What are these annoying things for (in my town) ????

[AstroSteve]

What are these annoying things for??? There on every red light in my town. They produce a Ka band frequency. And when you get real close to them there is a small red led that comes on like a motion sensor????

They are most annoying to my Pro-73.

Thanks

AstroSteve

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j275/astrostevem51/IMG_0291-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j275/astrostevem51/IMG_0292.jpg

[outrun]

Those are usually X band. Just like when you go to wally world and the door senses you are there that is the same thing that does.

Most of the time you see those when there is no loop or apron on the ground below you when you pull up to the light. Meaning in some cities they have a rectangle or square cut out in the concrete. It's like a pressure plate or magnet as I have heard to. It's called an apron.

If you city does not have that they will install those annoying x band things but I don't have x band on so I don't care. Also about 4 months ago I complained to the traffic department in my city that the light was not changing even after I had been on the apron for than a min. About 4 days later they had that sensor thing on there that was putting out x. Just a quick fix I guess. It is not there now.

[AstroSteve]

These are certainly Ka band!!! Which I found to be quite odd. So what you are saying that these aprons act as a trigger system to control the red lights. They tell it when there are cars there waiting and so on. I figured that's what they were. I just can't understand why they are not X band instead Ka band.

[outrun]

ka band? That is a new one then. Smart at that if it is. But that is what it looks like to me.

[AstroSteve]

Well that's what the Pro-73 is screaming at.... (Ka Band) I have it in City 2 mode which completely blocks out X. They have a small area of signal too, I noticed that your pretty darn on top of them to get a 9 on the signal strength. The 1-3 signal starts say 100-150 yards away.

[Stealthcb]

Well that's what the Pro-73 is screaming at.... (Ka Band) I have it in City 2 mode which completely blocks out X. They have a small area of signal too, I noticed that your pretty darn on top of them to get a 9 on the signal strength. The 1-3 signal starts say 100-150 yards away.

Keep in mind that the Pro 73 occasionally confuses K and Ka band, so I suspect this thing is really K-band.

[Harold]

In my country we have got them also. They are K band radars to see if there is a traffic jam. Normally the use induction loops, but sometimes they also use these K band radars to see what the speed is.

[Synbios]

Well that's what the Pro-73 is screaming at.... (Ka Band) I have it in City 2 mode which completely blocks out X. They have a small area of signal too, I noticed that your pretty darn on top of them to get a 9 on the signal strength. The 1-3 signal starts say 100-150 yards away.

Keep in mind that the Pro 73 occasionally confuses K and Ka band, so I suspect this thing is really K-band.

The 58 confuses all bands so I assume the 73 is the same.

I have seen it show X band as Ka band. I confirmed this with my X50.

[stray444]

yep my town has one of those in the city limits K BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AstroSteve]

You know what is really funny about this, the 73 will start off with a short K1-2 burst then switch to Ka. So you guys must be right it's confusing it for Ka. Still annoying little devices everywhere!!!!! :evil:

[ELVATO]

Hmm, I always thought they were cameras for intersection traffic accidents or something. Then again, I have X band turned off :)

[bauzer71487]

They monitor the traffic and tell if a vehicle is present.

Basically like they said up there. It triggers the light so that it knows you're there and will give you the green. Else it will stay in its rotation - or stay green for the other people.

[Synbios]

Now that I think about it, I have seen devices looking like this around. I thought they were red light cameras, but I do have X band turned off.

I'll try to remember to turn it on next time and see if I get anything.

[RadarRick]

I think i've said this before, but our traffic lights here in OZ spit out K-band as well. At the start it's fun, now i want to rip everyone of them down :evil:
RR

[maxima lover]

Those are X band here...at least that model. We have a couple K's too, but the ones shaped like that are X here. Thankfully almost all of them don't set anything off though. :) And they do what everyone has said.

[jdong]

Whistlers do not confuse X with K/Ka, but can confuse K/Ka signals. I suspect those things are K. I have seen a few of them in Michigan too... and they are annoyingly strong, droning a few miles of I-75.

[MEM-TEK]

*****

[RadarHell]

trust me those are X band. As I had stated in one of your other posts, they are X producing units. They are for Traffic lights and here in VA they monitor traffic.

I had to turn off X band on my Valentine in Orlando, FL when I was down there. Along Fl- 50 route, they had them on most of the traffic lights there.

Also I stated to you that I had a 1793se, which when I disabled the X band would alert to Ka band for X band.

[AstroSteve]

These unit's are NOT X band. Becasue I turned to Highway mode and no X signal what so ever. Ka/K signal so you are dead wrong. Maybe yours are X but these are K.

Have a nice day.

[Asleeper]

trust me those are X band. As I had stated in one of your other posts, they are X producing units. They are for Traffic lights and here in VA they monitor traffic.

I had to turn off X band on my Valentine in Orlando, FL when I was down there. Along Fl- 50 route, they had them on most of the traffic lights there.

Also I stated to you that I had a 1793se, which when I disabled the X band would alert to Ka band for X band.

All the ones I've seen on the traffic lights in VA are cylindrical(sp?) shaped. I've never had one set off my RD on any band.

Could they possibly be some type of drone as it would seem logical to put them at intersections.

[Synbios]

trust me those are X band. As I had stated in one of your other posts, they are X producing units. They are for Traffic lights and here in VA they monitor traffic.

I had to turn off X band on my Valentine in Orlando, FL when I was down there. Along Fl- 50 route, they had them on most of the traffic lights there.

Also I stated to you that I had a 1793se, which when I disabled the X band would alert to Ka band for X band.

Just because yours are X band, doesn't mean all of them are.

With that being said, I still do NOT trust a whistler's ability to distinguish bands.

I am sorry, I know they have good range, but from what I have seen from a 1793SE and Pro 58, they CANNOT tell the difference between ANY band.

Someone should do some tests with whistlers.

[RadarHell]

These unit's are NOT X band. Becasue I turned to Highway mode and no X signal what so ever. Ka/K signal so you are dead wrong. Maybe yours are X but these are K.

Have a nice day.

Maybe ORLANDO uses these units and no one else in FL does, interesting. And yes VA uses them too, but rare in my area. Along the interstate (monitors traffic) in Southerneastern,VA they are the same square box that I encountered in FL. Also if you check on the forum this is not the first time anyone has stated that the Whistlers report these as non X band units. Also Michael B, stated as to why this happens. If I find it I will post that link.

Also no need to be rude.

[AstroSteve]

OK you guys are'nt going to believe this but those things are indeed X-band. I did a little test by putting my Pro-73 in 'Highway' mode and they all go off as X. When I put it in 'City 2' mode they go off as K. Thus proving that the mode sensetivity on the 73 is less than perfect on idenifying the correct filtering of the band in these mode's.

Stealthcb seems to agree with this as he has stated the new 78 has much less or fully corrected filtering of the corrct band.

FYI

[RadarHell]

Sorry for that to be the outcome...

I like the Whistler units for the price to Real Radar reporting, but when reporting the non-LEO side of things this is what I was disappointed on.

Hopefully Whistler did fix this problem with the new design of the 690 and Pro78.

[StlouisX50]

Maybe they are X and KA. Since some detectors report KA as a greater threat than X.

Also I thought Florida could not use X band. Was this just for Police Radar or X band in general.

[phantoms]

Luckily here, we do not have them. We do have some red light camera's (currently being fought in court) which require a sign notifying you they are present, but for signaling we still use the wire in the ground trick.

These are not pressure sensitive as suggested in another post. They simply cut a line through the pavement making a square loop (though it could be a triangle or even a circle) and a place for the wire to exit off to the controller off the roadway. This loop of wire acts as an inductive loop antenna and detects a change when a large metal object is over it. This is why bicycles and sometimes motorcycles have a hard time triggering these devices. It's also why foot traffic over them will normally not trigger them.

Another misconception about them is that the center of the loop is the best place to be when it's actually directly over the wire. So if you drive as motorcycle and need to trigger these devices, be sure to park directly over the grove for the wiring.