You Can Speed, But You Can't Hide

You can speed, but you can't hide: New technology allows police to home in on radar detectors, writes Sarah Staples.

Inveterate speed freaks should beware of a stealthy new threat to their claim over the open road: a virtually unbeatable species of "radar detector detector " is quickly being adopted by Canadian police forces to nab motorists who have outlawed radar detectors.

The Spectre II, by Stealth Microsystems Pty Ltd., is selling briskly across the country. The OPP now has about 60 units on patrol, as do other forces in provinces where radar detectors are illegal.

Spectre II picks up radio frequency "leakage" coming from the radar detector's oscillators (roughly, its electronic tuning forks) across a much wider range of gigahertz frequencies than in the past.

With older equipment, the Ontario police force estimated about 70 per cent of radar detectors slipped past its net. The technically superior Spectre II, built in Australia , has improved their capture rate substantially since it was introduced in 2002, says Sgt. John McNall , speed management co- ordinator for Ontario .

"The only reason people have a (radar) detector is they want to speed," said Sgt. McNall . "What's happening now is they are being lulled into a false sense of security (whereas) we have an exceptional device."

The Uniden LRD-967 is detectable at 986 metres , ditto the LRD-7055C radar detector at less than 560 metres , the Cobra 9560 at 1,400 metres , the Rocky Mountain Radar DLS310 at 1,650 metres , and the PNI Traveller II at 800 metres , he said.

"Currently, nothing on the market can defeat Spectre II," said "Radar" Roy Reyer , a retired police officer and certified radar instructor who sells radar products from his Arizona-based website.

Motorists from B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan shouldn't feel entirely safe, although they can legally own radar detectors. In Ontario , Quebec and the Maritimes, where ownership is banned, police in recent years have begun meting out strict punishment to tourists, on the assumption they should have known to disconnect their devices, said Sgt. McNall .

Against Spectre II, Mr. Reyer can only recommend defensive manoeuvres .

"It can't detect a radar detector that's turned off, so the moment your detector beeps, slow down, turn it off and keep an eye on the friendly police officer. And get out of the way."