My STI picked up a very real laser hit!!!

[Road Warrior]

I know that this case might belong to the Real Experience section, but knowing that STI is made by Beltronics and how new and fairly unknown in real life situations this product is, I open this topic in this section... hopefully I wont bother nobody in this section...

So yesterday, Tuesday, driving in some industrial area in Toronto, for those familiar with the city it was on Signet Dr, a long road that runs north-south, and I was driving south (right lane) towards Finch (then to 400)... somewhere half way btwn Steeles and Finch I get the laser sound, way different than the already familiar K (dozens of door openers) and Ka (got about 2-3 so far)... obviously I slowed down, my eyes started rolling 360 dgrs, what the hell, where this freaking laser alert comes from, but soon I get the chance of seeing one freaking normal (marked) Toronto cruiser parked on the side btwn manufacturing companies... I was driving south, he was facing east, but he got the driver's window rolled down and all I remember was the gun pointed to the southbound traffic... not knowing if I was speeding or not, if he got me or not, I just turned right and got into a company driveway (went all the way to the loading dock), in about 1 min I got back but not totally to the road, just up to the sidewalk, I got off the car pretending I'm trying to find a company, but I look straight to the cop (in that position I was about 100 ft from him) and saw him up close (and personal ) with the freaking gun trying to get his prey... within 1-2 minutes I saw him take off and when I passed by he was issuing a ticket to an unlucky driver... now, my STI is always up high, by the sun visor, hardwired and super stealthy, so, knowing that to get a laser alert that position is too high I think the guy was targeting the vehicle itself (including the windshield), just to give freaking tickets to anybody, so I don't think he was targeting the front plate (I have LaserShield) or headlights (no Veil as I drive a brand-new vehicle and for some time I am not going to apply the Veil I got at home, you know, new car, you let it be fresh at least for a year...)... so, the cop tested my newly aquired (thanks Roy ) STI, speeding, no speeding, I don't remember exactly , all that counts is the STI did its job for this laser trap and... have a nice day :wink:

[richardboy316]

before this encounter were u aware of laser use in that specific area

[Road Warrior]

before this encounter were u aware of laser use in that specific area

If that's a question, they have been using laser in Toronto since 1996, but for that particular road that was the very first time with a laser trap, at least for me...

[fastnfurious80]

I know that this case might belong to the Real Experience section, but knowing that STI is made by Beltronics and how new and fairly unknown in real life situations this product is, I open this topic in this section... hopefully I wont bother nobody in this section...

So yesterday, Tuesday, driving in some industrial area in Toronto, for those familiar with the city it was on Signet Dr, a long road that runs north-south, and I was driving south (right lane) towards Finch (then to 400)... somewhere half way btwn Steeles and Finch I get the laser sound, way different than the already familiar K (dozens of door openers) and Ka (got about 2-3 so far)... obviously I slowed down, my eyes started rolling 360 dgrs, what the hell, where this freaking laser alert comes from, but soon I get the chance of seeing one freaking normal (marked) Toronto cruiser parked on the side btwn manufacturing companies... I was driving south, he was facing east, but he got the driver's window rolled down and all I remember was the gun pointed to the southbound traffic... not knowing if I was speeding or not, if he got me or not, I just turned right and got into a company driveway (went all the way to the loading dock), in about 1 min I got back but not totally to the road, just up to the sidewalk, I got off the car pretending I'm trying to find a company, but I look straight to the cop (in that position I was about 100 ft from him) and saw him up close (and personal ) with the freaking gun trying to get his prey... within 1-2 minutes I saw him take off and when I passed by he was issuing a ticket to an unlucky driver... now, my STI is always up high, by the sun visor, hardwired and super stealthy, so, knowing that to get a laser alert that position is too high I think the guy was targeting the vehicle itself (including the windshield), just to give freaking tickets to anybody, so I don't think he was targeting the front plate (I have LaserShield) or headlights (no Veil as I drive a brand-new vehicle and for some time I am not going to apply the Veil I got at home, you know, new car, you let it be fresh at least for a year...)... so, the cop tested my newly aquired (thanks Roy ) STI, speeding, no speeding, I don't remember exactly , all that counts is the STI did its job for this laser trap and... have a nice day :wink:

Great Post, Exactly what I like to read, as I havnt had an encounter with a Laser as yet with my STi.

Thinking of investing in some Veil in the near future. Been stung twice this year by handheld laser, which prompted me to get involved and purchase a radar detector. But as we all know, only with a sloppy operator or scatter will we stand a chance against a Laser without specific Laser protection.

Thanks RWarrior, great post.

.

[revenknight99]

As we're on the topic of Sti I had a question, I do most of my driving in the congested streets of nyc and leave my sti on auto and I find it giving a K or Ka band alert like every 2 or 3 mins once I get on the highway it lessens a bit but not too much I get about 2 or 3 alerts on my way home which is a 10 mile ride but theres no cruiser or anything even though the areas on the side of the highway are all city blocks with alot of activity. Is this normal or something is wrong with my unit?

[fastnfurious80]

As we're on the topic of Sti I had a question, I do most of my driving in the congested streets of nyc and leave my sti on auto and I find it giving a K or Ka band alert like every 2 or 3 mins once I get on the highway it lessens a bit but not too much I get about 2 or 3 alerts on my way home which is a 10 mile ride but theres no cruiser or anything even though the areas on the side of the highway are all city blocks with alot of activity. Is this normal or something is wrong with my unit?

Mate in my opinion, and given i dont know your area of NYC, but theres no way you should be getting 'Ka' alerts every few minutes, thats very troubling. If your certain they are 'Ka' alerts and it happens often, id say take it back and get an exchange to a new STi, as it appears yours may be faulty for some reason.

Hopefully someone else can back this up to give you a better idea.

Thanks.

.

[revenknight99]

I meant to say K band and X band Not ka my mistake.

[Road Warrior]

As we're on the topic of Sti I had a question, I do most of my driving in the congested streets of nyc and leave my sti on auto and I find it giving a K or Ka band alert like every 2 or 3 mins once I get on the highway it lessens a bit but not too much I get about 2 or 3 alerts on my way home which is a 10 mile ride but theres no cruiser or anything even though the areas on the side of the highway are all city blocks with alot of activity. Is this normal or something is wrong with my unit?

I spent 4 days in NYC just last Labor Day weekend and went up to Montauck, the easternmost point of NY State... at that time I was using my S2 as I picked-up my STI on my way home back to Toronto... first off, as one of our very good members, spankyaf, mentioned couple of days ago, he's got the STI with an older revision, he's got something with A2, and that his STI falses a lot Ka on the open road (highways) with nothing around... he wants to send it back and ask for another one with the current rev, A4M9, the one my STI has... so, check the rev for your STI, it says in the manual how to do it when you want to reset the factory settings, when you do that, when the STI powers-up, it will start with the rev, something like this: Reva4... a little pause then a second screen RevM9... it appears that the new version with A4M9 is the best so far, fewer falses than the previous ones... I live in Toronto, a city like NYC, gridlock almost everywhere and anytime, almost every corner has got a something with an automatic door opener (banks, grocery stores, subway stations, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc., etc., etc.), all are on K so I get LOTS of K falses, but I got used with them (they come with the package...), and the X band is always disabled... so, about K falses, just get used with it, especially in the city or wherever any freeway, 495 LI Expressway for instance, is near an institution with a very strong door opener... but about Ka, YOU SHOULD NOT GET MANY FALSES, just very, very few, as a matter of fact I rarely get a Ka false BUT I got real Ka alets from Toronto cops in marked cruisers... so, check the rev version and then let's take it from there... best of luck and... fix those freaking roads in Manhattan and almost everywhere in and around NYC, you need Monroe shucks and struts to keep your car longer than 5 years... and as soon as you hit the Hamptons (Kramer, what have you done with Susan's father cabin? ) gas was $3.50/gal regular 87 :shock: :shock: :shock:

[oakhed]

I have to qualify this response by stating I am not an STI driver. I have a Bel 945.

In my experience, In HIGHWAY mode, I get many K and X "falses" (I know they aren't false, door openers and other motion detectors are actual (if annoying) sources).

When I use AUTOSCAN (usually in town, with others in the vehicle) I get most of them, too but only when I am closer to the source. This is because, according to the manual, AUTOSCAN filters out the alert level unless it is a real potential alert meaning more bars/closer or stronger signal.

In town, in NYC, you are going to get alerts for door openers/security systems far more often than I will in Podunk, Iowa. You have more door openers and probably alot more security systems than we do, so this only makes sense.

I don't know if the programming on the STI allows no X no K but you might consider using that mode. However, someone out east said they actually saw an X band speed trap set up recently... Do that judiciously

Around here, and probably around NYC, Ka band is the radar most in use by LEO. If you get a Ka alert, mixed in with all those X's and K's, SLOW DOWN.. LEO's lurking about.

Otherwise, mentally map those X's and K's. You will find they go off at the same places most every time. Wtih the exception of some Cobra RD's setting mine off from time to time, that's what works for me. (except there's one on a hospital that I pass on the interstate thru town that almost always surprises me, because I get such great range on it ~ 1 mile.)

HTH, revenknight

Great info, RW... it is nice to know they work well enough to save us sometimes,eh?

[revenknight99]

As we're on the topic of Sti I had a question, I do most of my driving in the congested streets of nyc and leave my sti on auto and I find it giving a K or Ka band alert like every 2 or 3 mins once I get on the highway it lessens a bit but not too much I get about 2 or 3 alerts on my way home which is a 10 mile ride but theres no cruiser or anything even though the areas on the side of the highway are all city blocks with alot of activity. Is this normal or something is wrong with my unit?

I spent 4 days in NYC just last Labor Day weekend and went up to Montauck, the easternmost point of NY State... at that time I was using my S2 as I picked-up my STI on my way home back to Toronto... first off, as one of our very good members, spankyaf, mentioned couple of days ago, he's got the STI with an older revision, he's got something with A2, and that his STI falses a lot Ka on the open road (highways) with nothing around... he wants to send it back and ask for another one with the current rev, A4M9, the one my STI has... so, check the rev for your STI, it says in the manual how to do it when you want to reset the factory settings, when you do that, when the STI powers-up, it will start with the rev, something like this: Reva4... a little pause then a second screen RevM9... it appears that the new version with A4M9 is the best so far, fewer falses than the previous ones... I live in Toronto, a city like NYC, gridlock almost everywhere and anytime, almost every corner has got a something with an automatic door opener (banks, grocery stores, subway stations, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc., etc., etc.), all are on K so I get LOTS of K falses, but I got used with them (they come with the package...), and the X band is always disabled... so, about K falses, just get used with it, especially in the city or wherever any freeway, 495 LI Expressway for instance, is near an institution with a very strong door opener... but about Ka, YOU SHOULD NOT GET MANY FALSES, just very, very few, as a matter of fact I rarely get a Ka false BUT I got real Ka alets from Toronto cops in marked cruisers... so, check the rev version and then let's take it from there... best of luck and... fix those freaking roads in Manhattan and almost everywhere in and around NYC, you need Monroe shucks and struts to keep your car longer than 5 years... and as soon as you hit the Hamptons (Kramer, what have you done with Susan's father cabin? ) gas was $3.50/gal regular 87 :shock: :shock: :shock:

Well I just did a factory reset and I do have the latest Rev A4M9, so I'm a little relieved about having it outdated. I'm taking a road trip from Nyc to Virginia today. It'll be my first roadtrip with the Sti so I'll know alot about it performance wise, I'm gonna keep it on highway mode with pop on just to be on the safe side and I hope it doesn't get too annoying with falses. About the roads in Nyc ever since I was born I've been seeing them do construction on Nyc highways year round, there is always some construction going on but they could never seem to fix the roads for whatever reason, which does shorten the life of your car but what you gonna do. My uncle owns a gas station in the hamptons and once I asked him what was up with his astronomical prices and his response was people here have so much money they don't even look at the price or care go figure :?