Jay,
Laser speed determination has been around the Police world for about
a decade. It uses a series of infrared "light" pulses to determine the
change in range over time. The police usually aim at your license plate,
since it's reflective. Several companies make license plate covers that are
translucent to visible light, but dissipate infrared. Most, if not all, of
the radar detector manufacturers offer a combined radar/laser detector. Car
and Driver does a comparison of the latest versions from the manufacturers
every couple of years. Unless you're very lucky, all the laser detector
will tell you is that you have been "lasered." Unlike radar, the laser beam
is very narrow, about 4 -6 FEET wide at a range of one mile. Radar has a
beam width of about 5 degrees, and the beam would cover the entire highway
at this range.
I've been told that infrared lights are available to "jam" the
police lasers, but that your car's high beams have a significant infrared
signature, and have caused police lasers to malfunction. I would not count
on this, however!
Jim Sencindiver, PMS411C2
Surface Ship USW Combat Systems
Systems Engineering Group
703-604-5070 ext 240
703-604-5333 (Fax)
-----Original Message-----
From: Jay_Laifman@countrywide.com [mailto:Jay_Laifman@countrywide.com]
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 12:57 PM
To: alpines@autox.team.net; tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: Obsolete Radar Detectors
Maybe I'm the last to know, but I read in the paper that the local police
are now using/testing laser speed guns. I assume that means that all those
radar detectors will soon be useless. I also wonder if there can even be a
detector for laser speed guns.
Jay
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