Laser Jammer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Glossary

[Stealth Stalker]

These are the questions most frequently asked by newcomers to the laser jammer interest. We have prepared this FAQ to help quickly orient you to the basics of evaluating, choosing, installing, and using a laser jammer. This is not an exhaustive encyclopaedia of laser jammer information, and is not intended to be. There is much more for the advanced enthusiast to know about laser jamming, and still much more that we have yet to learn. But for you to get started intelligently choosing, installing, and using the jammer that is right for you and your vehicle, these basics are all you need to know.

Special thanks to the following people for their contributions to this FAQ: Guys Of Lidar, jimbonzzz, kpatz, Laser-InterceptorUSA, PMoth, snoopyc4, speed-dreams, TSi-WRX

1. Do I really need a laser jammer since my radar detector detects laser?

Yes. A laser detector by itself is useless. Period. Laser works at the speed of light. By the time even the best radar detector alerts to a laser attack, the officer already has your speed. It literally takes less than a second. A laser warning from a radar detector is about as useful as a buzzer that warns you that your airbags are about to deploy. It is no warning at all. Think of it as hearing the gunshot that was just fired at you. By the time you hear it, you're already dying.

There is no passive way to beat laser. You must have a jammer to defeat it. And although some people will claim they were able to out-brake laser, they didn't. They only think they did because they don't understand how it works.

2. How does a laser jammer work?

It is a more complicated process than one would imagine. An excellent introduction can be found here. Generally speaking, the jammer must first recognise that it is being shot at. Then it must determine what kind of gun is shooting at it. Then it must fire back with the appropriate beam, at the appropriate pulse-rate, as no two laser gun models are the same. And all of this must happen at the speed of light. As you can see, it is not simply a matter of shining light back at the laser gun. However, in the past there was one jammer -- The Lidatek LE10 -- that employed "brute force" of high intensity laser optics as part of the equation, which allowed it better success at blinding a laser gun. Guns are more sophisticated these days though, so the "brute force" concept remains a valid adjunct factor, but cannot be reasonably relied upon as a sole manner of jamming laser. Consequently, don't fool yourself thinking that just adding a bunch of lights of any kind to your car is going to protect you.

One common misconception is that the laser beam from a police LIDAR gun is a very small, pinpoint beam, as common lasers are. It is not. The beam from police LIDAR, even at a very short distance, is several inches wide. At typical engagement distances (around 500 feet), the beam width is likely to cover the entire front end of your car. Consequently, simply protecting your licence plates and/or headlights with passive measures alone will not help you. The entire front end must be protected by a competent jammer.

3. What is the best laser jammer?

Currently, the Laser Interceptor is the undisputed king. If you must have absolute confidence, that’s what you need. No other jammer outperforms it. And many vehicles cannot be protected with anything less.

There only other quality option in North America is the Blinder X-Treme, which provides excellent protection for most vehicles at a reasonable price. The Escort ZR-4 Shifter may sometimes be adequate for some very small, dark cars, but it is a serious gamble and not recommended. In Europe, the Anti-Laser G9 (Google it) is a jammer that performs near the level of the Laser Interceptor. Be very wary of any other jammer on the market, as there are a lot of duds and knock-offs out there.

The definitive source for complete, honest, side-by-side comparisons of the laser jammers is the http://www.guysoflidar.com/. There, you can see how all the current jammers stack up against each other in formal, controlled testing. While the last test results are now outdated by product improvements, Guys Of Lidar will be updating their tests in the coming months. They are the gold standard for independent laser jammer and radar detector testing.

There are other groups of independent testers across the country that provide public results here, and they can be found at http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...t-archive.html

4. How do I choose a laser jammer?

To properly determine your needs, you first have to assess your risk. This is entirely dependent upon the car you drive. The factors that affect your risk include:

• Size of vehicle – bigger target is easier to hit
• Colour of vehicle – lighter colours reflect laser better
• Shape of vehicle – streamlined and wedge shaped cars like Corvettes have less reflective surfaces than others
• Amount of chrome – chrome bumpers, grilles, badges, and trim reflect laser more than paint
• Front licence plate – the most reflective item on the front of a car.
• Lights – Headlights are extremely reflective of laser. The bigger they are, the more of a risk they present. Auxiliary lights like fog and driving lights add to that risk.
* Mounting Options - Even a small, dark, wedged shape car is difficult to protect if the design of the front end does not allow the jammer heads to be placed optimally. Consequently, you may still need the best jammer possible to get the job done. This includes most BMWs.

The more of those factors you have working against you, the more protection you need. But also be aware that, even if you negate each and every one of those factors, you are still vulnerable to laser. We can easily get a speed reading off the back of a jogger wearing a black sweatsuit at half a mile or more, so don't fool yourself into believing that simply blacking out and Veiling your car will protect you. It will not. There is no passive way to defeat laser. None. Not Veil. Not a Laser Shield. Not a black paint job. They will not "buy you a couple of seconds". NO jammer = NO protection. Period.

If you will post a question to this forum, answering all of the above questions, along with make and model, and posting a full-frontal photo of your car (not a similar car off of Google, or one parked at an angle) if possible, the experienced forum members will gladly help you determine what jammers would adequately protect your vehicle. Just be aware that you will spend somewhere between $400 to $700 dollars to protect just the front end of most vehicles. If you have a lot of the above risk factors, that cost could go up to $1200 dollars. Protecting your rear end will double that cost. And looking for the cheapest solution is likely to end up buying you only a false sense of security. Speeding is a pay-to-play game. If you can't afford to play for real, then save your money and slow down.

5. Where should I mount my laser jammer?

This is going to be highly variable, from car to car. But there are several constants. First, the jammer heads must have a completely clear and unobstructed view. That means they cannot be behind the grille or any other obstructions. Not even a partial obstruction, like a honeycomb grille. NO obstructions. They also should not be so deeply recessed as to be obstructed from the sides or above, because police may target you from overpasses and 45 degree angles. They generally should be as widely spaced as practical so that they are no more than 18 inches from the center of your headlights. If you run a front plate, they should be equidistant between the headlights and the licence plate.

On motorcycles, it has been consistently noted that jammer heads provide better coverage when mounted vertically, instead of horizontally. Remember that, on a motorcycle, you have to cover both the bike and the rider, because the helmet is the most vulnerable part of the equation.

The most important rule of thumb is this: Stealth the ride, not the install! That means, concentrate on installing your jammer for maximum performance, not for maximum concealment. Otherwise, you are only increasing your chances of failure and getting discovered when they pull you over. You are not the first person from California to buy a jammer and think that he MUST hide the heads behind something to avoid a ticket for having a jammer. We know this. But there is no way around it. If we tell you that you have to put it somewhere, then that is the bottom line. Again, NO! You can NOT put it behind ANYTHING! And YES, you may have to cut your grille to mount it. You do not own the one car on Earth that will defy the laws of physics. If you argue with us about it, you will be banned.

If you will post a photo of the front end of your car, or a photo of an identical car, in the Advice On Placement forum, we will be happy to point out the ideal mounting location for your vehicle. In that same forum, you can also easily browse previous threads by car type to find examples of placement on your car.

6. I don't need JTG performance, just enough time to slow down, right?

First, it is important to understand that a jammer does not buy you time. It buys you distance. It's about feet, not seconds. Some feel that any jammer that protects you down to around 500 feet is “good enough” to save you from a ticket because many cops do not engage you below 500 feet, so you have a few seconds to react. But others maintain that nothing but JTG is good enough to be sure of not receiving a ticket with laser. The rationale being that, in reality, most laser encounters take place right around 500 feet to begin with. And it is not the distance at which you are shot that you have to jam to. It is the distance at which you finally get slowed down that you have to jam to! If you are targeted at 500 feet while travelling at highway speed, you will travel past the officer before you can slow down. That means your jammer better still be protecting you the whole time, or you’re toast.

If you’re comfortable with gambling your $400 to $1200 dollar jammer investment by trying to get by with “good enough”, then by all means feel free to do so. But before you try to get by on the cheap with a “good enough” jammer, you should calculate how much the tickets, attorney fees, and insurance rate hikes are going to cost you and decide if you are really saving any money or not.

7. Do I need to worry about rear laser shots?

Although rear laser shots have not yet become prevalent in many areas of the U.S., this is an enforcement technique that is quickly catching on, and it is eventually going to be common anyplace that laser is used. California seems to have pioneered the technique, and it has been commonly sighted across the South. In California, Texas, and Florida, it is very definitely a concern. Where you live, you might encounter it and you might not. But you won’t know until it’s too late. And it has been noted that having a jammer greatly increases your chances of being shot from the rear, because the officer had trouble getting you from the front. If you can afford it, it is highly recommended that you get jammer heads for your tail end too. It should be noted that the rear end of most cars is harder to protect than the front end, so again, you will probably not be able to get out on the cheap. That means NO, you can't just put one head on the rear. I've seen that work on a grand total of ONE car, and I doubt that it's the car you drive.

8. Do I need to worry about laser at night?

Yes. It is generally less common at night simply because there are generally fewer cops out at night. However, there is no technical reason why LIDAR cannot be used at night, and we often hear reports of it here.

9. Do I need to worry about laser in the rain?

Yes. Although it is not terribly common for police officers to do laser or radar speed enforcement in the rain, simply because they don’t want to stand in it to write tickets, the newer generation laser guns compensate for rain interference and work just fine in the rain.

10. Can police shoot laser through their car windows?

Yes. It minimally decreases the maximum range of the laser gun, but not enough to affect it at normal enforcement distances.

11. Can police shoot laser in their side view mirror?

Yes. Like the glass, it minimally decreases range. And aiming is a little more difficult. With some guns, you can't make it work. However, police can accurately get your speed by shooting behind them using a mirror.

12. Do headlights have any effect on laser guns?

Some people have noticed that their HID headlights actually make it more difficult for a laser gun to get a lock on their speed. This has been tested a few times and shown to sometimes make a difference of up to hundreds of feet. However, others have found no difference whatsoever with their HID lights. The results are not consistent and should not be counted upon when assessing your risk. Without a jammer, no amount of HID headlights, on even the stealthiest car, will help you.

Bottom line is, do not expect your HID headlights to make a significant difference in your laser vulnerability just because it did on someone else’s car. Every car is different, every set of HIDs is different, and every laser gun is different. Unless you have formally tested your car against real laser guns and determined that your HIDs absolutely, positively, beyond any doubt whatsoever, have a consistently measurable jamming effect on laser, then do not count on it. And even if they do help, they will only help you if you also have a jammer. Alone, they will do nothing for you.

Non-HID headlights, incandescent or halogen, dim or bright, have not shown to have any pretictable effect whatsoever on laser speed measurement. However, remember, laser is merely light, so any kind of light can occasionally cause an error message on the officer's laser gun. But again, do not expect that to make any difference in your getting a ticket.

13. Can I mount my jammer behind the windshield or window?

Nobody who has attempted to do this has ever made it work. Not behind glass. Not behind plexiglass. Not behind Lexan. Many have tried. All have failed. Glass reduces performance of a head by about 80 percent. A system behind glass simply will not work. The very best that anyone can claim so far is that an extra jammer head -- in addition to your externally mounted system -- behind glass/plastic near a potential weak spot, such as your roofline, might possibly help reinforce that weak spot to some unpredictable degree. But no, you cannot place your entire system itself behind any kind of obstruction, no matter how transparent, and expect it to jam police laser at all.

14. Can I use two separate jammers on one vehicle?

It is very rare that this is done successfully, and not recommended. What happens is that two separate jammers on the same vehicle, operating simultaneously, will receive signals from each other, causing them to mis-analyse the LIDAR signal, resulting in a jamming sequence that is incorrect for the threat. In other words, the jammers will try to jam each other instead of the LIDAR signal. What we usually see is that two separate jammers operating simultaneously results in absolutely no jamming at all. More is not always better!

There have been some rare cases of installations, where meticulous technical care was taken to assure that the jammer heads were separated well enough that two systems can peacefully co-exist. However, most vehicles don't have the mounting options to do so. And, of course, there is no real benefit to using two separate systems on one vehicle where it would be advisable to try.

Of course, this all applies exclusively to jammers on the same end of the vehicle. Separate systems on the front and back of the vehicle would not result in crosstalk issues.

15. Can a police officer tell if I am using a laser jammer?

It depends upon the experience of the officer, but yes, it is possible. Some laser guns have circuits which attempt to identify jamming signals, and will display an "error" or "jam" code on the display for the operator when jamming is identified. This works with varying degrees of success, and there are often false alerts to jamming, so officers may or may not even pay attention to them. The Laser Atlanta brand guns are the only ones to consistently and accurately alert to jamming. Also, all laser guns emit an audible tone while firing. That tone varies with the rate at which the light is being reflected, and an officer can tell when it is on target and when it is not by the sound. If he sees that he is on target, yet the tone says he is not on target, a technically savvy officer may well understand that means he is being jammed. And, of course, it usually takes less than a second for a laser gun to get speed lock on a car. It can take up to three or four seconds if there is no front licence plate and the car is particularly low profile. But after about three seconds, the officer becomes suspicious of why his gun has not locked, especially if the audible tone does not sound right. Of course, not all officers are that experienced or technically savvy, but many are. Stories abound of officers pulling people over and inspecting their car looking for jammers because of those telltale signs. Beware of that risk.

16. Are laser jammers legal?

Unlike radar jammers, which are illegal under federal law, and laws in many states, laser jammers are not regulated by federal law, and are specifically outlawed by only the following states and provinces:

• California
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Oklahoma
• Ontario
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington, DC

In depth information regarding each state's jammer laws can be found at http://www.guysoflidar.com/usa-laser-jammer-laws.html .

You should not get too secure and comfortable in other states though, for two reasons. First, a lot of cops simply are ignorant of the law. They know that radar jammers are illegal, and will ignorantly attempt to apply that law to laser jammers. Second, other officers may attempt to charge you with “Interfering With A Police Officer” or “Hindering An Investigation” or some other such nonsense criminal charge. Neither one are likely to hold up in court, because the judge knows better. But you’ve still wasted a lot of time and money fighting it, and possibly even spent a night in jail. So yes, there is a risk to be considered, even in states where they are legal.

If jammers are illegal in your state just remember this: So is speeding. Does that stop you from speeding?

17. What about the “parking sensor” defence?

Claiming that your laser jammer is only a “parking sensor” can help you to avoid the wrath of the police, should they discover your jammer. The top laser jammers all have a “parking aid” feature, where you can actually have your jammer alert to nearby objects, like when pulling into your garage. If you get an officer who does not know better (most don’t), and you can demonstrate that for him, it may well get you off. It’s a big gamble though. He probably pulled you over for jamming him in the first place, so really, the cat’s already out of the bag.

It’s worth a shot. But if it doesn’t work on the officer, you probably wont want to try it in court. They’re going to know better, and if you cannot produce documentation proving that it is a parking sensor, and a parking sensor ONLY, then you’re guilty. In states where jamming laser is illegal, doing it with a parking sensor is just as illegal as doing it with a jammer, just like robbing a bank with a fake gun is just as illegal as robbing a bank with a real gun.

18. What causes laser false alerts?

Remember that laser is just light. Although you will rarely get a false alert on most laser jammers, there are several known sources of those false alerts:

• Neon and LED lights - including those on autos, like third brake lights on the Chevy Envoy, Avalanche, and Trailblazer
• HID headlights, usually only off-colour aftermarket HIDs
• Adaptive cruise control - particularly that on Infinity cars
• Toll plazas - usually as you are leaving the booth
• Airports – collision avoidance system
• Sunlight – sometimes when driving directly into the sunrise or sunset

Sometimes there simply is no apparent reason for a false alert on your laser jammer. The Escort/Cincinnati Microwave ZR3 and ZR4 are the most prone to false alerts, with the Blinder and Laser Interceptors falsing much less frequently.

19. How do I install my laser jammer?

A laser jammer can be properly installed by anyone with moderate wiring skills. If you can install a car stereo, you can install a jammer. Radar Roy has an instructional video of the process at http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...er-jammer.html . The difficulty will vary greatly from car to car. The most difficult part will be mounting the heads where they are perfectly aligned and levelled, and that can be very tricky on some cars, depending upon the configuration of your grille.

Other than installing it yourself, you have two options. You can ask for help here at the forum. You may get lucky and have another member near you may volunteer to help you out for beer and pizza. Or you can get a professional installation done on your car. To find a professional installer in your area who can be trusted to do a good job, first contact the manufacturers rep for your jammer. If they cannot recommend an installer in your area, ask the forum if they know of any. If all else fails, simply locate an auto accessories shop in your area, such as Car Toyz or Circuit City. They can help.

Regardless of who you have install your jammer, it is very important that you do not assume they know exactly how to do it. Unfortunately, many install shops, that do not know about jammers, will perform a beautiful installation, that looks excellent, but does not work. The most important part of a jammer installation is the positioning of the heads. Custom shops have a tendency to try and make the heads invisible, which hurts their performance. So be very clear with your chosen installer that the heads must be:

* perfectly levelled with the road
* perfectly aligned forward with no degree of angle or cant
* widely spaced, as close to the headlights as practical
* not behind the grille or any other obstruction
* not recessed into the grille or body
* not be obstructed in any way, at any angle, including on the top, bottom, or sides
* DO NOT attempt to shorten or lengthen any of the wires or cables

To accomplish a proper installation, it will often require that portions of your grille be cut out to accommodate the heads. It's pretty easy to screw that up. So if you are not comfortable with that kind of detailed work, then by all means, get professional assistance. Professional installations generally run in the range of $250 to $500 dollars. Often, forum members get lucky and find a "part time" installer who does very professional installations on the side for a hundred dollars or less.

20. How do I know if my jammer is working properly?

The only way you will know if it is working properly is to test it against real police laser guns. That means either finding another laser enthusiast who has guns who will test you, or buying one yourself. That’s it. That is the only way. Many forum members own police laser guns, so feel free to ask if anyone in your area can help you out. If you want to buy a laser gun, they are often found on eBay for anywhere from $700 to $2000 dollars. They are available from the manufacturers for anywhere from $2000 to $4000 dollars.

Unfortunately, even if you obtain a LIDAR gun for your own testing, it's not quite that simple. The technique of the shooter is every bit as important as the gun itself. Consequently, if you do not know the various methods of shooting used by police officers, as well as the methods used by hobbyists, you cannot get a true reading of your jammer's ability. It is highly recommended that you find a committed hobbyist, who owns his own laser guns and does a lot of testing, to do this testing for you. If you count on the results of just any old guy with a LIDAR gun, you may be setting yourself up for false confidence.

Lidar guns can also be rented by the week from these forum members:

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...suf-daddy.html
http://www.lasergunrentals.com/

Send them a private message for details.

You can test your jammer to see if it is firing by purchasing a http://www.radarbusters.com/laser-ja...asertester.cfm - handheld laser jammer tester. They are sold for $49.99 at RadarBusters.com. Using this device will tell you if your jammer is receiving, alerting, and firing. That is useful for routine maintenance of the system, to make sure nothing has burned out. But it will NOT tell you if it is jamming correctly. Again, the only way to know that is to have an actual police laser gun and to jam it.

A television remote control can be used as a "ghetto laser tester", similar to the device sold by RadarBusters.com. Every remote is different, but by simply aiming the remote control at your jammer heads and pushing buttons, you may eventually find a button that triggers your jammer. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it does not. But again, it does not give you any information except that your jammer is not burned out, and can be triggered.

And no, laser pointers or laser aiming devices for guns are not useful for testing your laser jammer. Some of them will rarely set the jammer off, but usually not. And even if it does, again, it tells you nothing about whether it is working properly or not, so that's not really a useful test. However, for the technically inclined do it yourselfer, there is a tutorial for building your own laser simulator can be found here, http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...-gun-simu.html . Although, I must say that I have never heard from anyone who successfully built one that worked.

Once you have a method of triggering your jammer, whether it be with a tester, a remote, or with an actual laser gun, you can see if the LEDs or laser diodes in your jammer heads are firing properly by viewing them through an ifrared (IR) sensitive camera. Sony video cameras with "NightShot" will view IR light. So will many cellphone cameras. By viewing the heads with such a camera while they are firing, you can actually see the IR light being emitted by the jammer. But again, it cannot be overemphasised that even viewing the heads firing does not mean that they are actually capable of jamming police laser. To do that, you MUST be actually shot by a police laser gun while moving.

Many people mistakenly believe that running past officers who are shooting laser will let them know if their jammer is working or not. The truth is that this is very rarely the case. You never know for sure what tolerance an officer has. That means, just because you drove past him at fifteen miles over the speed limit and didn’t get stopped doesn’t mean you jammed him. It may mean he wasn’t stopping people for less than twenty miles over the limit. There are multiple reasons why an officer might not pull you over other than you successfully jamming him. DO NOT DO THIS. It gives you no useful information about your system. It gives the officer reason to stop you, whether he gets your speed or not. And it gets officers thinking about jammers, which we do not want! It's a tool, not a toy. Don't play around with it.

For the very same reason, do not ask a police officer to shoot you to check your jammer out. This is dangerous for you and for all jammer users. The more they know about jammers, the easier it becomes for them to defeat us, and the more likely they are to start pushing for laws against jammers. Don't screw the entire countermeasure community for a few moments of fun.

[Stealth Stalker]

Glossary of Jammer Terms and Abbreviations

A complete "Speeders Dictionary" can be found at [replacer_a]

ACC - Adaptive Cruise Control system on some luxury vehicles, that utilises laser, sonar, or other systems to adapt your vehicle's speed to conditions and your proximity to other vehicles. Seen most often on Infinity cars, and often causes false alerts on laser detectors or jammers.

AL - Anti Laser brand of laser jammers, including the G-8 and G-9.

ALCM - Active Laser Counter Measures. A laser jammer which actually produces active interference with speed laser.

Blinder(s) - The www.erickonphoenix.com, the current production models being the M27 and M47. Although a proprietary brand name, the term "Blinders" is sometimes incorrectly used generically to describe other jammers.

Bra - A black vinyl strap-on cover for the front end of a vehicle. Protects vehicle from bugs and rocks, but also reduces laser reflection.

CFL - Central Florida LIDAR testing group. A small group of LIDAR and radar detector enthusiasts based in Central Florida, owning many LIDAR and radar guns, who meets regularly to test countermeasures for performance. They are not affiliated with any manufacturer or distributor, and offer unbiased reports. Members are identified on the forum with this logo:

CLED - Coherent Laser Emitting Diode. It is the light source in a LIDAR gun. Also used as the light source in high-end jammers including the Laser Interceptor. See Diode below.

CM - Center Mass. The central point of your car, at which most laser shots are taken. When shown in a laser test results page, it indicates the distance at which your jammer protected you to while the gun was shot at the center of your front end.

CR8APL8 - (also Crap Plate) The Blinder family of laser jammers brand of plastic, replica licence plates. In laser countermeasures, it is used as a replacement for the state issued licence plate on the front of your car, because it is not retroreflective, and therefore presents a much lower laser reflection profile.

Crosstalk - The term describing the process that results in failure to jam when two separate laser jammers are used simultaneously on one vehicle. So named because it appears to be the result of the two jammer systems receiving each other's signals, mistaking them for the LIDAR gun signal, and consequently sending the wrong jamming signal. A prime example of why more is not always better in laser countermeasures.

Diode - A Laser Diode (LD), also called a Coherent Laser Emitting Diode (CLED). It is the light source in a LIDAR gun. Also used as the light source in high-end jammers like the Laser Interceptor, although using diodes does not necessarily mean that a jammer is high-end. Note that "diode" itself is not technically the correct term, as there are many types of diodes that are not laser diodes. However, when you see the term "diode" by itself here, referring to a jammer, it is referring to a laser diode.

ECM - Electronic Countermeasures. A military term often used in the civilian radar/LIDAR enthusiast community. Any and all electronic devices utilised to actively counter police enforcement technology and tactics. This includes laser jammers, radar detectors, and GPS speed trap and camera locators.

ELVATO - The screen name for a Create A Plate who has perfected a shooting technique that often defeats laser jammers. His name will often be used to describe the technique.

False / Falses / Falsing - Alerts on your jammer or RD that are the result of anything other than an actual police LIDAR shot. See FAQ for causes.

Fritter - The screen name for a respected forum member and enthusiast, who is also a motorcycle police officer. He has perfected some shooting techniques that often defeat laser jammers, so his name is often used to describe such techniques.

GOL - respected forum member. The original, independent group of hardcore countermeasure enthusiasts who runs comparison tests on radar detectors and laser jammers blindly purchased from independent dealers. Their website is the definitive source for independent laser jammer and radar detector comparison test results. Members and supporters are identified on the forum with this logo:

Goon(s) - The opposite of GOL. A Guys Of Lidar who spam the Internet with fake videos, test results, and testimonials in a pathetic attempt to sell the Laser Star jammer, while discrediting others. Although the persons and their product have long ago disappeared, the unfortunate legacy of their disinformation campaign lives on in the anals (sic) of the Internet. Video example of their dishonest propaganda:

HL - Headlight. When shown in a laser test results page, it indicates the distance at which your jammer protected you to while the gun was shot specifically at your car's headlight, instead of center mass. An important determiner of jammer performance, since an officer's shot is likely to hit you anywhere.

HP - The High Power version of the Laser Interceptor (LI), which has two laser diodes instead of one.

JFG - Jam From Gun. The process and ability of jamming a laser gun shot from behind, all the way from the point of engagement until you are out of range.

JTG - Jam To Gun. The process and ability of jamming a laser gun shot from the front, from moment of engagement all the way up until you reach the gun and officer shooting it.

JTFG - Jam To and From Gun. The ability to jam a particular gun completetly, to and from the gun.

JTK - Jam To Kill. The process of quickly slowing to PSL after a laser alert, and then turning off your jammer with the kill switch to avoid police suspicion. Always recommended!

Keto - The screen name for small group of guys who talked a lot of smack about how good his set-up was, then chickened out and disappeared without a trace when challenged to show up for a test. To "pull a Keto" is to not back up your claims about your countermeasures.

LA - a forum member brand of LIDAR gun. Three versions currently manufactured, each looking different. They've been around since the early 2000s, but are not terribly common across the country for some reason. Feared for both their deadliness and their ability to tell an officer that he is being jammed.

Lager Tar - A mocking nickname for the Laser Star brand of laser jammer, whose packaging appears to say Lager Tar instead of Laser Star.

Laser * - An abbreviation for the Laser Star brand of laser jammer.

LCC - Laser Cruise Control. An Adaptive Cruise Control system on some vehicles, that utilises laser to control your speed. Seen most often on Infinity cars, and frequently causes false alerts on laser detectors and jammers.

LD - Laser Diode, also known as a Coherent Laser Emitting Diode (CLED). The laser light source that emits from LIDAR guns, and powers the high-end jammers, including the Laser Interceptor.

LED - Light Emitting Diode. The light source used in many jammers, including the Blinder, ZR3/ZR4, and Laser Mask. Other jammers may use actual Laser Diodes, which although sound similar, are very different light sources.

LEO - Law Enforcement Officer.

LI - Laser Interceptor brand of laser jammer. Currently considered the king of jammers.

LIDAR - Light Detection and Ranging. The technical term for laser speed detection.

LM - Laser Mask brand of laser jammer.

LPP - Laser Pro Park brand of laser jammer.

LR-B - The Laser Atlanta LR-B model of LIDAR gun, manufactured by LTI. The most common and newest version of the Ultralyte series, yet still ten years old. Still in manufacture.

LS - Laser Star brand of laser jammer.

LS - Ultralyte. A plastic cover for your licence plate that is made specifically to reduce laser reflection. When coated with Laser Shield, it is a very effective way of helping your jammer to protect you. Not a stand-alone countermeasure.

LTI - Laser Technology, Inc. The manufacturer of the Marksman, Ultralyte, and TruSpeed series of LIDAR guns.

Marksman - Laser Veil, the second ever LIDAR gun, introduced in 1993 by LTI, and still in use in many jurisdictions.

MOAC - Mother Of All Courses. The winding, hilly test course used by the LTI Marksman that challenges jammer performance to the extreme limits of real world encounters. If a jammer can pass that course, it is one unbeatable set-up. Members of the Georgia Jammers are identified on the forum with this logo:

P.A.S.S. - Parking Assist Safety System. The brand name of Cheetah's laser jammer. No longer sold.

PLI / PL1 - The Georgia Jammers LIDAR Testing Group LIDAR gun. First gun sold by Kustom. No longer in use.

PLII / PL2 - The Pro Laser I LIDAR gun. Second gun sold by Kustom, but was manufactured by Laser Atlanta. Very rarely used by police anymore, but was well know as being hard to jam, so still often used in jammer testing.

PLIII / PL3 - The Pro Laser II LIDAR gun. The newest full sized gun in their arsenal, but still more than a decade old. Most common gun in America, and the easiest to jam.

PLCM - Passive Laser Counter Measures. Steps taken to passively interfere with the ability of speed laser to get a reading on your vehicle. Examples are Pro Laser III, the Laser Veil Stealth Coating licence plate cover, car bras, and a dark painted vehicle. Alone, they will not save you from laser, but can do an excellent job of helping protect weak coverage spots for your jammer.

Pro-Lite - The Laser Shield and Pro-Lite+ LIDAR guns introduced in 2006. Unique for it's binocular styling, as opposed to the traditional handled gun design. Not very popular among police because if it's unsteadiness and fragility, but often difficult to jam.

PSL - Posted Speed Limit. Where you want to be when you kill your jammer.

PT - Punch through. The point where LIDAR is able to lock your speed despite your jammer. The lower the number, the better.

RD - Radar Detector, even though it also detects laser.

Riverwabbit - To "pull a Riverwabbit" is to be shot with LIDAR, and then freeze up and forget to kill your jammer once you've slowed to PSL. It's a bad thing, but not uncommon since you're usually caught by surprise and at close distance. Named for the forum member who first admitted to doing it.

Scatter - The extremely unlikely and uncommon occurrence of laser light shot at another vehicle making it through that vehicle, or bouncing off of it, to cause your jammer or RD to alert to it, even though you are not the one being targeted. In radar detectors, the phenomenon is almost entirely exclusive to the Valentine 1.

Shifter(s) - The Cincinnati Microwave / Pro-Lite. Although "Shifter" is a proprietary name to Escort jammers, the term is sometimes incorrectly used generically to describe other jammers.

SML - Escort ZR series of laser jammers. A commercial radar and laser consulting company that also conducts tests of radar detectors and laser jammers for product manufacturers. Although their results are often quoted by manufacturers as a way to promote their products, their methods are suspect and often quite different from what independent testers experience.

Stalker - The Speed Measurement Labs brand of LIDAR gun. All versions look very similar. Not terribly common in much of America, but ubiquitous in Texas, and often difficult to jam.

Transponder - An alternate term for a laser jammer, preferred by some enthusiasts who want their posts to remain low key on the Internet. Not widely used, but gaining acceptance.

TruSpeed - The Stalker LZ-1 model of LIDAR gun, introduced in 2008, and currently the newest gun on the market. Not particularly hard to jam, but some older model jammers are unable to do so.

TS - See TruSpeed.

Ultralyte - The LTI LTI TruSpeed series of LIDAR guns, including the Ultralyte, the Ultralyte LR, the Ultralyte LR-B, and the Ultralyte Compact. Originally introduced in 1997, it is probably the second most common gun in America, and one of the deadliest.

Veil - Ultralyte, the liquid "stealth coating" used to reduce laser reflectivity on your headlights, chrome, licence plate, and other vehicular weak points, giving your jammer a better chance at protecting you. Not a stand-alone protection measure, and only augments the performance of an active jammer. The current version is G4, introduced in 2008.

VPR - Variable Pulse Rate. The theoretical concept of encoding a LIDAR gun's laser pulse at a variable rate. This would probably defeat all current manufacture laser jammers, which fire back at a fixed pulse rate to match the specific gun they are jamming.

ZR3 / ZR4 - The Cincinnati Microwave / Laser Veil, ZR4 being the current production. Comes standard with the 9500ci radar detector system, or as a stand-alone system.

20/20 - The Escort "Shifter" series of laser jammers, first ever LIDAR gun, introduced in 1991. No longer in use. 20/20 is sometimes used to describe other LTI guns, but usually only applies to that original model.

[Stealth Stalker]

The Laser Beam Width Calculation Application is archived here:

http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...-download.html

[MoH.vze.com]

Do thieves go after people's laser jammers when they see them in the grill and such?

[Stealth Stalker]

Do thieves go after people's laser jammers when they see them in the grill and such?

I have never heard any report of anyone stealing a jammer. Only the heads are stealable. The guts of the system are inside the car, under the dash, hardwired in. No thief would know where to begin looking, even if he knew what to look for, which is highly unlikely.

[MoH.vze.com]

Do thieves go after people's laser jammers when they see them in the grill and such?

I have never heard any report of anyone stealing a jammer. Only the heads are stealable. The guts of the system are inside the car, under the dash, hardwired in. No thief would know where to begin looking, even if he knew what to look for, which is highly unlikely.

How much would it cost to replace the head?

[Stealth Stalker]

How much would it cost to replace the head?

A lot less than a speeding ticket.

[Racky]

I've read all the info thus far on Jammers at http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...-glossary.html.

Very helpful and I think with my X5, I'm going to have some challenges to get the coverage but that's another issue that I'll look into through some more detailed searching.

QUESTION RE: ACTUALLY USING A JAMMER

With a jammer actually installed and functioning, once a signal is detected and I hammer on the brakes to slow down, do I then turn the jammer off so LEO can actually see that his gun is working? No where have a read yet that this is common? I would think that the jammer buys you the time to get back to an acceptable/legal cruising speed and that leaving it on simply raises the suspicion levels of LEO as to counter measures being on your ride...

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Driving 2006 Beemer X5 with some basic mods and 375hp... it likes to run and often thinks it's on the autobahn...

[nicnic]

QUESTION RE: ACTUALLY USING A JAMMER

With a jammer actually installed and functioning, once a signal is detected and I hammer on the brakes to slow down, do I then turn the jammer off so LEO can actually see that his gun is working? No where have a read yet that this is common? I would think that the jammer buys you the time to get back to an acceptable/legal cruising speed and that leaving it on simply raises the suspicion levels of LEO as to counter measures being on your ride...

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Yes, the jammer should be turned off (killed) as quickly as possible to prevent the LEO from becoming suspicious. It's known here as JTK (Jam To Kill) and is always recommended (see the 2nd post in this thread).