RALETC Lidar User Meet Sept 2014 – Testing Results
With excellent weather and our largest number of participants for a single event, RALETC is proud to present the results from our September 2014 laser jammer user meet. Each user tested their respective system against 15 lidar guns from RALETC including the infamous guns from DragonEye technology. We asked each participant to ensure their setup had the latest version of the firmware from their laser jammer company. With all of the participants there were only two discrete systems, the Laser Interceptor 8.18 and the AL Priority 4.4.1/5.1. We did manage to run some additional runs with the Escort Laser Shifter Pro on our test vehicle since we were unable to complete these tests on the prior day. Despite some of the conversations floating around about angling heads up 5 degrees or making adjustments to account for different scenarios the one thing that remained true was straight and level always wins. Here are the results.
TEST CAR – ESCORT LASER SHIFTER PRO
Analysis
Not a bad showing for a jammer that hasn’t had a single update since its release. It does suffer from the same downfalls as the Laser Interceptor.
TeamQuack – AL Priority
Analysis
Excellent showing. I think this vehicle actually was second or third best overall. Key things to note here. It was luck of the draw on the Truspeed SX as to whether you would jam it. The gun has a different algorithm than the original Truspeed S and depending on the timing you may or may not have jammed it. In this case, you did not succeed, but had you run again it’s possible you would have made it through. The only thing I would check is the drivers side head light and ensure it is completely square as you did have several high PT’s here.
Christopher Kohl – Laser Interceptor 8.18
Analysis
Again not a bad showing, but it is clear that Laser Interceptor has not worked out the DragonEye issues. Interesting that the placement on this vehicle was very standard (not 5 degree angled up) and it only did poorly on the SX and the DragonEye guns. The Stalker I’m less worried about as it is an older gun probably no longer in service with this firmware edition. I’m not sure how you managed a JTG on the PHL against the Compact, but I’m sure if it was going to happen this would have been the version that 8.18 should have addressed without issues. The Laser Interceptor 8.18 results against the compacts have been inconsistent at best. We only had a single JTG run in our own testing and we have it on video! HERE
It Wasn’t Me – AL Priority
Analysis
Straight and level ALWAYS wins especially if you are running an ALP. Make sure those rear heads are level and square and same goes for the front. Better showing next time.
Fox In The Hole – Laser Interceptor 8.18
Analysis
Good showing against the older guns which means your setup and head position is solid. You didn’t score as high this time due to a combination of lack of support for the DragonEye guns and that you were penalized twice for having rear heads that couldn’t defend against the dragon. You are the only Laser Interceptor 8.18 user that had back to back JTG runs against the Compact. While the current Laser Interceptor firmware (8.18) is not very effective against the Dragon guns, we were able to prove with our own vehicle that it does at times have some effect. We can attribute some of the significantly better overall performance of this installation compared to the other LI that we tested today, due to the application of Veil. Especially the runs against the DET Compact #1. This vehicle had significantly more frontal surface area than the other vehicle equipped with Laser Interceptors. In a real world encounter, Veil could help to save the day. In addition, the larger surface area may have also improved the LI algorithm by reducing the crosstalk between the sensors. Take note if you had the submarine sound when it was alerting DragonEye Lidar. If you heard it then this is probably the reason for the PT’s. If not then it makes perfect sense why you were able to JTG back to back; however, because your setup was so solid on the older guns, I would not change anything and wait and see what happens with the next Laser Interceptor firmware.
JK111 – AL Priority
Analysis
Again great showing you were in the top 3. Check your firmware as you should NOT have had an IPT against the DALA#5. ALP addressed this gun and it is very good at jamming it. Also the high Compact #2 leads me to believe you are on older firmware. You vehicle is going to be difficult to protect in general because it is a large truck. The key thing to do here is make sure your heads are on the same plane. It’s not good to have two heads higher than the third. Make these changes and confirm your setup and you should be solid even with a large vehicle!
Red Rocket – AL Priority
Analysis
Excellent showing and boasting the highest score. I would have been disappointed if a RALETC member was unable to capture the top spot. A couple of high PT’s and one against a very easy gun. This sounds to me like square and level issues. The ALP will compensate for many of these issues, but nobody is perfect. Verify they are square and level and you should be good to go. Great job Rocket congrats on taking the top spot!
Spanky – AL Priority – On a MotorCycle
Analysis
This vehicle really should have taken the top spot. We had difficulty on all the guns trying to get even close PT’s. We even had to resort to helmet shots just to show you vulnerabilities. You are very well protected against everything the lidar companies have to offer, but the latest DragonEye guns will give you problems if you see them in your area. You must have two heads on each side of the motorcycle to defend against the DragonEye VPR guns. Otherwise strong showing!
RigToFly01 – AL Priority
Analysis
This vehicle is going to be a top contender in the future. Very solid setup. Just wish you had more runs, but I know you were helping with the coordination of the event and we do appreciate the hard work!
Specifics – AL Priority
Analysis
The big Caddy is not your friend. You should have had no problems against the DragonEye guns. Add a third head on the same plane as your others and you should be good to go! I realize you too were helping with the event and we appreciate your efforts as well.
Conclusion
The results go to show you that you really can’t mess with the alignment of your heads once you have them straight and level. It is important to keep them aligned properly in order to have JTG performance. In most cases, everyone would have excellent real world results. I hope that Laser Interceptor gets the bugs worked out of the 8.18 firmware as the results are just too inconsistent for me to rely on them in real world scenarios.
With excellent weather and our largest number of participants for a single event, RALETC is proud to present the results from our September 2014 laser jammer user meet. Each user tested their respective system against 15 lidar guns from RALETC including the infamous guns from DragonEye technology. We asked each participant to ensure their setup had the latest version of the firmware from their laser jammer company. With all of the participants there were only two discrete systems, the Laser Interceptor 8.18 and the AL Priority 4.4.1/5.1. We did manage to run some additional runs with the Escort Laser Shifter Pro on our test vehicle since we were unable to complete these tests on the prior day. Despite some of the conversations floating around about angling heads up 5 degrees or making adjustments to account for different scenarios the one thing that remained true was straight and level always wins. Here are the results.
TEST CAR – ESCORT LASER SHIFTER PRO
Analysis
Not a bad showing for a jammer that hasn’t had a single update since its release. It does suffer from the same downfalls as the Laser Interceptor.
TeamQuack – AL Priority
Analysis
Excellent showing. I think this vehicle actually was second or third best overall. Key things to note here. It was luck of the draw on the Truspeed SX as to whether you would jam it. The gun has a different algorithm than the original Truspeed S and depending on the timing you may or may not have jammed it. In this case, you did not succeed, but had you run again it’s possible you would have made it through. The only thing I would check is the drivers side head light and ensure it is completely square as you did have several high PT’s here.
Christopher Kohl – Laser Interceptor 8.18
Analysis
Again not a bad showing, but it is clear that Laser Interceptor has not worked out the DragonEye issues. Interesting that the placement on this vehicle was very standard (not 5 degree angled up) and it only did poorly on the SX and the DragonEye guns. The Stalker I’m less worried about as it is an older gun probably no longer in service with this firmware edition. I’m not sure how you managed a JTG on the PHL against the Compact, but I’m sure if it was going to happen this would have been the version that 8.18 should have addressed without issues. The Laser Interceptor 8.18 results against the compacts have been inconsistent at best. We only had a single JTG run in our own testing and we have it on video! HERE
It Wasn’t Me – AL Priority
Analysis
Straight and level ALWAYS wins especially if you are running an ALP. Make sure those rear heads are level and square and same goes for the front. Better showing next time.
Fox In The Hole – Laser Interceptor 8.18
Analysis
Good showing against the older guns which means your setup and head position is solid. You didn’t score as high this time due to a combination of lack of support for the DragonEye guns and that you were penalized twice for having rear heads that couldn’t defend against the dragon. You are the only Laser Interceptor 8.18 user that had back to back JTG runs against the Compact. While the current Laser Interceptor firmware (8.18) is not very effective against the Dragon guns, we were able to prove with our own vehicle that it does at times have some effect. We can attribute some of the significantly better overall performance of this installation compared to the other LI that we tested today, due to the application of Veil. Especially the runs against the DET Compact #1. This vehicle had significantly more frontal surface area than the other vehicle equipped with Laser Interceptors. In a real world encounter, Veil could help to save the day. In addition, the larger surface area may have also improved the LI algorithm by reducing the crosstalk between the sensors. Take note if you had the submarine sound when it was alerting DragonEye Lidar. If you heard it then this is probably the reason for the PT’s. If not then it makes perfect sense why you were able to JTG back to back; however, because your setup was so solid on the older guns, I would not change anything and wait and see what happens with the next Laser Interceptor firmware.
JK111 – AL Priority
Analysis
Again great showing you were in the top 3. Check your firmware as you should NOT have had an IPT against the DALA#5. ALP addressed this gun and it is very good at jamming it. Also the high Compact #2 leads me to believe you are on older firmware. You vehicle is going to be difficult to protect in general because it is a large truck. The key thing to do here is make sure your heads are on the same plane. It’s not good to have two heads higher than the third. Make these changes and confirm your setup and you should be solid even with a large vehicle!
Red Rocket – AL Priority
Analysis
Excellent showing and boasting the highest score. I would have been disappointed if a RALETC member was unable to capture the top spot. A couple of high PT’s and one against a very easy gun. This sounds to me like square and level issues. The ALP will compensate for many of these issues, but nobody is perfect. Verify they are square and level and you should be good to go. Great job Rocket congrats on taking the top spot!
Spanky – AL Priority – On a MotorCycle
Analysis
This vehicle really should have taken the top spot. We had difficulty on all the guns trying to get even close PT’s. We even had to resort to helmet shots just to show you vulnerabilities. You are very well protected against everything the lidar companies have to offer, but the latest DragonEye guns will give you problems if you see them in your area. You must have two heads on each side of the motorcycle to defend against the DragonEye VPR guns. Otherwise strong showing!
RigToFly01 – AL Priority
Analysis
This vehicle is going to be a top contender in the future. Very solid setup. Just wish you had more runs, but I know you were helping with the coordination of the event and we do appreciate the hard work!
Specifics – AL Priority
Analysis
The big Caddy is not your friend. You should have had no problems against the DragonEye guns. Add a third head on the same plane as your others and you should be good to go! I realize you too were helping with the event and we appreciate your efforts as well.
Conclusion
The results go to show you that you really can’t mess with the alignment of your heads once you have them straight and level. It is important to keep them aligned properly in order to have JTG performance. In most cases, everyone would have excellent real world results. I hope that Laser Interceptor gets the bugs worked out of the 8.18 firmware as the results are just too inconsistent for me to rely on them in real world scenarios.