Ianwww

I've got a Bel 550 which is very very good. It does have a laser alert which tells you if you are being lased (probably too late unless the Plod is going to take several readings) however if the car in front is being lased it can often detect that and give you a chance to slow down. I bought mine about 9 months ago from Networx Automotive for £320 by quoting Scoobynet forum which had a deal going (may still be running).

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

I'm looking for value for money and I think the S5 is coming out the best at the moment.

Just need to get some definite numbers from the boys in work and I can enter into negotiations.

The S5 does pick up lasers guns, but as you say I believe 'from a direct hit'.

However, I understand that the feds take at least 2 readings and/or keep it on you for a length of time to prove your speed.
Hence the siren/beep of the S5 will alert you and slam on the anchors.

BuRR

tbh - no offence intended, but I think you're being a bit optimistic here. We did some field tests with the laser, and it can lock on in about 1/50 second, much quicker than your reactions (or your brakes).

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

....... BuRR....

So..... what would you recommend???

* go for a more expensive scanner

or

** Buy the diffuser along with the scanner??


Sounds like the diffuser to me...

Dan B

Burr: About the Laser thing not working with the 550. You sound like you know a **** load about it, so I may have to bow to your superior knowledge, but.... :

To take a laser reading of your car, plod (I would assume) will need to take to many readings. I would be VERY surprised if the laser gun could take Doppler measurements at that frequency (this, is it not, the only way you can gauge speed from one reading, i.e. GATSO). So, bell euro 550 goes off as you are targeted, dump on the anchors, plod take second reading, you are fine (unless you were doing some multiple of c at the time, in which case you deserve to get caught). I read on the speed cameras website that plod will need to take several readings in order to catch you, and if any of his readings varies by ??10%?? then he can do jack. ergo, bell 550 helps you to not get done by laser.

please correct me if I'm wrong.

BuRR

You may not have been around when a few of us from this board met up on a Sunday morning and tested a variety of these devices.

Check the "radar jammer" section of this site. (Thanks RichW)

I'm only speaking from experience here........ both recreational AND professional. These are no longer the days of "tuning forks" used to calibrate the hand-held gatsos. These are precision devices costing thousands, and can grab the speed in a split second.

As soon as the device locks on, that's all the evidence that is needed. Also, there's next to no splash diffusion from the fabled car in front, (ask Boomer )

At the end of the day, its your choice, and its also your licence. I've already said what my preferred setup would be. (I personally own a BEL550, however I bought it before I had access to the "testing" kit)

BuRR

and as I've said, the BEL DOES detect laser, but the lock-on time is next to nothing, therefore it offers nothing more than a warning a NIP could possibly be heading your way.

sillysi

I use a Bell 990i which has now been replaced by the 550. The laser warning on any radar detector is just that, a warning. The scatter from a laser is about 40cm so when the detector beeps you will have been hit, you will not have time to slow down and there will be very little if any chance of a laser bouncing off another vehicle. I chose a radar detector over a gps system as I did not want to rely on companies having to update their databases, they are all fairly new companies and who knows how long they will be around. I know the radar detectors are no use against SPECS but a quick look on the web will tell you if there are any SPECS on your planned routes.

boomer

"there's next to no splash diffusion from the fabled car in front, (ask Boomer )"

Just to confirm what BuRR said, during the "Sunday morning test" i intentionally positioned myself behind another car that was being targetted. This was on a slight bend, so that i could actually see the laser gun being used, so any scatter would come my way.

My Bel990i (equivalent to the 550) was silent

Also, i tested the laser detector from the rear. Anything more than a couple of tens of yards and it picks up nothing

With regards to actually using a laser gun - i was shocked how easy and accurate they were. Even at several hundred yards away you could target a car and determine the speed in a couple of seconds - with the device in unsupported hands!.

With a tripod (which i didn't use), i am sure that you could target a car, press the trigger and get the speed in literally an instant!!!

Gulp!!!

mb

shunty

Dan B - trust me BuRR IS right with his previous comments.
We did some testing my stuff did what it said on the tin.

BuRR - it is an LE850 mate, you are right.
By the time the euro 550 has said laser, youv'e been zapped.

shunty

Dan B

spose I'll have to get a jammer then as well Its not that I speed everywhere, but the last two times I've been caught is for momentary lapse of consentration when I've slide up to 40 in a 30 zone. IMHO I have 6 points on my licence just because I didn't pay enough attention, not because I deserved them. Anyway, thats for another thread

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

Made my choice now Snooper S5

......... placed the order.......... only 6 people in the office interested......... managed to get a good price on them and they arrived today.....

I'll be testing it out over the weekend...... I just need to get to grips with them performance... I know of a few cameras so i'll be driving up and down the road past them...

....... no doubt I'll get done for making a nusance of myself and not get caught on the camera.....

Cheers for all the 'banter'...... the S5 will at least give me some protecetion......

Cheers

Riftzone

Cool. Do me a favour and post yer findings here so I can compare with mine pleez....

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

No probs.......... what you got???

Riftzone

I got the S5 too. Reason I ask is - I havent found a live speed trap since I got the Scoob. Proved a few empty gatso boxes tho.

Took the S5 with me on a business trip up to Scotland recently in a hire car - Citroen C5 <spit> and it only picked up the gatso's when you were actually in their beam - no prior warning at all ! Pretty convinced this was down to heater elements in the windscreen tho cos it didnt false alarm at the usual spots.

I'm interested in the amount of warning yer get and impression in general.

Cheers.

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

Rift,

Yeah I can do that........ I get to travel abit on business and frequent the M4 and the like.....

I'll be back and for next week and will report back......

The claims in the hand book seem quite impressive (value for money).......

At least it should give us a fighting chance!!!!

Speak to you soon

Cheers

Katana

Whats the legality of Jammers? I know detectors are legal but I thought that jammers weren't? I've got to talk to my lawyers (parents) about this. Damn I still owe them money though.

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

Katana,

on the radar sites the disclaimer that comes with the jammers read something like....

....It is possible that a device this effective could be seen as interfering with a police officer and his duties.....potential of perverting the course of justice.......

How they can differentiate from a detector I'm not sure....... I suppose it does JAM/CANCLE the effect of the laser...

Katana

Ahh, but the jammer directly interferes with the signal doesn't it? Isn't there grounds for the police to prosecute this as vandalism as it could potentially break the device or something.

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

I wouldn't think it would break it........ It's just a neutralising opposite frequency so the radar cannot take a true reading..... as I understand.....

Katana

Heh I sorta know that bit (engineer) but this is the law you're talking about where the justification for speed limits on motorways are sorta pulled out from fairyland. I bet you Burr would agree with me on this one.

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I agree........ the likelihood is just that, the Law are the Law and the majority of the time the decisions will be made to back uo the law.

It's a nice idea to have (I ain't got one.... yet) and am a bit dubious about having one installed.......

....... Just to clear things up... I don't go around with my foot to the floor.....

The S5 is 'a nice to have' and just to help me out in advance of people 'Slamming their breaks on' and on the odd occasion when your mind wanders and your just that little bit over what you should be......
..... there...... feel better now...

Riftzone

Legacy, got mine for the very same reasons. A momentary lapse of concentration can lead to tears...

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

And some funds changing hands

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

RiftZone

Been using the S5 for the last week or so and can honestly say that it has helped me out a few times.

Had to go to Bristol airport, just so happened it was in the dark and misty and the road was unfamiliar.
Travelling on the A38 A4 there's a few cameras and the speed limits change quit frequently..... what a life saver..

However, using it around town, a few petrol stations and the retail parks, it goes off like a good'un.

I understand that CCVTV or another device uses the same frequency so this is inevitable.....

Does this happen with other detectors???

Having travelled a few miles M4, M5, M42, M6, M25 etc I do find that it sounds on the odd occasion where there seems to be nothing around??? I can only assume that there is some sort of premises the other side of the hedge with a piece of kit that omits on the K band.....

However, these 'false alerts' are not that common and afterall it is a detector. There are many frequencies flying around in the air and at some point the detector will detect......

One thing I do like is being able to take it from car to to car.

I've driven 5 ot six cars over the past week and within 10secs it's installed.

On the subject of how far away it will detect......
It seems to depend on conditions.
I've done some tests on a few cameras I know about (I've tested them on facing me on approach and facing away from me on approach)
On approach with it facing you it picked it up as soon as it could see it (approx 400-500yds away) no good when its facing you.
When approaching it when it's facing away on a wide open road 50 yards ish.......
... when the is alot of trees/hedges around it was more like 100-150 yards....
Obviously at higher speed it seems less and you have less of a reaction time......

Anyone had any detection on the roadworks around jnct 21ish M25??
Mine goes off like mad..... think it's those signs that tell you it's 40 MILES PER HOUR!!!!!!!!!!

What's you experience???

........ sorry, didn't see your email so posted

..... don't regret buying it...... got it for £260

Went to the NEC.... wandered over to the Snooper stand.....
"how much are the S5's Love"

"£350 sir, but today we are able to discount them to £300"

"I'll have a wander and have a think...."

Didn't want to mention the price otherwise she might have thought it fell of the back of a lorry....... and it didn't

They've just brought out the S6.......

It's and S5 with an GPS unit. £450ish

The S5 is enough for me........ I'm not a 'speeder' just after a reminder........

...... when the wifes not around..... He He He

Cheers


[Edited by Legacy4x4Turbo - 11/4/2002 9:47:27 PM]

[Edited by Legacy4x4Turbo - 11/4/2002 10:26:15 PM]

Leg@cy

iTrader: (2)

bttt

Wonder if someone could get Riftzones attention??

He did ask me to post my findings after using the S5 and hope that he reads this

Cheers

Riftzone

Cheers Legacy4x4Turbo. I've got email notification on this thread so feel free to post back here - I'll see it.

Recently went on a trip to the lakes - A1 & A66. Not a single alert (false or otherwise) on the way there (80-odd miles). Had 3 on the way back, nothing to be seen, obviously false.

One of them was strength 3 so I hit the anchors in the fast lane just in case but nothing. The lads in the Pug I just blasted past must have been p!ssin themselves as they undertook me Another false alert was when passin a fire engine on the A1 - never had that before, but dont suppose I've passed that many fire engines.

The A66 has some of those speed reactive flashing 'slow down' signs that light if yer doin above the limit and curiosly enough, they didnt set the snooper off which I was most surprised at (mind you I was in mode 2 rather than mode 1 so it could have been usin x-band).

Keep postin yer findins here please - I'd be v interested. I'll do the same...