Radar Love

[paddy]

I hear what you're saying but there are some clever pricks out there who hack iPhones and other hand held devices. I wonder how hard it would be for them to flash a GPS unit with a tweaked log file?

It would be reasonably difficult for most I suspect; however, in reality you would have to spend a lot of money in court with expert witnesses and the like to demonstrate the veracity of the data. Even then it's admissibility may be questionable. It wouldn't be worth the effort for a speeding fine unless you were really keen on proving a point.

[paddy]

Are they actually illegal in NZ? If so, does anyone know what legislation they are illegal under?

[mowgli]

Are they actually illegal in NZ? If so, does anyone know what legislation they are illegal under?

Aunty Helen was keen on banning them. I'm pretty sure that the proposed legislation died with her government....but for how long?

[Gremlin]

Just curious if you've tried this? I imagine that for it to be admissible as evidence you'd have to surrender the GPS receiver to the cop at the roadside to prove that you've not messed with the data file.

Another potential glitch is that GPS captures your average speed not your instantaneous speed. If you were accelerating/decelerating fast as described by the OP then the GPS data is likely to grossly under state the peak speed unless the sampling rate was very high. It should be very easy for the prosecutor to discredit the GPS derived average speed in favour of the instantaneous speeds witnessed by the radar or laser.

Not sure if you've seen a data file pulled from a GPS onto a computer? Data can be as accurate as down to each second (ie, if the point changes in avg speed etc, from the previous point, a new entry in the file is made). For each of these lines in the file, you've got elevation, depth, temperature, leg length, leg time, leg speed, leg course and position over the point (I haven't seen many much longer than 20 seconds and 1 sec is common). The Zumo can't do it, but you can turn on 1 sec track logs on some GPS.

Basically, doctoring the file and making it still look real... well, good luck. On top of this, you have the file modification dates, so re-saving it is going to alter the date, unless you modify your computer's date, plus the log also has the time of each leg etc.

Ultimately, I know people who have been done by the cops, completely unfairly, some of them have had large amounts of evidence to the contrary, and still lost. The cops word carries too much weight (especially in front of JP's), and this is the best shot, should something happen. Hopefully, I'll never need to test the theory.

[LBD]

Heres one vote for the TPX detector, built specifically for MC...I swear by mine even after I had a play with a radar and laser weilding cop mate....

[davereid]

Ultimately, I know people who have been done by the cops, completely unfairly, some of them have had large amounts of evidence to the contrary, and still lost.

Laser and radar are both capable of errors, unfortunately the operator comes to trust the readout, even when it contradicts his own senses.

Laser suffers badly from an error called slippage... let me explain.

Laser doesnt actually measure your speed. It measures how far away you are. Then a little later (commonly 1/100th sec) it measures how far away you are again. It can then calculate your speed.

This creates an error called "slippage".

Lets say you are stationary.

The FIRST laser shot reflects from the back of your headlight reflector. You are 100m away. The second laser shot reflects from the front of your headlight reflector, as it has "slipped" up the headlight reflector.

You now appear to be 80mm closer than in the first shot. You therefore have a speed of 8 metres per second, or about 30-35 km/hr.

Laser manufacturers are aware of this problem, and will usually run an algorithim in software to try and detect it has occured.

They don't publish this algorithim, so you have to take their word for it that it works. !

For example, they may use a third pulse to see if you remain at a constant speed.

[MarkH]

Are they actually illegal in NZ? If so, does anyone know what legislation they are illegal under?

Radar detectors are perfectly legal in NZ. If they did make them illegal then a Bel STI mounted where it would not be seen would still be legal, because you wouldn't get caught - it's only illegal if you get caught doing it!

[MarkH]

Basically, doctoring the file and making it still look real... well, good luck. On top of this, you have the file modification dates, so re-saving it is going to alter the date, unless you modify your computer's date, plus the log also has the time of each leg etc.

Altering the file modified date of a file is trivially easy, I have several applications that include the option to change the file creation date and/or the file modified date. This can be done in a few seconds and I can set any date I like.

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

Bel STI XR. Awesome unit and undetectable in operation to the cops as well.

This gets my vote Bel Sti XR/Driver (there the same model with different stickers on) from Radar Direct. Undetectable by the cops, wireless helmet gizmo, rain cover and hard wire kit = $1,600.

[The Stranger:Me]

Has anyone else noticed the increase in female Pokie machine drivers operating on SHY 1

No. I avoid SH1 like the plague. If I must use it I simply go into zombie mode and drive like (most of) the rest of the retards that frequent it.

The number of cops is inversely proportional to the SH number.

[What?]

I understood that you were allowed to exceed the speed limit by up to 20kph while overtaking if it is required to complete the maneuver in a safe manner.

Nope, never was. Once upon a time the plods were allowed to use discretion and leniency, but these days they are largely gone, because exceeding the posted speed limit is now more dangerous than driving on the wrong side of the road. Apparently.

[mowgli]

Copper friend of mine explained as follows.

"The problem with letting people off is they tell their friends and then when their friends get stopped they get grumpy because they get a ticket and their mate didn't and they make sure they tell the cop that! It makes it easier and fairer I suppose if there are boundaries."

[Rincewind]

Copper friend of mine explained as follows.

"The problem with letting people off is they tell their friends and then when their friends get stopped they get grumpy because they get a ticket and their mate didn't and they make sure they tell the cop that! It makes it easier and fairer I suppose if there are boundaries."

Oh yea a cop let someone off (Yea Right)

[slofox]

Speed detectors: They won't save you from a Laser.

Not absolutely sure I agree with you on this one, sinned. As I see it (and hear it) a lot depends on how quickly the plod can get a fix on your bike. If he/she is skilled enough to get it almost instantaneously, you're fucked. But if he/she has to hold you for as bit to get a reflection (and remember laser is light and reflects at angles from curved surfaces) you just might just get enough warning to save your arse.

Recently on d'Aucklands South Western m'way, my radar detector gave off its laser warning. I was surprised just how long it read the signal for - especially given that we were in the cage. I reacted as soon as I heard the warning but the signal kept coming for several seconds after that. Whatever, I was not stopped - but then I wasn't hooning anyway...well, not by much.

[CookMySock]

Stop thinking like a cager. On a motorcycle, you dont need to speed to pass. Just add +5-10kph and slide quietly up the white line.

Steve