Speedtrap Frequently Asked Questions:

For more information - See our Which One and Reviews Pages.

(Manuals are in PDF format and require Acrobat® reader )

w Q. What are the X, K, Ka and Ku bands ?

w A. There are 3 main sets of frequencies used by the manufacturers of speed trap equipment. These are known as X, K & KA. The majority of traps use K band (e.g. GATSO cameras and most hand held guns). X band is the oldest and is used by some older gun based systems, it is also the band where most false alarms occur since other pieces of equipment use this frequency range. KA band is used by the new 'Stalker' radar guns and is one of the most popular, having been extended twice since 1991. The Ku band is little used at the moment in the UK, but they do use it in Northern Ireland, and some parts of Europe

w Q. Which one does everything ?

w A. There isn't one that does this in one box. In picking the correct device you need to decide if you are looking to protect against radar guns and fixed and mobile Gatso cameras, or against the new 'undetectable' cameras such as SVDD or against laser guns.

All good radar detectors will provide safe warning of radar guns and fixed or mobile Gatso cameras. The new 'undetectable' digital cameras such as SVDD can be detected using satellite guided GPS systems such as the Geodesy. Laser guns can be detected by most good radar detectors however the warning is instantaneous and possibly too late so laser diffusers are popular although if they do detect a potential police laser gun they will interfere with them and so must be turned off immediately to avoid interfering with the ability of the police officer to carry out their duty.

If money is no object and for absolutely full protection and the very best equipment you would go for the Bel Target LRC 100 Laser Diffuser, a Bel 966r and a Road Angel. For slightly less you could go for the above but have a Bel 550 instead of Bel 966.

If you feel you need a combination and can't decide which then please call Mark on for further advice.

w Q. What qualities should I look for when choosing a detector?

w A. In order of importance: sensitivity, selectivity, good audio/visual alert systems, features and user-friendly operation.

w Q. What is sensitivity ?

w A. Sensitivity determines how far away it’s able to detect a radar, often referred to as radar range. More range is generally better, although some hypersensitive models can have you slowing prematurely for threats you may not encounter for several more miles if at all, since an officer with moving radar may well have bagged someone else before you meet him.

w Q. What is selectivity ?

w A. Selectivity is the crucial ability to reject non-police radar signals, equal in importance to sensitivity. A detector that constantly cries wolf is as worthless as one that fails to warn you at all.

w Q. What are the minimum features I should look for ?

w A. Audible band ID (separate audio tones for each of the three radar frequencies plus laser), visual band ID (individual lights or icons for each band), memory (retains preferred settings between uses), manual mute (silences audio alerts during extended radar encounters).

w Q. Why is audible band ID important?

w A. Distinctive tones to identify the nature of the threat means you won’t have to study the detector for this information, allowing you to attend to more important matters, like keeping the car on the road.

w Q. Why is band ID so crucial?

w A. By knowing the radar’s frequency you can respond appropriately to the threat. For example, a weak, short-duration X-band alert in town hardly merits standing on the brakes since the source may well be a microwave oven in a nearby Mcdonalds. But K- and Ka-band alerts — and most laser alerts — are probably warning of an approaching Police Car and demand instant attention.

w Q. What are some other desirable features ?

w A. Auto mute reduces or silences the audio alerts after a brief initial blast to get your attention. Dim/dark mode lowers or extinguishes the status lights for low-profile night-time operation. Upscale models often have tutorial mode that cycles through the repertoire of audio/visual alerts to speed acclimatization. User-selectable features allow you to tailor the detector to your preferences. These include alternate sets of audio tones, an abbreviated power-up self-test sequence, optional visual displays, lower sensitivity on one or more radar bands for quieter operation in extra-noisy environments and the enabling/disabling of VG-2 (See Below.)

w Q. What is VG-2 protection.

w A. The "Interceptor VG-2" is a microwave Receiver used by some police forces to detect signals radiated by the local oscillator of a radar detector, in simple terms it's a "Radar Detector Detector" VG-2 is only used in a small number of countries such as the USA, Canada, France and Switzerland. Most new radar detectors have anti VG-2 features. Beltronics call theirs Shadow Technology"

w Q. Why Buy one ?

w A. Well you all know where those Gatso's are on your trip to and from work, but how many of you forget sometimes in the morning or how about that road you have not been down for a while and they have put one behind a sign, well a good detector will warn you in advance of that hidden revenue earner. Gatso's are springing up everywhere, so be one step ahead.

w Q. Are they Legal ?

w A In January 1998 the Queen's Bench Divisional Court stated that radar detectors had in fact never been illegal in the UK , contrary to popular folklore and the repeated claims of the police.

Radar detectors are also legal to use in Germany, Netherlands and Italy. Denmark legalised the sale and use of radar/laser only to reverse its decision 12 months later.

Countries such as France, Belgium and Switzerland continue to take a very dim view of anyone found in possession of a radar detector. Confiscation of equipment and an instant fine is normal. In the Republic of Ireland it is legal to own a radar detector but illegal to be found using one.

Most police officers don't know they are legal so watch out. It seems that there are still quite a few police officers that still think they are illegal. It is NOT against the law to own a unit.... you can go back an claim it back if they take it from you.

w Quote the following....
"A judgement of the Queens Bench Divisional Court dated 29th January 1998 makes it clear that the use of Radar Detectors is not unlawful as has hitherto been claimed by some. In the past a few prosecutions have been brought by claiming the use of radar detectors was contrary to section 5(b)(I) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 as amended by section 3 of the Post Office Act 1969. However the Acts refer to the interception of wireless communications for the purpose of obtaining information as to the content, sender or addressee of any message. The Court concluded that the radar transmission was not communicating a 'message' and therefore equipment designed to detect the presence of the transmission could not decode any such message. It was further stated that section 1(1) of the Act, which requires a licence for the reception of radio signals, has been superseded by the Wireless Telegraphy Apparatus (Receivers)(Exemption) Regulations (SI 1989 No123) which exempts radar detectors and similar equipment from the need for such licences."

w Q. Where do they go in your car ?

w A. Nearly all are attached to the windscreen by suckers on a mounting bracket and run either off the cigarette lighter or on their own power supply. Its important to note that Heated windscreens and heat reflective windscreens will effect the range of some units. This can be overcome by fitting remote detectors, these have a remote radar sensing head and IR. unit, that fit in the grill of the vehicle. A control unit sits inside the car.

Standard units should be mounted on the windscreen in a position that gives them a clear view ahead. But in a position that is not easily seen from the outside, even though they are now not illegal, by having one you can easily provoke some Police. When choosing a detector for your car please check if you have a windscreen with heating elements or if you have a solar type windscreen, this can have an effect on the efficiency of dashboard mounted radar detectors, if you do have this type of windscreen then we would advise that you look at a built in type of radar detector.

w Q. What do they detect ?

w A. World-wide there ten sets of frequencies used for speed monitoring. In the UK only to radar frequencies used, K band and Ku band (in a very limited way). Coverage of other frequencies other than these bands will cause the detector to false alarm, devices such as traffic lights supermarket doors, mobile phones and transmitters often operate on the X band.

w All will detect radar, to different levels, some give detection ranges of as little at 0 metres for a Gatso Camera right up to 350 metres, depending on which make and model you buy. Some will detect Laser from 1 mile to 3 miles. Some will and some wont detect Mini-Gatso.
All can detect Muniquip from 1 mile to 3 miles.

w Most false warnings will be on the 'X' band. Gatso's on the K band ... give more of a problem, the radar used is quite weak, since Gatso Cameras also face away from you the radar beam is going away from you as well, so your detector is relying on a reflected signal making Gatso's are harder to detect. However a good detector will give you a warning. The Ku band is little used at the moment in the UK, but they do use it in Northern Ireland, and some parts of Europe.

w Q. What is SWS ?

w A. SWS or Safety Warning System is starting to feature on more radar/laser detectors. Manufacturers of the detectors designed the system as a way of combating the bad image of radar detectors. SWS is currently being installed in police cars all over the US. When a police car is attending a roadside accident the SWS transmitter is switched on. Owners of radar detectors received a warning in advance of a dangerous situation. The new generation of smart SWS detectors use text messages and sometimes voice messages as well.

w Radar detectors such as the Bel 990 offer nearly 70 text and voice messages ranging from, accident ahead, school crossing ahead, ice on road, moose crossing and so on. Currently SWS is only used in some parts of America and Canada. Germany has recently been granted a licence for its use, plans are now in the advanced stages and SWS can be expected to be in use by 2001. A British company is also currently in discussions with the manufacturer to bring SWS to the UK. SWS is without doubt one of the best safety features for a driver to have fitted in his car, and the sooner it's use becomes world-wide the better.

w Q. What is Radar ?

w A. Radar stands for Radio Detecting And Ranging. The system operates by transmitting radio waves at certain frequencies which reflect off objects and are picked up by the receiver. When the beam reflects off a moving object, a measurable frequency shift occurs which is then converted into miles per hour to determine the object's speed.

w Q. What is a GATSO ?

w A. GATSO is the name given to the Dutch made "photographic trap" system used in the UK and Europe. The GATSO traps are unmanned and take a photo of the rear of the speeding vehicle. GATSO traps operate on K band and are therefore detectable by most good detectors. The majority of GATSO cameras are inactive - the average ratio is one "live" camera site for every ten boxes. Even "inactive" sites will appear to take photographs of passing vehicles by flashing at them, but since no photographic equipment is installed no photographs can be taken. If the GATSO system is fully loaded it is transmitting K band signals constantly monitoring the speed of every vehicle that passes.  The Geodesy Plus or the Road Angel  Is the best unit for this type of speed trap.

w Q. Heated Windscreen Elements and Detector Effectiveness ?

w A. When choosing a detector for your car please check if you have a windscreen with heating elements or if you have a solar type windscreen, this can have an effect on the efficiency of dashboard mounted radar detectors, if you do have this type of windscreen then we would advise that you look at a built in type of radar detector.

Detectors may also be incompatible with a Clifford Car Alarm - Please call us on if you have any doubts.

A customer with a heated windscreen, wrote to us recently: "Just purchased the '550', was worried incase it did not work - due to my vehicle having a heated front windscreen.(Ford Focus ESP ). Works a treat!!! Sings its head off whenever there is a threat...".

w For more information - See our Glossary of Terms , Which One and Reviews Pages.