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Comments
From all legitimate reviews that I've read, you would definitely be wasting your money on any scrambler or jammer. They don't work, or they broadcast illegally high levels of garbage microwave signals or bright lights, sure to get others sharing the road with you teed off.
There is, unfortunately, no such thing as a new discounted V1. It's possible that you might find an old used one at a flea market or an auction website, but Buyer Beware, it may not function anymore.
I own a Bel 870 radar detector. I bought it because I saw where the top of the line Bel came in second to the V1.
I was primarily concerned wih which company made the best detectors other than V1. So if it is Bel I figured it wouldn't matter which Bel it was.
So I read the boxes for all the Bel models, and purchased the least expensive model that had all the same essential features as the top of the line model.
The only thing the top of the line had that was different was a "better" display, and a few more bells and whistles.
Was I wrong to think this?
Thanks.
Good luck.
rymc - that's the proprietary system that pops up with such fun messages as "construction" or "caution" or what have you, yes?
However, I would like to buy a V1 someday since I realize nothing really comes close to it.
However, one everyone goes to laser we'll all be screwed anyway.
On LIDAR and whether the operator knows he's being jammed; yes, he will know he's being jammed because the gun will make weird bleeping noises and come up "Err" in the display. If I ever can get a K40, I'm going to put a bypass switch on it to cut in the Laser after I've gotten my speed down (it gives you a warning in the cabin that the laser jammer has been activated)...you can bet that any cop that's got jammed will probably wanna come get you. As LIDAR (laser infrared detection & ranging [?]) can ONLY work from a stationary point (currently), he HAS to radio ahead to his buddy in the CAR to pull you over if you're in excess...my guess is that if your K40 or Laser Blinder jams him to the gun (they will do just this), that he's going to pull you over for harassment purposes anyway. You may not get ticketed, or they may confiscate (illegally) your jammer equipment by force (cops have guns)...either way, I see giving them some read as the best option, even if you have to jam them for 3 or 400 feet.
The V1 kit has an adapter so you just clamp the positive around the wire w/ +12V and squeeze it shut with pliers. Then clamp the negative wire to ground and hook it up.
Hope this helps.
When we are issued driving licence, we have to sign a paper declaring that we will follow the rules and abide by the law. Purchasing and using radars and jammers is a direct contradiction of the LAW OF THE LAND as it amounts to conspiring towards spread of anarchy.
The right thing is : Tell your Congress wo/man and lobby hard to remove speedlimits, trafficsignals etc so thatyou can enjoy the adrenaline rush on the public highways
ps: donot forget to legalize armor-piercing ammo when you talk to your representative.
If you ignore them, they will go away...
If you ignore them, they will go away...
Ah, hell.
Speed limits are set by local councils based upon 1) surrounding neighborhood (schools, residential, distance from the street, sidewalks) 2) need for revenue, 3) local protest and petitions and 4) whimsy. There is nothing scientific about it.
Radar detectors are legal in 49 out of 50 states. The "LAW OF THE LAND" as you are so fond of typing, has determined that if the police are going to use radar to invade our privacy like that, the least we should be able to do is to know when they are doing it. Hence, radar detectors are legal (mostly).
Somehow I don't think speeding is going to cause the collapse of our government and law enforcement, which is what anarchy would be.
"drinking alcohol slows your response time so does speeding beyond posted limits". I call you on poor logic and/or poor communication. Driving faster will NOT slow down anyone's reaction time. It will shorten the time you have to react, it will not impair you physically, such as the consumption of alcohol does.
ps - there has never been a single case of "armor-piercing ammo" causing a fatality in the history of US law enforcement.
buh-bye.
Why would you even question Valentine One's specific, detailed, logical and reasonable disclaimer that their product shouldn't even be considered for purchase or use behind a windshield with metalized tint? The metal in the tint acts as a mirror to reflect a major portion of the incoming radar signal back outside of your vehicle, thereby reducing the signal that can reach your radar DETECTOR and that it can detect. This would leave you with minimal protection for the dollars spent.
Your request for "experiences" from users seems unrealistic compared with V1's own extensive and expensive testing.
Cutting a small portion out of your $200 tinting wouldn't work either, as the V1 is looking for radar signals in a 360° circle around your car
mcgreenx is correct...IF you are the one being targeted by the LIDAR gun. However, if you receive a laser warning from your detector, you may be lucky enough to have detected a signal being aimed at a vehicle traveling ahead of you in your same direction. Slowing down in that circumstance would augment the protection provided by your detector.
Hard facts.
1)Every year, NY state publishes statistics on the state. In there is a table listing causes of accidents. Exceeding the speed limit does not appear on that table.
2) NY state has no study that shows people who get speeding tickets are more likely to be in accidents.
Those are my hard facts, what are yours?
ed12
Could you clarify what you mean by "any experience with the VI display etched into the rearview mirror?"
You would mount any detector above, below or to the side of your rearview mirror, so I'm not sure of your question.
A major advantage of my V1 is when, as I drive down the road, I can determine that a radar source that was ahead of me is being passed (display arrow switches from front to sides) or is now behind me (display arrow now switches from sides to rear). With a reduced signal from the sides or rear due to metalized window tint film, I'd be less confident in analysing the threat.
I hope that your V1 arrived on time and that your "test" was successful. Good luck and enjoy!
I just checked it out at
http://www.teknicar.com/radarsystems.htm
That IS an amazing setup, and an interesting page, the way the images cycle. I'm sure that their installation comes real cheap...NOT! Looks like it's only available for installation at their Manhattan location too.
I'd be concerned with a system that's bumper-mounted though. The higher in your vehicle you mount a detector's antenna, the longer-range your detection of RADAR or LIDAR will be. That would be especially important when coming over a rise or crest in the road with the gun aiming up at you from the other side of the hill. You don't have as much time to react with a low-mounting.
When you are driving through town you might want to not display the "A" All-Bogeys mode. That detects too many signals for local driving situations. You should probably use one of the two "L" Logic or Advanced-Logic modes that filter out less threatening signals. Pages 12 through 14 of my owner's manual explain that pretty well.
I too, have mine hard wired. However, I turn the Control Knob off and on manually instead of letting it power up with the ignition (I'm afraid of transient voltage spikes). 12 volts and a negative ground should be all that you require. Don't forget to check the fuse and check for electrical continuity. I found a 12 volt source at the overhead sunroof switch in my 1999 Cougar, so there are no wires travelling down past the windshield. I've previously used power from an overhead light switch in a Toyota.
By the way, was your no-power situation with the key in the on position?
They're in New York, which is a bit far to drive for me. They don't sell the installation materials as a kit (not even the mirror) as each installation is a custom job.
Average price for an installation is $3200. Ouch.
Still, that's a kick-[non-permissible content removed] idea.
I'm glad your installation was successful.
Watch that rear installation. It's a great idea, but you'd better consider that the electrical wire to the third brake light is only hot when your foot is on the brake pedal. I'd look for a different wire that was alway hot back there. (or run one from somewhere else)
And it's not just Florida. I can add Texas, Mississippi, Lousisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia to that list that has this problem.
It is actually a known technique of state troopers to hang out near these stores. Most radar detectors sound off with only a tone for X band. Regular travelers in that section of road will know that it's the doors of the store setting it off and ignore it. That's when the state trooper will nab you, because your detector hasn't told you anything new.
Best technique with the Valentine is to zip past that place once or twice and see what the threat counter says. Say there are two doors on that section of road. If you go through that area and the threat counter reads three, you are in deep kimchee.
Forgive me, o lord, for doing this...
[LectureMode = ON]
Radar detectors work because of a nifty property of radar: you can detect it at greater ranges than it can detect you. It also doesn't hurt that it has the tendency to go through things like trees. Radar signals are very diffuse creatures. As they radiate out from the radar gun, they spread out from each other. At a certain distance, they are diffuse enough that there isn't enough bouncing off of your car to make the return trip to the radar gun and get a speed reading. Keep in mind that once they bounce off your car, they again spread out in all directions, and only a certain percentage will be going back the way they came.
However, there are enough radar waves flying into your car that your detector can sense them and give you some warning. The distance between when you first get a radar tug from your detector and the distance at which enough signal is being returned to the radar gun is the distance in which you need to slow down to something approximating legal.
Radar detectors work on this pricipal. Laser is a whole 'nother ball of wax. Since laser light is coherent light, it doesn't disperse nearly as much as radar does (commercially available red light lasers are 3" at 1000 ft). This means that a much higher concentration will be bouncing off of your car, with the correspondingly higher possibility of getting a good return signal back to the gun. There also is the problem that since it doesn't disperse as much, it can be aimed very precisely. Namely, the trooper will aim at the most reflective spot he can: your license plate. With little to no dispersion, your laser detector may never even see the laser targeting you.
[LectureMode = OFF]
This is where the diffuser comes in. It will spit out laser light down by your license plate and attempt to confuse the laser gun. Laser guns work by sending out pulses. It measures the time between the pulses after they come back from your car, and compares the difference. Since it really only needs two pulses to bounce back to determine your speed, there is little time to react.
The diffuser will emit laser light, which will be stronger than the reflected laser light in an attempt to confuse the laser gun. It is a countermeasure, not just a source of information.
HTH
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Yeah, I went through this research about eighteen months ago when I was looking at getting the K40 system installed in my car. Well, I bought & test-drove a V1 and I am in a bit of a bind. I like the functionality of the V1, but I need the in-dash installation of the K40. The laser diffuser I can add later.
The Teknicar setup is the most professional looking installation I've seen yet. I bet it is top-notch (you did notice that some of the pictures on the web site were in a Ferrari, yes?) and great quality... but you pay for that quality out the nose.
Right now, I'm thinking of getting the V1, the remote control panel, the remote display panel, and working something out. The hard part will be mouting the sucker. I can't mount it to the roof, I have a convertible. I can't make it visible, I live in Virginia.
Once I get that solved, I think I'll do the next best thing to the in-the-mirror installtion: mount the display panel in a guage cluster on the a-pillar.
One of the freshmen on my hall in my dorm when I was a junior used to make the stuff in his room. You couldn't breathe without wincing for two doors up and two doors down the hall. I really felt sorry for his roommate.
Anyhow, he got kicked out of the dorms for pulling a knife on his roommate.
Don't outSLICK yourself RICK. You are talking about a difference of $200, or $4 per week for one year. Man, that could be one $200 speeding ticket.