Which one Valentine 1, Bel RX 65, and Escort X50?

I didn't take the time to read all these posts about radar detectors, but I will give my LEO experience.



Three of the six tickets my best bud wrote on an 8-hour shift ride-along had radar detectors on and armed.



I'm "in process" of trying to get on at our city department (I complete my undergraduate in June so I'm in no hurry) and everyone I've talked to thus far has had similar results.
 
Well, instant on is deadly. Most people who have radar detectors, I think, believe it gives them some sort of invincibility, or infallibility in detecting the radar before they are nailed. As in many measure/countermeasure games, the skill of the participants in using their weapons and interpreting their sensors plays a key role. Did any of three hapless souls have any idea of the physics involved, the tactics, the signal qualities of an instant-on bounce from a car down the road? Doubtful. Just like many people can go to Pep Boys and get a bottle of wax might call themselves a "detailer", but not be an Autopian, anybody can buy a radar detector and still not be a "successful speeder". Sorry for the rant.
 
WSUcommuter said:
I didn't take the time to read all these posts about radar detectors, but I will give my LEO experience.



Three of the six tickets my best bud wrote on an 8-hour shift ride-along had radar detectors on and armed.



I'm "in process" of trying to get on at our city department (I complete my undergraduate in June so I'm in no hurry) and everyone I've talked to thus far has had similar results.
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A radar/LIDAR detector is merely a tool. Most people that own them do not understand that.
 
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V1 user since 2002. I receieved the piece at the closing of an amazing barter deal. I have never had any false signals or problems with this piece. I have it hardwired and have the concealed display mounted where my original clock was. Police have no idea its there when it's off.



I'm with Accumulator. The few times I've been nailed, it either wasn't for speeding or something that no detector could have prevented. I usually pick up signals over hills, around bends, and through trees.



The one thing I have learned a lot is to blend with the flow of traffic. You can drive fast, but be smooth about it. It's the "lane-changers" who always get nabbed.
 
twopu said:
I've read on another forum that if you can find someone at Best Buy to purchase it with their employee discount you can get the X50 for around $180.
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That's how I got mine, it came to 185.99 before tax. I was leaning towards a Valentine, but for less than half the price, how can you go wrong. I've been very happy with my X50, its saved me from atleast 5 tickets a year, including two where i was doing more than double the limit :nono. It went off with enough time to brake down to the limit, on both occasions. Won't do too much against laser, but I've been looking at picking up Escort's laser shifter. It's like 400 bucks and it needs to be hardwired, but the way I drive, it might pay for itself.
 
[Note: I've posted this stuff before so skip it if it's old news]



I've never gone with active countermeasures. I figure that when I get popped I get popped- fair is fair and sometimes I'm gonna lose the game.



And note that if a LEO has a, uhm, certain personality or mindset ;) he/she might not be too happy when the laser doesn't do what it oughta (wanna have an intensive, afternoon-long vehicle search with dogs and a whole crew of officers? They can do it if they really want to mess with you). You can still get cited on a "visual" in many juristictions and I wouldn't want to go to court and say "I wasn't speeding but yeah, I defeated the laser with my fancy speeder-gizmo. Believe me instead of the officer". Legal yeah, court-friendly no.



Just something to consider...
 
V1 and no regrets. The Five-O will get you if they are on a mission but the V1 is great because its arrows let you know with amazing speed when you've passed the radar gun and you can actually exhale. With the others you're still nervously looking in that rear view until the signal drops.



And get the concealed display, its a must have. Otherwise you get the tailgaters with the main unit flashing where its lights are visible from the rear, or worse from the front where it might catch the attention of a stationary Five-0

The other great thing about the concealed display is that you can place it right under your dash cluster so that in one glance you can see your speed and the direction of the radar threat.

I got my V1 about two years ago and have lost count how many times I passed a five-0 who I could see looking directly at me and checking my speed. THose guys love pulling over European sports cars. But make sure you dont start ignoring your V1, I had a chatty passenger got distracted ignored the K and sure enough a cop pulls out of a supermarket parking lot and chases me down. Luckily he let me slide (was about my age). And from a trailing vehicle the V1 is usually the best performer. I had a state trooper following me for about 5 long minutes the other night and twice my Laser went off before he gave up and jumped back into the passing lane where he pulled over Bimmer just down the road. He was on a mission!



What I like the most about the V1 is the long stretches of silence, no more looking over my shoulder for that phantom 5-0
 
GSRStilez...I too want to know more about that install. Sweet. I'm guessing the V1 still has to live on the windshield?



I'd add my vote to the V1 camp. I had one of the first ones, and recently did the upgrade through Valentine to get it to the lastest and greatest. I also bought a second for my truck.



Mike Valentine designed the Escort and Passport years ago and sold Cincinatti Microwave. He lateer built a much better mousetrap with the V1.



In the Excursion, I installed the power block thing that they suggest you install under the dash for hardwiring. I double face taped it to the top of the windshied in the middle where there is a dropped down blacked-out area. It's next to my alarm antenna. Anyhow, it's barely noticeable inside and you cannot see it from the outside. I also got a very shot (4") phone cord. Now when I want to use the V1, all I have to do is suction cup it in it's mount at the top of the windshield and use the short cord to plug in. This way, there's no wiring hanging down when not in use.



I'd love to find a way to mount permanently in the Cobra, but I'd rather not have the unit still hanging on the windshield..I'm more worried about theft than anything else.
 
racingbeat said:
V1 and no regrets. The Five-O will get you if they are on a mission but the V1 is great...[a LEO]..pulled over Bimmer just down the road. He was on a mission!
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Heh heh, yeah, in the few times I've driven the new Beater-Bimmer the V1 has already saved my tail from those pop-a-BMW guys. I suspect that one of these days the V1 will merely be a ticket-announcer; funny how I'm invisible in the minivan, almost invisible in the Audis, but *very* visible in the M3 :o Not as bad as the sportscars were, but still...I need a license plate frame that says "I'm not yuppie scum" or something :chuckle:



Oh, and *man* am I getting tired of the V1s laser-falsing over the new third brake lights :mad: When I'm stuck in traffic behind one that triggers it things can get irritating. Ended up turning it off for a while yesterday, hope I always remember to turn it back on!
 
I finally did it. I installed the concealed displays in both cars.



I buried the hard wire adapters behind the dash and tapped into ignition on wires.



I removed the cases from the concealed display units and mounted them in dash.



I got a phone extension from Radio Shack that has a female end that was taped to the very top of the windshields in the black area. I also have a short pigtail that I leave on the V!. All I have to do is stick it to the top of the windwhield and plug it in.



This is how it looks in the Cobra.



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I probably don't get out enough and certainly don't road trip like I used to. My detector use is limited to "around town" stuff only so I never have the chance to see how my V1 or X50 perform on the open road which is a VERY different scene. VERY different.



I traveled up to Rochester NY (from Boston) two weekends ago - had a fantastic ride on the NYS Thruway. Road was generally in excellent condition but the roadway was littered with NYS troopers in the morning. Few sightings on the return trip.



I was running way early for my midday rendez-vous in Rochester so I slowed things down, made a bunch of coffee/tinkle stops and took a bunch of fotos of the police bagging people. It appears most/all of the troopers have lidar and Ka band in their cruisers. They appear to work in teams of 2 - 3 vehicles. I saw this theme repeated multiple times between Albany and Roch. Loads o' cops in the AM !!



The V1 on the open road is amazing. I was picking up Ka alerts several miles before seeing the cruiser - - both instant-on and CW modes. I usually get a Ka alert around town only seconds before seeing the LEO. Not the case in NY.



The team works very short distances apart and appear to keep flipping direction via the center median to confuse drivers (with detectors). So, without the directional arrows and bogey counter of the V1, users of lesser detectors could be in for a big surprise thinking there was only a single Ka source. ; ) I think Mikey refers to this as the double-zap trap. It's quite effective, really.



I'd also like to say a big thank you to the NY troopers for using Ka 'cause Ka is never a false alert :sign



Here are a few shots of me and the V1 traveling with "diplomatic immunity":



double zap trap:



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Double zap trap (He was shooting me with lidar, alerted me to his presence a few seconds early courtesy of his Ka unit :thx I shot back):

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Who's ever heard of a Suburban being used as an enforcer?? :think2



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Reality check-in for Civic: "WOW, I coulda had a V1 for a lot less than the price of this ticket !!"



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Smooth sailing on the return trip:

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Tickets must be crazy-expensive in NYS. I heard someone getting a ticket (70 in a 65) for $200.... un-good. Can't image the tarriff for cruising along at 80+ :shocked
 
Tom, careful in that white benz, I hear it can really burn up the highways when you slam the go pedal :xyxthumbs



Good info on the v1...I guess I gotta get something to fill the suction cup marks someone left on the inside of the TDI windshield ;)



I am going to get the full blown k40 bluetooth setup for the Cummins....I have yet to experience anything like it, after taking a few triple digit trips in the S65 AMG ..
 
Lightman said:
...I guess I gotta get something to fill the suction cup marks someone left on the inside of the TDI windshield ..
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That might be easier said than done. Sometimes the suction cups cause some sort of reaction with the polymers in the glass and the marks are permanent.
 
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