This section contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about radar speed displays and our SpeedCheck Products.
- There are cheaper products out there - why
does the SpeedCheck cost more?
A: Every SpeedCheck radar speed sign utilizes multiple
design elements (some rather expensive) which make them far more visible
and power efficient than other radar speed signs that use conventional
anti-glare, and contrast enhancement techniques.
SpeedCheck radar speed signs are designed for a high degree of vandal
resistance. For example, on our most popular SpeedCheck model, the display
window will deflect up to 2 inches without damage! This allows it to
absorb a powerful blow from a projectile.
SpeedCheck radar speed signs are designed to meet all federal standards.
Therefore they're acceptable for projects that involve any of the many
federal grant funds that are available.
SpeedCheck radar speed display signs have a proven record of reliability, and are
built by a company that is used to building products for professional grade
applications.
- Your Competitor claims their radar speed sign is
better because it can be seen over a wider angle.
A: With our first generation of SpeedCheck radar speed
signs in 1996, we saw a safety problem that disturbed us. As they drove
past, a high percentage of drivers would crane their necks to watch the
radar speed sign until they were right beside it. With them looking to
the side of the road rather than at the road ahead, this was a serious
safety concern. Especially when this was happening right at the place where
we were most concerned about getting them to pay attention to the road ahead!
In 1999, we developed our SafetyMask™ system for the 2nd generation
SpeedCheck products, and we've subsequently improved it in our 3rd generation
radar speed signs. SafetyMask allows us to limit viewing to a carefully
defined area within the driver's normal forward field of view. The result is
a dramatic reduction in the rubbernecking problem, getting driver's attention
back where we want it, on the road ahead.
In no area do we differ more greatly with our competitors than with the
claim that a wide viewing angle is actually a benefit. Our observation of
driver behavior showed that it is in fact a potential danger. Rubbernecking
drivers are not focused on the hazard zone ahead, and we designed the
SpeedCheck SafetyMask specifically to eliminate this risk.
- Your Competitor says their radar speed sign has better daytime
visibility.
A: In direct comparison in even the worst conditions, our
displays constantly receive rave reviews and accolades. (Our 15" YOUR SPEED radar speed
display is shown in the middle in the top right photo, and on the left in the
bottom photo.)
- How could SpeedCheck be that much better than the
others?
A: Fifteen years ago, we (and other manufacturers of outdoor
signs) used mechanical displays. We did so in spite of the potential for
mechanical problems and the sun fading of the reflective material, because
at that time mechanical displays still provided better view-ability in
bright sunlight than LEDs.
At that time, LED displays were not yet able to overcome the intensity and
reflections of direct sunlight. We continued to use LEDs only on displays
designed for indoor use, until we had completely solved the problems of glare
and poor contrast that were caused by direct sunlight.
In our 2nd generation sign, after a considerable amount of development of
the technologies that make up our UltraClear™ contrast enhancement feature, we
were finally able to reliably produce the extremely high contrast ratio
necessary for LEDs to consistently outperform mechanical displays, even in
bright direct sunlight.
In bright direct sunlight, new mechanical displays can provide good visibility,
and are better than common LED type outdoor displays. But the 2nd and 3rd
generation SpeedCheck displays with UltraClear provide far better visibility
than electromechanical displays. In addition, SpeedCheck displays do not degrade
from exposure to sunlight as mechanical displays do, and have no moving parts
to wear, stick, or break.
- I'm concerned about vandalism. Can the SpeedCheck withstand
abuse?
A: You bet! The 3rd generation
SpeedCheck 15" Displays feature a
shatter-proof window in combination with an internal display mechanism that will
deflect up to 2 inches to absorb an impact without damage.
- What is the warranty on a SpeedCheck radar speed sign?
A: None better! All SpeedCheck products are warranted for two
years, and the LED display boards are warranted for eight years from the date
of delivery. An extended warranty is available.
- Does the SpeedCheck radar speed sign meet all federal highway
regulations?
A: Yes, as of this writing IDC is one of three manufacturers
to meet all federal highway regulations and are acceptable for grant funding.
You can read more about this in
"
The Numbers Game" article in
our
Success Stories section.
- What if something does go wrong, are they difficult to
repair?
A: The SpeedCheck radar speed sign is easy to repair in the
field. Simply remove two vandal-resistant fasteners to gain access to all
internal components. Self-test functionality and a troubleshooting card
inside the display housing allow un-trained personnel to quickly troubleshoot
any problem. All components are easily replaced in just a few minutes.
- We can’t afford as many as we need right now... can
we move our pole mounted displays between locations?
A: Yes. Order our QuickChange option and as many additional
QuickChange pole mounting bracket kits as needed. Additional brackets are
mounted to each of the poles where you want to mount the radar speed sign.
Power can be provided by solar panels, AC power, or even batteries. Moving
the radar speed sign is then a very simple matter requiring no tools, only a
key to a padlock.
This allows you to purchase only what you can afford right now, and then
purchase additional radar speed signs over the coming years as local or
grant funds become available. The QuickChange brackets are perfectly suitable for long term mounting as well.
A: A very substantial number of Traffic Engineers have concluded
that radar speed display signs provide the best of all worlds.
- Effectively slows traffic
- Costs less than most other methods of traffic calming
- Do not impede emergency vehicles in any way
- Rather than raising the ire of the public, they more typically garner
- praise from community members
- What's the lowest power cost option?
A: With the cost of installation factored in, you will
probably find solar power to be the lowest total cost option in every case
except where AC power is readily available on the pole. Often, we are finding
that our solar power option is the least expensive solution. And, by limiting
nighttime operation through the use of the SpeedCheck Scheduler, our display sign uses
smaller solar panels.
As with all solar installations, these units still need to be sized properly
for your location, and are somewhat less expensive for Southern climates where
more winter sunlight is available (hence a smaller solar panel can be used).
They are available for use anywhere within the lower 48 States, and, as with
all of our solar powered radar speed signs, are guaranteed to operate 365 days
a year.
- How much will it cost to install?
A: Installation costs can vary dramatically. Typical
installations use a standard 4" pole, either buried or mounted to a base
that meets your local standards. The greatest cost variable is typically
that of getting power to the radar speed sign. AC grid connections can range
from the very simple, as when connecting to existing power inside the pole on
which the sign is to be mounted, to the very complicated, involving road
crossings, utility location, site repairs, lost time, etc.
In the former case, there is no question that an AC powered unit is the way
to go. But in the case of even fairly simple underground power runs, a Solar
Powered radar speed sign may very well be substantially less expensive than
an AC powered unit due to the savings on installation cost. Our Easy Solar
radar speed signs are designed specifically to minimize the overall cost by
eliminating a tremendous amount of installation labor.
- We can't afford it – do you know of any grant money
available?
A: Absolutely, we have some helpful information on
applying for grants, including contacts.
Better yet, we may be able to put you in touch with others within your state
who have received similar grants. Others have found this very helpful, as
those people within your state who have been through the process can often
provide very specific information about the grant application process
within your own state. Please call or
email our Grant
Coordinator for more information.
- We’ve never applied for a grant before, can you help
us?
A: Absolutely, we have some helpful information on
applying for grants, including contacts.
Better yet, we may be able to put you in touch with others within your state
who have received similar grants. Others have found this very helpful, as
those people within your state who have been through the process can often
provide very specific information about the grant application process within
your own state. Please call or
email our Grant
Coordinator for more information.
- Do you have a leasing or rental program?
A: Yes, both are available. Please
contact us for details.
- Any other ideas on how to pay for it?
A: Many communities have found that local businesses
and civic organizations are very responsive to the call for increased safety
for our kids. And very typically, if you can gather local support, the state
will pitch in.
Typically, local civic organizations are very familiar with the fundraising
process, and have a great many contacts within the community whom they can
call on to find a local civic organization that will take the ball and run
with it.
Some of the advantages that you have to offer local businesses to encourage
them to donate funds:
- Great Public Relations. A plaque mounted below the SpeedCheck Display
which thanks the companies that donated, is excellent PR that will benefit
them for years to come.
- Publicity. SpeedCheck radar speed displays, especially in school areas, are
of great interest to the public. From our experience, it would actually be
unique and odd for the local newspaper not to run an article! The fact that
it was paid for by local business(es) is an important part of such an article,
and is very good for those companies' public image. We can provide you with a
sample press release to send to the paper.
- Advertising tie-in. By advertising that a percentage of each sale will
go towards the purchase of the radar speed sign, businesses can structure
their donation in a manner that helps them to improve their public image and
bring more customers through the door.
- Car dealers seem especially receptive. There is an obvious connection,
and car dealers are typically very publicity aware and dependent upon
maintaining a good name in the community. Other businesses that are highly
reliant on good public relations are also good prospects.
You may find that you already have many links to the local business people
who can help you:
- PTA members who own / work for those local businesses
- Members of the School Board and School Officials who know the owners of
local businesses
- Contacts within the business community through the Chief of Police, Mayor,
City Council members, etc.
- Chamber of Commerce contacts
- Personal friends who own / work for those local businesses
It is sometimes surprising how many businesses and organizations are willing
to donate to a cause that they see as so positive.
- Does the SpeedCheck radar speed sign run all hours, or just at certain
times?
A: You can choose to have either 24-7, or timed operation with SpeedCheck Scheduler.
There are two main reasons to use a timer controlled unit:
- You specifically want the radar speed sign to operate only at certain times,
on certain days, or to exclude holidays.
- To reduce the cost of a solar powered sign by lowering power consumption.
- What size SpeedCheck radar speed sign should I order?
A: Our SpeedCheck-1820F is dimensioned to MUTCD Expressway
specifications, with 18 inch high digits and 36 by 48 inch sign dimensions.
These signs are typically used on roadways with 45 MPH & greater speed
limits. At 36 by 48 inches, the 18" display is almost always too obtrusive
for neighborhood and school zone applications.
For neighborhoods and school zones, the MUTCD specifies that the absolute
minimum sign size allowed is 24 x 30 inches (12" high digits), and it
provides for larger dimensions in increments of six inches "where
speed, volume, or other factors result in conditions where increased emphasis,
improved recognition, or increased legibility would be desirable"
[2003 MUTCD 2B.03].
We have in the past offered a "12 inch" display.
Our first SpeedCheck display, the VSC-1220, was designed with 12 inch high digits and a 24 x 30 inch sign. But our customers often
felt that these displays were just too small to be noticed.
Our SpeedCheck Permanent 15" display was designed to replace the 1220 display.
With 15 inch high digits and a 30 x 42" sign, it has become the overwhelming
choice of our customers for school zones, neighborhoods and playground areas.
The 30 x 42 inch sign of our 15" model is 75% larger than the MUTCD minimum.
It provides dramatically improved visibility, yet it is not
inappropriately large for this application, as is the case with the 36 x 48
inch sign of our SpeedCheck-1820F model.
Because virtually everyone has switched over to the larger 15" display with
its increased visibility, we discontinued the 24" x 30" model in 1998.
- How much power does it take to operate?
A: The actual amount of power consumed over a period of
time depends upon a number of factors. Principal factors are:
- Traffic Volume (determines how long the radar speed sign is illuminated)
- Ambient Light level (display gets brighter, consuming more power, as
the ambient light increases).
For a SpeedCheck sign that is connected to AC grid power and operating 24/7,
the power consumed will range from 80-120 kilowatt-hours annually. Based on
an electricity cost of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour (a very high electricity
cost estimate at the time of this writing), the cost to operate would be in
the range of $10-15 per year.
Power consumption is of far greater concern when the display is powered
by solar panels. Reduced power consumption means lower cost solar power
hardware which means a lower overall cost. We address this in the SpeedCheck
radar speed sign with a number of different technologies designed to work
together to minimize power consumption. Together, these technologies produce
impressive results...our displays consume 1/2–2/3 the power of competitive
products!
Reduced power consumption means that SpeedCheck delivers a direct customer
savings by reducing your investment in solar power equipment. It also means
that we can often provide a SpeedCheck radar speed sign solution that operates
reliably on solar power in low sunlight areas where competitive products will not.
- Is Solar Power an option for my location?
A: We've designed solar powered installations to operate
year-round in every conceivable location, and we can do the same for you.
Properly designed, solar power is an option, and will operate 365 days a year
without fail, whether you're in Phoenix or Seattle, Boca Raton or Buffalo.
But, one size does not fit all. An engineer from Seattle reached the
conclusion that solar power wouldn't work in his area, because a unit that he
purchased from someone else did not work in the winter time. A solar installation
must be designed for your specific location, traffic, and operating conditions.
If not, you may be paying too much for capacity you don't need, or, like the
engineer from Washington, you may find yourself, when the days get short and
gray, with an inoperative system.
The current SpeedCheck radar speed sign is a 3rd generation product designed
with solar power as a foremost consideration. We have combined multiple
technologies to achieve, by far, the lowest power consumption. This combination
of energy saving technologies is what makes solar powered installations feasible
virtually anywhere.
In most cases, the question comes down to whether solar powered SpeedCheck
installations are more cost effective than grid connected installations for your
specific projects. Please see also "How much will it cost to install?" above.
- How do we accurately design a solar powered SpeedCheck
system?
A: Although we do the hard work for you, it is important
that you understand that a reliable solar power system is not a simple thing to
design for two reasons:
- Accurate calculation of the load is a complex matter that requires taking
many parameters into account, including traffic, weather, operating hours and
other operating conditions.
- Determination of the amount of solar power that is available requires
accurate weather data as well as accounting for many other factors, including
panel degradation with time, actual (vs. advertised) panel output, obstructions
to sunlight, etc.
To accurately assess your requirements for a solar panel, we will ask you
some questions concerning the traffic flow, hours of operation and certain
characteristics of the location(s) of installation. We will combine this
information with weather data for your location that we collect from the Department
of Energy and do the required calculations to determine the requirements for a
solar powered installation that will work. Not just "most of the time", but all
of the time!
* IMPORTANT: Determination of the amount of sunlight that is available is not
as simple as one might hope. Some of the most readily available and commonly used
data does not include the worst-case information that is needed for this type of
installation. We've seen errors in this data of over 200% over-estimation of
available sunlight! Solar installations that are designed based on this data will
almost always be inadequate for winter operation—they WILL fail in the winter
months! For accurate "solar irradiance" information, we use exclusively data
provided by the Department of Energy which has been collected over a period of 30
years. If you need to know the proper conservative Department of Energy solar
radiation data for your area, feel free to give our engineering department a call.
To have us design a solar powered installation that will work NO MATTER WHAT,
fill out the
solar
power design form and email, fax or call it in to our engineering department.
- Are SpeedCheck radar speed signs FCC approved?
A: All radar speed signs must be FCC approved, and must
display an identification plate with the appropriate FCC information.
SpeedCheck radar speed signs are FCC approved and carry the required
identification plate.
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