61 lines
3.3 KiB
Plaintext
61 lines
3.3 KiB
Plaintext
First, a quick explanation about why Ka band photo radar units are so
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hard to pick up, then a few off the wall ways of avoiding them.
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The main reason they are hard to detect is that they operate at a very
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low power level, usually less than a half a milliwatt (compared to
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an effective radiation power of a normal radar gun of up to 4 watts,
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usually 80mw actual power, making them 1/160 as powerful). The second
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part is that they are aimed at an angle across traffic (something like
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37.5 degrees). The reason for this is twofold - first, it is hard to
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detect the beam if it isn't aimed down the lane of traffic at you. Second,
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if it was aimed down the lane of traffic, the unit would be able to determine
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the speed of a semi at up to something on the order of 1/4 mile, making a
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3 x 5 snapshot of the highway scenery with a speck on the road-picture of
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the oncoming truck. You have to pass "across" the beam to trigger the camera
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so as to prevent highly reflective objects from triggering the camera too
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soon. By the way, as to the cosine effect, the unit is set up at a
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precise angle across the highway and the computer (if you want to call it
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a computer) in the photo radar unit automatically compensates for the
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difference.
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Ways to get around photo radar:
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1. They typically use infrared film at night - paint your license plate
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with infrared-reflecting paint so as to make the F's on your license plate
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look like E's, 3's look like 8's, etc. You get the picture (but hopefully
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the photo radar unit won't :-)
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2. Remove your license plate and put it in the windshield instead.
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3. Another trick on the infrared film deal - turn on your defrosters.
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It will make the usually see-through glass look like a red wall.
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4. Bend your license plate almost in half - if you get pulled over for
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having it like that, say that your friend must have gotten it caught on
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one of those concrete blocks that they have in parking lots and bent it.
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5. My favorite (for those with guts). Plant a small transmitter on the
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Blazer or whatever that houses the photo radar unit. Have it send a pulse
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out every second or so. Build a receiver that tells you when you are near
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the transmitter - make it so it can be received about a mile away. Better
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than a detector! It is sure to work! You can probably sell the receivers
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and make a few bucks along the way...
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6. Make a high-power transmitter that operates on the same frequency of
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the photo radar unit. Drive by the unit while it is operating and blast
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it with a few hundred watts of radiation, effectively frying the receiver's
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front end/detector circuitry, rendering the unit useless.
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Any more ideas?!?!?!? Send mail - I'm interested in hearing how creative
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the rest of you outlaws are....
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--- Jeff
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+----------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
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| Jeff DePolo [depolo@eniac.seas.upenn.edu] | o The best things in life |
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| => The University of Pennsylvania <= | come in six-packs. |
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| Class of 1991 - Computer Science Engineering | o Life begins at 85 MPH. |
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+----------------------------------------------+ o It's not illegal if they |
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| DISCLAIMER: Someone else used my account. | don't catch you. |
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+----------------------------------------------+------------------------------+
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