Stinger Card User Manual

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Card

User Manual English

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Spectrum Analyzer

All relevant microwaves you encounter are analyzed in patterns, frequencies and amplitudes by your Stinger’s Spectrum Analyzer, which uses a phased array radar in the form of a patch antenna for the receiver section. It is extremely slim, particularly accurate and hypersensitive.

Laser Analyzer and the Lasers

All laser activities – transmitting and receiving – are coordinated in the Laser Analyzer Box (which is in turn controlled by the Computer Centre). The Laser Analyzer Box drives a maximum of four Lasers, which do the actual transmitting and receiving of laser light: sending laser Safety Signals, Laser Alerting (detection and warning) and LaserShielding*.

Card, Card Holder and PC Interface

The Card is easy to opperate using the

ve touch keys on its top surface. Also,

all relevant information will be displayed on the Card by means of colour coded LEDs. Using the Card in your car requires the supplied Card Holder. The (optional) PC-Interface will enable you to connect your Card to a Mac or PC.

The Card is a modular system. This not only has the advantage that the Card can easily be congured to your personal wishes, but

also makes it ‘future proof’. If Stinger makes a new module for the Card available, it can easily be clicked into the system. Software

updates can simply be downloaded via the Stinger Desktop. Your Stinger can be equipped with the following modules:

Splitter Cable

Use the Splitter cable to connect modules such as the Spectrum Analyzer and the Laser Analyzer to the Card Holder.

THE MODULESWELCOME

*Not available on GPS-ONLY version of the Card.

stinger.com

Thank you for purchasing the Card, Stinger’s unmatched technology in the size of a credit card. A high quality product like the Stinger

Card, should come with an equally high level of service. Therefore please note that you can direct all your questions regarding the

Card to Stinger by simply calling us on +31 (0) 252 418095. Useful information is also available at www.stinger.com. This User

Manual will quickly bring you up to speed with your Card to help you get optimal enjoyment from Stinger applications such as SpotList

Alerting, Radar Alerting*, SPECS Alerting, Laser Alerting*, LaserShield*, Safety Signals and PoliceCheck.

If after reading this manual you still have some questions, you can obtain additional information in the following way:

Via the Stinger information line: +31 (0) 252 418095

Through the online manuals which can be found at www.stinger.com/manuals

At our website www.stinger.com, for example under ‘Frequently Asked Questions’

In a personal meeting at the Stinger ofces, preferably upon making an appointment: Stinger

Arnoudstraat 6 2182 DZ Hillegom The Netherlands

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GPS-ONLY VERSION

Many countries within the E.U. have their own, unique regulations when it comes to drivers being alerted for or protected from speed traps. Depending on the country, citizens may or may not have the freedom to receive information concerning speed

traps and to be alerted accordingly. In some countries radar can be freely picked up, in others it’s made illegal. The freedom to pick up the information from laser guns,

also differs on a per country basis.

In order to offer its products to car drivers throughout the so called “common

market’ of the E.U., Stinger has chosen to supply the Card in a GPS-ONLY VERSION. Functionalities such as Radar Alerting and Laser Alerting are not available on this

version. When connecting a Stinger Card this version can be easily recognized by the

brightly lit text “GPS-ONLY VERSION” at the bottom left corner of the Card.

Please remember it is your responsibility to know and abide by the law. Therefore, always thoroughly check local legislation before rst using your Stinger Card. If you have a GPS-ONLY VERSION of the Stinger Card and you are driving in a country

where you do have the freedom to use Radar Alerting and/or Laser Alerting, you can download and install the software appropriate for that country.

Of course you can later delete this (new) functionality with the touch of a button, in order to easily and completely stay in compliance with local legislation whenever entering a country that does not allow for Radar and/or Laser Alerting. Erasing is achieved by

simultaneously holding both the “golden Stinger S” (underneath the right bottom corner of the Card) and the + key for longer than 3 seconds. After you have heard the “wiping” sound as a conrmation, the erased functionalities have been permanently deleted. The Card will only be capable of the standard GPS-ONLY VERSION functionalities. A new software download and installation (available

where allowed) needs to be performed in order to change the version of your Card (see page 16).

Note: Under no circumstance does your Stinger constitute a license to exceed the posted speed limits. Alerts from your Stinger serve as an

effective reminder to mind your speed. Always drive responsibly and pay full attention to trafc.

LEGAL CONTROLS

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The golden Stinger S is located below this

corner on the ipside of the Card.

Simultaneously holding both this S and

the + key for longer than 3 seconds will turn your Card into a GPS-ONLY VERSION

by permanently erasing any of the extra functionalities.

Whenever your Card has been inserted in the Card Holder it will automatically switch on and off along with your ignition. You can

also switch off the Card by simply taking it out of the holder. Use the touch keys to further control the Card’s options. Status and

Level LEDs, as well as clear audio signals, will be used in case of alerts.

K or NEXT key

Use this touch key to toggle the K band on or off. When in Selection

mode this same key is used to skip to the next

functionality.

MUTE key

Key to temporarily mute the sound of an active alert.

CITY (Key combination)

Touching the FALSE and MUTE

keys simultaneously will activate

(or deactivate) the CITY mode.

(see page 14).

SELECT (Key combination)

Touching the - and + keys simultaneously will bring you to the Selection mode. In Selection mode you can switch on and off most of the Card’s options (see page 7).

Level LEDs

These LEDs will indicate such information as the level of signals being received and your relative position within a SPECS location.

Function LEDs

These LEDs indicate the stautus of a functionality:

LED off - function inactive LED on - function active

LED ashing - active alert

- and + keys

These keys adjust the audio

level of your Card. When in Selection mode,

use these keys to switch the

selected functionality off (-) or on (+). (see page 7).

False key

Use to add any unwanted radar alerts to the

FalseList with a touch of

the button (see page 14).

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Simultaneously touch the -

and the + keys.

The LED belonging to the

rst functionality will start ashing, indicating it has

been selected.

Touch the - key to switch off

the selected functionality,

touch the + key to switch

it on.

The Level LEDs indicate whether the selected functionality has been switched on: 1 LED means off, 5 LEDs mean on.

You can leave the Selection

mode by not touching

any key for longer

than 10 seconds or by simultaneously touching

the - and the + key.

Touch NEXT (the K

key) to select the next

functionality.

Repeating steps 2 through 5 will allow you to select each functionality and switch it on or off.

Function OFF

Function

Selection mode

You can easily turn the Stinger Card’s many functionalities on or off by entering Selection mode:

Analyzing K band radar active Radar Alert K band 3

Analyzing Ka band radar active Radar Alert Ka band 4

Searching for Safety Signals active

In conjunction with K or Ka LED: Safety Signal Alert via radar In conjunction with K or Ka LED: Safety Signal Alert via laser

Analyzing laser guns active Laser Alert 6

LaserShield® standby LaserShield® up 7

Stinger SpotList Alerting active You are approaching a SpotList location such as a loop camera 8

A B

SPECS Alerting active You have entered a SPECS location 9

SpS

Card will not play audio alerts when travelling under SpeedSense threshold

Audio alert currently muted by SpeedSense 10

FalseList functionality active Audio alert currently muted by FalseList 11

CONTROLS CONTROLS

6 7

LED ON FLASHING PAGE

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

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Induction loop camera’s, such as Truvelo, use loops embedded in the road, instead of radar, to measure speed. These camera’s

therefore cannot be found by Radar Alerting or a radar detector. However, by their nature induction loops are in xed locations and

Stinger has mapped virtually all of them and incorporated them in the Stinger SpotList database. Stinger SpotList Alerting warns you

in time using an audio signal and display alert whenever you are approaching an induction loop camera. The most recent version of

the Stinger SpotList can be downloaded from stinger.com and be installed via the Stinger Desktop application on your Mac or PC.

On approaching a speed camera with induction loops SpotList Alerting will generate the following warning:

SpotList Alarm

Starting circa 15 seconds before

the speed camera, your Card will

start alerting. During the alert

the SL (SpotList) LED will ash

in conjunction with the red Level

LEDs. A distinctive audio alert

will be played as well.

Police in Europe use quite a few ways to check motorists for speed, and an even greater variety of equipment to carry out these

checks. Each type of speed trap requires a special approach of the Card. For the different types of speed traps for which it offers

protection, the Card has a particular warning LED and alert tone, activated on approach of the specic speed check. The following

pages provide a summary of the various types of speed traps and the corresponding Card alerts.

Note: The rules regarding protection against speed traps vary from country to country. Some countries have taken away your freedom to use

some or any of the speed trap protection functionalities that Stinger offers. Please acquaint yourself with the rules and regulations of the region

in which you would like to use your Stinger Card. To assist you with this, please use the Stinger Desktop application and make sure you answer correctly the questions concerning the regional congurations.

Induction Loops:

Fixed

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Radar Speed Trap:

Mobile (tripod)

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Radar Speed Trap:

Mobile (car)

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Laser Speed Trap:

Gun

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Laser Speed Trap:

AutoVelox

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SPECS

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Radar Speed Trap:

Fixed

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TYPES OF SPEED TRAPS INDUCTION LOOPS

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SPECS Alerting warns you of SPECS checks and guides you through them. These checks use cameras above the road to record your

car at point A, regardless of your speed. This is repeated at the end of the route at point B. The central system therefore knows how

long it took you to drive from A to B and will automatically calculate your average speed. The Card takes you through SPECS locations

with the help of easy to understand alerts. You will always be aware of when a route begins, what the approximate remaining length

of the route is and if your average speed is within the legal limit.

Be careful: many SPECS checks now also measure your average speed over sub-sections of a route. To offer full information

your Stinger will treat each sub-section as an individual SPECS location.

SPECS Alert

About ten seconds before entering a SPECS location, the Card wil play a single beep and the very

rst and last of the (red) Level

LEDs will light up, indicating you are approaching the location. At the start of the SPECS location

a double beep is played, nally

followed by a triple beep after you have exited the SPECS location. During the entire SPECS the A B

LED will ash.

There are two types of radar speed traps: xed and mobile. The SpotList Alerting described on the previous page can warn you

about the xed radar locations. Stinger’s Radar Alerting feature*, however, can expertly alert you to both types of radar traps: xed

and mobile. Your Stinger Card can utilise the Spectrum Analyzer with patch antenna to recognize police radars at often double the

distance that some radar detectors manage to achieve.

Note: Some countries have taken away your freedom to use the radar alerting functionality. If you travel to a country where radar alerting is permitted, you can download the appropriate Card Software. To assist you with this, please use the Stinger Desktop application for your Mac

or PC (see page 16). On returning to the country where Radar Alerting is not permitted, you can erase this function again by simultaneously

holding both the S (on the back of the card) and the + key for longer than 3 seconds. This will turn your Card into a GPS-ONLY VERSION by

permanently erasing any of the extra functionalities (see page 4).

Radar Alert

In case of a Radar Alert either the K (24

GHz) or the Ka (34 GHz) LED will ash.

Ka frequency radars are often used for mobile speed traps on highways. K band radar is also transmitted by automatic doors of petrol station, as

well as trafc monitoring systems on

the highways.

Signal strenght

The closer you approach a radar source, the more Level LEDs will light up.

RADAR SPEED TRAPS: FIXED AND MOBILE SPECS

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*Not available on GPS-ONLY version of the Card.

With the help of the (red) Level LEDs you can visually monitor your relative position within the SPECS.

A repetitive alarm will sound at any moment that your average speed exceeds the speed limit for that SPECS location.

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If you have equipped your Card with Stinger Laser modules, it can protect you against speed traps carried out with laser guns*.

Stinger Laser offers two forms of protection against laser beams. Laser Alerting* involves a visual and audio alarm in case your car

gets shot at by laser. LaserShielding* takes the protection further: your Stinger can pull up a protective shield of (invisible) light,

making it virtually impossible for laser guns to measure your speed. LaserShield is so advanced that even modern side laser systems

(along side the road, e.g. incorporated in the guard rail) can be blocked effectively (optional installation required). Note: The

LaserShield is for use where permitted.

Note: Even if you own a Card version capable of the LaserShield functionality* it initially will be switched off. To activate it, go to the Selection Mode (see page 7). Before using the LaserShield please check your local legislation.

The moment your Stinger recognises a laser the LA LED on your Card

will start ashing and a distinct audio alarm will sound. All of the red Level LEDs will ash also.

Laser Alerting

With LaserShield on stand-by, the Card will instantly project a ‘shield’ of invisible laser light in front of your car. This shield will

remain up for a maximum of 6 seconds starting from the initial

Laser Alert. After this ‘Shield-up Time’ the LaserShield protection

will automatically end, enabling the speed gun to measure your speed. The LaserShield will never be active when your speed is

below 30 km/h (or 19 mph).

LaserShield

LASER SPEED TRAPS

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*Not available on GPS-ONLY version of the Card.

SAFETY SIGNALS

The Stinger Card incorporates a unique safety system. At considerable distances,

your Card is able to receive so-called Safety Signals that can be transmitted

by ambulances, by police, at road construction sites or around school zones.

These signals will be recognized and used to give you a real-time warning for

possible road safety hazards. In these cases de Safety Signal LED together

with all ve Level LEDs will ash and a special audio warning will sound.

Depending on the application, Safety Signals can technically be generated

based on one of three methods:

Based on GPS and SpotList: For example to warn you when approaching

unguarded railway crossings.

Based on radar: For example around school zones to warn drivers in a

surrounding area.

Based on laser: For more pinpointed communication, e.g. to cars on a

specic stretch of road traveling in a certain direction. This is also what

enables car-to-car Safety Signals.

Car-to-car Safety Signals

A vehicle equipped with a Stinger DSI or Stinger Card with Laser that has to suddenly hit the brakes, can instantly give following cars with Stinger Laser an early warning for this dangerous trafc situation. A function that can literally save lives.

Safety Signal Alert via laser

Safety Signal Alert via radar

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FalseList

If you receive a false alarm (such as from automatic doors at petrol

stations), simply press the FALSE button and this specic signal at this specic location will be

stored in the FalseList database. If you drive past the location again, you will no longer hear

an audio alarm; you will still see a visual warning on your Card however, indicating that the

alarm has been suppressed by FalseList. Your Card will still sound an audio alarm in case of

a real speed trap at the same location, since the ‘ngerprint’ for that signal will usually differ

from the one in the FalseList database.

SpeedSense (SpS) Of course you could receive an audio alert when you are not

likely to exceed any speed limits. You could for instance be stuck in trafc, be looking for your

way around a business park or simply be searching for a parking spot at a shopping centre.

SpeedSense is Stinger’s way of effectively eliminating any chance of these unnecessary alerts

by only allowing alerts to sound when you are travelling at speeds that exceed 50 km/h. You

will still be visually alerted by means of a ashing alert LED in conjunction with a ashing SpS

(SpeedSense) LED. This way it will stay pleasantly quiet in your car when it counts most.

CITY* Touching the FALSE and MUTE keys simultaneously will activate (or deactivate)

the CITY mode. With CITY mode active the red LED below the letter C will be lit and an audio

alert for radar signals will only sound when the signal strenght level is greater than 1. This

can be useful in urban areas where driving speeds are relatively low and the amount of false

alerts relatively high.

PoliceCheck This feature can help you avoid unjust

trafc tickets. Your Card will automatically keep track where

and when you have encountered radar, laser or other methods

of speed traps. For each occurrence it has the unique ability

to register all important details such as location, direction,

time, top speed, radar frequency, laser gun type, etc... This

gives you an option to check whether tickets have been

issued correctly, e.g. by easily determining if police radar was

operating within the legal frequency range.

The Card has memory capacity to store many months

of PoliceCheck data. When the memory is full the oldest

information will be erased and replaced by the most recent.

Therefore Stinger recommends to connect your Card to your

Mac or PC about once a month in order to move the Police

Check data to your Stinger Desktop for long term storage.

It takes two simple steps to store and manage your PoliceCheck data:

1) Take the Card out of your car and use the PC Interface (available as an option) to connect it to your Mac or PC via a USB port.

2) Start up the Stinger Desktop application and import the PoliceCheck data. At any time, this will give you a convenient overview of the speed traps

that you have encountered during your trips.

SUPPRESSING FALSE ALERTS

POLICECHECK

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*Not available on GPS-ONLY version of the Card.

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STINGER DESKTOP

The Stinger Desktop is a simple-to-use application for your Mac or PC and enables you to:

Update your Stinger Card with great ease.

Load the database with (new) xed speed trap locations to your Card (Stinger SpotList).

Store and browse your PoliceCheck data.

The Stinger Desktop is supplied on a CD-rom with the purchase of the optional PC Interface for the Card and the most recent version is also available

for download from stinger.com. Before you can start using the Stinger Desktop it will have to be installed on your Mac or PC. More information

regarding the installation can be found on www.stinger.com .

Under “1. STINGER DEVICE” you will see which Stinger device has been attached (to the USB PC-Interface), in this case a Card.

Under “2. DATABASE” you will notice the name of the PoliceCheck database that has been opened. Use these databases to store, browse and

manage the imported PoliceCheck data.

Allows you to monitor the progress of actions taking place, such as data being copied from the Card. 3.

Press this button to import PoliceCheck data belonging to your car from the Card to the database that has been opened.4.

Click this button to check for software updates. If updates are available, a window on which you can start the updates will appear.5.

After downloading the most recent Stinger SpotList from www.stinger.com you must use this button to install it on your Card. 6.

Click under 7. DATABASE on PoliceCheck for a complete overview of all the registered PoliceCheck data.

By clicking a column heading, it is possible to sort your PoliceCheck data based on the title of the column heading.8.

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NOTES

18 19

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www.stinger.com

+31 (0) 252 418095