Performance Boats- Alive and Well!!!

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by onlywinni

Thanks for the info....Do they even have radar guns?

onlywinni -- it doesn't appear that anyone answered your question -

Yes, the MP most definately have radar guns. I was docked one afternoon in Center Harbor and "chatted it up" with a MP officer docked there early this season. He was very congenial and even showed me the radar unit he was issued. It is about the size of a mid sized pair of binoculars (6"w x 3"h x 8"d approx) it has a monocle sighting window and display's speed & range (distance) and is completely portable i.e no wires. The interesting aspect was range as he indicated to me that he uses it to tell if two boats are 150' apart by simply "targeting" each and taking the difference in range.

Therefore, if you see a MP boat just floating/ idling (as I have seen numerous times since) and the officer has what you think are Binoculars up to his face --- SMILE, your on radar!!

[onlywinni]

Originally Posted by Phantom

onlywinni -- it doesn't appear that anyone answered your question -

Yes, the MP most definately have radar guns. I was docked one afternoon in Center Harbor and "chatted it up" with a MP officer docked there early this season. He was very congenial and even showed me the radar unit he was issued. It is about the size of a mid sized pair of binoculars (6"w x 3"h x 8"d approx) it has a monocle sighting window and display's speed & range (distance) and is completely portable i.e no wires. The interesting aspect was range as he indicated to me that he uses it to tell if two boats are 150' apart by simply "targeting" each and taking the difference in range.

Therefore, if you see a MP boat just floating/ idling (as I have seen numerous times since) and the officer has what you think are Binoculars up to his face --- SMILE, your on radar!!

Thanks for the info.

Looks like I will have to mind my speed or at least get a radar detector for the boat

[jrc]

Originally Posted by Phantom

... The interesting aspect was range as he indicated to me that he uses it to tell if two boats are 150' apart by simply "targeting" each and taking the difference in range...

I hope he tries that one in court someday, two boats could a mile apart and still only be a few feet different in range.

[Skip]

Hi jrc,

You are correct, the LIDAR handheld unit being discussed here gives the operator relative opening or closing speed between the gun and the target be measured, and actual distance between the gun and the target at time of measurement. While you could theoretically point the gun at two separate targets on the water the gun will only give you the distance between itself and each target, it does not and cannot measure the distance apart of two separate targets.

The NHMP officer can indeed use the gun to cite you for a 150 foot offense, only if that offense occured between the the gun (NHMP unit) and you. It is not capable of doing the same for two opposing targets in the field.

Skip

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by Skip

Hi jrc,

You are correct, the LIDAR handheld unit being discussed here gives the operator relative opening or closing speed between the gun and the target be measured, and actual distance between the gun and the target at time of measurement. While you could theoretically point the gun at two separate targets on the water the gun will only give you the distance between itself and each target, it does not and cannot measure the distance apart of two separate targets.

The NHMP officer can indeed use the gun to cite you for a 150 foot offense, only if that offense occured between the the gun (NHMP unit) and you. It is not capable of doing the same for two opposing targets in the field.

Skip

I'm no math major but I seem to remember a formula to find the length of the last side of a triangle if you know the 2 lengths of the triangle and the angle of the 2 known sides. If I am right, then the LIDAR could conceptually figure out the distance between the 2 boats that are being shot by the gun. Anyone know?

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Pineedles

I'm no math major but I seem to remember a formula to find the length of the last side of a triangle if you know the 2 lengths of the triangle and the angle of the 2 known sides. If I am right, then the LIDAR could conceptually figure out the distance between the 2 boats that are being shot by the gun. Anyone know?

Theoretically? Yes

Realistically? No

The unit being used to measure relative speed/distance is a portable handheld device. The crucial element necessary in the formula you offered, to be admissable in evidence in court, would require an extremely accurate way to measure the precise angle between the two vesssels being read in order to interpret their correct separation. Since this particular LIDAR unit has no way of determinig that angle the formua would have to rely on the best guess of the officer, hardly admissable in court.

[jrc]

As Pineneedles and Skip said measuring distance between boats with radar or lidar is possible. But a MP can't just invent a technique and have it stand up in court. It has to accurate and repeatable.

Even a cheap marine radar unit will show distance between boats. So if the MP really wanted to, they could probably find a calbrated radar unit and use that. But of course just being less than a 150' away is not a violation. You also need to be going faster than headway speed.

Sounds like a good product to build, I wonder how many I could sell...

[VtSteve]

and I do apologize for the tone of the Kayak comment. (sure brought some people out of dark places) It was meant to be something that just didn't make it to fruition. but I should know better, and will choose my words more carefully in the future.

As for someone thinking this forum is inundated with Performance Boaters? I certainly don't own one, although I have kicked the tires (hulls) of some in the past. I don't think many do on this entire forum, perhaps a dozen or more? At any rate, most of them seem as nice as everyone else here.

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by Phantom

onlywinni -- it doesn't appear that anyone answered your question -

Yes, the MP most definately have radar guns. I was docked one afternoon in Center Harbor and "chatted it up" with a MP officer docked there early this season. He was very congenial and even showed me the radar unit he was issued. It is about the size of a mid sized pair of binoculars (6"w x 3"h x 8"d approx) it has a monocle sighting window and display's speed & range (distance) and is completely portable i.e no wires. The interesting aspect was range as he indicated to me that he uses it to tell if two boats are 150' apart by simply "targeting" each and taking the difference in range.

Therefore, if you see a MP boat just floating/ idling (as I have seen numerous times since) and the officer has what you think are Binoculars up to his face --- SMILE, your on radar!!

As others have said that was a Lidar gun not a radar gun. Radar units don't measure distance, only speed (along the line of sight). As for measuring distance for a 150' violation, all 3 boats, the NHMP boat and the suspected violators would have to be in a line (or very nearly so) for that to have any accuracy.

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by Mee-n-Mac

As others have said that was a Lidar gun not a radar gun. Radar units don't measure distance, only speed (along the line of sight). As for measuring distance for a 150' violation, all 3 boats, the NHMP boat and the suspected violators would have to be in a line (or very nearly so) for that to have any accuracy.

Don't shoot the "messenger" ....... I was only informing inwinni that there is indeed radar (or as I have been corrected LIDAR- all the same to the common folk) being used and relaying my little chat with a hospitiple MP officer