|
Technical Report No.5. Laser report 7.8.2010 Copyright: 1993-2009 
We have seen some pretty impressive Laser tests over the years, but finally these days, most drivers are now aware that only a good Laser Jammer can defend against a laser speed device. LASER Radar (LIDAR), as they are described. Well, the truth is, they are becoming more common. Now there are hundreds in use in NZ and thousands world wide. Laser is not new, it's been in use in the USA and Australia for over 17 years. Our closest neighbour, Australia started using them 20 years ago, and it has taken until now, to increase the number of units to 1000+ nationally, in use. Why? Well, it seems that although LIDAR is good at measuring distance, under controlled stationary conditions, the guns can be a bit of a pain to use. Fog, rain, dust, vehicle halogen headlights, any movement, just to mention a few, make the guns less than effective. They can't be used accurately inside a nice warm police car either, many won't work through glass without error. The latest units, Pro Laser 3, Ultralite, can be, but all types can't be used whilst mobile, or in a moving Police vehicle. As you will note when you read on, we know a little about laser, we have numerous laser guns, including Pro Laser 3 and Ultralite, and we have been selling laser detectors, and laser jammers for many years. Beware Laser Detectors and laser detection! Beware of long range claims by manufacturers or sales companies, and 360 degree detection, it's marketing hype. You can't detect laser 360 degrees. Front and back yes, if your lucky! You will only get 2k range on a laser gun if it's pointed directly at the detector. See our must read, Laser test in the U.S restricted section. the results are startling! Current technology is passive, as it has been for nearly 20 years, and has all the same limitations of old passive radar detectors in years past. They won't detect over hills or around corners. If the laser gun operator targets a car beside you, you won't get a beep, if you are within 500 mtrs or less to the gun. As New Zealand now uses laser guns to a greater extent, your only effective defence is a good quality laser jammer. These are getting easier to find, but there is still a lot of junk on the market, although many have fallen by the way side since 1999. We have tested all of the Laser Jammers available to-day, and believe the best available at this time for New Zealand is the M27 Laser Blinder The first M20's had detection problems, but these new July/2009 units have 4 laser detecting diodes. Latest innovations: The M27 x-treme has been the first major improvement in Laser defence for many years, with programmable features and downloadable technology upgrades. We are always looking for improvements in Laser jammers, so keep watching for details of the new models. We have tested the K40 Plus detector/jammer! We had no trouble getting speeds as far away as 600mtrs. From that distance, right down to the gun, the K40 failed to impress at all. We had similar, but not quite as bad, results with the Laser Buster and Laser Zapper. A speed reading could be obtained from almost any part of the (family sedan) vehicles frontal area?? New Models like the M27 are finally jamming very efficiently, no error codes or jamming codes, but installation is very critical, and they can not easily be moved from one vehicle to another vehicle. We started our testing of laser jammers with the old M10, some 10+years ago. How Laser Works To measure the speed of motor vehicles laser speed guns use the known speed of light to calculate the distance to a vehicle from the laser unit. By measuring the time taken for the pulse from the gun to travel to the target and return, the range to the target can be calculated. By taking numerous distance measurements over a period of time, and comparing them, the average speed over that distance can be calculated very accurately. As long as the beam stays on the original targeted spot on one vehicle.??? Beam Shape and the 360 degree detection concept. No, Laser guns do not detect/measure speed a vehicle at any angle. Laser detectors and Laser Jammers will not detect or jam 360 degrees! 360 degree laser detection is just a marketing concept. The shape of the laser beam is very different to that of radar. First of all it is not a pencil beam, as many would have you believe. The beam starts from a small point at the laser gun and slowly fans out the further it travels from the source. The beam is approximately 1 to 2 feet in diameter at 300 metres, and increases in width and height the further it travels. (4 to 6) feet wide at 600 metres distance. Beam Scatter The laser beam is not visible to the eye. The beam will reflect of any stationary or moving object and may be detectable by a laser detector. (sometimes) The laser will not go around corners or over hills. It does not spray the country side like radar. The laser beam is only detectable while the trigger is being depressed. If a vehicle is targeted at very close range, (300 mtrs) very little of the laser beam will travel beyond that vehicle. If you are first in line, the speed reading is almost instantaneous! A vehicle some 50 mtrs behind you, with a laser detector may get no warning if the front vehicle is large enough. This means that the very best laser detector is only a 50/50 bet to save you a ticket. LIDAR Laser speed measuring is called LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) It is not RADAR. Radar guns use microwaves transmitted to, and reflected from a target vehicle. LIDAR uses Infra-red (3000Ghz) pulses measuring the distance to the moving vehicle. The effective range, front of vehicle, of hand held laser is about 500 metres. This is the range at which accuracy begins to diminish due to the difficulty in hitting (targeting) a moving vehicle beyond this distance. The movement of the laser beam at 500 metres is quite substantial for very little movement of the hand held laser gun. Moving the gun 1 degree moves the beam about 10 metres (30 feet) at a distance of 600 metres. For these distances a tripod or mono pod is needed. Errors Laser guns are subject to cosine effect, just like RADAR. That is, if a vehicle comes into the beam at an angle, the speed displayed will be lower than the true speed. LIDAR can't be used at any angle to traffic due to this effect. It is a down the road device, NOT across the road like the camera radar. Laser must not be used on curved sections of highway, in curves or undulating roads. The laser beam can jump from vehicle to vehicle within the effective detection area, causing targeting errors. (Wrong vehicle ticketed.) The Limitations The laser beam cannot pass through opaque objects, signs, trees, shrubs, poles, leaves etc. The effective range of laser and it's performance are reduced by heavy rain, smoke, fog and any other airborne pollutants. Laser is difficult to used at night, some headlights and driving lights give off substantial infra-red light, this reduces the performance of the laser substantially. Targeting vehicles at night is very difficult, the laser beam is not visible, and the operator is looking into the flare of vehicle headlights. In Vehicle Problems LIDAR cannot operate accurately through most automotive glass. The glass and its angle to the beam, can reduce its accuracy, and will reflect its own signal. Tinted windscreens block laser infra-red emissions, but they can be received through glass to easily trigger a laser detector. LIDAR cannot be used from a moving vehicle and produce accurate speed readings. LIDAR is a stationary hand held device that must be used outside the vehicle, or through an open window. LIDAR can be mounted on a tripod, or rested on a window/door ledge, this steadies the beam allowing it to read the speed of vehicles up to 1 kilometre away. Keep watching for updates on laser cloaking devices, when we test and find a good ones, we will let you know. 
|
