Escort Solo S3 - Page 12

Technical
Details
How
Radar
Works
Traffic
radar
,
which
consists
of
microwaves
,
travels
in
straight
lines
and
is
easily
reflected
by
objects
such
as
cars,
trucks,
even
guardrails
and
overpasses.
Radar
works
by
directing
its
microwave
beam
down
the
road.
As
your
vehicle
travels
into
range
,
the
microwave
beam
bounces
off
your
car
,
and
the
radar
antenna
looks
for
the
reflections.
Using
the
Doppler
Principle,
the
radar
equipment
then
calculates
your
speed
by
comparing
the
frequency
of
the
reflection
of
your
car
to
the
origi
nat
frequency
of
the
beam
sent
out.
Traffic
radar
has
limitations
,
the
most
significant
of
these
being
that
it
typically
can
monitor
only
one
target
at
a
time.
If
there
is
more
than
one
vehicle
within
range,
it
is
up
to
the
radar
operator
to
decide
which
target
is
producing
the
strongest
reflection.
Since
the
strength
of
the
reflection
is
affected
by
both
the
size
of
the
vehicle
and
its
proximity
to
the
antenna,
it
is
difficult
for
the
radar
operator
to
determine
if
the
signal
is
from
a
sports
car
nearby
or
a
semi-truck
several
hundred
feet
away.
22
Radar
range
also
depends
on
the
power
of
the
radar
equipment
itself.
The
strength
of
the
radar
unit's
beam
diminishes
with
distance.
The
farther
the
radar
has
to
travel,
the
less
energy
it
has
for
speed
detection.
Because
intrusion
alarms
and
motion
sensors
often
operate
on
the
same
frequency
as
X-
Band
radar
,
your
Solo
S3
will
occasionally
receive
non-
police
radar
signals.
Since
these
X-Band
transmitters
are
usually
contained
inside
of
a
building,
or
aimed
toward
the
ground,
they
will
generally
produce
much
weaker
readings
than
will
a
true
radar
encounter.
As
you
become
fam
i
I
iar
with
the
sources
of
these
pseudo
alarms
in
your
daily
driving,
they
will
serve
as
confirmation
that
your
Solo
S3's
radar
detection
abilities
are
fully
operational.
How
Laser
(Lidar)
Works
Laser
speed
detection
is
actually
LIDAR
(Light
Detection
and
Ranging).
LIDAR
guns
project
a
beam
of
invisible
infrared
light.
The
signal
is
a
series
of
very
short
infrared
light
energy
pulses,
which
move,
in
a
straight
line,
reflecting
off
your
car
and
returning
to
the
gun.
LIDAR
uses
these
light
pulses
to
measure
the
distance
to
a
vehicle
.
Speed
is
then
calculated
by
measuring
how
quickly
these
pulses
are
reflected
given
the
known
speed
of
light.
LIDAR
(or
laser)
is
a
newer
technology
and
is
not
as
widespread
as
conventional
radar.
Therefore,
you
may
not
encounter
laser
on
a
daily
basis.
And
,
unlike
radar
detection,
laser
detection
is
not
prone
to
false
alarms.
Because
LIDAR
transmits
a
much
narrower
beam
than
does
radar,
it
is
much
more
accurate
in
its
ability
to
distinguish
between
targets
and
is
also
more
difficult
to
detect.
AS
A
RESULT,
EVEN
THE
BRIEFEST
LASER
ALERT
SHOULD
BE
TAKEN
SERIOUSLY.
23
There
are
limitations
to
LIDAR
equipment.
LIDAR
is
much
more
sensitive
to
weather
conditions
than
RADAR,
and
a
LIDAR
gun
's
range
will
be
decreased
by
anything
affecting
visibility
such
as
rain,
fog,
or
smoke.
A
LIDAR
gun
cannot
operate
through
glass
and
it
must
be
stationary
in
order
to
get
an
accurate
reading.
Because
LIDAR
must
have
a
clear
I
i
ne
of
sight
and
is
subject
to
cosine
error
(an
inaccuracy,
which
increases
as
the
angle
between
the
gun
and
the
vehicle,
increases)
police
typically
use
LIDAR
equipment
parallel
to
the
road
or
from
an
overpass.
LIDAR
can
be
used
day
or
night.