3 DAYS
300+ TEST RUNS
27 HOURS OF TESTING
6 LASER GUNS
5 LASER JAMMERS
The Guys of LIDAR do not have a reputation for making things easy for the products that we test. Only manufacturers with absolute confidence in the performance of their products would dare send a sample to Guys of LIDAR to be tested. This might have been our most difficult test yet for the laser jammers!
WORST CASE SCENARIO. PERIOD.
The Test Vehicle
A test vehicle was chosen that would make things very difficult for the jammers: a white Jeep Commander. This vehicle has a large flat front, large headlights, and the white color is very reflective. It also had an Ohio front license plate.
(Can you say worst case scenario?)
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The Test Course
We used the same test course that was used in our last radar detector test. This course is perfect for testing laser jammers: it is long, flat and straight. This allowed easy targeting of the test vehicle at distances of 2000 feet plus. It is a dead end road in an industrial area with no buildings or businesses, so it is basically free of traffic except for the occasional curious onlooker, or visits by local law enforcement (and trust us - there were plenty!), who were very friendly.
Despite a court ruling that laser tickets in one state are invalid if issued beyond 1000 feet, tickets have sometimes been issued at distances as long as our test course. The actual operating range of the laser guns is much longer than our course, but we still did base runs (with no jammer) against each gun for a control.
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The Laser Guns
The following laser guns were used in the test:
- Kustom Prolaser III, 200pps, Manufactured July 2001 (Top Left)
- Stalker LZ-1, 130pps, Firmware v1.8, Manufactured Oct 1998 (Top Middle)
- Laser Atlanta Speedlaser Type S, 238pps (normal mode), Firmware v5.01, Manufactured August 2004 (Top Right)
- LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1, 100pps, Manufactured June 1998 (Bottom Left)
- LTI Marksman, 125pps , Manufactured June 1994 (Bottom Middle)
- LTI Ultralyte LR B, 125pps, Firmware v3.02, Manufactured August 2003 (Bottom Right)
The pulse rates of the laser guns were measured by jimbonzzz.
Of interest to some: the Osprey range finder was also measured. It was about 195pps.
Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode was also measured, and a frequency of 68 pps was displayed.
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The Jammers
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The following jammers were tested:
- Antilaser AL7 - Retail version, provided by Antilaser
- Antilaser 8.3 X Twin Diode Prototype - Provided by Antilaser
- Blinder M45 Prototype - Provided by Blinder
- Lidatek LE30 - Latest retail version, provided by Lidatek
- Target LT-400 - Provided by RacerX
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Jammer Installations
All laser jammers were installed by RacerX and thestaton, after taking the manufacturer's recommendations into consideration. Proper mounting is critical to jamming performance. Installations were visibly inspected by everyone present to be sure the jammer heads were placed in the optimal locations.
In the photo to the right, you'll see one of our experts inspecting a jammer installation ;)
In all cases, bubble levels were used to ensure that the jammer heads were completely level.
The installations might not have been truly real-world, and here's why: If the average consumer was to go out and purchase a jammer and install it themselves, or even have it "professionally installed", the installation would likely never be subjected to such a high degree of scrutiny from so many experienced people. Most of those who were present have a lot of experience with laser jammers, much more so than your average consumer. In past testing, they have seen the effect of mounting vs jammer performance first hand. Optimal mounting was critical to this test, since it was not to show how much a poor installation can compromise performance, but to show the performance differences of the jammers tested.
Some important advice from Guys of LIDAR: If you purchase a jammer, get advice from as many experienced people as possible about mounting! Better to do it right the first time, than to waste your money on a jammer only to get a ticketed because of improper mounting. A great place for advice is the RadarDetector.net Online Forums. The Guys of LIDAR are members, as well as many other knowledgeable people who can provide great advice about mounting.
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The Officer
For the best real-world test results, we had an actual police officer operate the laser guns, who wishes to remain anonymous. But, he is not just any police officer: he has many years of experience on the force, and is a certified radar and laser instructor. So it is safe to say that he is an expert on how police are trained to operate their laser guns. And better yet, he knows how they actually operate them in the field. So when he chose the locations to target from, who were we to argue?
There is probably no better example of worst-case scenario targeting either. Our officer is very skilled at interpreting the audio feedback from the different laser guns and making slight adjustments to his targeting accordingly. He certainly gave the jammers a run for their money!
The Guys of LIDAR could not have hand-picked a better officer to participate in testing. His ideas and insight were very crucial to the success and real-world relevance of the test. We all got to know him on a personal level.
In the photo, our officer is targeting a vehicle that we are thinking of using as the test vehicle for the next Guys of LIDAR laser jammer test ;)
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Explanation Of Results
The test results listed here will be expressed in a couple of different ways.
If the result is in feet, it is the number of feet from the targeting laser gun at which punchthrough occurred:
Punchthrough - On approach to the targeting laser gun, the point at which jamming is no longer effective and a speed reading was obtained. Usually expressed in distance from the targeting laser gun.
So, the lower the punchthrough number, the better.
JTG (Jam To Gun) - Complete jam. No speed reading was obtained at any distance. The best possible result when using or testing a jammer.
If the result is in time, it is the number seconds from when targeting began until punchthrough or JTG.
So, the higher the time, the better.
Nobody likes to see large punchthrough numbers, especially the "Dog of LIDAR".
Here he is after one unsatisfactory test run.
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Base Runs - No Jammer
All guns aimed at "center of mass".
The test vehicle was driven out to approximately 2200 feet and targeted as it approached.
| Gun | Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 2067 |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 1950 |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 1856 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1921 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1985 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1932 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 2079 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 1882 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 2106 |
| LTI Marksman | 2142 |
| LTI Marksman | 2145 |
| LTI Marksman | 1888 |
| Laser Atlanta | 2143 |
| Laser Atlanta | 2057 |
| Laser Atlanta | 2123 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 2117 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 2017 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 2038 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 1584 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 1778 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 1629 |
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Extreme Angle Test
In this first round of testing, the officer targeted from a location which was about 35 Feet from the center of the road, as measured by the LTI Ultralyte LR B (See graphic). The officer chose this location as the furthest off the side of the road he would choose to target from for this type of scenario in the real-world.
In the field, officers generally do not stand in the middle of the road targeting vehicles straight on. Officer safety plays a major role when choosing a location to target from. This is especially true if they are outside the patrol car. Every year a number of police are struck by vehicles in the line of duty, and some even lose their lives. So, police generally choose a targeting location that is safe, comfortable, and well off the side of the road.
Many of the operators manuals for the laser guns recommend only targeting from 10 feet off the road for every 100 feet down range they want to target, in order to prevent having an unacceptable amount of cosine error. So in this test scenario, there would have been a lot of cosine error below 350 feet. But do all officers follow these guidelines all of the time?
Cones were placed at 2000, 1000, 500, and 250 feet. Jammers with no time limit were constantly targeted from the 2000 foot cone all the way to the gun or until punchthrough occurred. The two jammers with a fixed time limit (Lidatek LE-30, Target LT-400) were targeted at the 2000, 1000, 500, and 250 foot cones. In addition to punchthrough in feet, a stopwatch was used to measure the time from when targeting began until speed reading was obtained. Please note that times are not exact: they are subject to human error, and were also rounded to the nearest second. Time was recorded for most runs, but not all runs. A "-" in the results is simply a placeholder that indicates that data was not recorded.
The officer operated all laser guns by hand: no tripod or other method to steady the gun was used. The officer performed all targeting just as he does in the field. He began by targeting the license plate of the test vehicle, then if there was difficulty obtaining a speed he moved to the headlight. Then, if he still couldn't get a speed reading, he would "paint" different locations on the vehicle listening to the audio feedback from the gun, until a speed reading was obtained.
The vehicle was driven at about 30-35 MPH.
All jammers triggered E04 jam codes on the Stalker LZ-1. No E07 jam code was observed on any LTI gun. The other guns used did not utilize jam codes.
Target LT-400
One jamming head was used on the test vehicle.
Jammer provided by RacerX.
We started testing by doing three runs at each cone for each gun. But during testing, we decided this was a bit too ambitious and time consuming, and decided to do only one run at each cone. This is why there are a few extra runs against the Prolaser III and Stalker.
NOTE: The Target LT-400 is a time limited jammer. It can only jam for 10 seconds, then it must "recycle" for 90 seconds before it is able to jam again.
Example:
If the results read 1514 in the "2000 Feet" column, and 5s in the Time column, it means that the vehicle was targeted for a total of 5 seconds after passing the 2000 foot cone, until a speed reading was obtained at 1514 feet. Since the total targeting time was 5 seconds and the jammer is supposed to jam for 10 seconds, this would be considered an incomplete jam for the 2000 foot cone.
| Gun | 2000 Feet | 1000 Feet | 500 Feet | 250 Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 1514 | 561 | 322 | 123 |
| | - | 5s | 4s | 4s |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 1555 | 526 | 314 | 199 |
| | - | 5s | 6s | 2s |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 1567 | 557 | 329 | 220 |
| | - | 5s | 4s | 1s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1579 | 651 | 255 | 219 |
| | 9s | 9s | 6s | 1s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1592 | 596 | - | - |
| | 9s | 9s | - | - |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 1603 | 798 | 336 | 234 |
| | 9s | 5s | 4s | 1s |
| LTI Marksman | 1413 | 631 | 295 | 201 |
| | 13s | 10s | 7s | 2s |
| Laser Atlanta | 1589 | 593 | 214 | 191 |
| | 10s | 9s | 7s | - |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 1914* | - | - | - |
| | - | - | - | - |
| LTI Ultralyte LR REV 1 | 1350 | 533 | 412 | 215 |
| | 9s | 4s | 2s | 2s |
Lidatek LE-30
Two jamming heads were used on the test vehicle.
Jammer provided by Lidatek.
NOTE: The Lidatek LE-30 is a time limited jammer. It can only jam for 5 seconds, then it must "recycle" for 30 seconds before it is able to jam again.
Example:
If the results read 1817 in the "2000 Feet" column, and 5s in the Time column, it means that the vehicle was targeted for a total of 5 seconds after passing the 2000 foot cone until a speed reading was obtained at 1817 feet. Since the total targeting time was 5 seconds and the jammer is supposed to jam for 5 seconds, this would be considered a complete jam for the 2000 foot cone.
| Gun | 2000 Feet | 1000 Feet | 500 Feet | 250 Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 1817 | 702 | 348 | 221 |
| | 5s | 5s | 4s | 1s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1757 | 755 | 363 | 151 |
| | 5s | 5s | 3s | 2s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 1736 | 665 | 413 | 233 |
| | 5s | 5s | 3s | 1s |
| LTI Marksman | 1760 | 791 | 418 | 219 |
| | 6s | 5s | 3s | 1s |
| Laser Atlanta | 1984 | 988 | 462 | 231 |
| | 2s | 2s | 2s | 1s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 1812 | 914 | 434 | 219 |
| | 5s | 3s | 2s | 1s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR REV 1 | 1642 | 836 | 435 | 219 |
| | 9s | 4s | 2s | 2s |
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Blinder M45 Prototype
Four jamming heads were used on the test vehicle.
Jammer provided by Blinder.
| Gun | Feet | Time |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 450 | 37s |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 811 | 27s |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 995 | 23s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1780 | 6s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1705 | 7s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 1916 | 4s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 259 | 38s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 350 | 37s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 768 | 25s |
| LTI Marksman | JTG | 42s |
| LTI Marksman | 798 | 27s |
| LTI Marksman | 596 | 31s |
| Laser Atlanta | 170 | 41s |
| Laser Atlanta | 210 | - |
| Laser Atlanta | 593 | 31s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JTG | - |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 237 | 38s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JTG | 41s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | JTG | 43s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 170 | 41s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 382 | 35s |
Antilaser 7.0
Two jamming heads were used on the test vehicle.
Jammer provided by Antilaser.
| Gun | Feet | Time |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 815 | - |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 810 | - |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 891 | 25s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 107 | 43s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 142 | 42s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 166 | 41s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 308 | 36s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 219 | 39s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | JTG | 42s |
| LTI Marksman | 353 | 38s |
| LTI Marksman | 409 | 36s |
| LTI Marksman | 534 | 33s |
| Laser Atlanta | JTG | - |
| Laser Atlanta | 157 | 41s |
| Laser Atlanta | 190 | - |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 210 | 40s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 113 | 42s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JTG | - |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | JTG | - |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 237 | 40 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | JTG | - |
Antilaser 8.3 X Twin Diode
Jammer heads mounted in the same place as the 7.0 version.
Two jamming heads were used on the test vehicle.
Jammer provided by Antilaser.
| Gun | Feet | Time |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 874 | - |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 899 | 25s |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 816 | 27s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 328 | 37s |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 207 | - |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 221 | 40s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 493 | 37s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 340 | 38s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 356 | 36s |
| LTI Marksman | 399 | 36s |
| LTI Marksman | 302 | 38s |
| LTI Marksman | 382 | 37s |
| Laser Atlanta | JTG | 44s |
| Laser Atlanta | 669 | 30s |
| Laser Atlanta | JTG | 44s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JTG | 44s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 357 | 30s |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JTG | 44s |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 214 | - |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | JTG | - |
| LTI Ultralyte LR Rev 1 | 263 | - |
Comparing Different Angles
The intent of this test was to find out how targeting from different angles can effect jamming ability vs targeting straight on. The officer targeted from measured locations 5 feet, 10 feet, and 15 feet off the side of the road, as measured by the LTI Ultralyte LR B (See graphic) as well as straight on.
Only the Blinder M45 and the Antilaser jammers were used in this test. Testing "time limited" jammers at different distances would have been prohibitively time consuming.
The officer operated all laser guns by hand: no tripod or other method to steady the gun was used. For this test, the officer performed separate license plate and headlight shots.
The vehicle was driven at about 30-35 MPH.
The vehicle was targeted from 1000 feet all the way to the gun or until punchthrough occurred.
All jammers triggered E04 jam codes on the Stalker LZ-1. No E07 jam code was observed on any LTI gun. The other guns used did not utilize jam codes.
Antilaser 7.0
| Gun | Aim | Straight | 5 Feet | 10 Feet | 15 Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | Plate | JTG | 56 | 54 | 86 |
| Kustom Prolaser III | Headlight | JTG | 36 | 35 | 51 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | Plate | JTG | 34 | JTG | 100 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | Headlight | 12 | JTG | 38 | 36 |
| Laser Atlanta | Plate | 589 | 45 | 36 | 90 |
| Laser Atlanta | Headlight | JTG | 39 | 565 | 657 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | Plate | JTG | JTG | 51 | 66 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | Headlight | JTG | JTG | JTG | 57 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | Plate | JTG | 57 | 89 | 94 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | Headlight | JTG | 67 | 77 | 106 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR REV 1 | Plate | 277 | 474 | 401 | 526 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR REV 1 | Headlight | JTG | JTG | JTG | 133 |
| LTI Marksman | Plate | JTG | 73 | 83 | 111 |
| LTI Marksman | Headlight | JTG | JTG | JTG | 114 |
Blinder M45
| Gun | Aim | Straight | 5 Feet | 10 Feet | 15 Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | Plate | JTG | 380 | 311 | 244 |
| Kustom Prolaser III | Headlight | 619 | 166 | 484 | 612 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | Plate | 110 | 300 | 334 | 192 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | Headlight | 11 | JTG | 38 | 36 |
| Laser Atlanta | Plate | 35 | JTG | 47 | 59 |
| Laser Atlanta | Headlight | 614 | 477 | 445 | 678 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | Plate | JTG | JTG | JTG | JTG |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | Headlight | JTG | JTG | JTG | JTG |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | Plate | 540 | 320 | 334 | 625 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | Headlight | 721 | 390 | 669 | 745* |
| LTI Ultralyte LR REV 1 | Plate | 711 | 576 | 481 | 644 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR REV 1 | Headlight | 118 | 256 | 224 | 282 |
| LTI Marksman | Plate | 486 | 488 | 271 | 351 |
| LTI Marksman | Headlight | 648 | 657 | 395 | 225 |
* - Did not alert to this shot.
Other Testing/Experimenting
At different times during the test, we did some impromptu experimenting and test runs. This is data that does not belong anywhere else. Please note that these test runs were not organised or structured in any particular manner. But since the results were recorded, we decided to include them here for reference.
Lidatek LE-30 - Remounted
Two jamming heads were used on the test vehicle.
Jammer provided by Lidatek.
We decided to experiment some with the Lidatek. We mounted the jammer heads in the middle of the grille, and shot it with the ProLaser III from 500 and 250 feet. Separate shots were done targeting specific locations: the license plate, the driver's side headlight, and the roof.
35 Foot Angle
| Gun | Feet | Time | Aim |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 277 | 5s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 310 | 5s | Headlight |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 360 | 3s | Roof |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | 213 | 1s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | 195 | 1s | Plate |
Straight Shot
| Gun | Feet | Time | Aim |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 197 | 5s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 222 | 5s | Headlight |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 456 | 2s | Roof |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | JTG | 6s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | 33 | 5s | Headlight |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | JTG | 5s | Roof |
Test Runs Against Stalker @ 250 Feet
| Gun | Feet | Time | Aim | Targeting |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 150 | 3s | Plate | 35 Foot Angle |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 215 | 1s | Headlight | 35 Foot Angle |
| Stalker LZ-1 | JTG | 5s | Plate | Straight Shot |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 35 | 5s | Headlight | Straight Shot |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 221 | 1s | Plate | 35 Foot Angle |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 232 | 1s | Plate | 35 Foot Angle |
| Stalker LZ-1 | JTG | 6s | Headlight | Straight Shot |
We were told that the beam in the Lidatek diverges about 6 degress on either side. So, we measured a 5 degree angle with a protractor, and re-mounted the transponders again, this time angled out 5 degress to see if it would help with the shots from the 35-foot angle.
Transponders Angled Out 5 Degrees
| Gun | Feet | Time | Aim |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 373 | 3s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | 180 | 2s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 2000 Feet | 1913 | 2s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 500 Feet | 394 | 3s | Plate |
| Kustom Prolaser III @ 250 Feet | 227 | 1s | Plate |
Antilaser 7.0:
Straight Shot vs 7 Feet Off the Road
Vehicle was driven out to 1000 feet and targeted. Officer panned from plate to headlight as necessary.
Straight
| Gun | Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | 119 |
| Stalker LZ-1 | 78 |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 117 |
| LTI Marksman | 133 |
| Laser Atlanta | 116 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | 117 |
| LTI Ultralute LR REV 1 | 148 |
7 Foot Angle
| Gun | Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | JTG |
| Stalker LZ-1 | JTG |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 15 |
| LTI Marksman | JTG |
| Laser Atlanta | JTG |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JTG |
| LTI Ultralute LR REV 1 | JTG |
Sethy's Car - Rear Shot
One Antilaser 8.3 Transponder
Officer was approximately 5 feet off the side of the road.
| Gun | Feet |
| Kustom Prolaser III | JFG |
| Stalker LZ-1 | JFG |
| LTI Ultralyte LR B | 316 |
| LTI Marksman | JFG |
| Laser Atlanta | 77 |
| Laser Atlanta | 170 |
| Laser Atlanta Stealth Mode | JFG |
Thank You
Thanks to the following people for helping make this test possible:
Happya$$
Jimbonzzz
StealthJamal
RacerX
thestaton
Our anonymous LEO
Sethy
Radar Roy
All who donated! You know who you are.
And a special thanks to the Sheffield Village Police Department for their hospitality.
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