Whistler XTR-695 Radar Detector Preview

Whistler XTR-695 Radar Detector Formally Announced Today

I am pleased to report today Whistler Group has announced its continuing commitment to producing top-performing radar detectors while sporting unique feature differentiators at modest price points.

Whistler's latest radar detector offering is the Whistler XTR-695. Whistler has taken the best of the XTR-690/Pro-78 Rev C. platform and added some truly unique features.

With the XTR-695, Whistler now offers two new exclusive reception alerting capabilities: Ka Radar Signature ID (RSID) and Laser Signature ID (LSID).

Whistler has decided to help take the guess work out of police radar gun identification and instead indicate only the well-established Ka police radar frequencies approved for use.

In the case of Ka-band police radar, the Whistler XTR-695 RSID can identify the nominal frequency of the police radar gun that is being used to target you.

In the very wide Ka police radar band this amounts to six frequencies: 33.8Ghz, 34.0Ghz, 34.3Ghz, 34.7Ghz, 34.9Ghz, 35.5Ghz (34.0Ghz and and 34.3Ghz are used primarily abroad, while 34.9Ghz appeared on some "early" Ka police radar guns).

When it comes to police laser (police lidar), the Whistler XTR-695 is the only laser detector that will display the actual police laser's pulse-rate (PPS rate).

This will educate the driver to the PPS rates of police laser guns being used as each manufacturer's lidar gun is built to perform at a specific pulse-rates such as 100/125/130/200/238/380/600.

Beyond merely identification, the XTR-695's LSID enables another truly unique and welcomed feature —that is selective "squelching" or muting of certain laser alerts based upon the detected pulse-rate.

Whistler is being very forward thinking on this capability which should provide greater utility in the future as more and more laser-based automotive systems flow into the market. This includes, but is not limited to, LED type tail-lights and brake-lights, laser-based adaptive cruise control and lane departure systems, any of which have the potential to wreak havoc on radar detectors with sensitive laser detection.

This "lock-out" feature enables the Whistler XTR-695's owner to "mute" laser alerts from up to 10 of these systems +/- 10% of the identified pulse-rates.

If your travels routinely take you by airports, you will now have the ability to mute falses from the laser-based wind shear detection systems that can routinely set-off sensitive laser detectors. Before setting a lock out rate you should first determine if it is within 10% of known police lidar.

Ergonomically, Whistler has a number of rewarding enhancements for discriminating drivers concerned about aesthetic continuity within the environs of the driver's cockpit.

The XTR-695's LCD can now be programmed to display seven back-lit colors: two shades of green (light/med), three shades of blue (light/med/dark), one red, and one purple. This should enable the 695's owner to match the display to virtually any interior lighting scheme.

The Whistler XTR-695 can also be programmed to visually alert differently to varying police radar bands using any of the seven colors or a sequenced pattern of all seven colors.

Another welcomed and novel design element of the Whistler XTR-695 is a low-glare housing is designed to reduce/eliminate sun-glare and minimize its mirror reflection on the windshield.

The Whistler XTR-695 features an audio jack which will enable the radar detector to be potentially integrated into other related devices such as Cheetah's GPSmirror red-light camera and speed camera detection systems.

Like the Whistler XTR-690, the XTR-695 provides both compass and voltage information.

The MSRP for the XTR-695 is $249USD with the street price expected to be somewhat lower.

As with other Whistler top radar detectors, you would be well advised to purchase this new detector only from an authorized dealer who adheres to Whistler's established MAP policy to ensure that Whistler's generous three year warranty is not voided.

I am looking forward to getting some "seat-time" with this capable radar detector and providing a more formal follow-up review.

In the meantime, I again offer the fine folks at Whistler Group, mega-kudos for not resting on their laurels and for continuing pushing the performance envelope with their product offerings. I anticipate more great things from this enterprising organization!

You're welcomed to join the discussion of this exciting new radar detector: Whistler XTR-695 Announced

Happy and Safe Motoring!

Related Reading:

• Whistler Pro-78, XTR-690 Radar Detector Review
• Whistler XTR-690, Pro-78 Rev C. Platform

Veil Guy

Unfair/Invalid Speeding Tickets/Traffic Citations

When is a Speeding Ticket/Traffic Citation Unfair or Invalid?

Today on the Speed Trap Hunter Forum, an interesting question was posed by a participating member, one that provoked an informative response from an STH resident speed trap "expert," Craig Peterson (Driver's Guide to Police Radar).

Craig's answer was so informative, that I believe it merits special mention.

If you ever receive a speeding ticket or traffic citation that you believe may have been issued unfairly, you would be well advised to read the following:

Where/When Exactly Does the Speed Limit Change?

Happy and safe motoring!

Veil Guy

Red Light Cameras Detectable by Laser/Radar Detectors

Last week I was on a business trip which took me to the eastern Maryland.

During the week I commuted daily from an old buddy's house located on the south-western border of Maryland.

One morning, I took a wrong turn off of Route 40 and ended-up going south on I-97 when I needed to go north. I immediately exited at the Town Center exit off of I-97 and was considering making a U-turn at an intersection controlled by red light when I observed a No U-turn sign. As I changed lanes from the left to the right in preparation to make a legal U-turn, my Beltronics Vector 995 briefly alerted to laser.

When sitting at the red light to make the left-turn back towards I-97, I noticed 6 or so boxes that were mounted on polls facing each of the four directions of travel of the intersection.

It appeared to me that this intersection was being monitored by a red light camera system, but by one that I did not recognize.

The following morning, just to be certain, I traveled back to the intersection, this time equipped with a Cheetah GPSMirror.

As anticipated, the Cheetah GPSMirror did correctly alert to the presence of the red light camera system that was in operation at this intersection.

Certain red light camera systems utilize police laser (lidar) to operate.

Given the fact that my BEL Vector 995 alerted to laser, it suggests that, conventional (ie; one that doesn't utilize GPS) radar/laser detectors can alert to the operation of certain (police laser/lidar-based) red light cameras.

This information may be good to know the next time you approach an unfamiliar intersection and your radar detector alerts to laser...

An ongoing discussion of this experience can be found, here:

Red Light Cameras Detected by Radar/Laser Detectors

Veil Guy

Arizona photo enforcement citation loop holes result in a reported 20% dismissal rate

Arizona Photo enforcement loophole (flaws) dismisses 1 in 5 tickets (20%)

I was recently contacted by an Arizona ABC News affiliate, ABC 15 News (KNVX-TV Phoenix).

It would appear that I am not the only one who has been receiving flawed photo enforcement citations which fail to meet the long-established standards of due process of law, as codified in our U.S. Constitution's Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The good news is, a high percentage of flawed photo enforcement traffic citations are being tossed out, as reported by ABC 15 News investigative staff, Dan Siegel (investigative producer) and Joe Ducey (investigative reporter).

The bad news is, this is only the beginning of what most assuredly will be a long-battle between individuals utmost concerned about their civil liberties and the political "climate" of where the promises of "safety" come before everything else (except.. of course, corporate profits and budget short-falls).

I am confident that the powers-that-be, will continue their fight to further erode our already fragile civil liberties.

KNXV-TV Phoenix, further reports that Arizona is one of only four states where photo enforcement tickets (ie; photo radar speed camera) count against the licensed driver of the vehicle, although no detail was provided as to how a rear-view photo of a vehicle's license plate can be used to accurately identify the driver.

It's been reported that Arizona, requires that photo enforcement tickets need to be personally served, by process servers, within a 3-month period (90 days) before becoming invalid (dismissed).

While the Arizona Governor, Janet Napolitano, may have managed to ostensibly make a 'valid' argument for red light cameras, speed cameras on the notion that the implementation of these technologies provide reductions in man-power [of law enforcement personnel, which can be used for other law enforcement duties, as does the City of Philadelphia], when this claim is examined more closely, it appears to be a disingenuous claim, especially when one considers the additional man-power required to serve, by individuals, these automated photo enforcement tickets.

When will the "insanity" end? The answer is Arizonans are going to have to put up with these disingenuous safety measures until the 2010 election year. Let's hope that when the time comes, the voters of Arizona will decide its time for a positive change from business as usual. Perhaps, Arizonans, should call for an immediate referendum on this matter, before Phoenix ends looking like London, England (the rich irony of this situation!)

I hope both Dan and Joe, of ABC 15, will continue to dig deeper in their ongoing investigation of the full impact photo enforcement has upon the residents of Arizona and our nation, at large.

Big Brother, our should we call her Big Sister

Fair warning, guys, prepare to be intimated by certain legislators, lobbyists, politically-minded law enforcement officers, and yes, Janet Napolitano's own administration—who are hell-bent on implementing these speed cameras and related technologies at whatever the "costs" (to our individual freedoms), without a full and proper public vetting processes, and most importantly without regard to the safety and well-being of the voters. And, I am not just talking about traffic safety.

The full text of Dan and Joe's article, can be located, here:

Arizona Photo enforcement loophole dismisses 1 in 5 tickets (20%)

Bottom Line: Expect further erosions to your civil liberties by the likes of Arizona Governor, the state's legislative and political arms to further erode of Arizona residents' right to due process of law, as a means to close this "loophole."

Again, I remind my readers:

"Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons."

Ron Paul, Texas Straight Talk, April 23, 2007

Related reading:

• Arizona Photo Enforcement: Expect $165M in Unconstitutional Taxes

Veil Guy

Effect of Speed Camera Enforcement—According to the IIHS Status Report: Speed

Updated: 01 FEB 08, 2040 EST

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) just released a special issue status report on speed, which 'promises' the 'positive' effects of speed cameras while ignoring its negative ones.

The overriding sentiment of their report is simply SPEED KILLS, and automated photo enforcement (red light cameras, speed on green, speed cameras) effectively reduces speeds and therefore promotes highway safety, slower drivers, and reduces collisions and fatalities. Sounds nobel (automated speed reductions), indeed, but...

This report ignores key societal implications (privacy concerns of red light cameras) and officially "green-lights" red light cameras and other automated enforcement technologies in the US, such as speed on green and speed cameras while ignoring a host of other larger contributing factors to these fatalities, the profit-motive behind the companies (mostly European) which promote their use in this country, the automotive manufacturers equipment safety improvements, roadway conditions, along with poor/reckless/careless driving behavior, and most-importantly the corrosive impact of the application of these emerging technologies have on our long-cherished civil liberties.

Nor does IIHS status report address the technical flaws (let alone the legal flaws) in these systems as they are currently deployed (described in the following three reports):

• Don't take the law enforcement officer out of law enforcement
• Machine Bears False Witness
• Red Light Cameras: Our [Lack of] Privacy Doesn't STOP There
  

This report also sources France, a socialist society, which has not historically sponsored an individual citizen's Bill of Rights.

For those interested in reading more, please refer to the following article:

IIHS Status Report: Speed—Effect of Speed Camera Enforcement

If you are a US Citizen, not familiar with a pesky old-document—your bill of rights, may I suggest a refresher*?

At least we now know where the (for-profit) insurance industry stands on this issue.

If you are too young to remember WWII, can you say neo-fascism?

Since we're collectively living in a post 9/11 society, let us not forget these sacred words:

"Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons."

Ron Paul, Texas Straight Talk, April 23, 2007

Veil Guy

*Is the reason we are forgetting our country's Founding Fathers, because the Bill of Rights is fading**?

**Perhaps this is something made to order for Lou Dobbs (of CNN).

PS: I hear the faint whispers of George Orwell (author of Animal Farm and 1984), please let us let his soul rest in peace.

Update: 01 FEB 08, As Reported by Google News

• NMA's Official Response to IIHS Status Report Special Issue: Speed

© 2008

Spectre RDD ™ Mk IV and Spectre RDD ™ Mk IV + Radar Detector Detectors

New Spectre RDD ™ Mk IV and Spectre RDD ™Mk IV + Radar Detector Detectors produced by Australian-based Stealth Microsystems Pty Ltd.

The Spectre RDD (radar detector detector) is a highly specialized, very sophisticated, and high performance RF receiver tuned specifically to detect the usage of proximate radar detectors.

The Spectre RDD listens for the faint microwave [LO] emissions generated by all conventional [superheterodyne] radar detectors* and audibly and visually alerts when such a radar detector is operating nearby.

According to Stealth Microsystems Pty Ltd:

The Spectre IV and Spectre IV + are identical, but the later model is optimized for use by Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) units in regions where radar detectors are legal for passenger vehicles.

Inexpensive, poorly designed radar detectors are commonly encountered in these areas. Many have poorly shielded local oscillators- the component used to generate a reference signal- and emit a powerful signal. The Spectres' extreme sensitivity enables it to detect such radar detectors at very long range, often one mile or more. This can lead to frequent, long duration alerts, often at ranges where positive target identification is impossible to establish.

More expensive radar detectors typically are better engineered and have lower emissions, making them more difficult to detect. The Spectre IV + is designed to automatically reduce detection range when encountering cheap, high polluting detectors. Yet it accomplishes this with out affecting its ability to detect the higher end, low polluting models.

Another attribute of the Mk IV and IV + is its enhanced ability to limit false alerts caused by the microwave signals common to urban areas. These include microwave automatic door sensors, intrusion alarms and other devices operating on the same frequencies occupied by radar detector local oscillators.

Long-established authority on speed-measuring technology and tactics, Craig Peterson has been kind enough to share his exclusive test results (with permission from Stealth Microsystems) of both the Spectre RDD Mk IV and Spectre RDD Mk IV + versus a spectrum of current radar detector models exclusively on Speed Trap Hunter for your reading pleasure. Up until now, these results were closely held.

I would like to express a hearfelt thanks to both Stealth Microsystems and Craig Peterson** for making this information available to us:

Spectre RDD Mk IV, Spectre Mk IV + versus late-model radar detectors

Veil Guy

*Note: Both Beltronics and Escort are currently producing radar detectors which have demonstrated to be undetectable by all radar detector detectors. These high-end models currently include the Beltronics STi Driver and the soon to be released flagship models of both companies, the Escort Passport 9500ci and the Beltronics STi-R remote radar detectors. While not technically a "stealth," The Escort Passport 9500i (windshield mount) radar detector is also very hard to detect for the Spectre RDDs.

**Among Craig's many talents, he has authored several books including his latest and most informative: Driver's Guide to Police Radar.

Don't Take the Law Enforcement Officer Out of Law Enforcement!

Unbelievable as it may sound, I have again been falsely accused by an Automated Photo Enforcement system (another Automated Toll Enforcement system)and a faceless corporation of Toll Evading. This now makes it twice in fewer than six months!

Once again, this leaves me in the precarious position of being denied due process, while providing me no means of facing my accuser, is entirely rooted in hearsay, (and what's worse) is absent an actually identifiable individual responsible for this hearsay!


Truth is stranger than fiction!

To witness the details of yet another fiasco in the making, please read:

Photo Enforcement: Is Automated Photo Enforcement Constitutional or Subverting Constitutional Rights?


As a result of this happenstance I have decided to make my appeal directly to the law enforcement community (and not to the supporting politicians and for-hire lobbyists):

Please, don't [let them] take the law enforcement officer out of law enforcement!

Veil Guy

© 2008

Beltronics STi-R (BEL STiR) and Escort Passport 9500ci Remote Radar Detectors : CES 2008

These Are Exciting Times for Radar Detector Owners!

For many, the big news at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show was the bombshell announcement by Warner Brothers that they were dropping support of HD DVD while committing to Sony's competing HD media format: Blu-ray.

As big as this news was, in my book Warner Brothers announcement ran a distant second to the formal announcements made by both Beltronics and Escort for the upcoming 2008 radar detector model year.

As my long-time readers already know, Beltronics and Escort have produced serious innovative enthusiast driver safety tools in the form of two ground-breaking products for 2006 and 2007—the Beltronics STi Driver radar detector and the Escort Passport 9500i radar detector.


Refusing to rest on their laurels with these two benchmark-setting radar detectors, both sister companies have raised the ante, for 2008, with their respective flagship windshield models to achieve even higher performance thresholds in two remote-vehicle-installation packages, the Beltronics STiR and Escort Passport 9500ci.

Beltronics STiR

While the Beltronics STi-R has been available abroad for several months now, the BEL STi-R is just now making its U.S. debut. Like its windshield-mounted counterpart the BEL STi Driver, the BEL STi-R will be undetectable by all radar detector detectors (RDDs) such as the mighty SPECTRE/Stalcar Mk. III.

Improvements to the Beltronics STi-R platform comes in two primary forms, segmented Ka-band reception and improved police laser (lidar) reception.

Taking their Beltronics RX-65 Pro, Ka International, feature to the next performance level, the Beltronics STi-R's user-selectable multi-segmented Ka reception should further improve Ka detecting/alerting reception quickness by allowing the user to selectively turn on/off up to 10 portions of the Ka police radar and thus, reduce the time it takes for the radar detector to fully listen/sweep this very wide Ka-band.

This capability should appeal very much to existing European users of another very popular remote radar detector in their market—the Beltronics Vector 975Rr, which also provided selective Ka reception—and since the fines and demerit points for getting caught using a radar detector in some countries abroad can be very very steep, indeed, the stealth nature of the Bel STiR provides a distinct advantage over its older cousin the Bel Vector 975R.

While our European friends will want to enable Ka 34.0Ghz and Ka 34.3Ghz reception for Gatso/Multanova radar speed traps (and externally mount the antennae vertically to maximize their reception to vertical polarized police radar), we North American drivers can selectively disable those reception bands (and externally mount the antennae horizontally) to focus only on the ones currently being used in our part of the world—namely 33.8Ghz, 34.7Ghz, and 35.5Ghz Ka.

With the ability to turn-off reception to every other Ka frequency, we drivers should achieve even higher levels of Ka reception performance while at the same time dramatically cut down on Ka-falses (from other "junk" radar detectors).

This capability has the potential to be one of the hottest features to ever appear in a radar detector and may position the Beltronics STi-R as the first universally effective radar detector in the world!

I hope Beltronics will give serious consideration to incorporating this innovative capability into their windshield-mount BEL STi Driver!

Given the already astounding levels of reception performance by the Beltronics STi Driver, the performance envelope of the Beltronics STi-R promises to exceed everything we have ever seen, to date.

Laser reception should also dramatically improve over the windshield-mounted Beltronics STi Driver, if for no other reason than the proximity of the BEL STi-R's frontal laser reception module will be closer to the primary aiming points of your vehicle—the license plate and headlights.


The Beltronics STi-R consists of five primary components—the control module, display module (red LED), the Interface module, the combined radar/laser receiver, and an amplified speaker.

At a suggested retail of $1099.95, the Beltronics STi-R may very well be the smartest investment to driver safety enhancement we can choose, for many years to come.

Escort Passport 9500ci

What do you get when you combine the hardware reception platform of the leading radar detector model with the advanced filtering capabilities of the first GPS-incorporated radar detector—the Escort Passport 9500i—in a remote vehicle installation package?


You get the Escort Passport 9500ci, of course (the "ci" stands for custom installed).

Expected to retail at just under $2000.00, the Escort Passport 9500ci is the new flagship offering of Escort and combines the performance of their new laser jammer (laser shifter), the ZR4 (more on this later).

Unlike the Escort Passport 9500i, the Escort Passport 9500ci uses the hardware reception platform of the Beltronics STi Driver to provide its owner with a completely stealth/undetectable radar detector which remains invisible to the likes of the SPECTRE/Stalcar Mk. III radar detector detector (RDD).


The Escort Passport 9500ci consists of nine primary components including three laser jamming heads, a blue LED display module, and a color-coded interface module supporting modular connections to all of the Escort Passport 9500ci components to enable DIY and professional installers a much easier and streamlined installation.


The Escort Passport 9500ci incorporates a new "intelligent" filtering mechanism called Adaptive Signal Processing (ASP) which automatically "learns" recurring fixed radar sources by GPS coordinates and will auto-mute out these learned "falses" without driver intervention while retaining reception sensitivity to any other bonafide police radar sources.

While the hardware platform is now shared by both remote radar detectors, they will retain their individual reception personalities that have traditionally forged each brand.

In otherwords, the Beltronics STi-R will continue to perform like a Beltronics radar detector and the Escort Passport 9500ci will continue to perform like an Escort/Passport radar detector.

What do I mean by this?

Having driving many miles [over many years] with the Beltronics RX-65 Pro and the Escort Passport 8500 X50, I can attest that both of these radar detectors are distinctly different, even though they too shared electronic components.

It's interesting to note that even certain other formal review[er]s have missed these nuances in their "objective" field tests. These "subjective" differences can only be fully appreciated after extended seat-time in the real-world. The same goes for the Passport 9500i and the Beltronics STi Driver and will most certainly go for the Escort Passport 9500ci and the Beltronics STi-R.

If basically comes down to the different philosophies of each brand.

I personally liken the performance of Beltronics to that of BMW and of Escort to that of Mercedes—both exceptional coach builders, each however, with a distinct personality.

I have never cared for the expression "Belscort" because I believe such [often pejorative] references to the individual Beltronics and Escort brands are not only inaccurate, but only serve to blur the distinctions which clearly exist in each.

No one in their right mind would confuse a Cadillac CTS-V with a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, even though they are both GM products and share some components. The same goes for CM (Cincinnati Microwave) and their individual Beltronics and Escort models.

Whichever brand you ultimately choose, you can rest assured that with either one, you will be treated to the highest level of performance available from two companies which are passionately committed to "raising-the-bar" in the performance of driver safety equipment.

I am looking forward to the time when I can share my first-hand real-world driving experiences with each of these fine products.

More to come from this year's CES...

Christmas & New Year 2008: A Time for Reconciliation and Renewal

Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas

Given that Christmas and the New Year holiday season are just "around the bend", this may be a most propitious occasion to share some personal feelings, after having conducted some serious and protracted "soul searching ":

The climate is simply not as fun and enjoyable as it used to be.

As some of my closest friends and colleagues in this industry have known for some time, I've become somewhat jaded towards some recent and unhealthy trends emerging online over the latter portion of this year.

Some have been of the form of certain "content" appearing on the Internet consisting of:

• alleged "performance" videos serving as "hit-pieces" and masquerading as reviews
• certain discussion forums on which opinions proffered by individuals all-too-often appearing to have hidden agendas [ultimately to promote potentially illicit and/or patent-infringing products to the US market or gray market products on lowest price]
• cowardly forum posts [from those] who need to hide behind fake names or who act as grossly-immature "loose cannons" having more invective than any useful/informed knowledge while typically sporting [fashionably] despicable message signatures replete with product and/or individual character assassination(s)
• cowardly forum posts by proxy/anonymous/shill users [who use their anonymity in a most cowardly fashion] to conduct their "hit-pieces" as part of a sleazy and ill-conceived "marketing campaign" to make a quick buck (ultimately at the expense of the unsuspecting consumer and the industry at large) pointing to websites with hidden domain registrations for unauthorized "dealers" attempting to sell "illicit" and/or "unauthorized" products [routinely] below MAP guidelines established by the manufacturers to protect [their] legitimate authorized retailer and distribution networks.
  
• the use of outright stolen material, copied content or writing and reviewing styles [without permission from the original author] for exploitive and imitative knock-off design

Note: If the domain registration is with an inexpensive registrar (like Go-Daddy) and is either registered as private, hidden, incomplete/bogus, otherwise unknown or by proxy (like Domains by Proxy), be very cautious. Unscrupulous organizations and/or individuals with criminal backgrounds can hide behind such domain registration types.

Online tools for doing so is located below:

• http://www.netwPublish Postorksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
• http://who.godaddy.com/whoischeck.aspx

The collective fallout from all of this corrosiveness and negative karma is bad for the entire industry.

This is especially [true] for the "good guys" who are continuing to do the right thing [and have been doing so for years] and who don't put mere profit ahead of everything else (like integrity).

I used to regard U.S. national politics of the 90's as being a "blood-sport" (much as the politics of personal destruction is still as pervasive today, I am afraid) and so it is my feeling with the overall jammer [and to a somewhat lesser extent, the detector] industry.

Perhaps its high time that we relegate this situation (both in Washington and in our own industry) to the scrapbook of history of things that looked-better-on-paper than in actual execution.

On certain levels it is becoming more difficult for even someone as well versed in the subject as myself to fully recognize and understand the truth and get to the bottom of some things in this often negative and routinely destructive climate, despite the increased access to "raw" and "unfiltered" information that the Internet provides.

If it is difficult for me, it's damn-near impossible for the "layman" consumer.

Absolute truth is often the first casualty in any "warfare" or a propaganda/smear campaign intended to manipulate and persuade, as opposed to inform and educate.

Unfortunately, this industry [and that includes radar detector manufacturing/retailing] has had a collective of "historical" baggage which has been serving to undermine the ability of this industry to inure and grow [to the benefit of all its participants] and to provide effective solutions efficiently to us drivers, for the future.

As part of my New Year's Resolution and with the help of our fellow Speed Trap Hunter members, of which some of you may already be, I hope to improve this climate in whatever ways I/[we] can.



In the final analysis, we would all be the ultimate beneficiaries of such an outcome. (are you listening Washington?)

In my book, knowledge without understanding and perspective is of little value.

Sure, we can look at one thing and come away with many different opinions, that's what makes us collectively great, but we must all share this one essential opinion: each of us can be agreeably disagreeable to another.

With the right to freely express one's opinions, comes the moral obligation to use our sacred right responsibly and ethically.

Our mission, at Speed Trap Hunter, is to create and foster this unique and healthy dynamic.

Please consider joining us, and becoming a force for positive change or, at least, consider the overall tone of your messages on any forum (to which you are a member) before pressing the post button by asking yourself, how would you feel if you were on the receiving end of the message that you are about to post.

As it is Christmas (and especially since our collective society, of late, has a propensity for political correctness and moral relativism—where there is a lack of absolute moral clarity), please accept this humble Christmas gift (brief online video presentation).

Merry Christmas and have a safe an prosperous New Year!

And may GOD continue to bless us all.

Veil Guy

Driver's Guide to Police Radar (Everything You Need to Know About Speed Enforcement)

If you want to protect your driving record, then this new book, Driver's Guide to Police Radar, is a must read!



In keeping with the Mission Statement of the Speed Trap Hunter forum, I would like to inform my fellow Speed Trap Hunters of a newly published book which has just become available to the general public in its first printing, Driver's Guide to Police Radar (Everything You Need to Know About Speed Enforcement), written by Craig Peterson and available to the public on his website and at Buy Radar Detectors.

Some of you may be already be familiar with Craig's site, RadarTest.com which has been providing online guides and reviews (most for free) of automotive electronics, traffic enforcement, and automobiles for many years.

His connection to the traffic enforcement industry (both to a number of leading radar detector and countermeasure manufacturers as well as the manufacturers of traffic enforcement equipment and to a number of the traffic enforcement departments) has been long-established and spans several decades.

For the first time in history, we drivers can refer to one resource which details:

• Historical account of police radar evolution as well as what's in store for us in the future
• Advanced police radar features and how your driving record can be affected by their use
• Common mistakes of police radar (often due to operator error)
• Police LIDAR (commonly referred to as police laser) speed enforcement
• Police radar in the city versus police radar on the highway
• Time distance computers (including VASCAR, ENRADD, Aerial) and why radar detectors provide zero protection from this speed enforcement technology
• Police radar (and laser) countermeasures and "jammers"
• Original guide on how to properly choose a radar detector
• Original guide to getting the most out of your radar detector
• Exclusive field test report on various top-selling police radar guns
• Exclusive and detailed specification guide to police radar and police laser models as well as a list of the most likely models we'll encounter on the road

There is no better single source of information available on this complex (and often mis-understood) subject in such a "bite-sized" and information-condensed package.

By reading Craig's definitive book, even a complete "lay" person, can quickly become an "informed" driver.

I have had the privilege of being one the very first individuals to have read his latest work and feel that anyone who is interested in really learning about the many aspects of traffic enforcement (so that you can be prepared for the potential "hazards" to your driving record) would be well advised to pick-up a copy.

The knowledge and clarity you gain from this publication will pay dividends for years to come and will likely spare you the pain and costs of future speeding tickets and will make you a better and safer driver.

It's fortuitous that Craig also happens to be a fellow Speed Trap Hunter forum member!