NY STATE KA

[Beeej259]

Has anyone noticed that NY state trooper KA band is extremely hard to detect? I have a brand new V1 pop2 and could almost see the cop before the detector started to alert. The cop had some guy pulled over with constant on KA. Other KA warnings in NJ are much better, like on route 287.

Does this mean that cops are just clocking cars a few feet in front of them? It seems like they have ultra low power KA guns. Anyone else have this experience?

[brick]

I have experienced exactly what you describe. I do a lot of driving on the thruway and my most recent encounter involved coming around a curve and getting an alert just as I saw the trooper with a car pulled over. I'm pretty sure that the range was so terrible because the radar was facing away from me.

When they are really running a trap I generally get very good warning. In the northeast I consider 3/4 of a mile and up to be excellent due to all the hills, curves, trees, etc to absorb the signal. The two traps that I've seen in the last year gave me at least a reasonable 1/2 mile. That's loads of time to slow down from my rare and absolute max of 85.

When you pass an officer who has someone pulled, pay attention to the signal strength. If it goes up once you are in front of him then he's running radar to the front only and you are dependent on scatter for advanced warning. No worries in that case since it would have been pointed the other direction if you were at risk.

[kpatz]

It could be that he had the radar gun pointed away from you. Was the signal stronger after you passed the cruiser?

[EastGermanOlympicJudge]

Ka seems to be much more "directional" than other radar bands. I've detected NY State Troopers' Ka from up to a mile away, but he was pointing right at me. Other times, I was very close before I got an alert but it was apparent that he was clocking traffic going the other way.

Are you certain that this trooper was pointing his radar at you, and not in the other direction?

[Beeej259]

I had a bad range both from the front and back of the officer. I was driving in my convertible with the V1 mounted on the visor so the detector def. had a good view, but I just think the troopers set their guns on the lowest setting possible. I never got more than 6 dots on the V1 from either side. But when I pass a speed sign with KA I get miles of warning.

[EastGermanOlympicJudge]

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:40 am.

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:41 am

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:44 am

Back to work, you slackers!

[Beeej259]

hahaha, my manager is out for the week so it's Internet 9-5 monday to friday.

[kpatz]

I had a bad range both from the front and back of the officer. I was driving in my convertible with the V1 mounted on the visor so the detector def. had a good view, but I just think the troopers set their guns on the lowest setting possible. I never got more than 6 dots on the V1 from either side. But when I pass a speed sign with KA I get miles of warning.

Maybe he had a handheld gun and he left it on, sitting on the seat of the cruiser. This would cause a weak signal.

[EastGermanOlympicJudge]

hahaha, my manager is out for the week so it's Internet 9-5 monday to friday.

That's cool! Let's speed to work so we can goof off. How ironic!

BTW NYSP had a little speed trap going on the Thruway extension heading to the GSP this morning - is this where you had that weak Ka signal? I experienced something similar.

[brick]

Back to work, you slackers!

Hey, if they would give me some kind of challenge I'd gladly take it! Apparently it's a common thing to keep new grads preserved in a box for the first year or so. Coming up on year two in a couple of days...