So you think its a good shoot?

[NcongruNt]

All the other arguments about whether or not he should have shot aside...

I disagree with his shot placement. COM of a hood is probably going to land a round against a solid metal intake cover in that case. It would have probably made it easier for the cops to find the car afterwards if he'd put his rounds through the radiator instead. A car with holes in its radiator is gonna overheat in no time.

[numist]

Quote/Question: "Not to hijack, but how long do the sensor batteries last, and how far away from the sensor will it pick up movement? This could come in handy for a couple of things."

Methinks battery life dependent on activity. And, as with other relatively cheap motion sensors, (non-adjustable?) sensitivity seems to vary greatly with temperature. I've long lost the directions that came with it, but think the "normal" distance is around 30'. But .. I recall at least once while having to reposition the sensor because it was sometimes going off as a result of picking up on engine heat/movement of passing vehicles as much as 50 yards away.

I'm not sure whether a problem with one of the units or with the batteries, but mine has been "out of service". I probably paid around 30 bucks plus shipping for it years ago. But, for a shipped price of just $23, I'm tempted to start over with another one - just to have handy for certain circumstances. Again, FWIW, the biggest limitation I found with the thing was inability to function reliably with heavy objects between the transmitter and the receiver.

In circumstance similar to those described in the original post, I can picture the the motion sensor unit being left facing upward in a closed center console with the receiver in the motel window. Burglar opens the console, picks it up and thinks "What's this?" Ding, ding, ding, ding. It sounds like the "shooter" had 2 of them mounted to catch movement before the thieves even got to the console ...

But, more on topic, back to the old adage: "If you go looking for trouble, you CAN find it."

These little sensors are low-tech, low-end things that really do work in short range applications. There are a little more powerful and durable ones that operate in the MURS radio frequency range that really do have a lot farther range. They also cost a considerable amount more, around 175 or so retail marketed under "dakota driveway alert".