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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 12:41 AM
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Default Night time speed vans?

Driving home in the dark at 9:50pm tonight I spotted a speed camera van parked in a layby on an almost deserted 70mph dual carriageway.

Quick glance accross as I passed and from the dimmed lighting inside it seemed that the camera equipment was set up and rolling(?).

I've never seen a speed van out and operating this late at night (the overtime bill must be prohibitive!).

Is there some new night vision tech we need to be aware of?

Sam
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 12:43 AM
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Originally Posted by SouthWalesSam
Driving home in the dark at 9:50pm tonight I spotted a speed camera van parked in a layby on an almost deserted 70mph dual carriageway.

Quick glance accross as I passed and from the dimmed lighting inside it seemed that the camera equipment was set up and rolling(?).

I've never seen a speed van out and operating this late at night (the overtime bill must be prohibitive!).

Is there some new night vision tech we need to be aware of?

Sam
It use to be civie's doing the job,now its old bill on overtime,bloody wrong if you ask me paying them the overtime rate which is £18 ph for a non probationer
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 01:51 AM
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I thought the equipment didn`t work at night and that`s why they`ve never been used
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 07:07 AM
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Ive been laser gunned at night in pitch blackness.

However, luckily i wasnt giving it the beans
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 09:07 AM
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Yup, I've passed them at night before sitting at the side of an A road.
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 11:16 AM
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I've had a go at the "safety camera van" equipment and what I used definitely only worked during the day time, that said I wouldn't put it past them now using some sort of night vision or infra red set up, just another way to extort money from people.
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 12:15 PM
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Our local council is, I think, the only one who, during this recession, instead of dumping Scamera vans, HAVE ACTUALLY BOUGHT MORE!

And the new ones defo work in the dark.
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 12:41 PM
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This is so weird, i was only driving in the dark last week thinking how i never see speed camera vans at night and then I saw one.
Didn't get a ticket tho so can't confirm if they actually work at night.
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 12:56 PM
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Anyone actually been clocked and ticketed by a speed van (not the static camera with a flash) at night?
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by jimmyinrugby
It use to be civie's doing the job,now its old bill on overtime,bloody wrong if you ask me paying them the overtime rate which is £18 ph for a non probationer
What absolute rubbish
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 06:45 PM
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Originally Posted by DonNedly
This is so weird, i was only driving in the dark last week thinking how i never see speed camera vans at night and then I saw one.
Didn't get a ticket tho so can't confirm if they actually work at night.
Was this in Barry?
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 06:49 PM
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Originally Posted by s70rjw
What absolute rubbish
If you look on the Warks police website it clearly states they use police officers on overtime,it's been splatered over the news earlier in the year hence the kick off about them on £18 making a shed load
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by s70rjw
What absolute rubbish
And you know this because...........

And IF you know, give us the lowdown.....of ALL forces, since you seem to know?
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 06:56 PM
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Speed camera van parked up in the dark in a lay-by in somerset yesterday evening, Not sure if he was filming or just eating doughnuts though.
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 08:02 PM
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Probably *******........
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Old Nov 24, 2011 | 08:57 PM
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Originally Posted by alcazar
And you know this because...........

And IF you know, give us the lowdown.....of ALL forces, since you seem to know?
1. Over 25 years in the police, none in traffic enforcement, but have friends who are.

2.Officers freshly out of their probation are not given the responsibility of staffing a speed camera detection van by themselves.
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 12:11 AM
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well i can confirm the speed camera vans do work at night.
Got a ticket in the post today from a van that caught me well after dark.

I managed 4 days of having a clean license
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 10:17 AM
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Yeah they do work at night, normally on motorways and A roads. I always have my Snooper 2 turned on which has saved my bacon on several occasions.
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by DonNedly
well i can confirm the speed camera vans do work at night.
Got a ticket in the post today from a van that caught me well after dark.

I managed 4 days of having a clean license
How long did they take to send you a ticket, when was the offence because i was under the impression that they have 14 days to send the NIP letter, could be wrong?
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by madmarx
Yeah they do work at night, normally on motorways and A roads. I always have my Snooper 2 turned on which has saved my bacon on several occasions.
will the snooper pick up camera vans? or just where they could be? had a 'camera detector' before but just warned me where they could be off the database?

is the snooper worth getting?
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 11:28 AM
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The local scamera vans use laser. They get you from around a mile out.

And ALL ours are positioned so that you come round a bend, van comes into view and he's got you.
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 11:36 AM
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Time to invest in an automatic garage door then!

TX.
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 11:46 AM
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Originally Posted by mogs132
will the snooper pick up camera vans? or just where they could be? had a 'camera detector' before but just warned me where they could be off the database?

is the snooper worth getting?

Snooper 2 is out of date now, but still picks up the mobile laser ones. Snoopers use gps for position ones and has a laser detector facing forwards with a 180 degree sweep across the front of the car that picks up the laser beams. As previously mentioned the vans or in my last case, a Volvo estate was positioned in a layby that was round a bend following a long downhill straight on the A64. Pitch black maybe after midnight, only me on road. Snooper started chirping and flashing i thought whats that chirping for, so i reduced my speed from 76.99 to dead on 70 and round the bend and there was the Volvo with camera facing rearward. The snooper had picked up the laser before it was even pointing in my direction. Phew !!! The car then was a Rover 620 ti hybrid turbo, apexi etc etc.

Yes snoopers are a must with a turbo car. But no not to be a speed freak, mine also warns me of schools and accident blackspots and mobile camera parking up points.
They can save your licence when you are driving in a new area at night and dont see the Gatso behind the bus shelter or a tree, even if you are only doing 35 in a 30.

Last edited by madmarx; Feb 19, 2012 at 11:50 AM.
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Old Feb 19, 2012 | 02:10 PM
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Didnt think them cams work in the dark theres a lazer you can buy off fleebay pretty cheep but if you get caught with 1 I recon your fooked im thinking of 1 look on fleebay for a lazer defuser or might come under parking senser
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Old Feb 20, 2012 | 07:00 PM
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Originally Posted by carlstoke63
Didnt think them cams work in the dark theres a lazer you can buy off fleebay pretty cheep but if you get caught with 1 I recon your fooked im thinking of 1 look on fleebay for a lazer defuser or might come under parking senser
Que??

I thought there was a 2,000ft limit on range principally due to operator accuracy in ensuring the laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is held consistently. Not sure where I got this from nor why measured in feet so could be completely wrong.
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Old Feb 20, 2012 | 07:48 PM
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Who is daft enough to speed at night anyway? There could be a traffic car following you for miles and you'd never know -unlikely these days though I know.

If you have to, stick to 80 on the speedo (which is probably 76) and you won't get done. Simple?
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Old Feb 20, 2012 | 08:42 PM
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Some one should Creep up and paint camera window
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Old Feb 20, 2012 | 08:52 PM
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Yeh mate money making scam allways pick on motorists should be out getting the lowlifes like burglers and the peaple that mug old peaple
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Old Feb 21, 2012 | 01:08 PM
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so what is the best speed van detection kit to get then?
What sort of prices are we looking at?
Are there any built into sat navs?
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Old Feb 21, 2012 | 01:32 PM
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I used to have a Road Angel, that was pretty good at picking up static cameras I didn't know about and had built in laser detection, the issue is, by the time it's detected the laser your speed has been registered, tbh I don't think the vans can be avoided, it's just luck of the draw if the catch you or not
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