::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Greek Inn 774-2035 :::::::::::::> presents <:::::::::::::: Police Radar and You! Written by the Scarlet Armadillo Please do not post without the above lines or I be all depressed! With modern technology and times have come modern methods of law enforcement. That one modern method I am referring to is the arch enemy of all car drivers who believe that the 55mph speed limit is a pain in the ass. That modern device is the Dopler Radar used by law enforcement for control over speeders. Although Police radar has had many victims, there should be no reason why you should be caught and have to pay into the treasury of some bumblefuck suburb. In this article, I will give you a couple tips on how to fight back legally, and illegally, and what to do if you are ever caught. First, a description of how police radar works. Police Radar works on the doppler principle that many of you have learned in your basic Physics class. When a signal of known frequency is transmitted and then bounced off an object moving towards the source, the frequency of reflected wave is higher then that of the original wave. By taking the difference of the two signals, and knowing the orginal signal frequency, the speed of the object can be determined. The police radar unit will send out pulses of microwave energy at a certain frequency, and by analyzing the reflected wave, the radar unit will get an accurate speed on you. Forget about trying to tell the judge that the radar must have been wrong, it seldom is. As of now, there are two types of radar, one is X band and the other is K band. The main difference between the two is that the X uses a gunn diode that produces microwave energy at about 10GHz, or 10,000MHZ. K band on the other hand uses a gunn diode that produces 24GHZ. The effect of the difference gives the K band less range then the X band, but to a cop, they only need an effective range of a block. The reason that those freqs. are used is due to the absorbtion of the atmosphere. At exactly those two frequencys, the air abosrbs most os the energy, thus limiting range. If say 15GHZ was used, the range would be much greater, but the FCC regulates against that due to the dangers of high powered microwave energy. K band at 24GHZ is absorbed much more then X band, thus its limited range. In a nutshell, that is how police radar works. A rather simple system, but on the surface, highly effective. Defense 1 against radar: The Radar Dectector. By far, the most activley used defense against police radar is the Radar detector. Radar detectors range in price from about $69.95 up to about $350.00. I myself have had two, one at 69.95 and my current one, at $295.00. Believe me, price makes a hell of a lot of difference. All a radar detector is is basically an antenae and circuitry that will examine any input signal. It is really nothing more then a filter that checks for signals close to 10GHZ and 24GHZ. A cheap radar detector will pick up alot of other frequencys around those two, and it will be less sensitive. An expensive one will pick up frequencys very close to the police carrier frequencys, and will have more sensitivity. I have heard many people say that radar detectors are a waste, they say that they can see cops up ahead just as easy. Don't believe it. I have done alot of driving and I have seen alot of radar traps that you would never see, the largest being the cover of darkness. Of all the radar detectors on the market, the best are the ESCORT at $245.00, the PASSPORT at $295.00 and the K-40 at about $340.00. Performance wise, these three are about the same with the PASSPORT being as small as a sterio cassette case. In all test by the large car magazines, these detectors outshine their competitors in range and selectivity. By selectiviy, I mean not being set off by the car phone ahead of you! The main advantage of the radar detector is that you are picking up microwave energy long before the cop can get a reliable speed and be sure that it is you. There is one problem to this. The guy i graduated with is designing a new radar system for our locomotives. He is planning on using a gunn diode at a frequency of 60GhZ. At this frequency, the atmoshpere absorbs much of the energy. Much more in fact then K band, thus even with a top notch detector, you will not have much warning against a system such as that. At the present, there are no such sets being used due to the extreme cost, but that will come done in the future. Defense 2 against radar: The Jammer. Whereas radar detectors are legal in most places, a device to jam police radar is illegal and if caught with one, you can be arrested for obstruction of justice. But regard- less of that, radar jammers are real fun. Like described earlier, police radar sends out pulse of microwave energy at a certain frequency per MPH. A radar jammer will make use of that fact and send out a signal with the frequency of your choice. In other words, you have a radar transmitter just like the police officer. All you do is blast a 55MPH frequency at him on the open road, and he will pick you up at that speed since your trasmitted signal is much more powerful then the reflected signal from him. Also if you are crafty, you can put a wheel pulser on your axle and send out a frequency reflecting a certain percentage of your true speed. Thus if you are doing 75, the cop will get 50MPH. Then if you slow down to about 60, the cop will pick up 40. A system such as that is really nice but it has two problems: Cost and complexity. To build something like that, you will spend over $500. There is a cheap way to screw up the cop though. All you do is buy an X band and a K band gunn diode. Get yourself the antenaes and mount them under your hood. When you pass by a radar cop, he will get a screwed up speed reading. This is a cute way to have fun with the law. Another form of speed detection that police use is called VASCAR. This system works by having a cop time you as you cross two landmarks spaced a certain distance apart. Have you ever noticed paris of white lines on country roads? Those lines are about 1/10 mile apart and can be seen by helicopter. The officer in the helicopter times you, and radios your speed and car type to the waiting pursuit car. This method is not nearly as used as radar detection, but it is out there none the less. Lets say you are caught by a cop for speeding, or for something else for that matter. There are ways to act that will help you get off the ticket. As proof to that, I have had ten moving violations before I got my PASSPORT. My friend has had 11 moving violations. Between us, we have only been found guilty once. When pulled over, come to a halt and then >>slowly<< get out of you vehicle and with your hands far away from you body, walk over to the officers car. Do not make sudden movements or put your hands in your pockets. Cops are afraid because it is very easy for you to pull out a gun before he could. When you get to the cops car, be very pleasant and talk in a civil tone. Respect his authority! You are not going to get anywhere by going up to the cop and acting like tough shit. I have gotten off tickets or had the severity of the tickets toned down by being polite. As a matter of fact, i was in court a while back. The judge asked the officer if I was polite when pulled over. The officer responded by saying yes and the judge let me go. If I had been an asshole, the cop would have said that and I would have payed $50. When talking to the cop, ask him what you did, dont be afraid to question him, just do it with respect. Also, try to give him the impression that this is your first offence, it might help. After you have gotten your ticket, GO TO COURT! When you go to court, again, don't act like a jerk. Dress neatly, and be polite when in front of the judge. Also, go to court early and see what kind of a judge is there. If that judge is being a jagoff and giving out alot of guilty verdicts, when you go up, ask the judge for a continuance because you want to get a lawyer. He should give it to you. You don't need a lawyer, you will just be able to come back another day and maybe get an easier judge. In most suburbs, the standard procedure in the court is for you to plead guilty and ask for super- vision. If this is the way they are running things, don't buck the system and plead not-guilty. Plead guilty and ask for supervision. You will have to pay maybe $25 but it will not be on your record, that is the important thing. In my case, I may have 10 moveing violations, but if the judge has you record in front of him (like chicago sometimes) he only knows of guiltys, thus if he asks me if I have ever had any tickets, I will say no. Not much more to say on the subject other then a good radar detector is a must, and if you are caught, politeness is the key word. One more thing, I have plans right here for a police radar jammer. It includes a description of the unit, schematics and parts list. If interested, send $5.00 to: SCARLET ARMADILLO PO BOX 1053 PARK RIDGE IL 60068 I will send it out ASAP. Good luck and try not to get caught! Call The Works BBS - 1600+ Textfiles! - [914]/238-8195 - 300/1200 - Always Open