Dodgy van K band detection and frequencies in NZ - Observations and developments

[KiwiClaire]

A handheld Ka gun? Are you positive? Or were you getting Ka from the cars not the gun. Perhaps the gun was Lidar and too close for your R7 to see the beam?
The reason I ask is that the last two OIA info sheets did not list Ka guns. there was something called a Stalker Acura, but whatever that is, it's not on the Stalker product list.

I'm fairly certain, but you could be right too. It was about 300 metres down the road from where I was buying some lunch. I detected Ka from aways' off, and was looking for the patrol car when saw the vehicle which had been waved down, with an officer leaning in the window, but no patrol car visible anywhere - and figured something sneaky was going on. I bought my food, hopped back in the car, and no Ka until about 100 m up the road when the other pair stepped out from between some trees on the opposite side of the road (from the first cop I saw but the same side as me), one holding handheld device which was pointed at me and the R7 howled with Ka. As I drove past the one holding the 'gun' (whatever we think it might have been) swung it to keep it directly pointed at me as I drove by eating my chips - don't judge my lunch choices lol.

I can't rule out it all being a coincidence though, as you suggest there could have been an unseen car which flicked it's radar on at the same time as the second pair of officers targeted me with a lidar which I didn't detect, but the series of events as I perceived them seemed pretty convincing to me.

Interesting about the OIA results, sounds quite strange...

 

[LouG]

It is strange. Tracking you as you passed them is pointless for both Ka and Lidar. They must have been bunnies playing around.
If it was a training session, they might have had some using Stalkers and some with Lidar. Then just fight over who got the speed
If the cops have Ka guns they're either very new or they've lied.

 

[KiwiClaire]

It is strange. Tracking you as you passed them is pointless for both Ka and Lidar.

That's what I though too, I found it rather amusing.

As for the Lidar vs Ka gun and not lying vs lying (or omission), I really wouldn't put it past them, and from what I saw on Thursday I think there is definitely room to be sceptical. I had no idea at the time that it was anything potentially controversial though, but I was thinking at the time that I didn't remember any mention of hand-held Ka in NZ previously, although I figured that maybe they just weren't common, or maybe an old model or something.

Also another camera van to add: White Hyundai @ 24.008 observed northbound on SH1 near Pokeno.

 

[porkchop]

I should be a bit more of a note taker but Ive had multiple van hits on the R7 recently 2-4 hundred metres out, if you were really gong for it on an open road you would probably be toast but perfect for avoiding around town tax collection. If i didnt already mention it, I had the pleasure of following a van that must have been going to a new location. Must have left the radar apparatus on as I was getting K hits from about a 3/4 of km back continuously until I realised it was from this white VW van. The arrows worked perfectly as I passed.

 

[LouG]

You must really be going for it if you can't get legal from 200 metres. Many cars can stop from 110 in about 45 metres or less.

 

[porkchop]

Im allowing for real world reaction time on a bike, maybe Im being too conservative. Whats your score on this https://www.justpark.com/creative/reaction-time-test/ apparently I'm an alien haha!

 

[LouG]

I'm 350 - 385 consistently. I'll take that at my age. But on my bike I have experience and rat cunning on my side.
(Plus 2 fingers on the brake)

 

[At0mic9]

You must really be going for it if you can't get legal from 200 metres. Many cars can stop from 110 in about 45 metres or less.

You must have an Formula 1 car, or big brakes!

You must really be going for it if you can't get legal from 200 metres. Many cars can stop from 110 in about 45 metres or less.

Stopping distances on wet and dry roads

Small increases in speed can have dire consequences.

www.qld.gov.au

average car doing 110Kmh will take 46m driver reaction time, and 67m braking distance, total of 113m to stop.

 

[LouG]

You must have an Formula 1 car, or big brakes!

Stopping distances on wet and dry roads

Small increases in speed can have dire consequences.

www.qld.gov.au

average car doing 110Kmh will take 46m driver reaction time, and 67m braking distance, total of 113m to stop.

Big brakes. Brembos with 457mm rotors. But still, check some of the Carwow vids on Youtub. That is braking distance only. Humans are too variable.

 

[shadow69]

Dunedin, siler vw van on 24.035 today.
Also Alexandra a week or so ago, white vw van 24.044

R7 kicking ass with new firmware from @Mithheru

 

[KiwiClaire]

Another siting this week, White Hyundai I-load van @ 24.020 on SH1 in Wellsford.

Overall I saw a ridiculous amount of speed enforcement on my Rotorua-Paihia trip this week (conference in Waitangi), last leg back from Auckland to Rotorua later today, and I'm sure there will be more to see. It seems they're rely ramping up their activity for summer..

 

[Mithheru]

Im allowing for real world reaction time on a bike, maybe Im being too conservative. Whats your score on this https://www.justpark.com/creative/reaction-time-test/ apparently I'm an alien haha!

View attachment 165673

Nice, I [still] have the reactions of a between 26 - 36-year old. I thought my reactions should be quicker than that though!

Post automatically merged: Friday at 7:51 PM

@DEMON5 Thanks for the heads up of a dodgy van today. Managed to get some good test results, and also some not so good test results. I made an important observation on the DFR9 which merits further investigation, and may explain some of the vans which it was having trouble with.

I got detection of the van consistently around 24.02 on the DFR9forNZ this morning, and did a comparative run on the R3 (yeah I know), and also on the R7. Happy with the results as they're all what I expect. I'll post some video later perhaps.

On the way back, the van was still there and thought I'd run some more tests e.g. horizontal mount. Got no detection on the DFR9, surprised I had no detection even horizontally, so thought maybe the van was packing up. Rechecked on R7. Detection still very good. So retried the DFR9forNZ vertically, still no detection!

Now today was a hot day, and the DFR9 was quite warm. Got home, parked car in sun, left DFR9 turned on, set bushnel to 24.04, turned all three K segments on, and no detection on DFR9! Turned bushel up to 24.08, and 24.11 still no detection on the DFR9! My IR temperature sensor said it 34 oC measured from the detector when I brought it in.

Put the DFR9 inside, let it cool down for 20 minutes, retested against bushnel: once again got the usual full strength detection at the correct frequency. Looks as though the the DFR9 detection performance might be susceptible at higher temperatures. Looking more closely at the DFR9 I note it has very few air vents unlike on the R3 and R7. I now think it might need more. Specifically the R7 has air vents on three sides of the case. R3 also has air vents top and bottom. The DFR9 only has a single small air vent on the top of the unit. Running sideways I expect also might affect its cooling ability.

Therefore, I'm going to look into this more, and retest the same effect on a standard DFR9. If confirmed, I think Uniden might need to provide a different moulding to the case with better ventilation. If I can prove this is a temperature effect it would be easy to fix. If Uniden won't do it, I'll look into getting a new case design especially moulded in China. Specifically I think it should have some vents on both sides and also on the big area of the bottom where the R3 has them, but the DFR9 has none.

 

[KiwiClaire]

I'll look into getting a new case design especially moulded in China.

On a related note, a similar idea could be applied to the R7 to 'right hand drive convert' the detector - just new front section of the case which houses the screen etc... It may require a ribbon cable extender, but I don't think that would be a major - such a kit could make a nice addition to your R7 for NZ (or R7 for elsewhere in in RHD land) firmware. I'd definitely buy it