Stinger Dsi computer User manual

DSI Computer

User Manual

English

stinger.com

Thank you for purchasing the Driver Safety and Information Computer (DSI). A high quality product like the Stinger DSI, should

come with an equally high level of service. Therefore please note that you can direct all your questions regarding the DSI 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 DSI to help you get optimal enjoyment from Stinger applications such as SpotList Alerting, Radar

Alerting*, SPECS Alerting, Laser Alerting*, LaserShield*, MileageLog, 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

Computer Center

The Computer Center is the Stinger DSI’s

brain, directing and coordinating all other

modules and functions. All modules are

therefore connected directly or indirectly

to the Computer Center. If Stinger brings

out a new module, it can be added simply

by plugging it in. The Computer Center

has ash memory and a GPS module.

Extension Box

To connect additional modules quickly and

easily, we recommend using the Extension

Box when the DSI is installed. The Extension

Box is placed under the bonnet of the car and

connects the Spectrum Analyzer and Laser

Analyzer Box to the Computer Centre.

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

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*.

Memory Display, Display

Holder and PC Interface

The Stinger DSI is operated using the

Memory Display. The Memory Display’s

LCD screen also shows all relevant

information. Using the PC Interface, you

can link the Memory Display to your PC

and pass data to and from the car such

as the MileageLog.

The DSI is a modular system. This not

only has the advantage that the DSI can

easily be congured to your personal

wishes, but also makes it ‘future proof’.

If Stinger makes a new module available

for the DSI, 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:

THE MODULES 3

2WELCOME

*Available where allowed

Function buttons at the right side

The three larger buttons to the right are usually used to select functions or choose settings.

The top and bottom buttons of the three are mostly used for navigating up and down

between settings and functions. The middle button functions as the ‘enter’ button.

Lower Function buttons

The actual functions of the lower four buttons are described directly above them on the

LCD screen and may vary from one screen to another.

The OFF and ERASE button

The slightly smaller button in the topmost right corner at the front is the OFF button. If

you have driven in a country where Radar Alerting is allowed and now drive into a country

where that is not allowed, pressing the OFF button will take you to the ERASE screen.

Here, pressing the ERASE button (the rightmost of the lower four function buttons), will

immediately erase the Radar Alerting, Laser Alerting and LaserShield functions – instantly

bringing you into compliance with local regulations.

CONTROLS CONTROLS

4 5

Your DSI will automatically switch on and off along with the ignition of your vehicle and you can control the DSI by means of the

eight keys on the Memory Display.

Favorite screen

After the DSI switches on, the Memory Display rst shows the Stinger logo and during 10 seconds noties you that by using the DSI you declare

yourself in agreement with the Stinger User Agreement.

If you have the MileageLog functionality on (Main Menu > Conguration > MileageLog), next you will see the screen that offers the route type options

(business, private, commute).

Lastly, you will see your favourite screen, as selected in the Congurations Menu. Depending on your selection, this can be the Spectrum Analysis*

screen, the Signal Strength screen*, or the Pilot screen (depicted below), which conveniently shows your current speed, the time, your direction of

travel, the SpeedSense (SpS) value and all active functionalities at any given moment.

BACK

This button takes you to the

previous menu untill you

reach the Main Menu

MUTE

Button that temporarily

switches off a sound alert

SpS

With this button you

change the speed value

under which you will not

get any audio alerts (p.14)

MEM

Button that puts FalseList

and SpotList lcoation into

the memory (p.14)

*Available where allowed

Conguration menu

Pressing the BACK button one time or more will always bring you back to the Main Menu. From the Main Menu you cannot just navigate to the

various functionality screens, but also to the Conguration menu where you can customise a multitude of settings such as volume, brightness, time,

language, mph or km/h, SpeedSense level, etc.

LEGAL SAFETY SIGNALS

6 7

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 in certain markets only supplies versions of the DSI

that are incapable of certain functionalities. Radar Alerting and Laser Alerting

are not available on this version. When powered up this version of the Stinger

DSI can be easily recognized in the Pilot screen by means of the text “RADAR

ALERTING NOT POSSIBLE”.

Please remember it is your responsibility to know and abide by the law.

Therefore, always thoroughly check local legislation before rst using your

Stinger DSI. If 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 of local legislation

whenever entering a country that does not allow for Radar and/or Laser Alerting. Erasing is achieved by rst pressing the OFF key.

In the subsequent screen just choose ERASE. This will turn your DSI in a version that is incapable of Radar Alerting, Laser Alerting

and LaserShield. A new software download and installation (available where allowed) is required in order to once again change the

version of your DSI (see page 18).

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.

If you are leaving a country where Radar

Alerting is allowed and now drive into a

country where that is not allowed, pressing

the OFF button will take you to ERASE

screen.

Here, pressing the ERASE button, will

immediately erase the Radar Alerting,

Laser Alerting and LaserShield functions –

instantly bringing you into compliance with

local regulations.

Car-to-car Safety Signals

A vehicle equipped with a Stinger DSI or Stinger Card with Laser that has to suddenly hit the breaks, can instantly give following cars

with Stinger Laser an early warning for this dangerous trafc situation. A function that can literally save lives.

The Stinger DSI incorporates a unique safety system. At considerable

distances, your DSI 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 Safety Signals will provide you with both an advanced

visual warning and a special audio warning.

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 the 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.

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 DSI has particular audio-visual alerts, activated on approach of the specic speed trap. The following pages provide

a summary of the various types of speed traps and the corresponding DSI screens.

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 DSI. 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 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 message 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 screen:

Your current speed

Your GPS speed, more accurate

than your car’s speedometer. The SpotList Alert

The DSI displays a warning 15

seconds before the loop trap

and shows the speed limit it

has stored for that location

The direction of travel

The time

Induction Loops:

Fixed

Page 9

Radar Speed Trap:

Mobile (tripod)

Page 10

Radar Speed Trap:

Mobile (car)

Page 10

SPECS

Page 12

Radar Speed Trap:

Fixed

Page 10

TYPES OF SPEED TRAPS INDUCTION LOOPS

8 9

Laser Speed Trap:

Gun

Page 14

Laser Speed Trap:

AutoVelox

Page 14

There are two types of radar speed traps: xed and mobile. The SpotList Alerting described on page 9 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 DSI 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 Stinger Operating 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 pressing

the OFF button (in the top right corner) and then the ERASE button (the rightmost of the lower four function buttons). See Page 4 for the ERASE

function description.

Radar Alerting offers a choice of three different preferred screens (which you can indicate in Settings > Preferred Screen):

Band type

Your DSI indicates the radar

band here (K or Ka).

The signal strenght

The higher the peak displayed by the

Spectrum Analysis screen, the stronger

the signal. The stronger the signal, the

more likely it is to be an actual trap. Also,

the closer to the centre of the graph the

peak is, the more likely it is to be police

radar. In this example, it appears to be

an actual speed trap for two reasons:

peak height and signal location.

Pilot screen

Spectrum Analysis screen

Signal strenght

The signal strength – Your DSI

displays a relatively high signal

strength value of 225 here,

whereas the maximum is 255.

Therefore it is very likely that this

concerns an actual speed trap.

Exact frequency

Your DSI indicates the

exact radar frequency

here – in this case,

24.126 GHz.

The signal strenght

Your DSI detects a strong K-band

frequency, as the K indicator bar is

almost full. This suggests an actual

speed trap in the area, not a false

alarm. The Ka band is completely

empty, so there is no Ka trap in the

area. There is no Laser (La) signal

present either.

Signal Strenght screen

The precise frequency

The closer the measured

frequency approaches the

ofcial K band axis frequency of

24.125 GHz (or in the case of the

Ka band, 34.3 GHz), the more

likely it is to be a speed trap as

opposed to a false alarm.

RADAR SPEED TRAPS: FIXED AND MOBILE UNITS

10 11

RADAR SPEED TRAPS: FIXED AND MOBILE UNITS

*Available where allowed

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 DSI takes you through the SPECS

check with various screens. You will always be aware of when a route begins, what the approximate remaining length of the route

is and what your average speed is at that time.

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.

On the Pilot screen, which provides clear visual support, you will see the following screens in the event of a SPECS check:

Current speed

Warning

You will receive a warning when

you approach a SPECS check.

Speed limit

The speed limit stored in

your Stinger for the route.

Notice

Route length

Your relative position on the

route is shown visually. Average speed

This is your real-time average

speed over the route covered so

far. A happy, neutral or sad face

show you whether you’re average

speed is okay or over the limit.

Remaining distance

Remaining distance within

the SPECS

During the SPECS

Average speed

This is your nal average speed

for the entire route. If your

average exceeds the speed

limit, an unhappy face will be

displayed and a camera sound

will be heard.

End of route

Adjust speed

You can adjust the speed

limit using the

SPECS SPECS

12 13

If you have equipped your DSI with Stinger Laser modules, it can protect you against laser speed traps*, using the latest laser

technology. Laser traps involve lasers being shot at your car, with the gun calculating your speed based on the reected laser.

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; your Stinger can even indicate the type of gun the police are using.

LaserShielding*takes the protection further: your Stinger pulls up a protective laser shield of light, making it virtually impossible for

speed trap lasers to measure your speed. Note: The LaserShield is for use where permitted.

Note: Even if you own a DSI version capable of the LaserShield functionality it initially will be switched off. To activate it go

Settings > Laser

and switch ‘LaserShield’ on. Before using the LaserShield please check your local legislation.

Warning

A LASER ALERT message will appear on

your Memory Display as soon as your

Stinger detects a laser. The type of laser

gun can also be displayed.

Laser Alerting*

Warning

When speed trap lasers are detected,

this screen will be displayed and you

will hear the corresponding warning. If

you have the LaserShield function on,

your Shield will automatically deploy.

Shield-up time

The LaserShield will remain in effect for 4 to 10 seconds, depending

on the ‘Shield-up’ time you have selected (the factory Shield-up time

setting is 6 seconds). 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).

LaserShielding

LASER SPEED TRAPS

14 15

LASER SPEED TRAPS

*Available where allowed

Select the duration of the Shield Up time by going to:

Conguration > Laser > LaserShield

FalseList*If you receive a false alarm, simply press the MEM button and you will

see a message that 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 warning on your display however, indicating that the alarm has been suppressed

by FalseList. Your DSI 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 eliminates these by simply letting you indicate the speed below which

the DSI will not give audible warnings.

The accompanying pilot screen indicates that the SpeedSense (SpS) value is 25. Below

25 km/h, therefore, the DSI will not produce audio alerts (but it will indicate them on your

Memory Display screen), keeping things nice and quiet in your car.

You can congure SpeedSense on your DSI under Main Menu > Settings > SpeedSense, in which you can set a ‘high’ and a ‘low’ SpeedSense

value. The high value is meant for motorways, the low one for secondary roads (many people set the high value at or around 100 km/h and the low

value at or around 50 km/h). If you turn on ‘auto switch’ in the SpeedSense settings, your DSI will automatically switch from the high to the low

value as soon as your actual speed reaches the low SpeedSense value. If you do not turn ‘auto switch’ on, you will be able to switch from the high

to the low value only by pressing the SpS button. Switching up from the low SpeedSense value to the high value can only be done using the SpS

button, whether ‘auto switch’ is on or not.

MileageLog Stinger’s MileageLogging keeps your business and private trips separate.

At the start of each trip, select the type of trip and to record fuel stops and other interruptions,

press ‘pitstop’ after resuming the trip. If you wish, you can also enter the current mileage at

the time of the pitstop

PoliceCheck This unique function helps you ght unjust trafc nes.

If you have PoliceCheck switched on (Main Menu > Settings > MileageLogging), your

DSI will automatically keep track of where and when you encountered speed traps (radar,

laser, loops, SPECS, etc), your speed at that time as well as the frequencies used permitting

you to check wether they fall within the legally permitted bandwith.

To save and edit MileageLogging and PoliceCheck data (which can also be done in Excel),

follow these two steps. First, put the data on your Memory Display by going to Main Menu >

Settings > MileageLogging > Data to display. Then export the data from your Memory

Display to your Mac or PC by connecting your Memory Display to the PC Interface. To copy

and edit the data, please refer to the next chapter: Stinger Desktop.

SUPPRESSING FALSE ALERTS MILEAGELOG AND POLICECHECK

16 17

*Available where allowed

STINGER DESKTOP

Stinger Desktop is an easy to use application for your Mac or PC that has been specically developed to:

Update your Stinger DSI in an easy manner.

Upload (new) xed speed trap locations, the Stinger SpotList, to your DSI.

Store and manage your MileageLog data.

Store and browse your PoliceCheck data.

The Stinger Desktop comes with your DSI on a CD-rom and can be downloaded from stinger.com/downloads. Before you can start using the Stinger

Desktop, it must 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 wich Stinger device has been attached (to the USB PC-Interface), in this case a Memory Display.

Under “2. DATABASE” you will nd the name of the opened MileageLog and/or PoliceCheck data base. Within these data bases, you can save, browse

and manage imported MileageLog and PoliceCheck data.

Under “3. MILEAGELOG FOLDERS” you can create and manage your own folders in order to neatly organize your trips. To create a new folder, click on

File > New MileageLog Folder. This allows you, for instance, to group all trips from one month, by dragging those into the folder.

Smart4. folders will fully automatically keep your folders up-to-date based on lters you set. The criteria for these lters you can set up when creating

the folder, and can comprise such variables as kind of trip, destination, distance and period. To illustrate, this would allow you to automatically collect

in one folder all business trips from one year.

Here you can see the status of the actions being conducted, such as when data are being copied from the Memory Display.5.

Click this button in order to import the MileageLog data, that came from the DSI in your car, into the open data base.6.

Click thi7. s button after you have imported data from your Memory Display, in order to empty the Memory Display, therewith creating space on your

Memory Display for the recording of new MileageLog and PoliceCheck data.

Click this button to check for DSI software updates. If updates are available, a window on which you can start the updates will automatically appear.8.