# Radar or Lidar? What's Your Favorite?



## Guest (Apr 2, 2006)

Just wondering, but what are your oppinions on radar vs lidar? Which would you rather use and what's your favorite model? I got to try out an LTI Ultralyte and I was impressed, it was quite a piece of machinery. If you use radar, do you usually use your cruiser's gun or a handheld unit?

-DaViper


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

Vascar.


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## Opie (May 28, 2003)

Lidar is more acurate and you can pick out your prey, instead of seeing some guy flying around the corner and slowly be followed by a TT Unit and just p/u the larger object not faster.

Although when it's 10 degrees outside, I do prefer my cruiser mounted radar units! :wink:


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

VASCAR is superior to both. It can be used stationary, as well as mobile. When using it mobile, you can measure the speed of cars approaching you from behind, going away from you, or approaching you in the opposing lane. Since it is a passive system, there is no electromagnetic transmission to detect, there is no heterodyne signature to detect. It's a fancy calculator and stop watch. When used stationary, it is far more flexible than RADAR or LIDAR.

Since VASCAR involves the knowledge of the officer regarding "feet per second" and "mile per hour", it has been shunned by our departments: imagine requiring a cop to divide an FPS value by 1.466 to obtain an "MPS" value...how hideous.

The beauty of VASCAR lies in the ability to keep patrols mobile: no radar trap. Further, one can park ones cruiser off the main drag at a "T" intersection and measure speeds: something you can't do with RADAR/LIDAR (cosine angle of error)...

Sorry, I'm just a skanky old horse trooper...better to fry your testicles (ovaries) with microwaves from your "gun"...than to employ the docile VASCAR.


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

I prefer LIDAR, by far. I have never lost a LIDAR ticket in court. I one time went up against this lawyer on a speeding ticket, and he was arguing this point and that point while I simply read my ticket "82mph at 967ft". The judge looked at him and said "LIDAR doesn't lie" and whacked him with the fine.



> VASCAR is superior to both. It can be used stationary, as well as mobile. When using it mobile, you can measure the speed of cars approaching you from behind, going away from you, or approaching you in the opposing lane. Since it is a passive system, there is no electromagnetic transmission to detect, there is no heterodyne signature to detect. It's a fancy calculator and stop watch. When used stationary, it is far more flexible than RADAR or LIDAR.


We had only one guy at our barracks equipped with VASCAR (DS, I'm sure you know who it is), but I saw him in court once, defending a VASCAR ticket. I'll say this, he impressed the hell out of me with his knowledge, and he sure as hell impressed the court who upheld his ticket.


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## phuzz01 (May 1, 2002)

It really depends on the situation. If I am on the interstate with medium or heavy traffic, monitoring a long straightaway, LIDAR is clearly the best choice. It lets you target a single vehicle, and you can pick that vehicle up farther away. 

If I am on a rural road with light traffic sitting just around a curve, I would prefer radar. When you target a vehicle with LIDAR, it takes a second or two for the unit to give a result (the intermittent beeps prior to the steady beep). So around a quick curve RADAR gives you a faster reading.

Our aircraft unit uses VASCAR. We get six or seven guys set up around a curve in the interstate, complete with orange signs and blue lights. Then the plane flies circles around three preset quarter mile courses, and the VASCAR calculates the offender's average speed in each of the three courses. The plane radios down to the ground units, and the ground units wave them over and write them. On one Sunday morning on a remote section of I-89, between 0800-1100, we wrote over $12,000 worth of fines (speed, following too close, marked lanes, road racing). To my knowledge, the aircraft unit has never lost a speed trial (except for lack of prosecution when they have to be elsewhere in the state).


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

We're probably the only guys in the state still using VASCAR. I only lost one appeal. It was before Judge Gibson (Ware DC) who was sitting in Springfield DC due to vacationing judges. An obviously overwhelmed Judge Gibson (SDC was a little more than she was used to, as it was the busiest court in the state) simply through up her hands and declared "...I can't understand it...I'm going to find him 'not responsible'...". The court was packed with cops and lemmings, I said "...Thank you, your honor...I didn't realize that the laws of physics were open to judicial interpretation...". As I made a hasty exit (before she could chastise me) all you could hear was the cops laughing.

I know I have posted the story elsewhere on this board before...but it's still funny.

In any event, the job no longer supports the VASCAR...any parts or service I have to pay for out-of-pocket...like the digital interface I had to buy to tap the speed signal (used to be a mechanical cable back in the day...now speed is reported to the speedometer as a digital signal).


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## MVS (Jul 2, 2003)

dcs2244 said:


> We're probably the only guys in the state still using VASCAR. I only lost one appeal. It was before Judge Gibson (Ware DC) who was sitting in Springfield DC due to vacationing judges. An obviously overwhelmed Judge Gibson (SDC was a little more than she was used to, as it was the busiest court in the state) simply through up her hands and declared "...I can't understand it...I'm going to find him 'not responsible'...". The court was packed with cops and lemmings, I said "...Thank you, your honor...I didn't realize that the laws of physics were open to judicial interpretation...". As I made a hasty exit (before she could chastise me) all you could hear was the cops laughing..


=D> :L: =D>:L:=D>:L:=D>:L:


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