Speed Trap Detectors

[Easty]

I have been using a Road Angel Plus for the past 18 months which is GPS based camera alerts and also has a built in laser detector.
The GPS system can be updated as often as you wish subject to subscription (£99.00 for 3 years is the cheapest option) its accurate and also provides an independant speed reading.
Laser detection is legal in the UK at the moment as far as I am aware but is NOT LEGAL on the continent. Even having one in the car and switched off may attract a fine. Lasers are very accurate if used properly but we all remember the 'speed of the moving wall' and bouncing beams off of other vehicles.
In the end its always a question of how much you value your licence as to whether you trust these devices

 

[television]

Laser speed detectors do need a vertical surface in order to get a good fix,,on many modern cars the number plate is the only vertical bit on the car, they do work on glass but a highly raked screen will not work.

I am waiting to see what distronic does to one

 

[BTB 500]

Laser detection is legal in the UK at the moment as far as I am aware but is NOT LEGAL on the continent. Even having one in the car and switched off may attract a fine.

I've already mentioned that ... it varies from country to country.

 

[mykaitch]

radar detector installation

A while back I posted that I was making my detector 'discreet'.
Take a look at it on www.mikehoughton.co.uk and click the 'hardware hacking' button. It's very discreet.

 

[crockers]

I think the snooper sapphire is a nice looking piece of kit - but cant for the life of me see how to mount it without using the UGLY windscreen mount.....any ideas??

http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/snooper-sapphire.htm

 

[nickcc101]

Have a look at Adam Blairs site, seems very good. www.beatthespeedtrap.co.uk

 

[cidersurfer]

We've got two Origin B2s. Whilst they are no longer made they are still supported by Pogo and you can pick them up pretty cheap...

 

[fuzzer]

ive had a b2 , still got a b2 in one of my cars and now have a pogo too.

Pogo looks a lot bigger than it actually is. Its much easier to hard wire with the hard wire kit and its very functional. I prefer it now to the B2 which looks truely ancient compared to it.

 

[Viking2]

I use Road Angel plus which lets you know where the fixed and mobile units are and will also let you know if a hand-held unit is being pointed at the car. It give a very accurate speed reading and works for four satellites. Further details can be found at http://www.road-angel-gps.co.uk/index.htm

Vic

 

[television]

I think the snooper sapphire is a nice looking piece of kit - but cant for the life of me see how to mount it without using the UGLY windscreen mount.....any ideas??

http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/snooper-sapphire.htm

I am going to mount on in my ash tray where the lid can be closed when not in use

I will put up pics

 

[Viking2]

Another advantage of the Road Angel, it comes with two mounting options. The windscreen mount or a magnetic mount, which does have to be stuck on a flat surface near the centre of the Windscreen, and the unit just sits on top without moving. Easy to lift off and put in the glove box when not in use.

Vic

 

[Barryh]

so other than main unit what add on`s are required i.e charcger,mount etc?

 

[Viking2]

The Road Angel plus comes complete with the two mounting options, mains adapter, cigarette lighter cable and USB cable and software for connecting to a PC for updating. There are various menus to adjust alarms, voice warnings and over speed limit warnings. It works well, I was amazed at just how many locations there were for temporary cameras. It is a bit more expensive than some other models, however it is just a Speed trap detector and not a Sat Nav.

Vic

 

[BTB 500]

I can't personally see much point in a GPS unit (as opposed to an actual detector) when you can buy a satnav with the same functionality for not much more. TomTom gives you over limit warnings, display of speed limit, configurable alert time/distance/tone/announcement, an 'overall' speed that you want to be warned at (regardless of limits), etc.

 

[amwebby]

Tom Tom doesn't work in my W215 without a rear mounted aerial to circumvent the heated front screen. Also, I already have COMAND navigation which, while not quite as good as Tom Tom in many respects, is there and does score over Tom Tom in that it shows directions in the dash display, which I find very helpful.

Of course you can't add POIs to a disc based system like COMAND, which is why I have opted for a phone based system, a. because it is cheap and b. because it sits snugly in my pocket and gives me audible warnings without any of the hassle of installing the likes of Road Angel.

 

[BTB 500]

I agree if you already have COMAND it's not so clear-cut.

BTW I had an electrically heated windscreen in my VW Sharan and the TomTom worked fine. I bought the external antenna because I was expecting a problem, but found the signal strength without it was virtually the same so I stopped using it! I understand the later GPS chipset is a big improvement so maybe it was down to that (I've got a 910 which is kept fully updated).

Presumably your phone solution doesn't work in the W215 either? Actually I'm mildly surprised it works from your pocket in any vehicle as GPS signals are line-of-sight

 

[amwebby]

The phone soution works in the W215. It is connected via Bluetooth to a GPS unit that sits on the rear parcel shelf. The phone is also connected via SAP Bluetoth to the car so I get the best of both worlds.

 

[Barryh]

just bought a road angel today.Did not go for sat nav as I rarely use it and the neat small unit which can be battery operated is neat.Basically will do the job I need it to do and less likely to be nicked.

 

[BTB 500]

just bought a road angel today.Did not go for sat nav as I rarely use it and the neat small unit which can be battery operated is neat.

As an aside, the battery life on my TomTom is about 4 hours ... I hardly ever use the power lead in the car.

 

[crockers]

I am going to mount on in my ash tray where the lid can be closed when not in use

I will put up pics

How will it pick up Sats from there - the aerial is a flip up at the back.

Where did you buy it? I believe Halfords have them at a good price..

Look forward to seeing pics

:bannana: