PA State Police - New Radar Units?

[AFirefighter]

Are PSP troopers testing a new device? Last year my detector would pick them up, no problem. It was always the same band as the speed reading signs on the side of highways (K/Ka). Recently, every single PSP unit I have passed (while obviously doing radar) has not set off my detector, even one little blip. I even witnessed one unit pull out into traffic for a stop, after watching radar, so I know it was being used. Just curious if they are running something new in terms of Radar, or testing laser or something else?

[randypk]

Are PSP troopers testing a new device? Last year my detector would pick them up, no problem. It was always the same band as the speed reading signs on the side of highways (K/Ka). Recently, every single PSP unit I have passed (while obviously doing radar) has not set off my detector, even one little blip. I even witnessed one unit pull out into traffic for a stop, after watching radar, so I know it was being used. Just curious if they are running something new in terms of Radar, or testing laser or something else?

What area of the turnpike did you see this?

[AFirefighter]

Are PSP troopers testing a new device? Last year my detector would pick them up, no problem. It was always the same band as the speed reading signs on the side of highways (K/Ka). Recently, every single PSP unit I have passed (while obviously doing radar) has not set off my detector, even one little blip. I even witnessed one unit pull out into traffic for a stop, after watching radar, so I know it was being used. Just curious if they are running something new in terms of Radar, or testing laser or something else?

What area of the turnpike did you see this?

Negative on the Turnpike. This is on PA Route 202 at the 30 Interchange & in the construction zone, as well as on the Schuylkill Expressway at the 476 Interchange. This has been with marked units with the new Whelen LED lightbars, as well as unmarked units including: A dark blue, fully tinted Ford F150 truck, and a maroon Crown Vic.

[krypton2]

Are you sure the unmarked vehicles were PSP cars? I know that the state does have a lot of pickup trucks in use for park rangers, dog law enforcement, fish and game wardens, etc. but I've honestly never seen an unmarked PSP pickup truck. I think that every single unmarked PSP vehicle I've ever seen was either a Crown Vic (they have many), a Charger, or an Impala...they do have a few unmarked Explorers as well.

I don't know about the marked cars but for the unmarked ones - could they be locals? Even though it's a highway, because it's in a construction zone they would be able to use VASCAR or ENRADD pretty easily. While it's pretty difficult to time cars in a 55mph or 65mph zone on a highway, it wouldn't be difficult at all in a 40 or 45mph construction zone.

If you truly think they're using radar then your RD should pick them up, unless you have some setting on it that excludes the band they're using. LIDAR still isn't allowed in PA and there haven't been very many changes to the speed measurement device bulletins that would allow them to use a bunch of new tools. Unless they're really good at I/O and Q/T, your RD should be able to pick up their radar waves. Airplane enforcement is another option...?

[Milk Duds]

I had a similar experience yesterday on the NJ Tpk. During the day i went by many marked police cars, and I picked up 0 signals with my detector... I was a bit confused. No laser alerts either... Then I went the other way at night, and it was Ka all over the place. So I'm not quite sure what was going on.

[Gabian]

they could have been using Falcon HR. Those units are very difficult to pick up even if your the next car behind the guy that gets shot in line. I have been ambushed twice with PSP on the turnpike near Reading. I use a V995 and mine did not go off until he actually got my car. Thankfully Waze had warned me he was there a couple miles before on both occasions.

[KaPro]

Are PSP troopers testing a new device? Last year my detector would pick them up, no problem. It was always the same band as the speed reading signs on the side of highways (K/Ka). Recently, every single PSP unit I have passed (while obviously doing radar) has not set off my detector, even one little blip. I even witnessed one unit pull out into traffic for a stop, after watching radar, so I know it was being used. Just curious if they are running something new in terms of Radar, or testing laser or something else?

Is your detector still reliably alerting to ALL known falses?

[exmeaguy]

I questioned this last fall for the same issue. Took a trip up 79 from Cranberry all the way to Erie and three time troopers were in the median with the gun out the window and the V1 did not pick them up, but did pick them up on two other locations on the same trip.

[mikered30]

Sounds like if it was radar it was the low powered k band guns.

[pgb2]

Is is possible that PSP is using VASCAR again or simply programmable stopwatches like the Robic? On the way to Reading yesterday I was less than 2 miles south of my exit (Shillington Rd) on 222 when I noticed a marked CVPI sitting on the Gring's Hill Road overpass. Due to the height of the overpass barrier I could not ID the agency but when I checked my mirrors I saw that wouldn't be a mystery for too long as he was already heading down the onramp.

I was traveling in a group of cars running about PSL+ 10-15 and at the point on 222 that he would have been monitoring (there were VASCAR lines across the roadway there) from the overpass I was momentarily distracted by my passenger. The V1 was silent the whole time but had been falsing normally to all the Ka speed signs on the Turnpike earlier.

As the cruiser (finally could ID it as PSP with the new Whelen lightbar) finally caught up to the group I was in he pulled in front of me and lit up the car I was following.

Also, while westbound on the Turnpike for the return trip, I saw one of the new marked Chargers with a '90s vintage Kustom KR-10 antenna mounted externally to the drivers' side rear window so dunno about new RADARs but they still use old ones!