Road Angel Pure, a camera/van detector

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BIRMA

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I've just bought myself one of the new camera detectors from Road Angel. I know most people use the relatively cheap Waze and other apps that operate on their phones but I've tried them and just can't get on with them.
Just a bit of history I have used Road Angel products for far longer than I can accurately remember.
Many years ago when my business was a lot bigger I would travel all over the country surveying buildings with a view to sending a quotation for re-roofing. Around the beginning of the 90's I noticed that there were quite a few fixed cameras and later vans on my travels.
It was then that I bought my first Road Angel camera detector and I can say that it proved be be an absolute license saver. Not because I drive in a reckless, fast manner more a case of being late for an appointment due to congestion and not knowing the area, I'd turn a corner and zap a camera van or fixed camera where you wouldn't expect one.
I can say with all confidence that the Road Angel warned me on at least 20 odd occasions of such a trap.
Fast forward to 2014 and I bought my 4th Road Angel the all singing, dancing Gem+ that when just over a year old died on me. It was a case of talk to the hand (a bit like Karcher) when dealing with RA so I vowed reluctantly to never darken their doors again.
Having tried and not got on with the phone based detectors this week I relented and bought the new model, it's really very good advising me of active mobile camera vans on one trip and advising me of my speed through average speed cameras.
So far pleased so if anyone else is looking for a decent reliable device to help in the fight against sneaky camera set ups there is something to help.
 
I bought a RA Professional connected years ago as I was young and stupid (now I'm old and stupid!). I racked up 9 speeding points and was in fear of losing my license which was imperative for work. Excellent piece of kit, never got another ticket and license has been clean since.
 
I wish we had some sneaky cameras in my village. I get seriously *****d off with people doing 40,50,60,70,80+ in a 30 zone.

Makes my (insert your own word) boil.

I would advocate replacing speed cameras with snipers.
That'd slow them down.:p
 
Do you have it in the CL David, does the Pure have an external antenna ? As i had trouble with there Gem due to the windscreen not allowing the satellite signal to activate.
Have you have it Hard wired ? I am thinking of one for my CL as they look very neat.
 
Do you have it in the CL David, does the Pure have an external antenna ? As i had trouble with there Gem due to the windscreen not allowing the satellite signal to activate.
Have you have it Hard wired ? I am thinking of one for my CL as they look very neat.

I'm about to fit the base pad in the CL today and try it out. I know what you mean about the windscreen. I was seriously considering the Stinger but at £1500 plus installation I was a bit undecided but it is the only true deterrent against portable guns as it is a military grade bit of kit and has the receiver outside the car.
So far the Pure has proved to be up to the job. It has a small base pad that is not adjustable for angle like the old ones, so today I'm fitting another base pad in my other van on top of the old Gem base. Hopefully the self adhesive pad and a drop of glue will do the job, I'll update you on how it performs. The unit will run for 4 hours without plugging the lead in as I gave it a test yesterday.
Just one thing I'm not happy about is no facility to report a camera like the Gem had, but the day before yesterday I was heading up the A3 and there was a van the other side of the road so I did as instructed and touched both buttons when you are warned of one and it registered. Later that day I came back down the A3 and was warned of an active camera van which was positioned a lot further down the A3 on a sneaky bend in the road.
 
I use the phone app TomTom Speed Cameras, i find it a lot better than Waze and it is also free. I used to use a Road Pilot MicroGo but that device is no longer supported.
 
I use the phone app TomTom Speed Cameras, i find it a lot better than Waze and it is also free. I used to use a Road Pilot MicroGo but that device is no longer supported.
Yes I have that one too and it's good as I've still got a 6100 TomTom, It's just me and I can't get on with the phone based apps.
In fact Road Angel supply Tom Tom with that service (they certainly did in the past) when you run the two alongside each other though the Road Angel has far more warnings although that's of reported sites where there may not be a camera active.
I find the average speed warning system on Tom Tom and RA very good so you just relax going through such restrictions.
 
good choice, i have the RA GEM+ after owning all the previous models , I nearly upgraded to the pure as RA were doing a part exchange for a limited period, but the size and effectiveness of the Gem was perfect for me so i declined the Pure upgrade.

The time i left my old RA connected at home was when i got caught out by a red light camera which are all now speed cameras too.
 
I haven’t used a speed camera detector for many years, indeed not since getting my C350 in 2012 that has the speed limit display. The display isn’t always accurate, occasionally the camera picks up the wrong sign, but it’s mostly good.

What put me off the speed detectors that I used was that it beeped to warn of every camera, no matter whether driving within the limit or not. They would also beep every time I went above the limit. Most annoying. Can modern detectors be set to stop this happening and only warn when a fixed or mobile camera is being approached whilst driving at above the limit? And can they give some sort of indication how much above the limit you are? The number of times I’ve been behind cars that have suddenly braked to well below the speed limit, by more than 10mph! I get the impression that vast numbers of motorists aren’t generally aware of the limit at any point, solely relying on their gizmo to tell them when they’re above it and approaching a camera. Panic! Hit the brakes!
 
good choice, i have the RA GEM+ after owning all the previous models , I nearly upgraded to the pure as RA were doing a part exchange for a limited period, but the size and effectiveness of the Gem was perfect for me so i declined the Pure upgrade.

The time i left my old RA connected at home was when i got caught out by a red light camera which are all now speed cameras too.

I'm guessing you've had no issues with the Gem+ then, mine started with the screen dying then the battery. I sent to RA who said it was beyond economical repair but would flog me a Pure at a discount. I overreacted and told them to stuff it. I too have had RA products from the day they came out and rely on them to a great degree. My wife always called it my dummy as I'd religiously move it from vehicle to vehicle.
 
Do you have it in the CL David, does the Pure have an external antenna ? As i had trouble with there Gem due to the windscreen not allowing the satellite signal to activate.
Have you have it Hard wired ? I am thinking of one for my CL as they look very neat.

OK I've spent hours faffing around finding the best position for the Pure, don't put it on the top of the binnacle like I did at first because like your car under fierce acceleration it flew to the back of the car straight through the the gap between the seats.
The windscreen is a hindrance but this is where I've opted to place it, not perfect but the power wire is discreet and it has yet to fly off.
IMG_0165.jpg
 
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I haven’t used a speed camera detector for many years, indeed not since getting my C350 in 2012 that has the speed limit display. The display isn’t always accurate, occasionally the camera picks up the wrong sign, but it’s mostly good.

What put me off the speed detectors that I used was that it beeped to warn of every camera, no matter whether driving within the limit or not. They would also beep every time I went above the limit. Most annoying. Can modern detectors be set to stop this happening and only warn when a fixed or mobile camera is being approached whilst driving at above the limit? And can they give some sort of indication how much above the limit you are? The number of times I’ve been behind cars that have suddenly braked to well below the speed limit, by more than 10mph! I get the impression that vast numbers of motorists aren’t generally aware of the limit at any point, solely relying on their gizmo to tell them when they’re above it and approaching a camera. Panic! Hit the brakes!

You can turn the volume down, as they're GPS based they display the road speed for your area very accurately. The display will stay green when below the limit then go red above it. My wife got fed up with the warnings of camera vans not actually being active but the position they were usually placed so I turned down the unit just for a bit of peace.
 
I haven’t used a speed camera detector for many years, indeed not since getting my C350 in 2012 that has the speed limit display. The display isn’t always accurate, occasionally the camera picks up the wrong sign, but it’s mostly good.

What put me off the speed detectors that I used was that it beeped to warn of every camera, no matter whether driving within the limit or not. They would also beep every time I went above the limit. Most annoying. Can modern detectors be set to stop this happening and only warn when a fixed or mobile camera is being approached whilst driving at above the limit? And can they give some sort of indication how much above the limit you are? The number of times I’ve been behind cars that have suddenly braked to well below the speed limit, by more than 10mph! I get the impression that vast numbers of motorists aren’t generally aware of the limit at any point, solely relying on their gizmo to tell them when they’re above it and approaching a camera. Panic! Hit the brakes!
The TomTom app lets you turn off notifications or modify them to your liking, I assume the Road Angel does too.
 
OK I've spent hours faffing around finding the best position for the Pure, don't put it on the top of the binnacle like I did at first because like your car under fierce acceleration it flew to the back of the car straight through the the gap between the seats.
The windscreen is a hindrance but this is where I've opted to place it, not perfect but the power wire is discreet and it has yet to fly off.
IMG_0165.jpg
My old Road Pilot was a bit smaller than the RA but I placed it suctioned to the right hand side of the windscreen as low as possible and then I routed the cable around the bottom of the A pillar and then behind the lower dash. It was very discrete.
 
looks good, but it will not pick up the laser guns from there as it needs to be on the windscreen for that.
 
looks good, but it will not pick up the laser guns from there as it needs to be on the windscreen for that.
I don't think its a laser detector, i think it is GPS based. Laser detection doesn't work anyway, by the time the camera detects the laser its got you.
 
I don't think its a laser detector, i think it is GPS based. Laser detection doesn't work anyway, by the time the camera detects the laser its got you.

I've tried it before with our local plod who hid in the bushes and it doesn't pick up the laser gun so I haven't bothered to position it. I went up and down the road with it on with plod in place and it didn't trigger the Road Angel once.
For that sort of detection you need the £1500 Stinger that has a sensor fitted on the outside of the car, from what a friend has told me who has one it's 100% reliable.
 
I haven’t seen a camera van in ages come to think of it. Are they more popular any particular time of year? or is it just my area...
 
I haven’t seen a camera van in ages come to think of it. Are they more popular any particular time of year? or is it just my area...

Must be your area I see loads around North Yorkshire sat on motorway bridges even at night in the dark. As for Scotland they are everywhere!


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Must be your area I see loads around North Yorkshire sat on motorway bridges even at night in the dark. As for Scotland they are everywhere!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On a motorway?!!!! I’ve never had that down here!
 

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