Police radars?

[jamiey]

Just noticed today that sometimes when I pass a cop car (or more often than not they pass me), both the highway patrol cars and unmarked ones that sometimes my radar detector doesn't beep. Mostly it does, so just wondering whether or not the police cars switch their radars on/off or are they always on when the cop car is moving?

[Toaster]

They can turn them on and off at will. Living in Rodney huh? Good luck.....

[jamiey]

They can turn them on and off at will. Living in Rodney huh? Good luck.....

HaHa yes, thats why i bought it, must ride past 3 tax collectors everyday on my way home. It was an unmarked Commy that got me thinking about this today. Was obviously prowling SH1 for some tickets and pulled up a car in front of me, yet when I overtook him a few km's back (at less than 110ks), my radar gave me nothing - but luckily his not very discreet rear mounted lights and the flouro vest were watyyyy to obvious.

[Berries]

If they leave them on people with radar detectors can tell when they are coming. If they flick them on when there is traffic you don't have time to react.

Note the Commy has more than likely got a rear facing Stalker, so if you are catching him at speed he could easily turn it on before you are close enough to see the lights and vest.

[steve_t]

Does anyone know if NZ cops use POP? Some radar detectors can't detect radars in POP mode. Otherwise, I'm told sometimes they'll only turn the radar on when they spot an oncoming vehicle travelling at speed. Not sure. Scumdog or Marty might be able to clarify

[CHAPLIN]

They can also clock you with their calibrated speedo

[Toaster]

Don't be so comfortable. There are mufti cars out there now with no lights on the dash or rear window... they are far more discreet. As Kiwifruit would say, slow down Rossi.

[steve_t]

Don't be so comfortable. There are mufti cars out there now with no lights on the dash or rear window... they are far more discreet. As Kiwifruit would say, slow down Rossi.

Yeah, I saw one in Hamiltron the other day - a white VZ commodore sedan. I only looked at it cos of the steel wheels and saw the guy inside was wearing a uniform. If they don't have the lights in the back window and dash etc, how do they pull people over? Do they only have lights in the grill?

[Toaster]

Yeah, I saw one in Hamiltron the other day - a white VZ commodore sedan. I only looked at it cos of the steel wheels and saw the guy inside was wearing a uniform. If they don't have the lights in the back window and dash etc, how do they pull people over? Do they only have lights in the grill?

Yeah, back to grille lights and small LED lights in the rear lights. Pretty much impossible to see from any distance useful enough to allow you to slow down. A flicked on radar or laser would grab a target before most could slow down.

[grusomhat]

The smarter cops use instant-on which is quite fun to get picked up by. Every time that I do, I've seen the cop miles away, had time to count down from 10 and wait for the loud piercing noise in my ear as they blast me with radar. Then it's just a matter of smiling and waving as you ride past.

Got to love radar detectors don't you.

I have read somewhere that instant on is difficult to use solo, although I'm not sure how they operate it. Most cops still seem to sit on the side of the road with their radar locating beacon going. Oh and sometimes cops just don't have their radar on/don't have one in their car.

Yeah, back to grille lights and small LED lights in the rear lights. Pretty much impossible to see from any distance useful enough to allow you to slow down. A flicked on radar or laser would grab a target before most could slow down.

Not really that easy to see from back either but don't forget about the nice thick aerial sticking out of the bonnet.

[blackdog]

Not really that easy to see from back either but don't forget about the nice thick aerial sticking out of the bonnet.

not always, but from behind if its a commie without a towbar i'm always wary, and of course the steel wheels always a giveaway. not always commies either, have 3 xr6's in lower hutt

[CookMySock]

Does anyone know if NZ cops use POP? Some radar detectors can't detect radars in POP mode.

I have a detector with POP. It has only said "POP" once in the few years I've had it.

I'm told sometimes they'll only turn the radar on when they spot an oncoming vehicle travelling at speed.

It varies area to area. Very occasionally I will get a sudden huge-signal Ka band detect, which I take to a stalker coming out of hidden mode.

Quite regularly, I get a small signal detect followed a second later by a huge signal, which I take to be a mobile reverse-facing stalker running continuously. These reverse-facing stalkers are quite effective, as there is minimal time to take action. It is the forward-facing stalker massively illuminating the sky that is easy to detect, sometimes several kilometers away.

50% of Ka detects - I cannot find the patrol car. Mind you, most of the signal levels are not particularly high, so they could have been down a side road.

I generally do not speed, although sometimes I might hum along at 110-115 when conditions allow - just as often as I might him along at 90k coz I want to look out the window. Having the detector is more an interesting thing to do on a boring car trip. I don't have a detector on my bike.

Steve

[Coldrider]

Some or the radars were taken out of the cop cars as a 'savings' Nov / Dec last year along with quite a few cars.

[scumdog]

not always, but from behind if its a commie without a towbar i'm always wary, and of course the steel wheels always a giveaway. not always commies either, have 3 xr6's in lower hutt

I bet you can't always (or even very often) spot those things before you're in radar range.

[scumdog]

The smarter cops use instant-on which is quite fun to get picked up by.

I have read somewhere that instant on is difficult to use solo, although I'm not sure how they operate it.

Not really that easy to see from back either but don't forget about the nice thick aerial sticking out of the bonnet.

(a) Instant on is as difficult to do one handed as much as changing channels on your TV remote is.

(b) The most common car down here with 'a thick aerial sticking out of the bonnet' is a stock agents car.

The Polce cars certainly don't have such a thing.