... In the box was:
A manual,
USB cable
Winscreen mount with associated suckers and rubber grommets
Road Angel unit
Anti glare cowl for the unit
Magnetic sticky pad for alternative mounting on a flat surface
2.5m straight power lead to cigarette socket
1m coiled power lead to cigarrette ... Read review
Active amplifier GPS Antenna High Gain MCX Connector GPS Antenna WHY DO YOU NEED ... more
THIS ? If you have: (1) Poor reception (2) Loose reception frequently (3) Have a heat reflective windscreen (4) You want to speed up the start up time of your GPS when first locking on to satellites Then this is the perfect product for you, this will increase the reception significantly removing any problems you may currently have with GPS reception . Ensures optimal GPS reception for your TomTom . Some specialised windscreens can block GPS signal reception inside the car. This magnetic, waterproof GPS External Antenna will overcome this limitation and ensure an optimal GPS reception. The waterproof antenna can be placed inside your car, next to your windscreen or at the back of your car. It also attaches magnetically to the outside of the car. Connect your GPS to the External Antenna and you're ready! 5 meter cable. Can boost signal by up to 400%
Postage & Packaging:£4.50 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Active amplifier GPS Antenna High Gain MCX Connector GPS Antenna WHY DO YOU NEED ... more
THIS ? If you have: (1) Poor reception (2) Loose reception frequently (3) Have a heat reflective windscreen (4) You want to speed up the start up time of your GPS when first locking on to satellites Then this is the perfect product for you, this will increase the reception significantly removing any problems you may currently have with GPS reception . Ensures optimal GPS reception for your TomTom . Some specialised windscreens can block GPS signal reception inside the car. This magnetic, waterproof GPS External Antenna will overcome this limitation and ensure an optimal GPS reception. The waterproof antenna can be placed inside your car, next to your windscreen or at the back of your car. It also attaches magnetically to the outside of the car. Connect your GPS to the External Antenna and you're ready! 5 meter cable. Can boost signal by up to 400%
Postage & Packaging:£4.50 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: large display, clear warnings, set-up options Disadvantages: doesn't tell you the speed limit of the road you're on, only 6 months subscription included
...becuase of the type of road (wide, two lane, well lit) I continued very cautiously at around the 25mph mark. Having being later informed by my colleagues that this road had some of the new no flash digital speed cameras on it I spent the next couple of weeks worrying whether I was going to get a ticket or not.
I balanced the admittedly high monetary cost of this device against the worry that I experienced and the possible fines and ... ...suckers and rubber grommets
Road Angel unit
Anti glare cowl for the unit
Magnetic sticky pad for alternative mounting on a flat surface
2.5m straight power lead to cigarette socket
1m coiled power lead to cigarrette socket
I've no experience with other models but the light, plastickly feel of the unit up close makes you think that £300 is a lot to pay for it!
I'm not a particularly fast driver and generally remain at or around the quoted speed limits. However, an incident the other week involving a late night drive around an unfamiliar area in London made me decide to invest in one of the these 'blackspot and camera alert' devices. On this ocassion the limit suddenly dropped from 30 to 20mph (Upper Thames Street?) and being a bit tired and surprised becuase of the type of road (wide, two lane, well lit) I continued very cautiously at around the 25mph mark. Having being later informed by my colleagues that this road had some of the new no flash digital speed cameras on it I spent the next couple of weeks worrying whether I was going to get a ticket or not.
I balanced the admittedly high monetary cost of this device against the worry that I experienced and the possible fines and increased insurance premiums resulting from any lapse and decided the take the plunge and get one of these units.
I did plenty of research and generally found that this one is well regarded by users for its ease of use large display and accurate database of cameras.
I ordered and paid £300 for a new unit which duly arrived the next day. In the box was:
A manual, USB cable Winscreen mount with associated suckers and rubber grommets Road Angel unit Anti glare cowl for the unit Magnetic sticky pad for alternative mounting on a flat surface 2.5m straight power lead to cigarette socket 1m coiled power lead to cigarrette socket
I've no experience with other models but the light, plastickly feel of the unit up close makes you think that £300 is a lot to pay for it!
Before installing the unit in the car and using it you need to register your unit on-line with Blackspot by supplying the serial number. It takes approximately 24 hours to register the unit on their database - it is only at this point (when you receive an email confirming such) that you will be able to update the camera locations on the unit.
After registering the unit you get (a rather stingy) 6 months of free camera database updates via the internet (this is done by connecting the unit to your PC via the supplied USB cable). Note that you need to download an application to your computer to faciliate the updates - they don't do a version of the application for apple MACs - only PCs. The first update took about 10 minutes to complete and they recommend you update every week as approximately 80 camera locations are added or removed each day.
After the first 6 months you need to pay blackspot a further subscription fee ranging from £49 to £99 for 1 to 3 years of updates.
After fiddling with the settings of the unit (you can change the volume of alerts, turn voice alerts off, the types of alerts to receive, display contrast etc.) the unit easily installed into my car using the windscreen mount. If you have a flat dash and the windscreen wipers don't obstruct the front of the unit you can mount it on the sticky magentic base that blackspot also supply in the box. I found that in motion the windscreen mounted unit tends to wobble slightly as the car goes over bumbs so mounting it on the sticky pad would be best. In normal driving conditions it displays a compass heading, the time and your current speed on a light blue display (all calculated every second via satellite)
Taking it out on a test drive the unit clearly warned of oncoming speed cameras by changing the display colour to red, giving a voice alert ('Warning, fixed speed camera ahead') and then bleeping as the display counted down to the camera in question. The unit displays an icon for the type of camera ahead whether it's GATSO, SPECs, etc
Because of the proliferation of cameras in London I personally found the bleeps very annoying but you can adjust the volume to a more comfortable level. So far it's been very accurate and picked up all my local fixed camera sites. This has allowed me to concentrate more on the road conditions rather than constantly looking down to check my speed in fear of speed cameras.
The unit also includes a laser detector at the front and rear of the unit so you can tell if someone is pointing a laser speed gun at your car. However, the concensus of opinion is that by the time the unit has warned you of the laser it probably too late anyway.... I haven't come across any mobile units so haven't been able to confirm it's effectivness
Advantages: Essential driving companion, accurate speed reading, makes you think about your speed Disadvantages: Display is sometimes difficult to read, no speed limit display
...limit or excercise caution until road signs indecate the information. And finally, sometimes it can take a long time for the device to find satelites and register the display if it is plugged in after a prolonged period out of the car which can be irritating when its services are needed. Overall
This is not a substitute for ignorance of the speed limit although it gives you an extra pair of eyes and increased awareness of your speed, it improves ...
b3rtie 22.06.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Road Angel 2
Advantages: GPS camera detector, laser detector. easy to use Disadvantages: ugly, has to be updated which will cost money, no speed limit notice
I bought my Road Angel about 12 months ago and was lucky enough to get an 18 month license for updates free with it.
This camera detector doesn't sense the camera or its radar or infra red signal but responds to a satellite signal warning you that a camera is coming up. It has given a few false alarms but usually these are mobile sites so you can't be sure anyway. The unit comes with a mounting bracket and suckers, a USB cable, charging cable for ... ...Although I still use my Road Angel, I actually prefer the warnings on my TomTom 910, You can download them as often as you want and they don't really cost you a penny. Plus you get a better idea of where the camera is situated and what kind it is and the speed limit. I only continue using the Road Angel on the off-chance that the laser detector might save my neck. ...
fightgear 12.07.2007
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Road Angel 2
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Advantages: Warns you of speed cameras in areas you do not know Disadvantages: Beeps can be annoying, become used to the alerts
) - good for evening use
- Lots of other features (time, compass, indicator to the "danger zone", you can program new locations, delete locations
I only use the camera alert not the other features of blackspots/schools - if I did it would continually beep!!!
You need to register your product (very simple) before you can accept downloads - very easy to do.
If you travel a lot you should download/upload at least once every week
Excellent if you do not know an area - so you get advance warnings that there are speed cameras/hazards - particularly good if there is one situated just round a bend or behind a sign!!!!
Disadvantages
- Approx. 70% accurate - this is due to mobile van cameras that do not aim their beam in the area where RoadAngel tracks it from e.g. they could aim at your number plate or tyre. A booklet provided ...
Advantages: Good looking, accurate and reliable Disadvantages: Limited laser gun detection, vibration of unit on dash
trouble at all. You get 6 months subscription included with the price of the unit and further subscription may be purchased at £49 for one year, £79 for 2 years and £99 for 3 years.
FIRST USE
The unit must be mounted on the dashboard or windscreen, making sure that the view of the unit is not obstructed by anything such as the windscreen wipers. When the unit is first turned on, by simply plugging into the cigarette lighter, it must be left for a little while to search for satellites in order to determine its location. In my case this took about 10 minutes but may take longer than this depending on the proximity of the satellites above the earth, however on subsequent uses this will only take a matter of seconds. Once this is completed you may drive off, when the RoadAngel will tell you your speed, direction of travel and the time ...