Cops, radar, tactics, methods, etc: Resources?

radar detectors are illigal in Ontario period.

the cops now have a gun which can detect the radiation coming from your car.

Not necessarily. Look at the big city cops that pull over people in rush hour (and create traffic hazards in the process) And here in the states we've made that even worse. Some states now have laws requiring drivers to move to the next left lane if an emergency vehicle is stopped on the shoulder (ambulance, cops, maybe tow trucks) Michigan cops are staging fake incidents on the shoulders to see who abides by that law, and busting those that don't.

Radar detectors are illegal in Ontario, period. Yes, the OPP do use a radar-detector detctor called the Spectre (VG-2 is old tech, but may still be in use) and they use it on any vehicle with a detector, car or truck.

Yes.

No. They may not know about the interference.

Yes it exists in Ontario, and it supposedly can detect the Valentine. Valentine Research wants to get a Spectre to find out how it works.

Also try

Texas just enacted a "move over" law that requires one to either move over to the next lane, or if a lane is unavailable/nonexistant the driver is required to slow to 25 mph. Yes, I have my video camera ready and when I come across someone pulled over during rush hour traffic I'll be slowing firmly from the prevailing speed of 65-70 to

25 mph. My fervent hope is that there is a giant multi-car accident with injuries that results from this pointless and drastic required speed reduction, and it will all be on tape. Lawyers are going to have a field day with this one.

Plus, a new law prohibits any kind of decorative license plate frame. The police were "scared" of those and got them banned for "their protection". (roll eyes)

JazzMan

My question (above) still stands: Is RD use in commercial vehicles "illegal" in many areas of US/Canada, and if so what is the compliance level of that regulation and how is it enforced?

I should have stated in my original post that

A) I know that RD's are illegal in Ontario (private and commercial vehicles) B) I believe that I have the right to operate any type of radio receiving device regardless of what the highway traffic act says. I also believe I have the right to know that I am being surveilled by the police. I also believe that the "law" that makes RD use illegal would be struck down when or if it was ever challenged by someone with appropriate resources.

Based on personal experience, either the Spectre doesn't work (on Valentine's anyways) or it's not widely (or routinely) used by the OPP.

Are there any definative reports as to how K-radar guns behave in areas where other K sources exist?

Unless an interference source is right on the exact frequency, or very close to it, that the radar gun is transmitting, and is strong enough that it's at least a significant fraction of the strength of the return signal from the vehicle, I don't think the radar gun would be affected..

Ah yes, that's the IF that the receiver puts out. It's of relatively low power.

Be a blast to just market a device that puts out that IF only at 10 or

20 Watts RMS. It'd look like EVERY car was running it. Of course you'd be breaking all sorts of FCC rules here in the U.S. So if you're going to go that far, why not put your own Ka or Ku band signal out so that it confuses the hell out of police radar.

In Victoria (BC) the cops only put in a radar trap at places where there has never, ever been an accident.

In Ontario, the money from traffic fines (not parking violations) goes to the ministry of finance, which means that there is no incentive for anyone but the finance minister to milk speeders for money. Fortunately, the people who assign the fines do not work directly for the minister of finance. The crux of this is that the cops are more concerned with safety than with speed.

If you want to drive fast, you must make sure that you are not obviously endangering yourself, or others. Among the early rules of driving is the one about not going faster than the vehicle in front of you. Staying just behind someone may result in them calling your plate to the OPP, if they have a cellphone and can result in an unmarked car watching how you drive.

If the only way to go fast is to make many lane changes and threaten people to speed up by tailgating them, the OPP will take a special interest in you, especially on holiday weekends. In light traffic, on good surfaces, and great visibility, they are much more relaxed about it.

I drive as fast as I please on the 400 series highways (not especially fast, but above the posted limits), but I slow down when I encounter traffic and always leave a good safety space in front of me. I also slow down when the situation warrants it (snow/rain/construction). The one time that I was pulled over, despite the fact that I was doing 105 in a 90 km/h zone, it was for a reason other than my speed.

On occassion, usually holiday weekends (when traffic accidents spike), the OPP will try to have enough cruisers out there to make an honest attempt to get anyone and everyone who drives in an unsafe manner on any 400 series highway.

Silly rabbit, radar guns are for revenue, not for safety.

Approximately 10/20/03 22:15, Robert Hancock uttered for posterity:

That would be my guess as well with modern crystal assisted filters. Some military/space radars can do a pretty good number, but having an AN-FPS16 dish mounted on the top of your Viper would be just a tad conspicuous.

the law is the law, and why would you need a radar detector anyway, unless your speeding down the road, and don't want to get caught of course.

challenge the law then, I want a RD, legally too.

Punch

To get a shorter response, ask "Is there anywhere that radar detectors are legal in any vehicle?"

Even on the 401 through Toronto?

Radar detectors are illegal in commercial vehicles in the US under federal law:

They are illegal in all vehicles in Washington D.C. and Virginia, and apparently legal in non-commercial vehicles in all other states:

As far as Canada goes, radar detectors are legal in Alberta, Saskatchewan and BC, and illegal in all other provinces.

Used to be a group here in Providence that had the initials EBS. As in Emergency Broadcast System.

In any case they had a Suburban painted all white with the huge EBS logo in bright orange with black outline on both doors, the hood, and the rear doors. On top of the truck was this huge dish - it wasn't THAT conspicuous.

Re-read my post. When hemmed in by traffic, going no faster than the vehicle in front of me is as fast as I please. If I can safely pass the vehicle in front of me, I am not hemmed in by traffic. Admittedly, I schedule my trips through Toronto to avoid the worst of the traffic.

Approximately 10/21/03 22:41, COTTP uttered for posterity:

The dish on an FPS-16 is about the size of that Suburban. Is a military missile track radar, found all over the place at White Sands, Utah Launch Complex, Blanding, etc. Getting enough power to it would be the second difficulty.

Personally I'd take my old radar, the AN/FSS-7 which could blow a police radar just with idling current in the 3 search transmitters, with a peak power in the multi-megawatt range. The difficult part would be mounting a 30 foot dish of course...

And so it panned out that the following script was sculpted by none other than Richard Bell:

This straightforward logic also works well for me, and is essentially a parallel principle to the doctrine of Keep Right Except To Pass, Never Pass On The Right.

My best approach to Toronto is that new toll road, the 427. They can only send the bill to Ontario plates, so my out of province plate is good in that manner.

I have also noticed how popular those blue license plate covers are in Ontario.