Is this for real?

[Mandingo]

Great stuff though. Thanks for posting this indeed. What I don't understand since the system is so expensive already is the absence of a crystal oscillator system. All the really good radar like the Stalker use them to keep their frequencies very accurate. Just a thought.

[Mandingo]

Personally I believe the amazon story,99,9%, goes back to the old tricks the police used before any RDD's were invented. I do think there is a very very small possibility for a STI to go out of tune enough to be detected and you have this "conductive paint and case gaskets" often are damaged with mishandling don't you know?

[Mandingo]

BTW I found the thing I was referencing with the antenna mod right on these forums !

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...onference.html

[nine_c1]

Great stuff though. Thanks for posting this indeed. What I don't understand since the system is so expensive already is the absence of a crystal oscillator system. All the really good radar like the Stalker use them to keep their frequencies very accurate. Just a thought.

Elementary my dear Watson. The police radar has the advantage of operating on a single frequency......therefore a crystal oscillator as a reference makes sense. However, Radar Detectors operate across a broad band of frequencies which makes a single crystal reference inadequate. The Belscorts periodically bias the LO(s) and Mixer(s) for an optimum IF output on each each radar band.

[Mandingo]

Great stuff though. Thanks for posting this indeed. What I don't understand since the system is so expensive already is the absence of a crystal oscillator system. All the really good radar like the Stalker use them to keep their frequencies very accurate. Just a thought.

Elimentary my dear Watson. The police radar has the advantage of operating on a single frequency......therefore a crystal oscillator as a reference makes sense. However, Radar Detectors operate across a broad band of frequencies which makes a single crystal reference inadequate. The Belscorts periodically bias the LO(s) and Mixer(s) for an optimum IF output on each each radar band.

You have me there pretty much as I realised much later. LOL !

[jimbonzzz]

I know for a FACT a few years ago a LEO for VA pulled someone over with an STI Driver because the LEO DETECTED it with their spectre. The STI Driver must been a defective leaky unit that made it through QC. In other words no unit is perfect and shyt happens

This guy (and his source) are both credible.

The LO emissions are kept at such a low level as to be undetectable by Spectre at distances beyond 1 meter due to several factors in the design of the M3 antenna system. Most of the isolation comes from the LNAs (RF amplifiers) that are in the front end of the horn. Essentially these LNAs block emissions from the LOs from radiating back out of the horn launch, additionally there are RF absorbers placed in the horn channels, as well as microwave absorptive paint on the bottom side of the pcb.

This guy is credible.


We know LNA's have failed, per forum users. Example:

I picked up my Sti from my NY home after completing my 2 week road trip and was surprised at how fast the turnaround time was.
July 28--dropped off at Escort in Cincinnati, OH
July 29--repaired
Aug 1--arrived repaired in Niagara Falls, NY
The service card said they repaired the antenna and upgraded the software. (Note to MEM-TEK: the repair card did have LNA written on it, along with a few other "code" letters.)

Source: http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...-belscort.html

This guy is credible.


Hmmm............ I wonder how detectable they are when an LNA "goes bad"? I've seen active components fail both with a short or an open...

Food for thought...

[insidercw3]

These LNAs are multistage mimic devices. The most common LNA 'failure' is due to poor solder joint on the dc bias junction pad between the LNA pcb and the RF/IF pcb. In that event the LNA loses its dc bias and hence the amplifiers are not biased on. Even in that event the impedence presented to the mixer diode from the output amp of the mimic is so great as to be essentially an open ckt to the mixer. Leakage is still minimal.

[Drexx3]

These LNAs are multistage mimic devices. The most common LNA 'failure' is due to poor solder joint on the dc bias junction pad between the LNA pcb and the RF/IF pcb. In that event the LNA loses its dc bias and hence the amplifiers are not biased on. Even in that event the impedence presented to the mixer diode from the output amp of the mimic is so great as to be essentially an open ckt to the mixer. Leakage is still minimal.

Yeah, what he said...

[nine_c1]

Thanks a bunch for the patent. I love seeing this stuff. Just a friendy FYI here. Public Patents usually don't tell the whole story of any invention and this is on purpose.

for example "elongated signal path.."

I do like the conductive sealing gasket bit myself.

Actually that is one of the Key elements of the design.

The LNA takes care of signal on the microstrip while the long narrow throat of each antenna, packed with RF aborbers, takes care of the TE and TM modes of waveguide signal propogation.

TE and TM being the Electric and Magnetic radiation that would otherwise carry right through the hollow waveguide (throat) of each horn.

The LNA(s) also make up for what would otherwise be unacceptable losses due to the elongated transmission lines necessary for elongating the thoat of each horn.

[sopissedoff]

any update on this? As you can see below i have to much hanging over STI and not being detectable.