Radar Antenna mounts

[TX-DPS]

Quick question,

do you get to decide where to mount the antenna's for your radar, or do you have a certain policy for mounting them?

My car is getting ready to be added to the soon replaced list and since it will be my first brand new car, I have seen the antenna's mounted differently.

I have seen them mounted on the dash, I have seen them offset toward the center, and I have seen some mounted under or near the sun visor.

Any preferences? And do you see any difference in output and the ability of the radar to pickup?

[LAenforcer]

Normally, at least on CHP cars that I have seen they are mounted in the rear window on the driver side and the front window in the corner on the driver side.

[FDandH]

The front antenna are mounted in the lower left corner of the front windshield, near the glass, inside of the car. The rear antenna are mounted on rear deck, left side. There are much more qualified people to answer this question, but I'll do my best since I have nothing better to do. I can only speculate why the antennas are mounted that way, my assumption is this would place the antenna closer to the target vehicle. With the narrow beam of our radar units one would want the center of the beam closest to the target vehicle. Personally I would want that antenna mounted in a location that would prevent any reflection of the radar beam back into the patrol car. I don't want to be exposed to what the radar unit is transmitting anymore than I am already. Hope this helps.

I like the mounting location we use because it's out of my line of sight, but easy to glance at the counting unit while working speed.

[Radar]

OK, the current mount for our ACI Stalker Dual SL consists of a bracket extending from the spotlight at the driver's side A-pillar (front antenna and display) and a single bracket holding the rear antenna (secured behind the rear seat back, on the driver's side). The counting unit is separate from the display and is housed in our aftermarket center console between the front seats. No, I don't have pictures so a description will have to suffice...:cool:

There were several mounting configurations tried between the time we began using radar in the 80's (Kustom HAWK [Traffic Radar Project in Orinda, CA]) and ultimately went to mass radar deployment in the early 1990's (Kustom HAWK, EAGLE, and Stalker Dual SL - we eventually phased the others out and now have only Stalkers as mounted units). Initially, the antennas for the EAGLE and HAWK were mounted on the exterior of the vehicle (on the lightbar or the pushbumper). Both locations subjected the units to the elements, the pushbumper location severely diminished range due to its low position (and occasionally resulted in damage from pushin' stuff), and the lightbar location doesn't work for slicktops.

At about the same time, the Solano CHP office had come up with an interior configuration similar to the current mounting method. Concerns were expressed about exposure and tests were done at the University of California, Davis. The result? From behind the antenna, you have more of a chance of baking the jewels standing in front of the microwave in eager anticipation of that Hot Pocket than you do driving a patrol car with the modern units and our current configuration. Also, since the windshield and rear window are angled, you would theoretically get refraction and minimal absorption into the dashboard and rear seat before you would get reflection back into the driver's area. The closer an antenna is mounted to the glass, the better. Mounting it to your driver's seat headrest or wearing a converted cup-holder helmet to hold the radar antennae would not be advisable.:redface:

With all of that said, since our Fleet Operations Section likes to keep as much of their job as consistent as possible and the risks were nonexistent, the dashboard mounting location was adopted for all patrol vehicles.

Hopefully, that helps provide a little history. The UC Davis study is part of our Radar Operator curriculum and information is available through the CHP's Research and Planning Section, Traffic Radar and Alcohol Programs Unit.

[alexfarrington]

Well, this is the best I could do for you due to technical issues with my internet connection (um, it's really, really, ridiculously slow), but here are a couple pics showing the antenna placement... Bear in mind that the first image is reversed, as it was shot through what seems to be the rearview mirror.

http://66.160.188.111/.ee9c912/cmd.233/embedded..ee9c916

http://www.wb6nvh.com/Radar1.jpg

[E433035]

Rear antenna placement:

http://images27.fotki.com/v990/photos/4/438439/4490554/CHPdeck-vi.jpg

Same on slicktop:

http://images33.fotki.com/v1190/photos/4/438439/4490554/P1010555-vi.jpg

[TX-DPS]

Rear antenna placement:

http://images27.fotki.com/v990/photos/4/438439/4490554/CHPdeck-vi.jpg

Same on slicktop:

http://images33.fotki.com/v1190/photos/4/438439/4490554/P1010555-vi.jpg

That first photo the only thing we have opposite of that is the radar is mounted high to the ceiling of the inside of the car.

On the dash mount, that is how I have mine currently mounted except switch the display around, and the front antenna around.

Some guys(I will see if I can get photos also) mount the front antenna to the ceiling right next to the sunvisor. When I had mine mounted there, I would get good reading's except it might be a car further down the road. When I switched to the dash mount, visual observation improved 100% of the target vehicle.

[TX-DPS]

Thanks for the replies guys, you CHP guys are awesome.

[iakona]

OK, the current mount for our ACI Stalker Dual SL consists of a bracket extending from the spotlight at the driver's side A-pillar (front antenna and display) and a single bracket holding the rear antenna (secured behind the rear seat back, on the driver's side). The counting unit is separate from the display and is housed in our aftermarket center console between the front seats. No, I don't have pictures so a description will have to suffice...:cool:

There were several mounting configurations tried between the time we began using radar in the 80's (Kustom HAWK [Traffic Radar Project in Orinda, CA]) and ultimately went to mass radar deployment in the early 1990's (Kustom HAWK, EAGLE, and Stalker Dual SL - we eventually phased the others out and now have only Stalkers as mounted units). Initially, the antennas for the EAGLE and HAWK were mounted on the exterior of the vehicle (on the lightbar or the pushbumper). Both locations subjected the units to the elements, the pushbumper location severely diminished range due to its low position (and occasionally resulted in damage from pushin' stuff), and the lightbar location doesn't work for slicktops.

At about the same time, the Solano CHP office had come up with an interior configuration similar to the current mounting method. Concerns were expressed about exposure and tests were done at the University of California, Davis. The result? From behind the antenna, you have more of a chance of baking the jewels standing in front of the microwave in eager anticipation of that Hot Pocket than you do driving a patrol car with the modern units and our current configuration. Also, since the windshield and rear window are angled, you would theoretically get refraction and minimal absorption into the dashboard and rear seat before you would get reflection back into the driver's area. The closer an antenna is mounted to the glass, the better. Mounting it to your driver's seat headrest or wearing a converted cup-holder helmet to hold the radar antennae would not be advisable.:redface:

With all of that said, since our Fleet Operations Section likes to keep as much of their job as consistent as possible and the risks were nonexistent, the dashboard mounting location was adopted for all patrol vehicles.

Hopefully, that helps provide a little history. The UC Davis study is part of our Radar Operator curriculum and information is available through the CHP's Research and Planning Section, Traffic Radar and Alcohol Programs Unit.


And that's why they call him "RADAR". :think: