BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums banner

Local Cops Got Laser! Lidatek Question.

5K views 42 replies 19 participants last post by  ard 
#1 · (Edited)
Early this morning, I was driving on state road FM2499 in lovely Flower Mound (Dallas - Fort Worth suburb where I live). My sunroof was open, and I was relaxed with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the CD, leisurely following a white American sedan.

The sedan's brake lights flash as the driver slows to turn into a driveway. Suddenly, the laser alert in my Passport 8500 goes crazy! The sound really got my attention, because it's only gone off a few times in the year I've had the detector.

I think "Maybe the brake lights set it off? LEDs?" Then, in a driveway on the opposite side of the 4 lane divided road, I see a Flower Mound Police car. I know the local police have K and Ka radar, because they set traps on this same stretch of road all the time and the Passport has saved me from a ticket on many ocassions. But they've never had laser before.

I stopped about 2 miles down the road, picked up a couple of Starbucks coffees for my wife and me, and headed back home. I know I'll pass that same police cruiser, so I have the speed nailed at the posted 45 MPH limit. Just as the cruiser comes into view "BRAAAAAAP!", the laser alert goes wild again. As I pass the cruiser, I see the officer sighting cars behind me through the laser gun. D@#$!

Because I live here, this is going to be a daily annoyance. If I were speeding, the laser detector in the Passport would have simply told me "You just got a ticket, buddy." In other words, by the time it alerts, you're nailed.

I guess I'll have to get an active laser jammer. Does anyone have experience with a Lidatek actually working?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Oh, yes, the Lidatec unit works! I have had mine since I got my beast and will never drive without one. Laser is *everywhere* here and the Lidatec gets a workout. I have never gotten a laser ticket since, but I still believe in not taking chances - if I see the cop, I slow down.

Highly recommended.
 
#3 ·
Although I still haven't had the chance to get mine installed, I can definitely testify to its effectiveness. Back when I went to visit their facility for a write-up report, they were able to demonstrate it for me.

It's unfortunate though that you missed the group buy which lapsed last August 1st. It's still worth buying even at full retail price and is recommended that you get two transponders for excellent front coverage.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Thanks Jason. Yes, too bad I missed the group buy -- but little did I know that my local police would upgrade to LIDAR. I found your write up, and it sounds like the unit and additional transponder is the way to go.

Do you mount one on the passenger side (like Oak did) and one on the driver side -- both behind the grill? Knowing you, you have photos.

What's the best way to purchase one? Should I e-mail the company with the address you provided, mention your good name and this website, plead insanity, and beg for a discount?
 
#7 ·
You know what'd be really cool...if there was somewhere we could rent a LIDAR gun from for a couple of days. I'd pay $50 or so to use a gun and verify my install works from all angles, and I'm sure several others on the list would as well....anybody got any ideas if something like this is available?

Otherwise, maybe 10-20 of us could go in on a group LIDAR gun, and ship it around the group to test. Say each person gets to keep it for 2 days and ship to the next guy. Or hell, maybe I'll buy one and rent it to you yahoos for $50 a piece :)

Jeff
 
#8 ·
Jeff, that's not a bad idea...I'd be game to that. Anyone else? But then again I may not have to do that since I'd have the friendly folks at Lidatek to help me test it out since they have a couple lidar guns on hand.

Jim, you could always ask Jared at Lidatek about it. Email him at j.phillips@lidatek.com and see what you can come up with. The unit retails for $349.95 for one transponder units and each additional transponder is $99.95. With our last group buy both were $310. And yes, it's best to mount two in the front.

Here's some pictures showing optimal mounting locations:



 
#11 ·
sysvr4 said:
... verify my install works from all angles...
Jeff, that raises an interesting point. Because LIDAR works by reading the relected laser, wouldn't the police have to bounce it off a relatively flat, reflective surface that's basically perpendicular to the angle of the beam? In other words, don't they have to be almost directly in front of you? What's the biggest angle that's practically usable?
 
#12 ·
Any of you guys know what kind of useable range police LIDAR has? Last week, late at night, while traveling down the Mass Pike my V1 picked on laser. I was going about 85 (in a 65)-- very ticketable. I jammed on the brakes to about 70, was again marked my laser, and then finally spotted the trooper in the median.

This whole thing took about 30 sec, which at these speeds is well over a half mile. One other fact; there was an 18-wheeler out a ways in front of me. So, either the V1 range is better than the cop's ticketable range, the V1 picked up reflections from the truck, or I was lucky w/ the cop? Wish I knew...

Oh yeah, WRT renting a laser gun, or maybe having one loanable through the board would be way cool.
 
#13 ·
doug said:
Any of you guys know what kind of useable range police LIDAR has?
According to the folks at Lidatek, the maximum useable range that LIDAR guns has is 1000 ft. More than that and the laser beam gets scattered to the point where the readings will start to get affected.
 
#14 ·
The second chapter & V1 saved me.

The untold second part of my Gumball adventure occurred after the helicopter speeding ticket ordeal. As the story went, I avoided impound and was told in no uncertain terms to never speed on "my highway again." I told the officer OK, and within minutes was back up to 125 m.p.h. I had joined up at the back of a Gumball train heading to L.A. with Audi S4 (car #153), Porsche Turbo car #15, a red Z06, a CLK55, and one Ferrari 360 behind me. After 5 minutes of zigzag through civilian traffic, my Valentine One picked up laser on a slight bend while doing about 95-100. As soon as the alert registered, I hit the brakes and lifted the throttle. That allowed me to fall about 40 feet off the tail of the pack. The CHP cruiser was not far ahead, and he merged onto the highway in front of me, and behind the other cars. He proceeded to pull over 2 or 3 at the front of the pack and issue tickets. I escaped a potential second ticket thanks to the reaction time the V1 afforded me. It worked.
Or was I just lucky?
 
#15 ·
Jason, thanks for the spec on the LIDAR range. That just confirms what I had hoped to be true-- that the V1 can and does give you adequate warning for laser. So HBRAMSTEDT, you indeed may have been saved by your V1. I'm convinced I was. Also, another buddy of mine has had similar very early laser detections by his V1.

JFB, if you think your Escort's laser detection is no more than an indication that you've just been busted I'd suggest you trade up for the V1.
 
#16 ·
Does anyone have any experience with the K40 Laser Difusser unit? Is it similar to the Lidatek? Some local individuals claim it may even be better. Thank you for your input.

francois
 
#17 ·
francois said:
Does anyone have any experience with the K40 Laser Difusser unit? Is it similar to the Lidatek? Some local individuals claim it may even be better. Thank you for your input.
I wondered the same thing too when I went up to visit Lidatek. They had the K40 diffuser in addition to a few other brands. According to them, the advantage that their product has over K40 is that it's not an active diffuser but rather a passive unit therefore lessening the risk of being detected as being someone with a diffuser in action. The LE20 goes active only when needed. :D
 
#18 ·
Jim - I travel up and down Central a couple times a day and the DPD started using laser about a month ago. My V1 picks it up very early and more surprisinging around bends, but given that lower Central is in a canyon perhaps the signal just bounces around and the V1 picks up the signal. I did once have a direct hit on I20 on my way out the BMWCCA Autocross but luckily I had visual contact before he pulled the trigger.

I do agree that the first time the laser warning goes off scares the sh*& out of you.

Philip

01 TiSilver Black
 
#19 ·
atomic80 said:

According to them, the advantage that their product has over K40 is that it's not an active diffuser but rather a passive unit therefore lessening the risk of being detected as being someone with a diffuser in action. The LE20 goes active only when needed. :D
Would you please elaborate on active versus passive laser jammers? If the LE20 goes "active" only when it detects laser, then it is considered an active jammer, isn't it?

I thought active jammers jammed the gun so that it gives a blank reading to the cop while passive jammers confused the gun (and the cop) by giving it an error message or a false speed reading.
 
#20 ·
I don't entirely understand it completely myself but apparently the difference between active and passive laser jammers is that the former is always working therefore giving a higher risk of being having your laser jammer detected while the latter remains inactive until needed. I'm assured that it works fast enough to make this an effective solution against being detected with a laser jammer. It's perfect for those folks in Europe where Lidar guns have the ability to tell whether or not its being jammed.
 
#21 ·
If the K40 is jamming all the time, wouldn't it burn itself out? How long does the LE20 jam the gun? 3 secs, 5 seconds? Does it jam it over and over again if the cop decides to shoot you more than once? Are you supposed to turn it off once you have slowed down, so that you don't arouse the cop's suspicions?
 
#22 · (Edited)
doug said:
JFB, if you think your Escort's laser detection is no more than an indication that you've just been busted I'd suggest you trade up for the V1.
Doug

Actually, according to Car & Driver (which rated the V1 slightly better overall than the Passport 8500), the Passport has a slightly better laser sensitivity than the V1 (from the rear, they're equal from the front where it really counts).


My point was that you don't have as much signal bleed with LIDAR, because the laser beam does not spread out as much as radar. The Police can more selectively target your car, particularly if they gun you at the last minute. Thus, if you hear the laser alert, you are probably already busted.

If you don't get a ticket, then either you were not going fast enough to get ticketed, or you were just lucky.
 
#23 ·
Bokke said:
I travel up and down Central a couple times a day and the DPD started using laser about a month ago.
Philip

Thanks for the heads up. I travel on Central a couple times a month. Sounds like the Lidatek is definitely worth purchasing.

Have any of the Dallasites seen LIDAR used on the Bush or Central tollways?
 
#26 · (Edited)
Jim, interesting stats-- thanks. It's true that I may have been lucky. At 2000+ ft the lidar beam width must be pretty wide though not like radar. Or I may have caught a bounced signal off of another vehicle. Either way, I'll take it. The last ticket I got was from lidar at 675 ft (so the ticket read!). Again, luckily I was able to make the ticket go away. No repeats since the V1, thankfully. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top