KBOlsen, if it's insight you want, then it's insight you'll get...
I got your FRIED NOODLE right here! :redflip
RADAR stands for Radio Detection and Ranging. Most police radars are not capable of determining range, this is mostly used in military applications. The energy from RADAR will travel indefinitely unless it is either reflected, refracted or absorbed. Radio energy always travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second. Depending on the size, shape, speed, composition and exact location of an object, it's reflected signal may not be "seen" by the RADAR unit. Police RADARS use another characteristic of radio energy in order to measure speed. That characteristic is that the frequency (cycles per second) of a radio signal changes when the signal is reflected back from a target that is moving at a different speed that the Radar set. This change or shift in frequency is known as the "Doppler" shift. If there is relative motion between the RADAR and the target, there is a shift between the transmitted frequency and the frequency of the small signal received back from the target. This frequency shift is determined by the police RADAR by comparing the returning signal frequency with the transmitted shift. By measuring the degree of frequency shift, the RADAR is able to display the target vehicle speed in miles per hour. In radio signals, wave length and frequency are closely related. Both radio and light travel at approximately 186,000 miles per second. Therefore, any given radio wave length is associated with a specific frequency. For example: X-band = 10.525 gigahertz, K-band = 24.150 gigahertz, Ka-band = 34.700 gigahertz. In each case, the frequency times the wave length ALWAYS equals about 30 billion centimeters per second, which is the speed of light. Remember, the frequency change only happens when there is RELATIVE MOTION between the RADAR and the solid object. Also of importance to us, the motorcylist, it is a fact that when a motorcycle, car, truck's direction makes an angle with the position of a stationary RADAR, the relative speed will ALWAYS be less than the true speed, and since the change in the signal's frequency is based on the relative speed, the RADAR speed measurement will be lower than the vehicle's true speed. This is known as the angular effect (sometimes called the cosine effect). This effect will always work to the motorist's advantage when the RADAR is operated in the stationary mode. The shape of a vehicle will be a big factor in how much energy is reflected back to the RADAR. A RADAR beam will bounce off a surface at the same angle at which it striked the surface. If the surface is slanted, some of the reflected energy will head off into space and not be picked up by the RADAR receiver. Many times, if a smaller vehicle is traveling next to or in close proximity of a larger vehicle, such as a tractor trailer or truck, the smaller vehicle's relected energy may be overshadowed by the larger vehicle's. There are many more factors which determine a RADAR's effectiveness. Interference such as man made objects can hamper a RADAR's accuracy. Moving objects, such as rotation signs alongside the road will reflect the RADAR beam and cause Doppler shifts that are interpreted by the RADAR receiver as vehicles. The patrol vehicle's own defroster fan can sometimes create interference when the RADAR beam is transmitted through the front windshield. Fluorescent lamps, neon signs and similar devices are also examples of objects that can create the false signals.
Bishop, there are many factors which may have reduced the RADAR unit's effectivness the day your friend "clocked" you on your bike.
Hope this helped....:redflip
