly glancing at that you can see if anything sinister is coming up in the next mile or so.
I dont rekon you can take too many precautions.
You can pick up the 715's on ebay for peanuts these days so if you dont get on with just bung it back on there
The Snooper S3 gives more warning but I dont rely on the database. The Snooper 715 goes off at garage doors etc but its nice to know it wont miss an active camera.
If Im going anywhere where I dont know the area I use a Tomtom satnav with the scamera database and by regularly glancing at that you can see if anything sinister is coming up in the next mile or so.
I dont rekon you can take too many precautions.
You can pick up the 715's on ebay for peanuts these days so if you dont get on with just bung it back on there
I've got a Classic Road Angel, I find it makes me more aware of my speed and I like the accuracy of the GPS speedo. The laser detectors (2) have gone off occasionally, but only when I've been doing the limit or just under, I put that down to trigger happy scammers. I,ve also got a Mitac MIO GPS which stops me getting lost.
You could say I've got so many distractions how do I concentrate...............I don't!!
H
You could say I've got so many distractions how do I concentrate...............I don't!!
H
Hi chaps - I have an Origin B2 and it's fantastic for fixed cameras. As has been said, the laser detector thing is a bit pointless cos if you get zapped and it lights up, you've already had your speed recorded. I did hear that it helps because they might be zapping someone else so you might get some of the 'scatter'.....not sure if that's true cos i thought only radar had scatter, and laser is a very narrow cone shaped beam. I know the laser detector works though - if you want to test it, drive along the M4 between the M25 Junction and the Heathrow turn off. It always picks up a laser signal there....assuming it's the Airport ILS or something like it. Also, it went off when i went under a bridge with a Scamera Van on it.....luckily I was being held up by a numpty, so didn't get a NIP!!
J.
J.
Hi there
I have a Valentine One which I use in the car and on my bike occasionally.
It does make a difference to me when I am in areas I don't know, especially with regard to fixed gatsos. It can filter out the common X band as used by most remote door openers etc.
Just gives me a little extra peace of mind and a chance to hold onto my licence
I have a Valentine One which I use in the car and on my bike occasionally.
It does make a difference to me when I am in areas I don't know, especially with regard to fixed gatsos. It can filter out the common X band as used by most remote door openers etc.
Just gives me a little extra peace of mind and a chance to hold onto my licence
Heads up chaps - be very careful. Although they aren't yet against the law, they probably will be soon - and you know that the BiB may be watching. (Even if they aren't there are some speed camera zealots who would love to take a copy of this type of thread as evidence of your heinous criminal child-killing attitudes to the authorities) so by all means express an opinion, but please don't incriminate yourself!
Sorry if my comments offend any one-eyed evangelist who can't see the wood for the trees when it comes to motoring issues....
Sorry if my comments offend any one-eyed evangelist who can't see the wood for the trees when it comes to motoring issues....
princeperch said:
of course, when such active devices are made illegal in the future, we would all seek to divest ourself of the afforementioned devices...
Quite so, but until then I will contend that such devices help my safety on the road in more ways than people might imagine and I will stick to them and use them in the constant battle to keep a clean licence in the face of enormous opposition.
When things get beyond a joke I will abandon car ownership, renting if I need one, and see if I can overstress the public transport system, such as it is.
Or I may simply move abroad and eventually take what remains of my pension fund with me.
Whatever, the outcome the objective will be to reduce the tax I am forced to hand over to idiots so they can waste it on meaningless gestures claiming it is my interest.
now though; next time its updated it'll get wiped. permenantly.I see. Well its obvious that many people on PH have a detector, but even today on my hack from Hertford to Reading taking the m25 and the m4 i didnt spot any cars with them.....and why do people not stick to 70 through the m25 variable?
Do some people think that camera signs are fake or something? I saw one flash twice and the flow of traffic was no more than 80..whether or not the poor sod who got flashed was heavily putting on speed when he went through is a possiblity I guess..but even so, the bloody things work
And I know there are a few regulars or the m4 on here, Don, and Puggit but to mention a few, do any of you know why there are gatso lines after bridges/gantries on the m4 which afaik (from knowledge and from the cyclops silence) dont contain cameras and have had no road works done on it? These arnt the standard gatso ladder, but similar to the m25 camera ladders (i.e smaller and at the 2 edges of the road, and I first noticed them on the first gantry immediatly after leaving the m25 and joining the m4.
Would be interested to find out...
Do some people think that camera signs are fake or something? I saw one flash twice and the flow of traffic was no more than 80..whether or not the poor sod who got flashed was heavily putting on speed when he went through is a possiblity I guess..but even so, the bloody things work
And I know there are a few regulars or the m4 on here, Don, and Puggit but to mention a few, do any of you know why there are gatso lines after bridges/gantries on the m4 which afaik (from knowledge and from the cyclops silence) dont contain cameras and have had no road works done on it? These arnt the standard gatso ladder, but similar to the m25 camera ladders (i.e smaller and at the 2 edges of the road, and I first noticed them on the first gantry immediatly after leaving the m25 and joining the m4.
Would be interested to find out...
I have a Snooper S4 Neo, I do around 60k miles a year so it is apsolutely essential and has paid for itself many times over (Although the laser detecter used to get set of by the Cark91 car kit, so I used to turn the volume down when on the phone - which was half the time, and promptly got nicked by a scammera) solution sorted change the car kit.
I have both a snooper and TomTom Navigator with cameras etc downloaded.
I am working on the basis that there are more cameras on the road than police officers, so the laws of probability are more in favour of me being caught for speeding, or dawdling along at 5mph over the speedlimit than anything else.
I find the fact that I have both provides ample reassurance, and the general inconvenience of worrying about being caught having a radar detector pales into insignificance when compared to the inconvenience of worrying about where scameras are.
I am working on the basis that there are more cameras on the road than police officers, so the laws of probability are more in favour of me being caught for speeding, or dawdling along at 5mph over the speedlimit than anything else.
I find the fact that I have both provides ample reassurance, and the general inconvenience of worrying about being caught having a radar detector pales into insignificance when compared to the inconvenience of worrying about where scameras are.
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