U.S. Army soldier uses a radar gun to catch speeding violators at Tallil Air Base, Iraq.
Microdigicam radar in use in Brazil A radar gun is a small Doppler radar used to detect the speed of objects. A radar gun does not return information regarding the object's position. It relies on the Doppler Effect applied to a radar beam to measure the speed of objects it is pointed at. U.S. Army Sgt. ...
U.S. Army Sgt. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1311x1933, 431 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Radar gun Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1311x1933, 431 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Radar gun Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...
Doppler Effect Doppler radar uses the Doppler effect to measure the radial velocity of targets in the antennas directional beam. ...
A source of waves moving to the left. ...
This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ...
Radar guns may be hand-held or vehicle-mounted. They can be used as a tool in the regulation of traffic speed by law enforcement and also to measure speeds in sports. For the band, see The Police. ...
Most of today's radar guns operate at X, K, Ka, and (in Europe) Ku bands. An alternative technology, LIDAR, uses pulsed laser light. The X band (3-cm radar spot-band) of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum roughly ranges from 5. ...
K band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging between 12 to 63 GHz. ...
The Ka band (kurz-above band) is a portion of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. ...
The Ku band (kay-yoo kurz-under band) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 11 to 18 GHz. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The radar gun was invented by Bryce K. Brown of Decatur Electronics in March 1954[1], and was first used in Chicago, Illinois by Patrollman Leonard Baldy in April 1954. Leonard Baldy (Born Leonard Frank Baldy, Chicago, Illinois USA February 15, 1927 - May 2, 1960). ...
There are radar detectors on the market which can detect most police radar and laser systems. Conversely, in the spirit of electronic warfare, some police radars are equipped with detectors of operating radar detectors. An early radar detector A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to determine if their speed is being monitored. ...
Electronic warfare (EW) is the use of the electromagnetic spectrum to deny its effective use by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly forces. ...
How radar guns work
Radar guns are, in their most simple form, radio transmitters and receivers. They send out a radio signal, then receive the same signal back as it bounces off the objects. However, the radar beam is different when it comes back and from that difference the radar gun can calculate vehicle speed.
A radar beam is similar to the beam of a flashlight as it spreads out as the distance from the signal origin increases. The signal then bounces off objects in the path of the beam and are reflected back to the gun. The gun uses the doppler effect to calculate the speed of the object in the beam's path. A source of waves moving to the left. ...
All bands of radar work the same way; they simply operate on different frequencies. X band guns are becoming less common due to the fact the beam is strong and easily detectable. Also, most automatic doors utilize radio waves on X band and can possibly affect the readings of police radar. As a result K band and Ka band are most commonly used by police agencies. The X band (3-cm radar spot-band) of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum roughly ranges from 5. ...
K band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging between 12 to 63 GHz. ...
The Ka band (kurz-above band) is a portion of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. ...
Traffic radar comes in many models. There are hand held, stationary and moving radar instruments. Hand held units are mostly battery powered, and for the most part are used as stationary speed enforcement tools. Stationary radar is mounted in police vehicles, and may have one or two antennas. These are employed when the vehicle is parked. Moving radar is employed, as the name implies, when the police vehicle is in motion. These devices are very sophisticated, able to track vehicles approaching and receeding both in front of and behind the patrol vehicle. They can also track the fastest vehicle in the selected radar beam, fron or rear.
Problems with radar guns Although radar is an effective tool to acquire an object's speed, there are problems with it. Today's technology is relatively effective and error free so most inaccurate speed measurements are caused by the user.
For speed to be accurately calculated, the object whose speed is desired ideally should be the only moving object in the beam of the radar. If this is not the case, as in a police officer monitoring speed on a stretch of busy road, more articulation is needed in testifying to a particular vehicle's speed. However the latest police radar instruments are capable of picking out and tracking the fastest vehicle among others traveling with it. These newer radars can also differentiate between vehicles approaching or traveling away from the radar set, and track these vehicles as well.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in cooperation with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has developed a training program for the operation of police traffic radar. This cirriculum provides radar instrument operators with the skills required to properly set up, test, and operate to identify targets. It also provides the operators with information regarding state and local laws and ordinances which apply to the user's jurisdiction. This training, while strongly recommended, is not mandatory in some states. Other states require the successful completion of this training and issue a certificate of completion.
Police officers are also trained in the practice of visual estimation of speed and distance, and the radar is thus used as a verification of the visual estimation. In addition, it is easy enough to testify that the vehicle in the offside lane was passing vehicles in the nearside lane, and is therefore the vehicle whose speed is showing on the readout as traveling above the posted limit.
The angle in which the object is in relation to the radar source can also affect the reading. This includes angles on a horizontal and vertical plane. This is referred to as Cosine Effect, but this effect always causes the displayed speed to be lower than actual speed (except when moving radar is used), in actuality benefitting the violator.
External links | 
There are 1 more (non-authoritative) comments on this page
Feeds |
Contact