I've never paid for an escort before, honest!

[Purrybonker]

I'm ready for ya now coppers - ya'll never take me alive!

I put in one of those snazzy new ZR3 laser jammers - not much choice about where to put the front sensors given the install parameters.

Here's my solution.



Here's the control panel - tucked neatly into the console. Unit is almost a perfect fit - just had to fab up a bit of a bracket.


Bit of a challenge getting the sensors aligned at accurate right angles to the direction (axis) of the car - eye balls start to go wonky trying to find perpendicular with all those curving surfaces.


All need now is for one of those coppers to slip into my evil trap...

[Purrybonker]

Here's a better shot of the console - ignore the temporary wiring rats nest...



The button to the right of the V1 remote is the kill switch for the ZR3 - you could mount it in a more ergonomic position, but I'll only worry about that if laser becomes a daily phenom. The idea is that some laser units present jamming codes to the officer - so the remote button (as with button on the control unit) changes the unit to "detect only" for a 60 second period.

So on an alert you throw out the anchor, hit the button twice when you're in legal range, and then coast by the now stunned and amazed officer who's busy cursing his laser unit. (yeah, so I hope)

[DavidI]

Purry, you know that a few of us Pelicanheads are cops.......

Ha ha ha!

All in good fun my friend, David

[vash]

purry, you drive a 911. i dont think all the dudley doorights could catch you. they would kill their horses, galloping after you!

i am blind. i cant find the sensor.... where did you mount it? the real prob is that i have no idea what the sensors even look like. those the things on the inside of your foglights? very nice dude. if so. your car is sweet looking.

[ZOA NOM]

Now just crank up the power and ZZZZZAAAAAPPPPP!!!!!!

I'm picturing a ball of lightning forming between the sensors and shooting out to fry the entire squad car!

[pwd72s]

Long long ago, when I was a too young person, I went to the Mustang Ranch. Could that be considered paying for an escort?

[Purrybonker]

ah yes, ah hem, Vegas. Forgot about that - but that don't count - what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Too bad, such a shame that the Mustang Ranch is sooo far outside of Vegas. The rule don't apply. Anyway I think that place went like Zonas' avatar - except more "up" than side-to-side, if you know what I mean. (Damn, after a few random attempts from time-to-time I actually got that damn avatar to stop at the right moment - kind of shame actually - it takes the mystique away!)

Yeah these are the sensors or "transducers"



Apparently they constantly transmit a laser beam that confuses the fine, intelligent, sensible officer's (that better David?) laser gun into not getting a speed reading.

There is also a single unit on the back of the car that's a very simple license plate mount.

All in $300 eBay special - now just have to see if it and the Valentine can actually save me money and visits to that traffic ticket defense guy...

[DavidI]

Much better Purry....I love the diversity of this board.

David

[Porsche]

Are things like this legal? I've always wondered.

[Jim Sims]

Just think how much money the military has wasted if their laser designator/targeting systems can be confused by simple little transmitters like those. Jim

[Aussie]

Are things like this legal? I've always wondered.

In Australia they are illegal. I think its legal to buy them but illegal to use them.

Same in Denmark. Anyway they're no use. If the police can't measure your speed they'll stop you to check if you have one of these babies installed. If you have they confiscate it and give you a ticket (most likely an expensive one).

Don't get me started on the whole speed limit thing. In 2 weeks we'll start up a new "police state" here in Denmark. You'll loose your license for nothing AND the tickets are going to be huge.

For the first time ever I'll stop speeding.

[Paul Franssen]

Yeah, Mikkel, start yawning (I already am...)

Next week (02 May) I'm taking off to Spain, first a full day (0600 till 1700) crossing Froance: yawn, yawn, I'm taking raw carrots and an apple for lunch, it will be a case of drive-drink water-yawn-stop for gas n a pee-do some knee bends-(in a loop). Then we reach SPAIN: olé, arriba!
But I promised my in-car wife to drive reasonably, and I'll stick to that.
Belgium's got "big" fines sorted out now, too. Some one must have given the politicians a cue... "tolérance zéro, oui oui"...

[Aussie]

Don't get me started on the whole speed limit thing. In 2 weeks we'll start up a new "police state" here in Denmark. You'll loose your license for nothing AND the tickets are going to be huge.

Try living in the state of Victoria Australia.

The amount over the limit you can go is 3km, before you get a $125 speeding fine, and demerit points off your licence. However the countries laws only require speedometers to be calibrated to within 10% of the actual reading.

Plus there is speed camera everywhere, fixed cameras which are often faulty, red light cameras, and point to point cameras.

My 85 year old grandma even got booked for speeding, thus she now has the nickname lead foot.,

[Porsche]

Hear, hear, fellow Victorian.

[aseem]

What are you complaining about Mikkel. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Denmark had a 110 Kph speed limit on the motorways, and they pulled your licence if you were doing over 195 !! Yes thats 120mph+
Now you will have a 130kph speed limit, and they pull your licence if over 165.

I just drove through Denmark on my way to the Essen Motorshow, and I tell you. Germans are slow compared to you Danes :-)

In Norway we have 100 kph on a few selected motorways, and 20% over this and your dead meat.

[joeclarke]

I'd be suprised if there are issues around "legality" in a broad sense - like how some jurisdictions (Virginia?) have legislation against radar detectors.

I think that the technology used here (on both sides) is actually IR rather than laser and you would think that it would be pretty difficult to pass a law banning IR transmitters.

I understand that the brake lights in many vehicles are IR based and will set off "laser detectors". So if brake lights are already generating IR "beams" - how likely is it that these kinds of devices could be successfully legislated against?

[Purrybonker]

I understand that the brake lights in many vehicles are IR based and will set off "laser detectors".

I think that's true - I've had the "laser" alarm in my V1 go off from time-to-time in heavy traffic. In those cases the alert has always been very brief - so brake lights would make sense. I think that the Valentine manual even discusses this point.

I've yet to have an alert on the ZR3 and I don't recall any discussion about brake light false alarms in the Escort manual.

[djmcmath]

Police laser operates at (give or take) 904nm, which isn't quite IR, but close. Optical types usually refer to it as "near-IR." However, it's still laser, and is thus federally regulated. While radar jammers are seriously incredibly super illegal, regulated by the FCC, laser jammers have not yet been federally limited, as the FDA does not believe they're a health risk. I'm totally serious.

I'd be interested to hear of your successes with this device, Purry. I decided to start with the Escort 8500 x50, then if laser is a regular occurence, get a ZR3 later.

I am curious, btw, why you'd choose to mix'n'match in your electronic countermeasures suite -- why put a V1 in with an Escort device, when Escort sells a perfectly good detector that even communicates with the ZR3? Just curious.


Dan

[Purrybonker]

Thanks for that explanation Dan.

I wrestled with the 8500 X50 vs. V1 for quite a while myself. While the all-escort solution is appealing, I eventually went V1/ZR3 because the V1 arrow/ rear sensor platform makes more sense to me, plus:

I had no intention of "linking" the two units. Having control over both units within a common control panel (ZR3/8500) was not important. In fact I was more concerned about the greater potential for confusion in the "heat of the moment" with a linked array- ie laser demands an immediate response whereas radar warnings are often just a "heads-up", particularily in urban areas. I don't want to make the mistake of discounting a laser warning in confusing it with a radar warning.

I also wanted the flexibility of running with laser only and stashing the radar unit in many urban settings - so again, the 8500/ZR3 link held no particular magic for me - it just represents another cable to route. I have a cab - so hiding a radar unit is virtually impossible with the top down - but the V1 stealth mount is at least something of an improvement.

Ken