Tightening the monitoring of traffic offenders - the widespread installation of radars (mobile and stationary) to measure speed and a noticeable increase in the size of fines - has caused a backlash among drivers. Radar detector, and in common parlance referred to as antiradar, has become their reliable protector from unnecessary loss of time and money.
The first anti-radars - constant-action devices that monitor the presence of a speed-detecting device on the road - appeared back in the 90s. Their choice, as well as their efficiency, were limited and tuned only to the 10.5 GHz (X) range. Currently, the market is oversaturated with radar detectors from different companies, so it is not easy to decide on the choice of a suitable model.
Radar detector operation
The purpose of the radar detector is to timely detect the active signal of police radars, half of which are pulsed, half are laser (such as "Cordon", "Arena", "Chris", "Strelka", etc.) operating in the range of 24, 15 GHz (K) and 24.01 GHz (K-Pulse) since 2012.
Laser anti-radars are produced today with a measuring range of 300-500 m.
For effective detection, the radius of action of the "antiradar" must be 5-8 times larger than the police device: about 1-3 km in the city and up to 5 km on the highway. This gives the driver the opportunity to slow down in advance. Therefore, the main criteria for the effectiveness of a radar detector should be: range, sensitivity and selectivity, so that there is no stubborn silence or endless beeping (some devices even react to photocells in stores, cellular signals, radio stations, etc.). These disadvantages are often encountered when testing low-cost models.
The disadvantage of expensive models is a lot of unnecessary features.
Types of detectors
By type of device, radar detectors are:
- monoblock (solid), - portable, - hybrid (combined with a navigator or video recorder).
The choice of the one you need depends solely on personal preference and the method of mounting the device. So, in a taxi, you can rarely find monoblocks, because they take up a lot of space, displacing the necessary communication means from the panel.
In terms of susceptibility, anti-radar detectors are capable of detecting pulsed or laser radiation. Devices of the first category give out a lot of false signals, since it is difficult for them to recognize waves of different wavelengths and periodicities. Devices of the second category may have a small pickup angle of a narrow laser beam (only if it is located in front or behind, but not on the side), but they catch the reflected signal well.
It must be remembered that the actual range of action of many models is often less than that indicated in the instructions. Also pay attention to the strength of the case, the build quality, and the way of fastening. It happens that an artiradar fixed with suction cups or a magnetic tape begins to "look" at the sky, and not at the road.
For a more successful choice, it is good to familiarize yourself with the results of independent testing of different models in detail. Experts advise paying attention to the later versions of the WHISTLER and SUPRA models, the Street Strom and Cobra models are also good, but sometimes unstable in operation.
