Radar in Ottawa, Canada

[Curiousinottawa]

I recently purchased a Bel STI and it has already saved my bacon three times this weekend.

Ottawa is a unique city because it has 6 police forces around town (you think you have problems?). Those being Ottawa Police, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Federal Parkways (RCMP), military police on the base and 2 minutes across any one of our 5 bridges, the Gatineau Police and Surete du Quebec (Quebec Provincial Police).

That's a lot of police forces looking to collect taxes. Add in many red light cameras around town, and you'll understand why Ottawa is a difficult city to drive in.

I wanted to post my recent driving experiences in Ottawa using the STI:

X band: there is no X band that police use.

K band: there is no K band that police use, but there sure alot of K band false warnings when I drive by grocery stores. I've also found a few automated speed signs using K band that tell you your speed and ask you to slow down. Not terribly important.

Ka band: Ottawa, OPP and RCMP all use this band. Every Ka warning is a real one and should be taken seriously.

Lidar: Ottawa, OPP and RCMP all use Lidar in speed traps. In 3 days, I had 3 lidar warnings. There is alot of lidar in Ottawa. I wasn't speeding but it was nice to know my STI was working properly.

I haven't had any driving radar experiences in Gatineau or in Quebec. Can anyone confirm which bands are used by those police forces?

Funny story: I did get pulled over today in my (very unique car, won't say in case LEOs are reading this post) (I thought for sure I was being nabbed for using a detector), but the LEO just wanted to see my car... which I'm more than happy to do anytime anyone wants a tour. Phew!

So, anyone in Ottawa... please share your experiences. I think it would be safe to disable K band in Ottawa. Thoughts?

CIO

[quandary]

Don't be overly confident with Lidar. They are getting smarter and I have passed many lidar traps with no alert. The dispersion of laser is so small that the 4 mm beam may not pass over the STi. If you haven't thought of getting some laser defense, you should...e.g. Veil, Laser Blinder, special tape, special license plate covers, etc. You can check out this forum for more info.

[jerry540i]

K band is very much alive with the OPP.

[Toronto-radar-chopper]

K band is used heavilly by the OPP on the 401.

They do it smart, so you get a weak signal and if you have a RD and look at the signal strength it won't go up gradual but weak to full alert.

Leo hides behind an overpass or tree, shoots radar in the direction of traffic in an area where their is limited reflectability ahead.

Unless you have a top notch RD and good set of disc brakes you are toast. Noticed this set-up in Chatham/Windsor portion.

[gsedan]

The OPP use K Band in the area, especially on the 416, and sometimes in conjunction with Lidar. I have encountered constant on K (the OPP seem to think that they have eliminated RDs) quite often, and seemingly to help locate speeders in heavy traffic. They then use Lidar on specific targets. I have also encountered constant on K on the 417 towards Montreal. The Quebec police use portable K with the motorcycle police, but I know less about the rest of their equipment. Ottawa city use a lot of constant on Ka.

[spankyaf]

Let me say welcome to the board before ProudNMAmember does

[Curiousinottawa]

Interesting facts about the OPP using K band on the 416 and the Quebec Police using it on the 417/40.

I am definitely not at all confident with my new detector... I'm paranoid that some LEO will see it on my dash.

Any recommendations on how to make it less visible?

I had an experience with lidar today: I saw a speed trap but had no alerts. So I drove around the block, went thru it again... same thing, no alerts. So I went back around for a third pass... then FINALLY the cop hit me with his gun and my STI gave me the laser warning. Very cool.

It's tax season again in Ottawa. Lots of police on the road.

CIO

[spankyaf]

Visor mount or the Sti Visor Bag...

Some guys if they have sizeable tint strips and the proper window trim still mount on the windshied

[gsedan]

Interesting facts about the OPP using K band on the 416 and the Quebec Police using it on the 417/40.

I am definitely not at all confident with my new detector... I'm paranoid that some LEO will see it on my dash.

Any recommendations on how to make it less visible?

I had an experience with lidar today: I saw a speed trap but had no alerts. So I drove around the block, went thru it again... same thing, no alerts. So I went back around for a third pass... then FINALLY the cop hit me with his gun and my STI gave me the laser warning. Very cool.

It's tax season again in Ottawa. Lots of police on the road.

CIO

The OPP also use K on the 417. If you have a Porshe you shouldn't mount the RD on the windshield as it will damage the glass. Otherwise, a high, behind the tint mounting, either with the suction cups, or with a sun visor clip, or in a CD type holder on the visor. In any case the power cable should be out of sight-see your owner manual. Watch for police on the onramps looking for seat belt usage, they could also see your RD.

[Hessen]

K band is very much alive with the OPP.

A Big X2...................... :wink: