480 - Cleveland, OH - are overhead traffic info signs causing K band blasts?

[bxd20]

I have begun using 480 again to commute to work after a job change. I go from West 130th to near 271.

What is up with the sudden K band "explosions" I am seeing on my V1? At first I thought my V1 (latest version) needed repair but as soon as I headed away from this area it stopped. Also, when faced with real K band radar while on a rural highway this weekend the V1 worked correctly. So I think the unit is fine.

The symptoms are that I'll be driving on the freeway and all of a sudden with NO ramp up, I get a full-strength K band alarm. It usually dies in a second or two, far faster than a real radar gun, or door opener, would.

Does this have anything to do with the new overhead traffic-information signs they put up? Do those signs receive their data by some kind of K band "blast" from a tower every minute or so? Are they large towers that send the data and then go quiet, or, are they small ones that somehow have an extremely narrow radar beam across the highway perhaps?

Thanks-
Brian

[ki1022]

While I can't comment on your direct question about that particular stretch of highway, I do know that it is common for certain municipalities to install units that blast K-band radar (and maybe other bands..?) at specific intervals in order to confuse radar detector users and ultimately slow down traffic.

Also the Safety Warning System (SWS) may be used near you. This is a system that transmits highway safety info on a K-Band frequency. Only certain radar detectors are actually able to decode the message.

[bxd20]

OK - yes, I used to have one of the Escorts that had SWS decode ability.

So the new overhead amber-dot-matrix traffic info signs they installed along the freeway might be fed by a SWS signal? And that signal is a short K band burst.

That all makes sense. And unfortunately, I believe that means my location during a burst is completely arbitrary. I was thinking of switching from V1 to 9500ix to lockout the bursts, but I would have to lock out that entire stretch of freeway for K.

I guess I'll leave my K band off unless I'm heading out of town, that's what I've been doing. Most LEO around here uses Ka.

Thanks for the help!
Brian

[ZPrime]

Yes, it's definitely the signs. It's not SWS, the signs use bursts of K-band to sample the average speed of the traffic, which then gets sent back to some monitoring place in Columbus. That monitoring system calculates delays/times to spit back on the boards.

It's not fully active yet I don't think (I know there are boards up on 271 that aren't lit up) but apparently the radar is live in some areas.

A newer Escort unit would help you by allowing you to turn on their special mode designed to ignore these signals ("TSR" Traffic Sensor Rejection), but you'd do so at the expense of K band range.

[protias]

Yup, you need to enable TSR on your unit, if it has it.

[languy99]

just adjust the V1 k band auto mute turn it on for 1 second and adjust when it unmutes. It will take a little trial and error but you will get it.

[proudNMAmember]

When I ran through that area w/ k band automute set for 30 seconds on my V1, it still drove me crazy. Having a BelEscort w/ TSR really helps.

[happya$$]

I drive that stretch every day and YES the V1 is useless on this highway. That traffic monitoring system is making me NUTS

[languy99]

have you tired to set the V1 so that it does not unmute at 8 dots, that should keep it from unmuting until the time is up. If all you do is set the time up the not when it unmutes then yes it will not work. You have to make sure it will stay muted.

[proudNMAmember]

I am sure the V1 users there probably want to destroy those traffic sensors annoying the heck out them. Stupid sensors!