Road Construction Signs in PA with Ka Radar - Route: 80 East and West

[scull20]

So I was driving out on 80 today with my V1 in A mode. I got one or two X-Band falses and a mini save from PA State Police I/O K Band...got a few blips and decided to slow down and he pulled out in front of me from the middle of the highway to go nab someone else.

While I was driving I noticed two of those K band speed signs where it has the speed limit posted and then a "Your Speed" readout underneath it.

However, I also was picking up strong Ka-Band signals from those signs that they put on the side of the road when there is construction or when they close a lane, etc. Is this something new?...I must have passed like 4 of them and I picked them up on both sides of the road. They had no message on them, just a blank, black looking "screen". My V1 showed a full Ka-Band signal when I passed them...followed by the arrows switching to behind...the rear antenna picked up the signal for a good mile after.

I did a quick search but couldn't find anything about blank construction signs with radar on them, so I'm sorry if it has been answered already or is a common occurance...I'm still fairly new to all of this.

Thanks!

-Ryan

[jerry540i]

Pa is using 34.7 stalker Ka construction signs.

[scull20]

Pa is using 34.7 stalker Ka construction signs.

Is there supposed to be a trooper parked nearby that can read what the sign is picking up?

[Longsnowsm]

I have seen them a few times on I70 in PA as well. They know people have detectors and will slow down. If you don't have a detector capable of telling you that there is more than one threat you won't be able to see a real threat if a LEO chooses to use them as cover. So it has multiple purposes. I initially thought it was an SWS, but that appeared not to be the case. I could understand if they activated them for a weather type thing or an actual construction zone or something where they were actually performing a function dealing with public safety, but alas it does not appear that the state has public safety in mind with these construction signs when being used in the way you saw them.

Longsnowsm

[stano0098]

Is there supposed to be a trooper parked nearby that can read what the sign is picking up?

No they send off a either k-band or Ka-band radar i guess to slow people down with RD's. Dont know if they actually use them for speed enforcement. But i have sped by one of these signs with no consequence.

After driving the highways around where you live in Pa you tend to know where these signs are set up. I notice that people that are not from around here with RD's that travel slow down to these signs.

They also use them to their advantage. On 80 west about the 250ish they have one set up next to a concealed median turnaround.

[mikered30]

KA drones are becoming more popular, and since construction season is from March through November, I am very used to them. Of all the states I drove through, PA has the most drones.

[Myriad]

PA does use a TON of drones - be careful with disregarding Ka drones though, as some troops (in the Philly and PGH metro areas) have upgraded from K to Ka. Ka drones on those construciton signs is not anything new - I've also seen drones mounted in overhead message signs (on 276 heading into PGH from the Airport) as well as in those message signs (blank or not). They're there for the most part to confuse us RD users.

EDIT: I have never seen a PSP actually using these signs for speed enforcement - mostly they just use IO around them, or just keep them to slow down RD users (more often).

[stlcardsfan]

Ka drones... that SUCKS. You'd be forced to use expert mode on a Belscort.

[Whistler1]

I wished I had a fixed Ka band source in my area. Most the speed signs here are K band.





Whistler1

[Myriad]

Ka drones... that SUCKS. You'd be forced to use expert mode on a Belscort.

I just slow down anyway whenever I hit one...I'm usually not in enough of a hurry to speed through whenever I get a contact.

@Whistler1

I've only seen them on the turnpike in construction zones, so they're not as accessible for testing as you would think.