CONSUMER ALERT - LIES BEING SPREAD ABOUT GUYS OF LIDAR
Recently several people have brought to our attention that some lies and false implications have been made about GOL through certain blogs and "consumer alerts" in an attempt to discredit our tests.
These lies and allegations are being made by the usual suspects: anyone who has been around the scene long enough will already know who these people are and what they represent, so I don't even need to mention their names.
We, as Guys of LIDAR, do the very best we can with our tests. We're not going to lose too much sleep if some people don't "like" or "believe" our results, because we don't test products to make money from it, and we don't make or lose money based on whether or not people read or believe the results. If someone doesn't like our results, they are of course free to select their procucts based on whatever information or criteria makes them feel comfortable.
However, when people spread blatent lies about us, it only hurts the consumers looking for accurate information, which we all know is rare in this industry. So we feel there is an obligation here for us to set things straight.
Here are the facts of the matter:
The Lie:
Guys of LIDAR let a Laser Interceptor dealer shoot the laser guns at their test.
The Truth:
Guys of LIDAR did NOT let a Laser Interceptor dealer shoot the laser guns at their test.
The Details:
- While it's true that Elvis did shoot 1/2 the laser guns at the test, he was not a Laser Interceptor dealer, nor did GOL anticipate that he might become one.
- Elvis and Ivan did not even know each other existed before meeting at the test.
- At the time of the test, Elvis was not a Laser Interceptor dealer: he was still an active police officer.
- Elvis did not become a laser interceptor dealer until weeks after the test when he retired from being a police officer, after having been impressed with the performance of Laser Interceptor at the test.
The Lie:
Elvis is the police officer who has operated the laser guns for ALL of the Guys of LIDAR tests.
The Truth:
Elvis was only present at ONE Guys of LIDAR test, where he only shot 1/2 of the laser guns.
The Details
- Guys of LIDAR didn't even know Elvis prior to the March 2007 test.
- There were TWO officers shooting the laser guns for the test, and each was instructed to stick to shooting the same guns in order to keep targeting consistent.
- The second officer (who was not Elvis) who shot the other 1/2 of the laser guns was the officer who has helped Guys of LIDAR in several past tests. This other officer is still an active officer, and does not sell any countermeasures.
The Biggest Lie:
All tests are suspect if one doesn't film through the HUD of the laser gun. Tests filmed thorugh the HUD prove the results are accurate.
The Truth:
There are SEVERAL ways one could very easily "fudge" a test while filming through the HUD of the laser gun, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist.
The Details:
1. Purposely mis-align the laser sight on the gun
- Sure, you can see where the red dot or the crosshairs are. But if the gun is purposely mis-aligned, what you're aiming at in the video and what the laser beam is actually targeting are two different things. The dot/crosshairs could be on the vehicle, while the laser beam is aimed at the sky, the ground, or off to the side.
Of course, one might imagine that a jammer tested with a gun that is purposely misaligned would show stellar performance on video :)
One might say: but if you shoot in night-mode, you can see the laser beam on the vehicle? See below.
2. Cover up the receive lens of the laser gun.
- You can see the beam on the vehicle, AND the dot/crosshairs. Everything is just fine, right? WRONG.
Cover up the receiving lens of the gun, and it will not be able to get a speed reading. Someone could use their hand, or even go so far as to coat the lens with a substance like VEIL so that everything looks "normal".
Again, one might imagine that a jammer tested with a gun that has the receiving lens covered would show stellar performance on video :)
3. Purposely mis-align the jammer heads
- If the object is to make a "competitor's jammer" look bad, then one could purposely mis-align the heads on the vehicle. Although a few degrees might not seem like much, and might not be very visible at all in a video, a few degrees means the difference between the jammer firing back at the gun or the jammer firing over the head of the shooter, at the ground, or off to the side.
One might imagine that a jammer tested with purposely mis-aligned heads would show poor performance on video :)
4. Coat the jammers heads with a substance like VEIL
- If the intent is to make a "competitor's jammer" look bad, then one could purposely coat the jammer heads with some IR absobant substance such as VEIL. The jammer's ability to receive or transmit would be very crippled.
Again, one might imagine that a jammer tested while coated with VEIL would show poor performance on video :)
5. Creative video editing
- With video editing, the ways one could fudge a test video are virtually limitless. Crosshairs and speed readings could even be inseted into a video after the fact. Speed readings and audio could be changed. The options are virtually limitless!
Bottom line: there are a million ways one could "fudge" a test if that is what their intention is, VIDEO or NOT!
Now this begs the question:
Why would someone try to lie and convince people that filming through the HUD of the laser gun somehow "proves" the results are accurate and not fudged, when clearly these are endless ways in which test results can be manipulated, HUD video or not? The only answer is that the person wants to try and convince people of something using his own videos shot through the HUD of the laser gun, and wants you to think that there is no way the results could be fudged!
Since tests can certainly be fudged (with or without videos!), it is important base the purchase of your products on test data from reliable sources with credibility. Credibility has to be earned, HUD videos can't give it to you! Are people who repeatedly lie to everyone through fraudulent "Consumer Alerts" reliable & credible? That's for you to decide.
jimbonzzz
Guys of LIDAR
