After recieving 9 points i thought i had better invest in a Road Angel. That was back in March and i still havent seen, or atleast i dont think i have!!, a mobile handheld radar gun or even a roadside camera van. My mate borrowed my road angel and reckons he passed a camera van and he says it didnt pick it up? Is this right? Your help is much appreciated!
Road Angel?? Mk1
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Yep more than likely, mine went off a couploe of times but the Vans on top of bridges never seemd to set it off.
I've got the Road Angel 2 now but haven't been past any of these "safety Vans" as the are called in my area
J.
I've got the Road Angel 2 now but haven't been past any of these "safety Vans" as the are called in my area
J.
I had an RA1 & passed a few vans & it kept quiet, I've moved to an RA2 now but have yet to meet any cash machines, I mean vans on the roads.
They tend to set the M'way van limits to go off at cars going 90mph plus, speaking to a copper once about it he said if they did everybody going over 70mph they'd have everybody on the road.
In urban areas I think they have you if you go 10mph +1%
They tend to set the M'way van limits to go off at cars going 90mph plus, speaking to a copper once about it he said if they did everybody going over 70mph they'd have everybody on the road.
In urban areas I think they have you if you go 10mph +1%
Have a read of this link, all is explained.....
http://www.blackspot.com/downloads/docs/How_Laser_Works.pdf
http://www.blackspot.com/downloads/docs/How_Laser_Works.pdf
I've passed loads of vans. Sometimes the ra picks em up and sometimes it don't. Reason as in the link above, but also keep in mind that not all the camera vans use lasers to do their snooping!! There are a few that are running continuous video taping, mainly so that they can check tax discs, see if people are wearing seat belts, using phones etc. I did hear that the continuous system will also do speeds too, not sure how it works , but it's a fave for heavy traffic areas on a single carrigeway in 30 and 40 zones.
Plus if you go streaming past a camera van u deserve a ticket anyway! Thery're not hard to spot!!!!!!!
Plus if you go streaming past a camera van u deserve a ticket anyway! Thery're not hard to spot!!!!!!!
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Have a read of this too about the vans:-
http://www.uk-mkivs.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=40379&SearchTerms=,speed
Sorry its a bit long winded but if read it helps understand alot more about how the vans work and what equipment they have. Also how what you have may or may not seem to work.
http://www.uk-mkivs.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=40379&SearchTerms=,speed
Sorry its a bit long winded but if read it helps understand alot more about how the vans work and what equipment they have. Also how what you have may or may not seem to work.
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The whole point of having a Road Angel is that YOU enter locations of new cameras, mobile devices etc.
This data is then uploaded and verified into the RA database, thatway we all share and share alike.
If any of you visit East Berkshire area at all there are quite a few alerts on the RA database (entered and uploaded by me) giving the 'mobile' warning... there might not be anything there when you drive past but at least you've been warned that you may have been caught and that a van etc quite often parks there.
So when I'm on my travels I fully expect YOU LOT to have done the same for me... that is keep the database up to date.
If you do have a Road Angel and you go past a van and it doesn't go off, don't moan about it, SAVE it and upload it to the database, from there on in it will go off and who knows by you saving that location, you may end up saving loads of people 3 points..
If you have got one and don't save and update the database, why did you bother buying one in the first place ??
This data is then uploaded and verified into the RA database, thatway we all share and share alike.
If any of you visit East Berkshire area at all there are quite a few alerts on the RA database (entered and uploaded by me) giving the 'mobile' warning... there might not be anything there when you drive past but at least you've been warned that you may have been caught and that a van etc quite often parks there.
So when I'm on my travels I fully expect YOU LOT to have done the same for me... that is keep the database up to date.
If you do have a Road Angel and you go past a van and it doesn't go off, don't moan about it, SAVE it and upload it to the database, from there on in it will go off and who knows by you saving that location, you may end up saving loads of people 3 points..
If you have got one and don't save and update the database, why did you bother buying one in the first place ??
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My point was / is, why rely on the laser detector, it is afterall a last resort. Instead of moaning about why the RA didn't go off, save the location to the database and then rely on the GPS side of the RA which is far superior.
If it's happening in your area where it's not picking these things up it's either due to No RA users in the locality or any RA users that are there are just to lazy to save and update....
If it's happening in your area where it's not picking these things up it's either due to No RA users in the locality or any RA users that are there are just to lazy to save and update....
the only problem with saving the mobile camera location to its database is that next time it might/will move locations?? on my car ive got a roadpilot for the fixed cameras and a laser head for the lasers and soon getting a radar head for the handheld radar guns
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ct.p - Do all of the locations you have added show up with a little P on your road angel when you drive past them yourself? If so they may be unique to your road angel only.
Reason I ask is that the ones I have done in my area the same as you say remain showing with a P when I drive past them. This indicates Personal location.
I have a mate who has road angel and he has updated lots since I have added my locations and he still does not have them.
My understanding of the system is that if I upload a location in this way, it is then verified by Blackspot, and if they deem it necessary, they add it to the database.
Reason I ask is that the ones I have done in my area the same as you say remain showing with a P when I drive past them. This indicates Personal location.
I have a mate who has road angel and he has updated lots since I have added my locations and he still does not have them.
My understanding of the system is that if I upload a location in this way, it is then verified by Blackspot, and if they deem it necessary, they add it to the database.
Quote: posted by SEPaul on 16/11/2004 11:53:59
Quote: posted by Jace on 16/11/2004 10:04:33
8< snip 8<
In urban areas I think they have you if you go 10mph +1%
I think this may be 10% + 1mph
Anyone??
Anyway, I don't rely on any tolerance. I ALWAYS creep at the limit [
]
There is a tolerance, but you're right, nobody reliably knows, so it's better not to chance it.
Generally they target the reggy plate to get the reflection. Obviously the laser beam diverges more the longer the distance. So if you have your detector at dash level, that can be a couple of feet up from where the main part of the beam strikes. The closer the van, the less divergence, therefore the less chance of getting it picked up.
Just my theory...
Quote: posted by Jace on 16/11/2004 10:04:33
8< snip 8<
In urban areas I think they have you if you go 10mph +1%
I think this may be 10% + 1mph
Anyone??
Anyway, I don't rely on any tolerance. I ALWAYS creep at the limit [
]There is a tolerance, but you're right, nobody reliably knows, so it's better not to chance it.
Generally they target the reggy plate to get the reflection. Obviously the laser beam diverges more the longer the distance. So if you have your detector at dash level, that can be a couple of feet up from where the main part of the beam strikes. The closer the van, the less divergence, therefore the less chance of getting it picked up.
Just my theory...
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Diesel....
Don't know, never noticed anything and must say I have trouble recognising the alert type by reading the display, the only way I can tell the difference between a 'blackspot' / 'fixed' / 'mobile' site etc is by the different noises from the RA.
I'll check next time I drive past one that i've inputted.
If it's true, 'if blackspot deem it ok'.... we might all be missing lots of sites where we could get nicked.
Hang on i'll dig the book out... ... ...
It says :-
"Blackspot Interactive Ltd are constantly updating the central database of danger zones. You can be of great value to all Road Angel users by noting new information accurately and updating to our central database. All general information will be verified by Blackspot Interactive Ltd. before adding it to the central file."
There is no mention of a 'P' in the book and I can't ever recall seeing one. This may happed on RA2 ?
I would be interested in how they Verify a point on the database and would suggest that a point is verified once two people have entered the same or very similar gps positions ?
So it is basically in all RA owners to save new locations and upload. Fixed cameras are quite obvious and my RA has never missed one but the mobile locations are still a big worry. I'd much rather be warned that a particular location sometimes a has camera van there, even if it isn't when I drive past it rather than relying on the laser alert...
Don't know, never noticed anything and must say I have trouble recognising the alert type by reading the display, the only way I can tell the difference between a 'blackspot' / 'fixed' / 'mobile' site etc is by the different noises from the RA.
I'll check next time I drive past one that i've inputted.
If it's true, 'if blackspot deem it ok'.... we might all be missing lots of sites where we could get nicked.
Hang on i'll dig the book out... ... ...
It says :-
"Blackspot Interactive Ltd are constantly updating the central database of danger zones. You can be of great value to all Road Angel users by noting new information accurately and updating to our central database. All general information will be verified by Blackspot Interactive Ltd. before adding it to the central file."
There is no mention of a 'P' in the book and I can't ever recall seeing one. This may happed on RA2 ?
I would be interested in how they Verify a point on the database and would suggest that a point is verified once two people have entered the same or very similar gps positions ?
So it is basically in all RA owners to save new locations and upload. Fixed cameras are quite obvious and my RA has never missed one but the mobile locations are still a big worry. I'd much rather be warned that a particular location sometimes a has camera van there, even if it isn't when I drive past it rather than relying on the laser alert...
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ct.p - Sorry - mines a RA2, title of the thread slipped my mind there. Dont know if the RA1's have the P but RA2 definately does.
I understand the theory of them adding each one to the database and it is a good idea to be safe than sorry with the mobile ones. I was out on a drive far from home and mine flashed up with the mobile camera alert but nothing was there. I did not treat this as a false alarm but it made me keep my eyes peeled while it was going - obviously a regular spot.
I reckon they may have to draw the line somewhere though because folk may enter things in error and just clog the system up with bogus and changed locations all the time. They must do some sort of verifying and it would be interesting to find out what their criteria is for adding a reported location to their downloadable database.
Out of interest do you know of anyone in your area who has had activations on their RA in relation to all the sites you have added to yours? This would help indicate what they have added to the main database.
I understand the theory of them adding each one to the database and it is a good idea to be safe than sorry with the mobile ones. I was out on a drive far from home and mine flashed up with the mobile camera alert but nothing was there. I did not treat this as a false alarm but it made me keep my eyes peeled while it was going - obviously a regular spot.
I reckon they may have to draw the line somewhere though because folk may enter things in error and just clog the system up with bogus and changed locations all the time. They must do some sort of verifying and it would be interesting to find out what their criteria is for adding a reported location to their downloadable database.
Out of interest do you know of anyone in your area who has had activations on their RA in relation to all the sites you have added to yours? This would help indicate what they have added to the main database.
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Thats the problem, I don't know... ... I'm just assuming and hoping thats the way it works.
What I've added to the database hopefully will benifit and save other users geting caught and I hope when i'm out of my area to take advantage of locations local users have added.
One thing though... What if the Police bought them and started Deleting locations from the database ... Could happen, some power crazy off-duty traffic hitler type (you know the ones, normal police hate them as well so my mate who's in the MET tells me...) buys a RA and his sole purpose is to delete locations from the database.
What I've added to the database hopefully will benifit and save other users geting caught and I hope when i'm out of my area to take advantage of locations local users have added.
One thing though... What if the Police bought them and started Deleting locations from the database ... Could happen, some power crazy off-duty traffic hitler type (you know the ones, normal police hate them as well so my mate who's in the MET tells me...) buys a RA and his sole purpose is to delete locations from the database.
Quote: posted by ct.p on 18/11/2004 02:25:25
One thing though... What if the Police bought them and started Deleting locations from the database ... Could happen, some power crazy off-duty traffic hitler type (you know the ones, normal police hate them as well so my mate who's in the MET tells me...) buys a RA and his sole purpose is to delete locations from the database.
The Origin B2 team have a survey group that check each addition / deletion before actually changing the database. Might be worth checking if RA have the same.
I also think that they police catch enough people without resorting to doing things like that. Most of the 'safety camera' vans are run by the council anyway.
One thing though... What if the Police bought them and started Deleting locations from the database ... Could happen, some power crazy off-duty traffic hitler type (you know the ones, normal police hate them as well so my mate who's in the MET tells me...) buys a RA and his sole purpose is to delete locations from the database.
The Origin B2 team have a survey group that check each addition / deletion before actually changing the database. Might be worth checking if RA have the same.
I also think that they police catch enough people without resorting to doing things like that. Most of the 'safety camera' vans are run by the council anyway.
All the saftey cameras have web sites and they tell you all there locations.the Devon & Cornwall vans have set sites and cannot just pull over on side of road and start cathing people. they have dedicated stretches of road the park on, hence name saftey camera partnership
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