Mobile Radar

Mobile RADAR devices, while also employing Radio Detection And Ranging technology, differ from speed camera RADAR devices in that they directly target vehicles (similar to LIDAR devices) as opposed to operating on a slant across the road like a speed camera device.

Mobile RADAR devices are speed detection devices mounted in a police vehicle (hence labelled as mobile) and can be used while the police vehicle is stopped, or in motion.

Mobile RADAR devices can be used to target vehicles travelling towards or away from the police vehicle while stationary or moving, and they are generally used to confirm that a vehicle observed by a police officer is speeding, and how fast the vehicle is travelling.

Mobile RADAR devices do not take photographs of speeding vehicles.

The general procedure for use of Mobile RADAR by Queensland police officers is that:

1. The officer notices that a vehicle is travelling faster than the speed limit and estimates their speed
2. The officer listens to the RADAR Doppler signal to confirm that the vehicle that has been targeted is travelling at speed (the louder, clearer and higher-pitched the tone is the higher the speed of the targeted vehicle)
3. The officer confirms that the direction the target vehicle is moving in is consistent with the RADAR device settings
4. The officer checks the target speed indicated by the RADAR device against what they have observed and heard to ensure that it is consistent. 
   If the police patrol vehicle is moving at the time that the RADAR is operated by the officer, they should also:
5. Check the speed of the patrol vehicle on the RADAR device to ensure that it is consistent with the speed displayed on the speedometer

Vehicles travelling at an angle towards or away from the mobile RADAR device will actually register lower speeds than they are travelling at (the difference increases as the angle becomes greater), so the cosine effect will be in the motorist’s favour.

Mobile RADAR devices must be tested/calibrated, certified and sealed at least every 12 months, in accordance with Australian Standards.
 
At the commencement and end of each operation the device should also be field tested for accuracy, e.g., by checking against a vehicle with a speedometer of known accuracy or using the tuning forks supplied by the manufacturer.

Operators of RADAR devices should avoid locations with excessive Electromagnetic interference (caused by, for example, high voltage power lines) and reflections from stationary objects or other interference (e.g., advertising signs that are rotating or swinging or other large metal objects).