Frequently Asked Questions
How do I setup my Bluetooth capable Radar Recorder and pair it with my computer?
What is the difference between the formats of the data that can be collected with a Radar Recorder?
The Radar Recorder has the ability to collect data in three different formats - Volume, Binned or Per Vehicle.
Volume data provides only a volume count of the vehicles recorded. It does not provide Speed or Length Data.
Binned information gets its name from the fact that the Radar Recorder sorts the data as it is recorded in the field and stores the results in a specific numerical bin. In this format you can collect vehicle speed and\or length information along with volumes.
Per Vehicle data stores speed and length information on every vehicle recorded. This data be used to provide, volume, speed, length and gap information with the TRAXPro software. Per Vehicle data provides the greatest flexibility in working with your data and as such is the format we recommend for data collection.
I want to clear the memory of the Radar Recorder. Can I do that?
Yes, you can clear the memory of the Radar Recorder. To do this, connect your PC to the Radar Recorder then start TRAXPro.
Select "Setup Radar Recorder." Then connect like you normally would. Once connected select the "Options" button in the lower left corner. Now you will see a button for "Clear Recorder Memory," press it. You will see a status message saying that it is "Clearing Recorder Memory...Please wait." Once finished you will see a confirmation screen telling you the the "Counter Memory has been Cleared. Press OK to continue." Press ok, and your Recorder's memory has now been cleared.
I want to 'reboot' the Radar Recorder to its factory default settings. Can I do that?
Yes, you can reset the Radar Recorder to its factory default settings. To do this, open TRAXPro and go to the setup Radar Recorder screen and Connect to your Radar Recorder, then Select the "Options" button in the lower left. It will give a warning that it will wipe all the data from the memory, press ok to continue with reset. You will see the time count down as it resets. When done the unit will reconnect and you are free to go setup a fresh Radar count.
I reset my Radar Recorder and a message came up saying 'Allow 30 seconds for the Recorder to finish resetting' but it has been well over 30 seconds and it still has that message. What's up?
This message is meant to tell you to wait 30 seconds. It will not disappear on its own. You simply need to allow 30 seconds to pass then tap 'OK'. In TRAXPro, you also have to wait this 30 seconds but there is a countdown shown for you.
Are there any health issues related to exposure to the Radar Recorder?
There is no current scientific evidence that exposure to K band radar frequency, which is used by the Radar Recorder and other devices like garage door openers and infant monitors, has any effect on human health. Measurements and analysis of microwave exposures near properly operating radar units have shown that even maximal exposure levels are well below these recommended safety limits set by national and international standards.
If I setup the Radar Recorder with a check in the box for "Single Lane" what will I get in TRAXPro?
By checking single lane, the Radar Recorder will only detect the lane one vehicles. In normal mode this is the near lane with vehicles approaching the face of the counter. When you download this data you will get data for a single direction. If you process to a volume study, it will have one column for the count, and then the totals column. Not checking the Single Lane box in Pocket Collect will leave you with the standard two lane, two direction data.
How do I know which lane is "Direction 1" and which is "Direction 2" in TRAXPro?
When the Radar Recorder is in "Normal" mode, the near lane is "Direction 1." When in "Reverse" mode the far lane is "Direction 1." An easy way to keep it straight in your head is that "Direction 1" is ALWAYS approaching the unit, never receding.
What do the lights on the front of my Radar Recorder mean?
Near Side and Far Side Lights
There are three lights: Near side, Far Side and Status. When you see the near side or far side lights come on, this indicates that the Radar "Eye" has seen something in the detection zone. This something may or may not be a vehicle. For instance, waving your hand in front of the unit will cause these lights to activate.
The Radar Recorder has programming that will measure the signal of the object in the detection zone, it checks the objects relative position, size and speed. Using all these factors the unit will decide if the object in the detection zone is a vehicle or not.
You can see evidence of this by watching LiveView. If you deploy the Radar Recorder and launch LiveView on your Tablet or Laptop you can watch vehicles pass by and you see their speed and length. If you wave your hand in front of the unit, nothing will appear in live view, but the near and/or far side lights will come on. When a vehicle passes by, you should see both the lights AND LiveView respond.
The Status Light
Under normal conditions the status light will blink slowly and steadily when the Radar Recorder is on. If you see it blinking very fast then that is indicating that the Radar is in a ready state. The most common issue for this is that the date is not set in the Radar Recorder.
The Radar Recorder does not contain an internal clock, it has a timer. So if the Radar Status light is blinking fast, then you can set the time by connecting your Tablet or Laptop and going into setup When you setup the Radar Recorder with Radar Collect, the Radar head will adopt the time and date as set on the Tablet or Laptop. Once this is done, you should see the status light return to the slow, steady blink rate.
Creating a Custom Length Scheme with JAMAR Radar Data
JAMAR Radar style counters will be shown in 13 groupings of speeds. Most customers find this default breakdown to be the best way to display their data. However, some choose to create custom length schemes for radar data. This process can be done by following the below steps:
From the main screen of TRAXPro, go up to ‘File’ in the top left corner and select ‘Scheme Editor’.
You will now see the TRAXPro Scheme Editor window.
Push the ‘OPEN, IMPORT or EXPORT a scheme’ button.
Scroll down to ‘Default Length Scheme’ and press the ‘Open’ button.
For this example, change the Description to ‘Small Medium Large Custom’.
Change the Number of Bins to 3.
Change the Bins in INCHES table to show row 1 as ‘From 1 To 71’, row 2 as ‘From 71 To 480’, row 3 as ‘From 481 To and greater’.
Press the ‘Save’ button.
Open your file and select ‘Length’ as your ‘Count Type’.
Then you will see, and select, your new scheme from the drop-down menu.
Process the data and you will now see your data being grouped into your three defined length classes.
If needed, you can right click on each column title to customize the group name: (For example, Small, Medium and Large).
Known Issues & Solutions
I get a message that reads 'Recorder time is 2000+ days out'. What does that mean?
This indicates that the battery of the Radar Recorder has most likely drained and its internal clock has reset itself to a default date and time (usually 1/1/03). This generally should not be a problem as the time will be reset to that of the laptop when you access the Setup function on the laptop. (You may want to check to be sure the correct time and date are set in the laptop.).
My Radar Recorder is setup and I am not seeing the cars picked up when I am in LiveView, what is wrong?
The first thing to check is if you have the radar unit positioned correctly. The biggest issue we find with the unit not picking up cars is that it is not aimed correctly. So be sure to be as close to a 45 degree angle as you can and have the head pointing at the center of the road
In the Pocket Collect software, on the Sensor Settings screen you have options to input the height and the road distances. Keep in mind that these measurements are to be taken at 90 degree angle to the road, or basically directly to the road. The Radar unit itself is to be installed at a 45 degree angle to the road, but you do not want to measure the distance along that 45 degree angle.
So we input the distance to the first lane, and the second lane. We also need to set the height of the unit from the street surface. So if you’re up on a small hill, you will need to take that height into account.
So now we have the unit installed. You want to use the crosshairs on the radar head itself to aim it at the center of the street. The head unit can be shifted to point up or down. So do your best to get it pointing at the street.
Now check in live view as cars drive by and see if the values for speed and length appear to be correct. If they do not you may need to adjust the angle of the unit. If the cars are appearing slow and too long, you might want to point the unit more toward the road. If they are short and fast, you may want to angle it to be looking further down the road.
If the unit is still not picking any vehicles up then you will want to look at the path of the radar beam. It comes straight out the crosshairs on the front of the unit, so look where that is pointing and check for any obstacles. A not so obvious obstacle would be yourself! Your not standing right in front of the unit are you? If you are, step aside. Are there any cars parked in the street? Trashcans? Other physical obstacles?
Runtime Error 8020 and 8002 when connecting via Bluetooth
If there are complications when hooking up your Radar Recorder and adding it as a device in Windows, you may receive either the Run Time Error 8002 “Invalid Port Number” or 8020 “Error reading com device” when trying to connect to it in TRAXPro.
The first thing to do if you get this error is make sure you have the right port selected in TRAXPro. Check the drop down selection and make sure you are set on the radar recorder you are trying to connect to. Also, check that the battery has enough of a charge. A low battery can affect your ability to connect to the Radar Recorder (the best method is to use a voltmeter directly on the battery terminals).