LOL yes. I drive the car almost everyday. :D I believe the conversation in another thread was about my co-pilot.Quote:
Originally Posted by focalcivic
Printable View
LOL yes. I drive the car almost everyday. :D I believe the conversation in another thread was about my co-pilot.Quote:
Originally Posted by focalcivic
So who got pulled over, and a ticket?Quote:
Originally Posted by AgentR8
Co-pilot was pulled over in AZ two days before the finish of the rally.Quote:
Originally Posted by focalcivic
that r8 is soooo nice!! :D
Welcome, R8. :)
That's one slick ride. :cool:
I hope you're still here - as I missed your appearance last night. Hope you weren't put-off by what was said in that thread, this is a community that requires thick skin. :p
In any case, as a fellow car-lover, and also fellow speed-dections countermeasures enthusiast, I hope that if you haven't answered the questions in my post in that thread (post #2 http://www.radardetector.net/forums/432259-post2.html ) that you could take a moment to address them.
They really do weigh on my mind, why you selected what hardware you did, and did not partake of the ones that are available, otherwise, and I hope that as a fellow hobbyist, you could answer.
------
All -
The blue/red cover "switch" has been done before, by x50 users.
Search back a little in this Forum, and you'll find what you seek. :)
Hi there,
I went with the shifters that come with the 9500ci due to time conditions. They are being supplemented with the LI diode systems soon.
The Cheetah system I wasn't impressed with. The quality of the device was cheap and the big clip on mirror just isn't very attractive. Besides, with each Garmin loaded with Njection's database (1 with speed and red light cameras and 1 with speedtrap locations) as well as the 9500ci having the same Trinity database as the Cheetah, I don't think I needed another similar system. The Laptop system was running Delorme's Atlas program as well as live Trapster and Googlemaps and GoogleEarth updated in realtime as we drove, giving us a bird's eye view of the road ahead. Its nice to know what it looks like behind a bridge abutment. It also gives you elevation changes that you can't see on a normal GPS. The Njection database was also converted to KML files so that potential speed traps would show up in Google Earth. Obviously this is not a one person car. The navigator/angel was my role on the rally, since I was the only one who was familiar enough with the systems to be of any use in that seat. So many people ask why the multiple GPS units. Well the answer is simple, besides redundancy, when we received our route cards, they often didn't have a tidy address that could be entered. So I would program unit one (760) with the town center and we'd be off while I would try and narrow down our final destination. Often times the final checkpoint would be something like the scenic overlook near the intersection of old route 20 and the bridge over Lake Roosevelt. Try entering that into a Garmin, while you are accelerating out of a parking lot. One Garmin was always set for shortest route. The other is set for fastest. The Tablet PC would be the main unit of course, with the Garmins acting as additional information sources. Once I tracked down the actual address, using Google, or web sites, or even manually finding landmarks on the map, I would enter it into the Delorme software which would spit out three or more possible routes. The best part about that software is the ability to drag the route around in real-time. Kinda like Googlemaps. The database is also much more extensive. Roads that were not on the Garmin were on the Delorme system. So with two Garmins plotting similar yet alternate routes and the PC giving us fuel data and traffic and weather the navigator uses his judgement to choose the best possible course. Experience and luck come into play here.
The table PC also allowed me to reporgram the scanner each night. The BCD996T cannot possibly hold all the frequencies needed for an 11 state journey. I didn't just program the HWY patrol frequencies, but I also did each and every local jurisdiction and mutual statewide aid frequencies. Combined with stabilized binoculars and CB chatter we knew what was going on at all times. Keep in mind this is not a covert highspeed run where all you have to worry about is yourself. This is an all out assault on the police's sense of humor. 65 cars flying through their precious highway system at imprudent speeds gets their attention. That being said, often times your biggest enemy was not the police but other rally drivers. That is why the car is equipped with stuff that Alex didn't even mention. He knows as well as I that the way to win is to use a balance of cunning, skill, luck and a few dirty tricks. NO need for nightvision on Bullrun since it is run during the day. For Gumball next year, the next Blackbird will have the latest FLIR system. Spray on plate covers are useless, there is no need when you know where all the traffic cameras are. Flip up plates are fine if you want to have your car impounded. The Blackbird only ran with a rear plate. It is debadged and everytime anyone called us in, the got the make of car wrong. That goes a long way towards plausible deniability. :D
^ That's actually a much more detailed answer than I really thought I deserved! :o:)
As I mentioned elsewhere (on another forum? I really can't recall), I did think that perhaps the lack of the LI (or other "more powerful" active laser jammer) was due to either sponsorship or time (installation) constraints, given that the ci was said to be onboard.
Regarding the Cheetah GPS-Mirror, I can see your points of concern. Yes, the clip does look unattractive, in vehicles such as ours, which have larger-than-normal factory mirrors. In our Subarus, the metal clip actually becomes *very* visible, and I've also voiced this as a point of discontent to the Cheetah crew (and fabricated my own cosmetic solution to this). However, given their need to tailor this unit as a "one size fits all," I do think that, sadly, such a compromise was unavoidable. As to the "cheap" appearance of the unit, I think that the unit, being inside our Subarus, very well didn't seem too out-of-place :p, but given the build quality and semi-exotic nature of the R8, plus the custom-work you've put into it, would stand out as being a lower-quality and less than aesthetically acceptable item. :D
To the electronics/computerized aids - thank you for presenting your reasoning. Indeed, that 10-minute run-through "peekaboo" on your R8 was not sufficient to fully expose the depth-of-thought you'd given to your attack plan. I think that a "very well done" is the least I could say, with respect to your setup, and towards the extent that you've pursued the need to entertain speed enforcers. :eek::cool:
Remind me to look you up if the wifey and I ever fall out, and I drunkenly raid my daughter's college fund.
There's apparently a whole different level to technical speeding, one that I had not thought possible. :)
Much respect - and hey, as a fellow auto and countermeasures enthusiast:
I wish you many happy, safe, speedy, and ticket-free miles.
If you swing through NE-Ohio, and spot my little blue Subaru, give me a honk, as you blitz by at Mach 1. :D
------
BTW: local (surface road) enforcement hot-spots are....
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...raps-info.html
Doubt that you'd ever get that local on any of your runs, but heck, who knows, maybe you'll need to stop for gas or for food, some time. :)
Thanks for that extremely detailed response blackbird... I love your car, and the counter measure systems you have set up sound incredible. would love to check that out some time. Beautiful car and good luck with future rallies, please post pictures of anything new thats not top secret.
how did you intergrate the Passport into the mirror?
I had AI Design in Tuckahoe do it Its their specialty. Its pricey, but way cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by quickcummins