Edmonton, AB

[Jarus187]

Photo Radar: Ford Windstars and Dodge Dakotas are EPS favourites. White pickup trucks are also used, saw 1 in Sherwood Park and 1 on the Anthony Henday.

Multanova 6F (Ka 34.3 and K 24.1)
ACS (K band)
Gatso Radar 24 (K band)

Yes, the majority of photoradar is K BAND; not all of them are Ka as many people think. In fact I've only encountered 2 Ka band photo radars in the 2 years I've had a radar detector.
Never turn off K band in Edmonton!!!

The city supposedly has only 5. Please update the list if you run into them:

Photo Radar Vehicles:
1. White Ford Windstar Van with tinted windows (Alberta Plate CUE 819)
2. Grey Chevrolet Silverado Truck with Truck Top Cover (Alberta Plate FJA 109). Has a yellow bumper sticker ribbon on back right side that says "Support our troops".
3. Red Dodge Dakota Truck with Truck Top Cover (Alberta Plate LAL 809).

Unmarked (Ghost) Police Cruisers:
1. Brown Crown Victoria with tinted windows & stealth mounted lights in grill and rear mirror (Alberta Plate MAD 081) - Ka band radar
2. White Ford Explorer (newer model) with dark grey cladding. One dash mounted radar unit (Alberta Plate PRS 647) - K band radar
3. Silver Pontiac GrandAm GT with full tint, spoiler, stealth lights mounted high. (Alberta Plate CAW 111)

Edmonton Police Cruisers (Traffic Cars): K and Ka band
Edmonton Police Cruisers (Patrol Cars): Carry laser, but they rarely use it.
Highway Patrol Sherrifs: K band, laser
RCMP: K and Ka band

Laser: Used on the Yellowhead, Whitemud, Sherwood Park Freeway, and some main city streets like long stretches on 97 Street.
EPS uses LTI Marksman and LTI 20-20 Ultralyte. They will often setup on a long stretch of street, laser you, then jump out in front of you to flag you over to a side street where they issue a ticket.

(May 29th/2008: Confirmed LTI 20-20 Ultralyte laser seen with officer)


No confirmed X hits yet for me. I've actually turned X band off.

[RW'07]

GREAT info for your fellow AB and Edmonton RD users!

Q (as I live in Toronto, an illegal RD area, that's Ontario): just roughly, in your humble opinion, how many AB drivers really use an RD in their car, 5%, 10%, maybe more, maybe less?
TIA

[Jarus187]

Honestly I would say 5% or less. I often get weird gazes from drivers at stop lights wondering what the hell that thing is mounted on my windshield; and I can understand why:

There are just so few opportunities to get caught speeding.

1- Photoradar vans stick out like a sore thumb on the side of the road, not only that, but the cops post on their website where they will be running photoradar each week, and they never fail to show up. It's like clockwork. Plus, there's only 5 of them in the whole city...

http://www.police.edmonton.ab.ca/Tra...mentSites.aspx

I've been driving for 5 years in Edmonton, and I've only been nailed once by photoradar, and thats when I decided to get a RD.

2- Police in the city rarely drive around with their radars turned on. I have an Beltronics Driver STi; and its the quietest thing ever with X band turned off. All I get driving around town are a few K band door openers. Whenever I pass an EPS crown vic, they always disappoint me with no signal. I pass by the RCMP HQ everyday to go to work and I don't even get anything there.

Haven't been hit by laser or I/O yet, although alot of my buddies report them on the highways.

The STi is king in the city. I always get a huge heads up when there is photoradar and Ka band running. I almost have an invulnurable sensation to police radar when I drive. It's nice

I hear Calgary is another story haha

[RW'07]

Honestly I would say 5% or less. I often get weird gazes from drivers at stop lights wondering what the hell that thing is mounted on my windshield; and I can understand why:

There are just so few opportunities to get caught speeding.

1- Photoradar vans stick out like a sore thumb on the side of the road, not only that, but the cops post on their website where they will be running photoradar each week, and they never fail to show up. It's like clockwork. Plus, there's only 5 of them in the whole city...

http://www.police.edmonton.ab.ca/Tra...mentSites.aspx

I've been driving for 5 years in Edmonton, and I've only been nailed once by photoradar, and thats when I decided to get a RD.

2- Police in the city rarely drive around with their radars turned on. I have an Beltronics Driver STi; and its the quietest thing ever with X band turned off. All I get driving around town are a few K band door openers. Whenever I pass an EPS crown vic, they always disappoint me with no signal. I pass by the RCMP HQ everyday to go to work and I don't even get anything there.

Haven't been hit by laser or I/O yet, although alot of my buddies report them on the highways.

The STi is king in the city. I always get a huge heads up when there is photoradar and Ka band running. I almost have an invulnurable sensation to police radar when I drive. It's nice

I hear Calgary is another story haha

I get same kind of looks in lots of places down in the States but I like that, it makes you... a REBEL :wink:

You're damn lucky you don't have to hide it from the open eye or worry of any RDDs around so in your case you can use ANY powerful RD and not just the STI but for us, le miserable, not many choices...

At least we have no photo radar in Ontario, Prov Conservatives outlawed it in 1995 and have been like this ever since so no worries about photo radar in Ontario...

All together I would easily trade off the photo radar law in Ontario for a legal to use RD in our province like is the case in your province... but until then, next millennium maybe, long live the STI

[bodom]

All together I would easily trade off the photo radar law in Ontario for a legal to use RD in our province

yeah id say so too.

[martincc]

Any ideas what the Calgary police use for laser guns? I spend a lot of time traveling highway 2 and notice all the big multi-car speed traps are now laser (N bound before scales outside Edmonton in median, S bound around Innisfail on an overpass). Sherrifs are alomost always I/O when trying to catch someone. In Calgary they are just everywhere with Laser. V1 and Laser Interceptor seem to work nicly though, I wouldn't speed on highway 2 or in Calgary without a good parking sensor :wink:

[Jarus187]

My post dissapeared!

[Botts]

Any ideas what the Calgary police use for laser guns? I spend a lot of time traveling highway 2 and notice all the big multi-car speed traps are now laser (N bound before scales outside Edmonton in median, S bound around Innisfail on an overpass). Sherrifs are alomost always I/O when trying to catch someone. In Calgary they are just everywhere with Laser. V1 and Laser Interceptor seem to work nicly though, I wouldn't speed on highway 2 or in Calgary without a good parking sensor :wink:

For their big speed traps, I would agree that it's only been LIDAR for the last while.
However, for roving, you're right it is going to be I/O Ka.

Interesting thing I noticed last night, the sheriffs were using *at least* 2 unmarked cars in tandem, sending the first through on X-band, presumably to judge traffic speeds, then I/O Ka tagging the faster vehicles.

[adaseb]

I would like to add that in St. Alberta there are at least 4+ photo radar SUVs that are usually on all 4 corners of the city.

I just got a radar detector so I am not sure what band they operate on but typically whichever way you enter the city there is a very good chance you will spot one.

They typically hid behind signs or large transformer boxes.

Also when on McKenney Ave when heading towards Anthony Henday there is usually a laser speed trap near that dog park. I am there frequently and have spotted them.

[bhall]

yea i wish we were allowed to used RD in ontario