Change of pace, just installed a new Radar Detector...

C

Cybercowboy

New member
Valentine 1, pretty cool. Hardwired all the way, with the remote display.



Anybody out there using this one? I'm driving some tomorrow (with the top up in the AM, supposed to be in the 30's!!!) Just a change of pace from detailing for the weekend.
 
I have one they are the best. Go see my thread on driving page about radar detectors then go to Valentines website. Very informative stuff
 
All i know is that my brother got a radar JAMMER for his BMW and when he drives by cops with radar guns they just look at the radar and scrath their heads.:D
 
Watch for them cops on side of road turned sideways aiming the LASER gun at you. THANK god for the VR1. Saved me plenty of times.



Plus not all Jammers work well plus they are illegal because they are transmitting RADAR. Against FCC rules.



Not that I have been caught yet.
 
Also, I've heard they usually don't work. You have to jam the correct frequency...



That's why I bucked up for the Valentine, to make the cops scratch somethin'

:cool:
 
I ordered an el cheapo whistler 1660 radar detector from ubid.com a few weeks ago. Still waiting for the damn thing to get here. Funny thing is I don't even need it as it's a rare occassion I let the cat out of the bag. I just got it cuz I like buttons mostly.

LOLOL
 
a friend of mine with a V1 says he knows where every auto-open door is on his commute. now *that* is what i call sensitive! wish i had one, but they're just too expensive, and i haven't figured out how i'd to the hardwiring part.



let us know what you think...



gary
 
The new Escort is supposed to be much better at filtering out the door openers without degrading performance. I did a lot of research a few months ago and Escort was slightly below V 1 in performance but far better at filtering. As for Rocky Mountain Radar Jammers....they are supposed to be a black box with a cheap circuit board and an LED light. Supposedly does not work at all! (Phazer) This is supposedly the only legal radar jammer because it is passive, but its a joke. Real jammers work, but are very illegal....



H
 
I dont trust the Mr Peterson too much since he is a consultant to Radar Detector Manufactures. That leads me to believe he may be biased a bit.



I remember another website from Austrailia that was very non biased and very informative. I just forget what it is. Search Radar Dectors it normally comes up first within Google.



I have used many Radar dectors. Original Fuzz Buster, Escort, Passport Original, Bel, Cobra but I love my VR1 the best. I love the mounting options. I love knowing where the radar source is. I love knowing the number of radar sources. I love the LASER dection.



I went down south in Florida once and I borrowed a friends VR1. As I was cruising down I-75 near Gainseville, I kept having the LASER warning go off. I was scared S!@less. Well after a half mile I saw the LASER trap two hills away from where I first picked it up. I was sold that day and bought my own.



I must say though when you pull into a OUTBACK Steak house all those red NEON lights set it off too because they give off the same light. Also when I use the w/s misters while heading into a low sun it goes off as well. The first time scares ya but now I know why.



I would never promote speeding. wink wink!
 
I have V1 and 8500, they are both great detectors.

I personally prefer the 8500 for the following reasons:

  1. lower price
  2. better aesthetics imo
  3. available 3 year warranty at minimal price that includes free upgrades
  4. less falsing
  5. better multiple contact display shows band and strength for each source
    [/list=1]

    Of course the V1 has a few things over the 8500
    1. Front and rear antennas for X, K and KA (8500 only has front antenna) This in combo with better X reception is one of the reasons for more falsing imo.
    2. directional arrows
      [/list=1]
 
I did the hardwire with the remote display option mounted in the Vette's ashtray slot (just front of the shifter - can be hidden by shutting the door - very clean.) I also have a 7-year-old Escort and my wife has a Bell something or other (it does Laser at least, the old Escort doesn't.)



I can say one thing - it certainly works. You can easily program it to not go off at every X-band bogey it sees. It boots up to A (All-Bogey mode) but can be changed to several other less-annoying settings without losing sensitivity.



One thing I've noticed after driving the Vette a few hundred miles. Cops love to paint you with their instant-on radar - even though you are going the speed limit. Sheez. Knowing the radar's direction is - well - once you have it you wouldn't want to give it up!



Valentine 1 - more expensive than most but worth it, IMHO. Definitely buck up for the remote display option (like $35 or so) and hard wire the unit. You can still move it to another vehicle any time you want by either hard-wiring that vehicle or simply using the adapter and coil cord (left over after hard-wiring.) All necessary hardware comes with the V1, no trips to Rat-Shack for me.
 
Do you still have to put the box on the windshield when you hard wire it with the remote display? If so, what is the benefit of doing it that way (remote)? BTW, I just took a test drive in a Torch Red Vette...very nice. It was a 6 speed manual and I think I am getting lazy at my age and thinking more on the automatic. I wish they had one there to drive so I could see the difference. I also wanted to see the Magnetic Red but they didn't have one of those either.



H
 
Yes, the unit is still on the windshield but is running in dark mode. It still makes noises, though. The remote unit has a mute button you can reach (easily in my case) without alerting a cop as he pulls you over. Also, with no lights on the windshield unit you don't get people trying to follow you to get your alerts (using your detector for free - a real consideration in a convertible.)



Best of all, you can keep the windshield unit in as much of a hidden spot as possible - thus hopefully the cop won't see it (mine is hard to see unless you know it's there - I hope!) By hiding it under your sunshade, it is invisible from behind and very hard to see from outside the car.



My remote can be hidden by just shutting the ashtray door flap - it's right by the shifter so you could easily press the mute button and shut the flap if you get pulled over for something (hopefully not speeding!!!!) :eek:
 
Just got blasted with LASER today on Interstate. Thank god for VR1.



I wonder if the LASER beam is good for my eyes when they paint my truck? Where is the DOC of eyes? Maybe he can answer?
 
Do you leave the unit on the windshield when you park with the top down? Or do you always put the top up? I had an original Escort about 15 years ago in a Honda Prelude. It wasn't a convertible and someone smashed the window to steal it. It was on its last legs anyways and was not working well, but damn if I wasn't finding pieces of glass for months afterwards! For this reason, I have been looking at the Escort SR-1, but it is really expensive and not quite as sensitive as the 8500 or the V1. It does have the advantage of being totally hidden with just a small remote display. Decisions, decisions...:( This is almost as difficult as deciding between Klasse and Zaino!



H
 
I just take my VR1 down everynight and bring in the house. It is too easy not too. When I travel I lock it up in my interior lock box.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by bigboyhf [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Radar Test: Escort 8500, Valentine 1, Bel 980 and K40

This is a very comprehensive review of top rated radar detectors. If you look around the site, there is some very interesting information on how police radar works and general tips at avoiding tickets.
[/b]</blockquote>The author of the review you posted, Craig Peterson, has made a long career of bashing the V1. Here is Mike Valentine's response to Peterson's most recent review: http://www.valentine1.com/lab/V1Hater.asp.

Just FYI,
Tort
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Guess My Name [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Glad you said it TORT and not me I did not wanna be labeled a VR1 Vealout. lol [/b]</blockquote>Well, I don't really want to come off that way. Yes, I own a V1, and yes, I'd recommend to others, even at it's high price. I first stumbled upon Craig Peterson's reviews when doing research before I bought my V1. A DejaNews search (now Google) turned up that the subject had been revisited several times over the years in rec.autos.driving, and the regular posters in that newsgroup whose opinions I'd come to value seemed to agree that Peterson was, indeed, biased. That, and the fact that Peterson was the only reviewer I found that faulted the V1's performance (although many have questioned its pricetag) led me to suck it up and drop the cash on the Valentine.

Shortly after purchasing the V1, I took a road trip from Omaha to Norwalk, OH to attend a drag race and ride the coasters at nearby Cedar Point. IMO, the V1 paid for itself several times during the 1400 mile round trip, giving more than ample warning when police were trolling, and rarely falsing.

I'm not going to try to tell anyone that they should have purchased a different detector, but if you're in the market, and it's within your budget, I give the V1 a :up

My $0.02,
Tort

P.S. I'd much rather have major jamming equipment and chaff dispensers on the car, but the FCC can be sooooo touchy about stuff like that :D
 
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