Radar is a compact electronic gadget that is able to detect and inform the owner about the presence of traffic police direction finding systems in the direction of travel. Such systems emit laser beams or radio waves, which it tunes to detect. That is, a radar is a kind of receiver that works with incoming signals.
There are passive and active models. The latter are called radar detectors and their main feature is the generation of high-power interference for traffic police detection systems. Such devices operate in certain radio frequency spectra or directly modulate the response signal, which is much more powerful than the original bearing.
As a result, either a modulated result will appear on the traffic police systems / radars, or nothing will be taken at all. Such a radar is a direct violation of the law, where at best you will be fined with the confiscation of the gadget, and at worst - criminal liability. Therefore, we will not consider them, but we will talk about allowed models, which are called detectors.
A conventional radar detector is a passive receiver that does not muffle or modulate the signals of traffic police direction finding systems, like an anti-radar, but only lets the owner know about their approach/presence.
Producers
Less than a dozen brands lead the market for this kind of vehicle technology. Whistler, Escort, Sho Me radar detector, Cobra and Beltronix can be noted here. This, in fact, is the backbone of manufacturers with a decent history, whose name has become a household name for gadgets of this kind.
There are other lesser-known companies that come across smart devices in their assortment, but here you need to look carefully and weigh a lot of things before buying. These include Uniden, STR (Street Storm) radar, Rocky Mountain and PNI.
As for our territory, the domestic consumer prefers more or less qualitatively adapted models to our realities from Moongoose, Simikon, Nevedimka and past generations of the venerable Cobra. The Radartech brand is rapidly gaining popularity in the Russian Federation, whose devices make it possible to detect the notorious Strelka.
There are also more exotic examples of such gadgets that do not play a special role for a car enthusiast, like the 24-Flight radar model, which can track aircraft online. The thing is useful in some situations, but too narrowly focused.
Working principle
The traffic police bearing systems work according to the reflection scheme, that is, the speed is measured by the radiation that is reflected from your car. Such a signal is noticeably slower than the direct one used by the radar detector, which means that the driver will be notified in advance of the presence of a bearing along the way.follow.
If the weather is good, as well as the terrain, then you can detect traffic police systems at a distance of up to 5000 meters, and the best premium radar is able to pick up a signal up to 10,000 meters even on hilly terrain.
Given the fact that most traffic police direction finders are designed for 300-500 meters for stable readings, the radar, without straining, will warn you about the presence of a traffic police post.
There is another kind of this kind of technology - a GPS-radar. Here the principle of operation is completely different. If the detector is engaged in the direct bearing of the traffic police detection system ahead, then the GPS device takes into account cartographic data, that is, accurate marks about posts and cameras along the route of the car online.
Such a radar requires a constant (well, or close to it) connection with the satellite to display the most reliable data. The option is quite workable, but only if the signal is stable and does not disappear for a long time when you are moving along the highway. If communication with the satellite is often interrupted or not at all, then you will just get a nice gadget on the panel, not a radar.
Reviews of owners on such equipment are diverse, and depend mainly on the climatic nuances of a particular region. You have sunny and steppe terrain - almost any radar detector will do, often drive in the mountains or in the rain - a GPS device will be the best option.
As for reviews on specific radar models, it is very difficult to classify them.difficult due to the variety of manufacturers, lines, series and gadgets themselves. However, one trend in reviews can be traced, which is best expressed by the expression: “The more expensive the better.”
Amplifiers
All radar detectors (on radio waves) due to their characteristics use signal amplifiers, which greatly increase the range of their work. In total, 2 types of such amplification can be designated - direct and based on a local oscillator (sometimes with the prefix "super").
Direct amplification
This is the oldest and most familiar way of amplification in the public sector. One of the advantages of this method is absolute passivity, that is, the radiation of the module itself is as close as possible to zero. In countries where such equipment is prohibited, a gadget with such an amplifier is not required to have some kind of blocking protocols on board the car, such as VG-2.
In addition, the direct amplification of the detector eliminates most interference, which is to blame for the low sensitivity of the device. Devices of this kind are very easy to set up and have a very affordable price tag.
European manufacturers have long begun to abandon such solutions, due to their low efficiency, but domestic figures still continue to replenish the automotive market with gadgets with such amplifiers.
Heterodyne amplifier
This amplification method is much more progressive and the most advanced in technical terms. It is customary to see such modules in mid-budget and premium models of radar detectors. An undeniable advantage of such an increase -it is high sensitivity and good frequency sampling.
It is critical that a device with such a heterodyne module is active, that is, the radar begins to emit characteristic waves during operation. In addition, the presence of interference during use sometimes greatly interferes with the normal functionality of the device. Setting up such a device turns into a real adventure through a branch of complex circuits and frequency selectivity.
It is also worth noting separately that devices of this kind are prohibited by law in a number of countries. Such trends have not yet reached Russia, therefore, on our territory, a heterodyne radar detector can be used without fear of being fined. Such gadgets are not cheap, but, what is remarkable, they pay off very quickly, especially if you often drive on highways, autobahns and generally drive around the country.
Signal processing unit
This block, in fact, is the heart of any radar. Here the processing of incoming signals from antennas and sensors takes place. That is, relying on some of its algorithms, the device processes information and gives it to the user in the proper form. Today, several variants of such signal classifiers are used - analog, digital and hybrid.
Analogue
The simplest analog method is slowly becoming a thing of the past, giving way to hybrids and digital devices. Such processing is built according to the schemes already embedded in the chip, that is, according to the prescribed algorithms.
The disadvantages here are obvious and critical: highinterference and error rate, very low operating speed and high current consumption.
Digital
The digital method is the most promising in terms of versatility. Radar detectors of this kind are equipped with a microprocessor and many VLSIs (super-large-scale integrated circuits), where a lot of options for the development of events are laid along with a set of algorithms, and the principle of operation of such a device is based on heuristics, which allows you to significantly increase the speed of the device.
The software used in digital radars can be updated, and therefore improve the performance of the detector by adding new algorithms to the already existing list. In addition, the method is characterized by minimal false positives, and the amount of interference is reduced to zero. Here you can add a significantly increased scope of the device and parallel processing (up to eight simultaneous signals). According to drivers, devices of this type are much more efficient than analog ones.
Hybrid
Hybrid gadgets are the most common in our territory. The principle of operation of such a device is quite simple and clear from the name. That is, we have a kind of analog block, but with the capabilities of a “digit”. Such devices are characterized by more or less fast response and a small number of false signals, that is, interference.
Practically all radars on the shelves of domestic stores in the mid-budget sector work on hybrid technology. As the reviews of many users say, the "figure" is, of course, good, but it is expensive and you need to service it more often, andhybrids are unpretentious and versatile.
