Hi all

I've been driving my partners 206cc a fair bit recently (yes, very different from my S2000...but still great fun imho ).

She has SmartNav fitted to it (she's a woman - she obviously cant read maps ) - this has a GPS based Gatso alert feature which I've gotten so used to I've decided to obtain an Origin B2 for my S2000.

However, I nearly got caught the other day in her 206 by a mobile trap in the rear of a Police van - luckily I spotted him just in time although I was only a couple of mph over...

My question is this though - the Police van was parked such that they were (seemingly) catching vehicles as they travelled away from the van (it was parked facing the oncoming traffic) - in this case would the Origin B2 have detected the laser, or do they only work if your facing (i.e actually travelling towards) the trap?

Hope this ain't a stupid question!

cheers
Mark

 

Depends where you have your laser detector head aligned.

But since 99.9% of people will have it on the dash pointing out towards the front, it wouldn't have given any warning.


The Valentine One, a dedicated laser/radar detector, rather than a GPS system, can detect both ahead and behind (assuming you mount it with clear line of sight backwards, anyway).

 

The laser detector has some rear facing sensors but would be very hit and miss whether you'd pick up anything depending on positioning, plus usually by the time you've been shot its probably too late anyway

 

If you had PASSED the van and not seen it then you deserve to be done I say! Origin or no!

 

Two things here ...

First, like everyone has posted, it depends on where you site your laser detector. I have mine behind the rear view mirror (so I don't see the visual clutter) but obviously doing so blinds the rear facing sensor. Some have mounted their sensor on top of the secret compartment but I'm not sure that this doesn't obscure the forward view.

Secondly, although GPS camera devices will remain legal, I believe that laser detectors may well become illegal in the near future, so us Origin owner may well find ourselves disconnecting the thing anyway.

Finally, you have to bear in mind (the Origin manual confirms this) that you only have seconds to react to a laser warning. You can only hope the copper has a shaky aim and takes a few seconds longer to fix on your number plate. Don't know if anyone here has actually had an Origin laser warning and been able to react. I suspect that, even if the setup is working fine, it's a case of too little too late.

 

I dont think you'd have time to react to a laser warning thats directly 'painting' you, as the beam is travelling at the speed of light(299,792,458 meters per second!). By the time the sensor has analysed it and detected it as a laser light source, then transmitted this information throught the wires to your display unit the copper will already have a speed reading on his camera.

The only way that you can hope to detect the laser energy before it gets you is if the copper 'paints' a car in front before you get into range and you inadvertantly pick up some scatter.

So unfortunatley nobody's rection times are that quick!

JEV

 

Obviously the laser is travelling at the speed of light, but the critical time factor in our equation is how long his kit takes to get a fix on the speed. If he has to point his gun at your car for X seconds, X is your reaction time.

Sheesh ... I'm sounding like Professor Frink

 

The 206 wont pick up mobile traps: Smart nav relies on GPSand there is no add on radar or laser detector.

The origin "might " pick up mobile laser but it will probably be too late.

 

I know what your saying, but that is assuming he presses the transmit button before he points it at your car.

What actuallt happens is that the operator points the sight at your plate and then presses the trigger. Instant readout.

Just to fill you in on how I know this: I'm a Navigator(Weapons Systems Officer) in the Royal Air Force, I've trained in Electronic warfare including laser and IR technoilogy. A few months ago I went along to a two day seminar with that forces and police invited where a certain group of comapanies were displaying their merchanidise to us. One piece of kit was the FS600 (I think?) which the police use in their camera van. They showed us how to use it and it worked instantly. No delay, so if your 100m away it will take approx .0000066 of a second to travel to your car and back again (.0000033 each way, but the signal will be slightly quicker on the way back) and under half a second to display the result.

You cant react in under a second.

It would take you up to a second to realise that the alarm was sounding, another two seconds for you to react and make your foot to come of the throttle and onto the brake and the time that the car takes to slow down is depepndant on the speed over the speed limit!!!

If you can analyse and react that quickly you need to be up front flying my Tornando!!!

 

Sholuld have added this to the last post:

I'm using a Snooper S6-R Neo, with GPS and Radar/Laser detection and I've never had time to react to a laser signal.

The unit will also give you false alarms if you drive into sun and if you park your car head on into a car park space with the car opposites headlights on.