Harry_Boy

My understanding (correct me ppl if I'm wrong) is that the fact that a Gatso flashes has nothing to do with whether or not a camera is installed in the unit. The flash is a function of the radar device and (yes) the flash unit.

As such, when a Gatso flashes you, you still have no 100% sure way of telling whether (a) a film is present or (b) the camera mechanism is present or functioning.

AFAIK, IMHO etc....

NotoriousREV

IMHO, the 155 theory is bunkum, but am happy to keep an open mind.

Cameras rely on radar and more accurately, the reflection of radar waves back to the emmiting source. Some things reflect radar waves better than others. Cars reflect better than bikes. In fact, Performance Bikes have commented in the past that when they are doing top speed runs on bikes, they try to pass as close to the radar device as possible (measured in inches rather than feet) otherwise it won't register.

I also beleive that steel reflects better than fibreglass, hence the TVR not setting off TG's GATSO. I wonder if a larger, steel bodied car at 175mph would have set it off?

GC8

I believe that all GATSO's have a simple radar fitted; that was how they could still flash you even if they werent live. The original single flash was replaced with a more convincing double flash after a while. The expensive part is the camera unit as I recall

GC8

You have to be within the marked area too;the radar reading isnt used as evidence, only the photographs can provide that. Do you remember the recent case of a fellow who insisted on seeing the second photo and after calculating his speed from the graduations on the road, it transpired that he was only travelling at 15MPH? If you go fast enough you will clear the measured graduated section of road and there will (theoretically) be no photographic evidence; it has nothing to do with going too fast to set it off...

Simon

GC8

...just read some more of the posts; if I remember correctly the original speed limited vehicle was a new BMW seven series in 1987 or there abouts; 155MPH is 250KMH. It was an arbitary round figure that a number of manufacturers have continued to adopt since. It has **** all to do with speed cameras.....

hedgehog

Most current laser camera devices are designed to cope with +/- 200mph but i can't remember what the maximum speed the Gatso systems could register. From (bad) memory the older ones had a limit somewhere about 170mph but it is possible that they have since upgraded the systems and so they are now capable of dealing with higher speeds.

The 155mph limit on (mostly) German vehicles was a sop to the PC groups who believed that anyone going any faster would instantly die and take 350 innocent children with them. I guess their thinking dated back to the development of the first train when many believed that if it went any faster than 30mph then the air would be sucked from passengers lungs and they would all die. The science is probably similar as well.

As pointed out it was a nice, round, 250kph which was a handy figure for the Germans. That I am aware of it had nothing to do with speed detection, though that nasty factor is raising it's head on a similar vein in the shape of Intelligent Speed Adaptation which will remotely control the speed of your car. You can see what is in store for us here:

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd...ceed/00152.pdf

http://www.its.leeds.ac.uk/projects/ISA/

Diesel

Ahh! So you can see the flash unit behind the exterior 'glass' panel in the casing?

harvey

iTrader: (48)

"WHERE have you seen a fixed camera where you can safely do more than 160 past it?

and if you do answer that question with a location I would hazard that no place on the road is safe to do 160."

Well actually there are a couple I know of in the Scottish Borders.

NotoriousREV

Harvey, I'd expect 160mph is achievable in a lot of places when you have 600bhp at your disposal