Blackspot Interactive Ltd.
Road Angel GPS Warning System.
Above: New Road Angel
Well my first ever review and I am given the Road Angel
2 for a literal road test.
I have to admit to be a little bit daunted
at first when this box of wires arrived with the Road Angel unit
but the instructions are very easy to follow even for a complete
novice like myself.
Installation is very simple taking no more
than 15 minutes and the mounting unit attaches very securely to
the windscreen. I have now been using the Road Angel
for almost 2 months and unlike the usual suction cup mountings
that I have used before for mobile phones. The Road Angels mounting
has as yet never come away from the windscreen. Take heed of the
note in the instructions regarding heated windscreens. I drive
a Ford Focus with one of these windscreens and whilst the Road
Angel will still work in the centre of the screen it is well advised
to position it to the side if possible as the signal will be less
impaired. There is a remote antenna option for UV or heated screens
if needed.
Choose either the short coiled power cable or the
longer cable depending on your preference and the Road Angel fires
up very quickly. One criticism I would have is that while the
longer cable is considerably longer it doesn’t quite give
you enough to run the cable from a power socket at the back of
the car. This would leave the power socket in the front of the
car for your Palm device or laptop to use your Road Angel in conjunction
with any mapping software that you may have utilizing the excellent
GPS facility included on the unit.
The Road Angel is then ready to use, plug
and play so to speak. However, there are a number of
different settings for you to play around with and change to make
the Road Angel more suited to your requirements. I would particularly
recommend the single beep feature, speed volume and low speed
mute options to prevent you jumping out of your skin whenever
the unit is activated.
I use the Road Angel now for every journey
and have been amazed at the amount of information contained in
this tiny device. In fact the only Speed Cameras that
it has not warned me about have been either newly installed or
the ones that are regularly moved within the many roadwork’s
taking place up and down the country. You can even set the Range
that the Road Angel alerts you of an impending yellow box from
250 metres up to 1000 metres.
The Average Speed Camera alert is I have to say
particularly annoying with continual beeps while you are in the
zone. However, this does make you pay attention to your speed
so it is only doing the job for which it is intended.
If, like me you also need to travel into
London the Congestion Charge alert is most useful. I
am always getting lost or trying new routes to avoid the charge
and have on occasion thought that I have strayed into the zone.
I end up paying the £5 charge just in case and now I don’t
have to. If I stray into the zone while on my travels
the Road Angel lets me know and only then do I pay the charge.
You will be amazed at the number of Accident
Black Spots that there are as well and when the Road Angel alerts
you that you are getting close, you do automatically check your
speed and braking distance.
Overall I am very impressed with the Road
Angel 2 and will have to buy another one when my wife steals it
for her car. She has only driven my car with the Road Angel guarding
her a few times and has already commented that she not only misses
it, but doesn’t feel as safe without it in the car.
My advise to you is don’t look at
this as a gadget or a toy, look at the Road Angel as an investment. Most people get caught at some point by one of the growing
number of cameras out there and whether you believe that they
are a necessity or a money making tool for local government or
police forces the Road Angel will give you that extra bit of protection
for very little outlay. Remember, Points on your licence doesn’t
only mean a fine it could also increase your insurance premiums.
Get a Road Angel today, can you afford
not to?
Grant Jones, Wilmington, Kent
Features list
Voice Alert - Switch voice Alerts on or off
Camera Alert volume – Changes the volume
setting for safety camera related warnings. 0%-100% in 20% increments.
Camera alert single beep – Switch alert
on or off, as each proximity bar counts up it will emit a single
beep.
Safety Alert Volume – changes the volume
setting for Blackspot, School and congestion related warnings.
0%-100% in 20% increments.
Safety Alert single beep – Switch alert
on or off, as each proximity bar counts up it will emit a single
beep.
Blackspot alert – Switch Blackspot alerts
on or off.
School zone alert – Switch School alerts
on or off.
Congestion zone alert – switch congestion
zone entry warnings on or off.
Overspeed alert – Set a speed at which
the unit will warn if you exceed the speed.
Laser alert volume – changes the volume
for laser detection warnings. 0%-100% in 20% increments.
Laser Alert – turns on or off the internal
laser detection. Sensors plugged into auxiliary socket will
still warn.
Slow speed mute – When travelling less
than 15MPH the unit will not give an audible warning. If you
enter a zone below 15MPH you will hear a single beep, followed
by the proximity count up.
Speed sensitive volume – Adjust the warning
volumes dependent on how fast the vehicle is travelling.
Alert distance – adjusts the warning
range as you approach warnings. 250M, 500M and 1KM.
Speed distance sensitivity – Doubles
the advanced warning at 50MPH and above. Switch on or off.
Mapping Output – Switches NMEA data for
interfacing into Mapping Software on or off. (Requires extra
cable available from Blackspot Interactive Ltd).
Mapping Baud Rate – Switch between 4800,
9600, 19200 baud rate.
GPS/RescueLoc – This function allows
the user to read off their exact position in Latitude and Longitude,
in degrees, minutes and seconds. This can be quoted to rescue
services.
Unit Serial Number – displays the serial
number of the unit.
Firmware Version – displays the firmware
version of the unit.
Contrast – Adjusts the contrast of the
display,1-20.
Speed Units – Alters the display readout
between MPH and km/h
High Intense LED – Turn the high intensity
LED on or off for warnings.
Clock Adjust – Enables the user to adjust
the time offset.
Mute – To mute ROAD ANGEL when entering
a danger zone, simply press MENU.
There are several connection ports on the back of the
Road Angel. The Road Angel has a remote antenna connection,
this allows you to hide the unit or deal with problem windscreens.
Auxiliary port, for adding modular accessories such as the remote
laser alert heads. USB port for up-dating. Serial port for mapping
and other stuff, Power socket and ear piece socket.
In Use
The ROAD ANGEL will give you a warning of 6 different
zone types. Zones are shown on the display as a picture.
When a stored location is approached the
display will
turn from blue to red with the type of warning shown
on the display.
The unit will give both voice and beep
alerts and the first bar of the proximity will count
up. As the location is neared, the bar chart will count up and
the beeping frequency is increased. The high intensity LED never
fails to grab you attention and is a smart idea for those that
can't resist having the stereo up high. Its as simple as that.
When a congestion zone is approached, the "congestion
zone" symbol will appear on the display with a single
beep to warn you. The back light will stay blue.
When your vehicle is targeted by a mobile
laser gun, ROAD ANGEL will instantly flash 5 bars and
give voice alerts and beep quickly.
Where the authorities have designated a long section
of road for average speed detection (SPECS) the ROAD ANGEL counts
down as normal but remains red throughout the detection zone and
beeps as a reminder every 10 seconds.
ROAD ANGEL
Displays
 |
 |
 |
Fixed
Permanent Gatso,
TruVelo,Watchman and
Speedcurb sites. |
Mobile
Temporary Gatso or
TruVelo sites in
roadwork's, Fixed mobile
sites, DS2 and
Speedmaster |
Average
Average speed detection
zones as monitored by
digital; SPECS cameras |
|
|
|
Blackspot
Extreme danger zones
where serious
accidents have
occurred |
School
Warns the user as they
enter the proximity of
Primary schools |
Congestion
Warns as you are
approaching a
congestion charging
zone |
Sorry about the image quality, Its not easy
getting good images off LCD
Laser Alert.
Laser Warnings.
We found the laser to work just fine and the range
of detection was greater than the range of our gun.
Can we recommend it, Yes.
My advise to you is don’t look
at this as a gadget or a toy, look at the Road Angel as an investment.
Most people get caught at some point by one of the growing number
of cameras out there and whether you believe that they are a necessity
or a money making tool for local government or police forces the
Road Angel will give you that extra bit of protection for very
little outlay.
Remember, Points on your licence doesn’t only mean a fine
it could also increase your insurance premiums.
Get a Road Angel today, can you afford not to?
| What do we like. |
What don't we
like. |
- It's performance and looks
- The very flexible database
- Accident Blackspot Warning
- Schools warning
- Congestion Charge Warnings
- Selectable Mute Function
- Rescue Loc
- Zero false alarms
- Very Clear easy to read display
- Good Volume
- Integrated Laser Alert
- Build Quality and Feel
- GPS output for navigation
- Auxiliary port
- Ear Piece
- Warning Delete Button
- Concise Instructions
- Software upgradeable
- USB Updating for new Speedtraps
via Internet
- Excellent Customer Support.
- Price
|
- Over speed alert needs to
be easier to change whilst driving.
- No Mac Support
|
Review September 2004
Review by G. Jones
