History of Radar

Page 2 - History of Radar Detectors

When the national speed limit was reduced due to the Arab Oil Embargo of the early 1970s, Dale Smith invented
the first radar detector, the "Fuzzbuster". The "Fuzzbuster" became so famous that it became a synonym for all radar detectors. Snooper's "Super Snooper" radar detector was released a short time later.

These early radar detectors looked only for X band which was introduced in 1965. It took two officers to operate the first S band traffic radar system in Glastonbury, CT. Radar for speed enforcement got its boost with the national 55 mph speed limit. Kustom Signals announced the first moving K band radar gun, the MR-7, in 1972 which is considered the second milestone in radar gun history. The "Instant-On" transmission trigger soon followed as an anti-radar detector feature. In the early 1990's, a third radar band, Ka, saw a gigantic leap as Applied Concepts In, (Stalker Radar) introduced the first "digital" radar gun at 34.7 GHz. Laser guns entered the law enforcement arsenal in the late 1980's with Laser Technologies Inc. , the LTI 20/20 signal shot device.

In January of 1994, The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued revised standards for radar gun accuracy and officer training. The "Model Minimum Performance Specifications of Police Traffic Radar Devices" standard was issued after the National Bureau of Standards looked at police radar guns and found dismal accuracy and performance results. The International Association of Chief's of Police (IACP) now approve and test police radar and laser guns to insure accuracy. To view the IACP performance certification report for 2004, click here.

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