I knew that 5 years of engineering edumacation would come in handy at some point :D

Just like

1 kt = ~1.15 mph and
1kg = ~2.2 lbs
1 in = exactly 2.54 cm

:drinking:

And as a side note, LIDAR detectors are usually ineffective as the beam is less than a 1/16th of an inch wide at 500 feet typically triggered for 1-2 seconds. Enough for a speed reading and not enough reaction time after your audible detector and you to slow down.

K, Ka and X band radar is different. Signal is on all the time. Ka is the hardest to detect, K is used by most agencies and X is almost obsolete.

If you have a smartphone, get the app for speedtraps. They are updated realtime and cheaper than a radar detector. App will notify you via GPS locationand any active LIDAR/Radar in area.

My head hurts now

True dat. I'd be surprised if its not almost completely automated though. A video recognition system that could do it on the fly wouldn't be especially difficult.

Back home in MS, sheriff's deputies can't carry radar. I knew a deputy who would use landmarks and a stopwatch on open stretches of the highway. Don't ask me how I know he was accurate :facepalm:

I like the way ya think. 100 mph becomes 50 mph :D

Don O

In CA the observing officer is supposed to issue you the ticket. Obviously, this is close to impossible so a ground unit has to actually issue the citation (possibly a way to get out of it in court). It cannot be mailed to you because they have to physically identify you as the driver. These type of tickets are usually easy (with a good lawyer and a fair judge) to fight and win based on this and other laws in CA.

they have to be able to show you proof of you speeding. so if you get pulled over for speeding, ask to see how they clocked your speed. if they say with a radar, ask them to show you on the radar the speed you were going. if they cannot show you the mph reading off of their radar, they cannot give you a ticket. if they give you a ticket even though you asked to see the radar and they fail to show you their evidence, it will easily get thrown out of court!

Not the case in Illinois and they use aircraft to enforce speed laws. Typically they use an 1/8 mile (660Ft) but Ohio and some other states use 1/4 mile. The pilot and observers use certified stop watches and have a chart with the speed for a given time, ie 7.5 seconds = 60 MPH. Its really pretty easy to spot a speeding car/truck in traffic and the normal procedure is for the pilot to verify the officer has stopped the correct vehicle. If the motorist wants to contest the ticket the States Attorney subpoenas the officer and pilot/observer. The pilot keeps records of the the vehicles which are stopped along with the officer on the ground. Since the use of aircraft is completely passive your radar detector is foiled unless an officer on the ground leaves his radar transmitting in the area. This method of speed detection (distance divided by time) has been accepted by most courts since before radar or lidar became available. This is an easy way to check your own speedometer.

660 Ft/ 6 = 110 FPS X 3600 (60 seconds X 60 minutes for MPH) = 396000 / 5280 (mile in feet) = 75 MPH.

yea I was a VASCAR operator and RADAR LIDAR instructor.........:facepalm:

Wow catching people speeding thru the air what the heck is next?

the state of OHIO has been doing this for years. what you need is a police scanner along with your radar detector. a cb wouldn't hurt either.

Officers are under NO obligation to show you anything. As a courtesy yes, but as a demand, absolutely not.

Well said...

There's an iPhone app that turns you phone into a scanner. Never thought of using it like this.:)

too bad i don't have an iphone