Stinger VIP User manual

VIP
User manual
English

Copyright 2012-2013 Stinger. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced, nor in whole, nor in part,
without the express prior permission of Stinger. Stinger, the Stinger logo, the Stinger ‘S’, ‘De luxe van relaxed rijden’ and VIP
Computer are registered trademarks of Stinger. All other trademarks belong to their registered owners. All specifications
and functionalities in this manual and of the products described there in are subject to change.
Stinger VIP User Manual - VIP-INT-V2.3 © 2012-2013 Stinger
Legality
Many countries in the world have their own, unique regulations regarding drivers
being alerted to, and 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 citizens have the liberty to
freely pick up radar signals, while in others that is made illegal. Also the freedom to
receive the information from laser speed trap guns often differs per country.
In order to offer its products to car drivers throughout the world (like in the so called
“common market” of the E.U., where the laws vary widely per country, as well as
in many other countries and states on our planet), Stinger, in certain markets, only
supplies versions of the Stinger VIP that are incapable of certain functionalities.
Radar Alerting, Laser Alerting, LaserShield®, and SpotList may not be available on
those versions. When powered up, this version of the Stinger VIP can be easily
recognized in the Pilot screen by means of the text “Safety Signals Scanning”.
Please remember that it is and always will be your personal responsibility to
be aware of and abide by the locally applicable laws. Therefore, please always
thoroughly check local legislation before first using your Stinger VIP. If you are
driving in a country where you do have the freedom to use Radar Alerting and/or
Laser Alerting and/or LaserShielding and/or SpotList 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 jurisdiction that does not allow one or more of the above mentioned
functionalities. Erasing is achieved by first pressing the ‘S’ key. In the subsequent
screen simply choose the ERASE button. This will turn your Stinger VIP into a version
that is incapable of Radar Alerting, Laser Alerting, LaserShield®, and sometimes
SpotList Alerting. A new software download and installation (available where
allowed) is required in order to once again change the version of your Stinger VIP.
Please be aware that all features and functionalities described in this manual are
subject to the presence of the corresponding hardware modules.
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 traffic.

1. Keeping your Stinger up-to-date
2. Contact and help
3. Using your Stinger VIP
4. SafetySignals
5. PoliceCheck
6. MileageLogging
7. Alert types
7a. Spot
7b. Section
7c. Laser
7d. Radar
8. Suppressing false alerts

1. Keeping your Stinger up-to-date
To optimally benefit from your Stinger we suggest you use
the Stinger Desktop application to check for updates at
least monthly.
1. When you start using your Stinger USB Key for the very
first time, please first connect it to the USB port of your
Stinger VIP in order to ‘match’ them.
2. Connect the USB Key of the Stinger VIP to your Mac (or PC).
3. Launch the Stinger Desktop application. It will
automatically check for any available updates to your
VIP. If you have not yet installed the Stinger Desktop
application on your Mac (or PC), you can download it from
www.stinger.com/downloads.
4. Follow the instructions shown on the screen of the Stinger
Desktop application.
5. Next, take the USB Key to your car and connect it to the
USB port of your Stinger VIP.
6. Make sure your VIP is on and follow the installation
instructions on the VIP’s display.

2. Contact and help
If, at any point, you have questions regarding your Stinger,
Stinger and Stinger dealers are at your service:
Head Office
Phone: +31 (0)252 - 41 80 95
Website: www.stinger.com
Email: [e-mail]
Online manuals: www.stinger.com/manuals

3. Using your Stinger VIP
Using your Stinger VIP is extremely simple. Make sure your
Stinger USB Key is connected to the Stinger USB cable in
your car. Your VIP will automatically start up each time you
turn on the ignition of your car and shut down when you
turn the ignition off again. Clear, color-coded alerts make
driving with the VIP pleasurable and straightforward: Green
means ‘relax’, yellow ‘suppressed alert’ and red ‘full alert’.
Green
No special
circumstances
Yellow
Perceived threat likely unimportant
Red
Direct attention
requested

S-key
Key to main menu
Your current speed
SpeedSense
See:
8. Suppression of false alerts
Function active
Function not active
After start-up the VIP will always take you to the Pilot screen
(the standard operating screen).
For any further interaction with the VIP you can use the
pressure sensitive touch display. At any time, pressing the
Stinger S-key will take you directly to the main menu.
Pilot screen
(standard)

Side buttons
‘Hidden’ keys for which you can select the
functionality in the Settings menu
In the main menu you can proceed to the Settings menu
where you can change settings such as volume, alert
behaviour, brightness, time, language, kilometer/miles,
side buttons and SpeedSense. From the main menu simply
press the ‘Pilot’ icon to return to the Pilot screen.
Main menu

4. SafetySignals
The Stinger VIP incorporates an advanced safety system.
At great distances it picks up SafetySignals that can be
transmitted around work zones, school zones and emergency
vehicles. These signals will be transcoded in real-time and
shown as the appropriate alert. This way your VIP can alert
you up to a kilometer ahead for a special traffic situation.
Depending on the application, there are several ways a
SafetySignal can be generated.
Cars equipped with Stinger Laser can even automatically
and instantly alert other - Stinger Laser equipped - cars to
dangerous situations such as heavily braking traffic.

5. PoliceCheck
This unique Stinger feature enables you to dispute unjust
or incorrect traffic citations. With PoliceCheck switched
on (Main Menu > Settings > PoliceCheck), your VIP will
automatically log the instances you encountered radar,
laser and other types of speed traps. Of those moments it
will also log other data including your speed and essential
details such as radar frequencies. That latter enabling you
to check if the radar in question has been operating within
legal bandwidths.
In the Stinger Desktop application you can retroactively look
up, store and print all the collected data.

6. MileageLog
To assist with someone’s hourly billing or travel cost
administration, and in some countries even to help avoid
extra state taxes, your Stinger VIP can keep detailed track of
all your business and private car travel.
At the start of any trip you simply choose the trip type
(Business, Private or Commute) or automatically let it default.
To register trip ‘interruptions’ like petrol and food stops you
just choose ‘Pitstop’ when resuming your ride.
With the supplied Stinger USB Key it is a cinch to transfer your
RouteLogging information to the Stinger Desktop application
on your Mac (or PC) and further manage the data.

7. Types of speed traps
Alerts of the VIP distinguish between the types of speed traps:
a. Spot
b. Section
c. Laser
d. Radar
In car
Gun
Fixed installation
Type: loops
Fixed installation
Type: radar cabinet
Radar installation
(active)
Sidelaser
On tripod

7a. Spot
The VIP will alert you, with the help of GPS technology, to
fixed speed trap installations (such as posts with induction
loops and radar installations) or simply ‘Spots’. Stinger has
mapped the locations of the vast majority of fixed speed trap
installations in the world and distributes these in the form of
a so-called ‘SpotList’. Just use the Stinger Desktop application
on your Mac (or PC) to keep your SpotList up-to-date.
Whenever you approach a location that’s in the Stinger SpotList,
the VIP will show you the following type of alert screen:
Your current speed
Your GPS speed, usually much more accurate
than that on a car’s speedometer.
Spot alert
The VIP will start
alerting ca. 15 seconds
ahead of the spot.
¹ Stored limit might not always correspond with the actual speed limit
Limit
The stored speed limit
for that location.¹
Visual
A visual representation
of the fixed installation.

7b. Section
Section Alerting will warn you for, and guide you through, the
Section Controls (a.k.a. SPECS or ‘automated VASCAR’). With
Section Control cameras (regardless of your speed) register
your vehicle at a point ‘A’ and then again at point ‘B’ (often at
least a mile down the road). A computer then automatically
calculates your average speed between points ‘A’ and ‘B’ and
arranges for your ticket in case of speeding.
With the clear information of the VIP you will effortlessly be
guided through Section Control.
Alert
You will get an
initial alert when
approaching Section.
Approaching Section
Limit
The set speed limit for the Section. You can
change the limit set by the VIP by pressing
the speed limit sign.

Section length
Your position within the Section
shown graphically and in numbers.
Average speed
Your final average speed over the completed Section. If you have complied with
the speed limit, a ‘smiley’ will be shown. If you have been speeding however, a
‘sad face’ will be shown and you’ll hear the sound of a camera shutter.
Average speed
Your real-time average speed in the
Section so far.
During Section
End of Section

7c. Laser
If you have equipped your VIP with Stinger Laser, it can
provide you with protection against laser speed traps*. In
such traps a device will fire laser light towards your car and
use the reflections to determine your speed.
Laser Alerting*
The Laser Alerting functionality allows your Stinger to
instantly see that laser is being fired, often even already
when cars ahead of you are being targeted. In your car you
will be alerted with clear visual and audible warnings.
Alerts
The moment your Stinger identifies laser light it will
display an alert like below. Even the type of laser
device can be shown.
* Optional: available where allowed
Laser Alerting
Visual
A visual representation
of the laser device.

Shield-up time
The LaserShield®will stay up for a pre-set time of 2 to 9 seconds after the
initial alert. After that Shield-up time the shield will automatically go down,
allowing a laser a ‘second shot’ at measuring your speed. At speeds below ca
30 km/h the shield will always be down.
* Optional: available where allowed
LaserShield®
LaserShield®*
When being fired at with laser, your Stinger can instantly
deploy a shield of invisible light: the LaserShield®. It will
(temporarily) make it nearly impossible for laser guns to
measure your speed.
The LaserShield®is so advanced that even modern side-lasers
(positioned next to the road, for instance installed into the
guard rail) can be effectively blocked (optional Stinger Side
Laser required).

7d. Radar
Radar based speed traps determine your speed with the
help of reflected radio waves. Those radars may be set up
temporarily in a car or on a tripod next to the road, or be part
of a fixed installation such as in a cabinet next to or above
the road. The SpotList Alerting feature (described in 7a.) can
only alert you to the fixed locations. Radar Alerting, however,
Signal Strength
Signal strength indication displayed on a scale of 1 to 10. The higher
the strength, the closer the relative vicinity of the radar source.
Band and Frequency
Scientific name of the frequency band
(X, K, Ka) as well as the exact frequency.
Visual
A visual representation
of the radar trap.
Radar Alerting

Spectrum Analysis
3D Graph
Analysis of the X, K and Ka bands can be shown simultaneously. The horizontal
axis indicates the relative frequency, the vertical axis the relative signal strength.
can recognize the radio waves emitted by the radars and
therefore not just alert to the (active) fixed radars, but also
to the temporary and mobile ones. As a result of its unique
Multi Polarity HD antenna the Stinger VIP can even timely
recognize speed radars where radar detectors fall short.
The extreme accuracy of the Stinger VIP is also evident in the
Spectrum Analysis screen. Go to ‘settings’ to select it as your
default screen or to define it as a toggle key.

8. Suppression of false alerts
SpeedSense
This function offers an easy way to eliminate many unwanted
alerts. Simply activate a threshold speed under which your
VIP will automatically mute all alerts. Go to ‘Main Menu >
Settings > SpeedSense’ to change the chosen threshold or
just press the Display where it shows your current speed.
FalseList*
Whenever you receive a false alert, simply hit the ‘Add to
FalseList’ area to store that specific signal at that specific lo-
cation in the FalseList of your Stinger or just let the VIP decide
automatically. This way, your VIP will get quieter and quieter.
SpeedSense
You are driving 65 km/h and
therefore below the SpeedSense
threshold of 80 km/h. The Radar
Alart will therefore stay muted.
FalseList
If you prefer for this specific alert to
stay muted subsequent times you drive
by (irrespective of the speed you will
be going), press this area.
* Optional: available where allowed