Escort PASSPORT 8500CI - Manual (Page 13)

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GPS/TrueLock TSR Red Light Cameras Speed Cameras
How TSR Works
The 8500ci Plus includes a new boost in
anti-falsing software to eliminate
excessive alerts from erroneous X- and K-
band sources. One example is traffic-flow
monitoring systems.
These systems, which are becoming
more widely used in cities across the U.S.,
generate K-band signals to measure the
flow of traffic on a given road.
Unfortunately, most detectors see this as a
real threat and will alert you to it
unnecessarily. Our new proprietary
Threat-Signal Ranking (TSR) software
intelligently sorts, ranks, and rejects these
types of false alarms automatically. The
result is ultimate protection without
excessive false alarms.
Since not all markets have this type of
traffic-flow monitoring system, your
detector has been pre-set with TSR turned
off. For details on how to activate TSR, see
the Preferences section.
These sensors
are fully self-
contained and
roadside-
mounted.
How GPS Works
The global positioning system (GPS) is
made up of 24 orbiting satellites and was
developed by the U.S. military. There are
at least four satellites visible at any given
time every day.
A GPS receiver is designed to locate
and receive data from four of these
satellites. These data include the distance
to your location from each of the satellites.
Once the distance from each satellite is
known, the receiver can calculate and
pinpoint your exact location.
How TrueLock Works
TrueLock uses the exact position and
actual frequency of a signal to eliminate it
as a false alarm. Once a signal is locked out,
a box is created around that location
(approximately ½ mile radius) to lock it
out from all directions. Automatic door
openers use more than one source, so
TrueLock will automatically lock out other
X- and K-band sources in close proximity.
How Red Light Cameras Work
Red-light cameras use three basic things: a
camera, a device to trigger the camera,
and a computer.
An intersection may have more than
one camera to monitor traffic from
multiple directions. The trigger is typically
a series of wires buried just beneath the
surface of the road. These wires are
separated by a pre-set distance to create a
magnetic field or induction loop. Once a
vehicle is in the intersection, the loop or
circuit becomes closed and alerts the
computer to take a picture.
In some states, tickets are issued to
the car’s owner, no matter who is actually
driving. In this case, the red-light camera
only needs to photograph the vehicle’s
rear license plate. In other states, the
actual driver is responsible for paying the
ticket. In this case, the system needs a
second camera in front of the car to get a
shot of the driver’s face.
How Speed Cameras Work
There are several types of fixed-position
speed cameras used, including radar, laser,
induction-loop, and photo-based.
Radar-and laser-based cameras are
typically mounted near the road and
transmit a short-range signal across the
lanes monitored. Since this signal is
transmitted across the road instead of
down the road like with many handheld
systems, detecting them in time is critical.
Another technology used is an
induction-loop system. This type of
system utilizes wires buried just beneath
the surface of the road to trigger a
computer that calculates speed between
the two points.
Photo-based systems take two sets of
pictures of all passing vehicles between
two separate fixed locations. Both sets of
photographs are date and time stamped,
which enables the system to calculate
average speed between the two locations.
Fixed-speed cameras can also be set
up to monitor one to four lanes of traffic in
the same direction. To achieve this, a
sensor is installed in each lane, and a wide-
angle camera lens is used to photograph
the vehicle that is speeding.