View Full Version : Hot wheels radar gun Now available at Walmart!
Was bored while wandering through walmart, and came across the hot wheels radar gun for purchase (you dont need to buy 298621 hot wheels to get it! :lol: ) It was $29 to purchase and it operates on 10.525 ghz, (x band), i cant seem to be able to get on my server to host the pics, but I will post them soon, just thought i would let you guys know
well upon further inspection, although it states that it operates on x band, it fails to trigger both my rx65 and my roomates cobra, kinda strange, I can target cars with ease, my kustom falcon has no problem tripping my rx65 and the cobra, i tried jimbonz's radar verifier software with it in x band mode and the gun reads it fine, this is very strange, any ideas?
it's probably too weak and the RD filters it out as a false
laserblaster
08-13-2006, 07:43 AM
the v1 will alert to it..... i think.....
kpatz
08-13-2006, 07:59 AM
I think someone reported the hotwheels gun doesn't trigger the V1 either.
Maybe it's time for our resident engineer (Jimbonzzz) to analyze the signal from the hotwheels gun and tell us why it doesn't set off RDs...
Maybe it's so noisy or has harmonics the RD interprets as a false?
Maybe it's modulated (FMCW), and the RD filters it out?
Maybe it doesn't really transmit at 10.525 GHz (X band), or it's way out of tune?
Are you running with X band off on your detectors?
Did you try it at different distances from the detector? Maybe a more far-away shot will set off the detector...
bauzer71487
08-13-2006, 10:21 AM
What section of walmart was it in.
and why were you "wandering" thru walmart? I hate that place.
richardboy316
08-13-2006, 10:43 AM
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/02/70/84/30/0002708430602_215X215.jpg
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4661205
speedneed2
08-13-2006, 07:58 PM
I posted on this topic a few months back. The gun seems to be drifting on and off of the frequency it was designed for. I found that if I heat the gun up, it will trigger my V1. Please see the old post which includes a video:
http://www.radardetector.net/viewtopic.php?t=9064&start=75
Here's Jim's take on the subject, a few posts back:
The failure of a V1 to alert to the Hot Wheels Radar Gun might have one of several causes:
1) The hot wheels radar gun may have drifted out of the police radar band. "Part 15" devices are somewhat notorious for this behavior.
2) The V1 in question may need to be sent to Valentine Research to make sure it is operating correctly.
3) The hot wheels radar gun may employ a modulation technique (such an FM-CW pulsed etc) that the Valentine rejects. Although such techniques are allowable for other devices (part 15 etc) they are not used for police radar.
jimbonzzz
08-13-2006, 08:04 PM
:lol: I had almost forgot I posted that...
More than likely, the problem is #1. If someone wants to send me a Hot Wheels gun to take a look at, I'll confirm for certain...
Jim,
PM me an address, I'll send you mine
bauzer71487
08-13-2006, 11:00 PM
Seriously, go to walmart - buy it - analyze - return.
I bought it out of fun - I can't find any AAA batteries - so it proves useless for now. I'm gonna have to get some tomorrow.
I wonder how fast my tractor will go. . .
GET 1T DONE
08-14-2006, 08:15 AM
They are available at a bunch of stores.
Here is some technical investigation into the unit:
http://www.austech.info/showthread.php?t=135840&page=1&pp=15
Also, so who on here has one so far, and what kind of range does the gun get? <50ft.? That video made in that other thread seems like the unit is VERY weak. The Bushnell may be twice the price, but if you get 30x the range...
jimbonzzz
08-14-2006, 08:47 AM
If those guys are correct, then the reason why it doesn't set off the detectors is because it is pulsed, not CW...
kpatz
08-14-2006, 10:50 AM
I just picked up one at Wally World.
All I can say about it so far is: 1) it doesn't set off my V1, and 2) its range is abysmal. I couldn't even clock oncoming traffic at a stoplight with it.
It's a toy, and not a terribly useful tool for us RD nuts. Unless one is also a Hot Wheels or RC car nut.
Now if Jim could develop a mod to make it CW instead of pulsed.. ;) Or how about this: modify it to send out single pulses. It would be the first X-band POP gun! :lol:
P.S. Before someone replies saying I'm a ditz brain, I *did* turn X back on on my V1 when I tested it. :)
bauzer71487
08-14-2006, 11:10 AM
The range truly does suck - not that I expected it to be great, but I did expect it to clock something within 20 feet.
Consider it RETURNED!
Grouchy58
08-14-2006, 05:47 PM
I am an asswipe sometimes, and when a car passes me with a radar detector, I zap him with a Bushnell sports radar gun (K-Band) I got from ebay a year ago for $80....lemme tell ya, some people deserve it...weaving through traffic like they own the highway, cutting me off, tailgating...zap I go, beep beep beep goes their K-Band alert, and they slow down....for a minute at least....then it's someone elses problem.
bauzer71487
08-14-2006, 08:02 PM
I tried this piece of junk out today and happened to have shipped my v1 out to puerto rico while my other one is in transit.
I hooked up old school Cobra 9100 - it picked up the X band alert. How is this explainable? I'm gonna see if my v1 picks it up when it gets here.
jdreynss
08-14-2006, 08:08 PM
I hooked up old school Cobra 9100 - it picked up the X band alert. How is this explainable? I'm gonna see if my v1 picks it up when it gets here.My guess would be that the filtering on the cobra is not good. With the higher end units, they probably recognize the very weak signal, and register it as a false, but the cobra just pops up an alert.
Correct me if I'm wrong Jim
GET 1T DONE
08-14-2006, 08:20 PM
I hooked up old school Cobra 9100 - it picked up the X band alert. How is this explainable? I'm gonna see if my v1 picks it up when it gets here.My guess would be that the filtering on the cobra is not good. With the higher end units, they probably recognize the very weak signal, and register it as a false, but the cobra just pops up an alert.
Correct me if I'm wrong Jim
But if you hold the gun right next to the RD, the signal strength would be similar to as if you are detecting a real threat at signal strength 1 from 2 miles away...
Plus there's the whole non-CW thing of the Mattel gun...
stalker
08-15-2006, 08:23 AM
i tried this thing on my STi, 895 and vector and not one of them alerted to the hot wheels radar gun.