[sci.electronics] Radar Theory

spt@waikato.ac.nz (Simon Travaglia) (01/12/90)

I'm pretty baseline about how detectors work etc.  Can someone explain
or mail me how the theory of it works.  (I understand the basics of 
reflections etc, is it Dopler-ish?)
What's to stop you syncing in with the Speed Detector and sending 
back info to say that you are doing 500mph?
Slower may not work because the radar would probably settle for the highest
conmtinuous speed, so why not tell it that you are absolutely hiking
along.  And when you get stopped in your 1963 1.3l ford for pulling
540mph, you need simply say "Yeah sure..."

				"...take me to court"

-- 
%SYS-E-NOSIG, signature file mutilated by foreign power.
%SYS-I-DEFSIG, using emergency signature
Simon Travaglia, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Disclaimer:  "Sorry about that cheif!"

henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (01/16/90)

In article <1990Jan12.042446.8799@waikato.ac.nz> spt@waikato.ac.nz (Simon Travaglia) writes:
>What's to stop you syncing in with the Speed Detector and sending 
>back info to say that you are doing 500mph?
>... And when you get stopped in your 1963 1.3l ford for pulling
>540mph, you need simply say "Yeah sure..."
>				"...take me to court"

And he'll say "That sure is an interesting-looking gadget on your dashboard
there..."

	"...You're under arrest.  You have the right to remain silent..."

Quite apart from the small matter of you not being licensed to transmit
in the police-radar bands, both the police and the courts would probably
consider this "obstructing a police officer in the performance of his
duties".  Which is a far more serious crime than speeding.  "Serious" as
in "jail sentence and criminal record".

Legal aspects aside, there's nothing hard about sending back a false signal
that overpowers the real one (the radar probably locks onto the strongest
signal, and reflections are fairly weak), although you'd have to be careful
to stay within the limits of the radar unit.  A signal saying "500 mph" is
probably beyond what the radar's electronics are willing to consider as
plausible, and possibly beyond what they can receive at all.  That is, it
might just light up its "something's wrong" light, or it might ignore your
signal altogether and go for the next strongest one.
-- 
1972: Saturn V #15 flight-ready|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
1990: birds nesting in engines | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

kelly@uts.amdahl.com (Kelly Goen) (01/16/90)

In article <1990Jan15.164544.29488@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <1990Jan12.042446.8799@waikato.ac.nz> spt@waikato.ac.nz (Simon Travaglia) writes:
>>What's to stop you syncing in with the Speed Detector and sending 
>>back info to say that you are doing 500mph?
>>... And when you get stopped in your 1963 1.3l ford for pulling
>>540mph, you need simply say "Yeah sure..."
>>				"...take me to court"
>
>And he'll say "That sure is an interesting-looking gadget on your dashboard
>there..."
>
>	"...You're under arrest.  You have the right to remain silent..."
>
>Quite apart from the small matter of you not being licensed to transmit
>in the police-radar bands, both the police and the courts would probably
>consider this "obstructing a police officer in the performance of his
>duties".  Which is a far more serious crime than speeding.  "Serious" as
>in "jail sentence and criminal record".
>
>Legal aspects aside, there's nothing hard about sending back a false signal
>that overpowers the real one (the radar probably locks onto the strongest
>signal, and reflections are fairly weak), although you'd have to be careful
>to stay within the limits of the radar unit.  A signal saying "500 mph" is
>probably beyond what the radar's electronics are willing to consider as
>plausible, and possibly beyond what they can receive at all.  That is, it
>might just light up its "something's wrong" light, or it might ignore your
>signal altogether and go for the next strongest one.
>-- 
>1972: Saturn V #15 flight-ready|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
>1990: birds nesting in engines | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu

 CHeck out of copies of 73 magazine , Ham Radio(for 10.525 ghz designs) and
Radio Electronics(had a radar calibrator article a few years ago)
also Car and driver had an excellant article on Baseband Pulse jamming techniqu
a few years ago...
AND as long as we are on the subject I have a set of the Benton Harbor Instrument
"RADAR CALIBRATOR" boards built up... anyone know where I can find
dual band X+K 150mw output Gunnplexor modules???
      cheers
      kelly

erc@khijol.UUCP (Edwin R. Carp) (01/17/90)

In article <1990Jan15.164544.29488@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <1990Jan12.042446.8799@waikato.ac.nz> spt@waikato.ac.nz (Simon Travaglia) writes:
>>What's to stop you syncing in with the Speed Detector and sending 
>>back info to say that you are doing 500mph?
>>... And when you get stopped in your 1963 1.3l ford for pulling
>>540mph, you need simply say "Yeah sure..."
>
>And he'll say "That sure is an interesting-looking gadget on your dashboard
>there..."
>
>	"...You're under arrest.  You have the right to remain silent..."

Having been a police officer, I can testify with some authority that the
cop'll probably look at his radar gun, swear under his breath, and call in to
his dispatcher and complain about his radar.  The dispatcher will probably
tell him (or his sgt.) to go back to the shop to get another one.  You'd
probably not even get stopped, because it'll look like the radar's gone
nutso.

Most cops don't have the technical sophistication to realize that the dumb
thing's *not* a CB or radar detector.
-- 
Ed Carp                 N7EKG/5 (28.3-28.5)     uunet!cs.utexas.edu!khijol!erc
Austin, Texas           (512) 832-5884          "Good tea.  Nice house." - Worf

jb@aablue.UUCP (John B Scalia) (01/18/90)

In article <1990Jan15.164544.29488@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>Legal aspects aside, there's nothing hard about sending back a false signal
>that overpowers the real one (the radar probably locks onto the strongest
>signal, and reflections are fairly weak), although you'd have to be careful
>to stay within the limits of the radar unit.  A signal saying "500 mph" is
>probably beyond what the radar's electronics are willing to consider as
>plausible, and possibly beyond what they can receive at all.  That is, it
>might just light up its "something's wrong" light, or it might ignore your
>signal altogether and go for the next strongest one.

Indeed, they do this, or at least the Kustom Signals KH-11 does this. This
used to be, I haven't paid attention lately, one of the best "smoking gun"
units the troopers could get. A couple of us, local road racers of the
legal on-the-track types, managed to have a state trooper time us on the
straightaways. We were told the max the KH-11 would register was 165mph and
upto 200mph, it simply flash the 165 reading. I don't recall being told
exactly what it would do beyond this, other than a higher signal would be
rejected.

The trooper, though, had all kinds of problems with us as we were using
very low slung, tube framed, fibreglass bodied formula cars with basically
zip frontal area for reflecting the signal, although I got clocked at 
135mph in my Formula Ford. I think if you were to try something like a
nonsense jammer, pick a value around 140mph absolute or a +70mph relative.
I shouldn't think any unit would have a problem with these numbers, and
who'd believe it anyway?

For what it's worth,
jb@aablue.UUCP
-- 
A A Blueprint Co., Inc. - Akron, Ohio +1 216 794-8803 voice
UUCP:	   {uunet!}aablue!jb	(John B. Scalia)

Just a little more nonsense to clutter up the net.