ClassySandy you can visit Valentine's web site at http://www.valentineone.com/home.html. They have all the info you need. It is the best so far on the market.
jeez, Poman, how many miles was that? The map says it's 56 from Orlando to Daytona & 33 minutes would come out to 101.7 mph average, which is smoking...I doubt it, but it would be smoking. You'd need to be on a clear road & do regularly 110 or so to get that. I drove in Fla a few times when I visited for a conference...I seem to recall the Turnpike being empty. I was cruising at 95 w/ people...made it from Orlando to Miami in under 3 hours, again, no detector. Nice state you guys have there...here in N VA, it's 1 day in jail for every mph over 95!
I'm pretty sure that radar detectors are not illegal in CA. You ever been to one of those restaurants where all the cops hang out? Well, I often eat at one in my town. Whenever I go there, I always park my 2000 Mustang GT between 2 CHP Crown Vics (so no one else can park near me). The radar detector is in clear view on the front window. The only thing they ever said to me was, "Beautiful car!"
Are you telling us you swapped the guts of a radar detector, and then returned the old guts in a new case for Wal Mart to re-sell to some other poor sucker?
Geez, you're a hell of nice guy. Ripping of the police is one thing, but ripping off innocent strangers is worse than what the cops do. I'm glad I can't call you one of my friends. I'd be afraid my "new" V1 would become an "old" V1 the first time I wasn't paying attention.
bjmeyer, that was a long time ago. You don't know what other ppl are capable of these days. I told WalMart that it was defective, so they would send it back to the manufacture or whereever. I didn't do the five-finger-discount like other ppl, I just got myself a free upgrade through WalMart that's all. johnQPublic, I think that was the total time on I4 from Orlando to Daytona exit. I was going very fast. My other friend was right behind me and he did the same too.
It was theft. If you are still denying it, then you haven't learned anything yet. What difference does it make how "long ago" it was? Are you trying to say you wouldn't do it now?
How do you feel about people who steal from you? They're just getting a free "upgrade", courtesy of you. Why shouldn't I feel entitled to a percentage of the money you make? You got plenty. I need some. Seems fair to me. You'll never miss it. I'll just take a little. It'll be fine. Trust me.
Two things I still need to get for my new car - a radar detector and window tinting. On the former,,,
A friend of mine that does a lot of high-speed driving to the left coast - recommended that I didn't need the best - I probably won't be out on the interstate a lot. He recommended a battery powered unit for convenience.
Any comments? I'd like the V1 - but don't like the idea of string wires all over the place.
I disagree with your buddy. Interstate is not the only place where tickets are written. In fact travelling at 10, 15, 20 mph over the limit may be more common on 2-lanes than on 8-lanes.
You can install a V1 with the wires nicely hidden. Even if you don't, there's only one power cord (same as with any other detector).
Battery-powered units are weak even with fresh batteries, and especially when the batteries get weak.
That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard. People are killing other people every day, should you! You say you were young, but you must have been old enough to drive. Admittedly you may have been a teenager, so I would cut you some slack as a miscreant youth, but you show no remorse and appear to condone your actions to this day. Please keep your petty thievery to yourself and try to acquire some scruples along the way. "Everyone does it", just doesn't cut it my boy.
I'm willing to go along with your 'everybody does it' argument as long as I can use the same line when I steal from you. I'll start with that shiny new car you're so fond of. Thanks for waxing it for me.
Or is stealing from you a whole different ball game?
I never said I haven't done it, or that you're a bad person or nothin like that.
All I have a problem with is the business of rationalizing it. Doin it is one problem. Sayin it's OK because they can afford it or because it was a long time ago or because everybody does it is a separate problem.
That's all I'm sayin. Never intended to make a big deal of it.
No harms done! Just want you guys to be alerted when shopping at the retail stores next time. It doesn't matter if it is shrink-wrapped. Best Buy is famous for repacking their stuff. I used to work in the retail store and I have seen far worse.
I just called V1 and they said that noone resells their detector and that you have to buy it from them. It looks like the priec is 399 (400, who are they kidding.... I always hate prices that end in 99).
Anyhow, here's my question. Does anyone know if there's any problem using it in a convertible? I'd assume not, but you know what they say about _assume_ing.... As soon as I get a "no, convertibles don't make a difference", I'm going to FINALLY buy my first dectector...
Why do you think the convertible would make a difference?? The Only problem is your valuable V1 will be missing if you leave your top down while parking in the mall... Other than that, you'll get a better range with the convertible from the rear since there's nothing blocking it (defroster wire, antenna, tint, etc). Only things I hate about V1 is when I drove at night, I had to "guess" which was the right band LED. Now I have learned the location of the correspondent LEDs so I can recognize it quickly at night. Also when I mute the alert by pushing the button and the tone drop down to the preset mute level. I can still hear the weak beeping sound if I don't have the radio on, kinda annoying sometimes. They need to make it completely mute as one of the function (just a suggestion.) Other than these I don't have any problem with my V1 at all. And "No, convertibles don't make a difference." IMHO.
Thanks! I didn't think it would make a differenec, but just wanted to be sure before spending $400. The order will be placed this week! I'll be looking forward to my first true warning from it of a speed!
My car's at the window tinters - they sell a radar detector system called the K40. It is "built" into your car - with a little led panel that can be mounted in a variety of places. Uses a sensor in front and back (they advertise side protection also - but I don't believe this - yet).
I've heard that they're good but very expensive. I'm sure it's worth considering, especially if you live in a state where they're illegal. I'm sure that the quality is going to vary with that of the installation though.
Reminds me of the time I drove the company car (300Z) from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. The car had an indash radar detector so I spent the majority of my time driving around 130+mph (I was young and stupid, so no use yelling at me now...I know better). Anyhow, it wasn't until I got back to Pittsburgh and was talking to the President (of the company, not Reagan in DC) and he told me that it only picked up K/X bands, not Ka like most cops were using. That explained why I passed a cop on the side of the road (opposite side of barrier) when I was doing about 140 and it never beeped. I guess I was lucky in more way than one on that trip. Oh well, at least the detector looked neat being integrated into the car...
The intergrated or concealed radar detectors IMO do not work well compare to the other dash or windows mounted ones. The main receiver mounts in front of the car which gives an overall lower detection range compares to the higher-mounted detectors. It doesn't really make any difference if there's no one in front of you while you're driving.
I encountered a deadly radar today. It was one of the Ka-band hand-held unit. I was driving by a school zone and the cop just raised his arm and zapped me with the radar in 1 sec. Good thing I was doing the speed limit for the school zone at 20mph. I smiled at him and continued driving. But that was pretty scary though. Imagine a different scenario where you are going fast and the cop zaps you just like that. My V1 will not save me at all! Argh! It is getting more difficult to speed now and not to get caught . . .
I just got back a couple of days ago from a trip that went from San Antonio, Texas to Springfield, VA. 1700 miles (we went just a bit south in order to avoid the moutains). I purchased a V1 just for this trip.
For starters, I love this thing. Very informative, very sensitive, and a blast to play with. Didn't have a problem with muting the volume. I did have a problem with detection to the rear, but we were pulling a metal trailer so I'm sure it wasn't the detector's fault.
No tickets. I love this thing. I have to sell it because my regular ride is a convertible, and I live in VA so using it is extremely dicey. Sigh.
Speaking of which, does anyone out there live in Atlanta? What is up with the overpasses? Every time I drove under one, the X band would go nuts, and nary a cop in sight. I suspect it is the traffic signals that they use, but I'm not sure.
Unless the police ALWAYS park on the same overpasses, and they are always using X-band radar, that isn't the explanation. Also, I take the exit by one of these overpasses: no police cars underneath or up above. Now, I suppose that it is possible for them to have planted permanent X-band transmitters to scare speeders with detectors, but that might be a little far fetched.
I think there are some old photo radars still in service using x-band and the common place to mount that is beneath the overpass. Could be wrong but it's possible.
they actually do use radar emitting devices to slow people down...safety radar & all that yucky BS is out there. I remember one time in Oregon getting the strongest part of the signal when I was on a bridge! We were looking around frantically to spot this cop, but there wasn't one there. Probably some type of drone that they just let there to piss detector drivers off. I hear that in some states, they have this crap every couple miles. I'd bet that you're getting drone signals from stuff in the overpass area.
Poman, you think Ka hand-held is bad, wait till they zap u w/ a laser! The detector going off is sort of like a preparatory measure to remind you to start coming up with excuses now as to why you were doing triple digits in a 55.
But remember the cop has to aim precisely with the laser detector, Ka-one you can just raise you hand and the microwave will do the work. I think there's a flaw when they clock you like that...it shouldn't be accurate.
Actually, it's the other way around. Since they can aim the laser more precisely, they can pick you out of a crowd. Gone are the good old days of getting 5-12 cars in a big clump and zipping along at 85 mph. The cops knew that they could not tell if it was you or the guy next to you that bounced the signal. With laser, it's YOU and nobody else.
it's the same either way, Poman...except lasers are always from tripods, because they can't hold them steady enough. The speedlabs.com tape I have was informative on this...the laser beam is only like 3 feet wide at 1000' and the Ka is upwards of 50' wide. The radar works well against solo cars...2 lane roads & such, whereas the laser is good for picking speeders off of interstates - that's where I've seen them primarily being used. Good thing is you can jam laser...I'm still waiting for some other engineer people to go in for a collaboration on a Ka Superwide jammer.
Will the fact that my cars windows are tinted hinder the performance of radar detectors?
I placed an order for a V-1 today, but realized that their rear antenna may not be effective since my rear window is tinted (32%). Any comments would be appreciated.
Just happened to read all the points that people have made about radar dectectors. can honestly say i know very little about them......but when on a road trip with my cousin who went about 90 miles an hour,on average,calculating for slow drivers in 2 lane roads. detectors seem to work. his detector went off and saw not one but 3 chp cars zoom by us going after some poor guys. ..well after that real life demostration. i'm getting one too.
Hi. I'm thinking of getting a radar detector. I had A Bel (don't know the model #) and it worked pretty well except that it was always going off (even when no cops were in sight). Has anyone heard of the company who makes radar detectors that will pay your speeding tickets for the first year you have their radar? Is that still going on? Bottom line: Which is the best (close to the best) radar/laser detector on the market right now??
The K40 is a custom installed radar detector. The company agrees to pay any speeding tickets for the first year. (They don't, obviously, pay the increased insurance costs or somehow get points removed). The K40 system can include a laser jammer. Its out of my price range, however, costing around $800 for the full-tilt package.
No - I don't know anything about the K40 and their website is pretty but almost useless otherwise - No information - just a bunch of hooey.
Intuitively - I would think that a detector mounted in the bumper is worse than one mounted on the windshield. In hilly country - you might loose a second or two.
I wish I could find a good evaluation of radar detectors. I found one in the Automobile magazine site - but have not found any others. Any suggestions?
Well Car&Driver had the evaluation back in 93 or sometimes like that. I don't know if they have anymore reviews after that. But most ppl are in favor of the Valentine One. Of course BEL is a great detector too. Radar detector doesn't guarantee you no tickets. You have to drive smart too. Radar jammer is a very good investment.
What I like about the K40 is that it mounts the laser detector in the license plate frame, which is prime target for laser speed detection. Mounting it up in the winshield as most detectors do removes the detector from the most likely path of the laser beam, plus any tinting on the windows can affect laser warning performance, as was previously stated.
As for mounting the radar detector high vs. low, the instructions with the Valentine don't say one way or the other. I tried both during my trip and didn't notice any difference in warning time. I would much rather have the stealth install for the K40, but with the computer logic of the V1. I have an idea, but it's going to be a Rube Goldberg type of affair...
I'll say that again, slowly: Laser detectors are useless. There is not ONE detector, not even one, that can provide you with any protection against a laser gun. Period, point blank, not one of them can do it, so don't even factor this into your decision. The laser beam is simply too narrow to provide any signal if you are down the road and the cop is plinking cars in front of you. The only reason to have them is to jog your brain for excuses, because when and if that thing goes off, you ARE getting a ticket.
As far as detection goes, the higher on the car, the better, but I really think that in the real world, there's little difference between a bumper and a windshield mount. A dash mount is problematic because of the metal wipers shielding radar, and some cars have metallic window tints up top which attenuate the strength of the incoming signal, so there are problems everywhere. Additionally, rearward protection is also useless...after you've passed a cop, it doesn't matter whether you can detect him at maximum range. If he's instant-onning cars in front of you (from behind an overpass or something as they go by), you will get a reflected signal off of the back of their cars before you are into the beam yourself. While in the beam, even a detector with no "rearward" protection will provide a strong reading.
If you seriously want to avoid laser detection, you have to buy a jammer and K40 makes one of the best, along with Laser Blinder, I believe, although don't quote me on the second one.
The V1 has some interesting features, many of which are useless, like the multiple radar and directional crap. Radar has such a short range that you're out of the detection zone in the real world in a pretty short time, so who cares whether the radar is beside you or behind you? When the meter is pegged you stay slow until the signal goes away and it's quiet for a couple seconds. While this V1 stuff is maybe cool to watch, it's of little use for actually avoiding tickets which ALWAYS come from radar sources that are IN FRONT OF YOU before you enter the tracking zone. However, the V1 has top-flight range and anti-falsing, so it's still probably the best bet. I'd much rather see their technical features without all the Star Wars crapola in a more reasonably priced package. Because the Bel 855/955STI has equivalent range, it makes it tough to justify spending the additional $150.
My personal recommendation from driving with a detector for years and getting NO radar tickets in that period is buy a detector with #1 the most range and #2 good antifalsing. #2 becomes more important in urban areas. In rural areas, nothing, NOTHING can substitute for range, because the facts of speed traps these days dictate that instant-on will be used. Stationary, always-on radars are NO challenge even for a $40 detector. Your ONLY chance to avoid instant-on radar is to get a signal when it is used on a car ahead of you on the road. If there are no cars, the cars are too far ahead, or the terrain is not amenable to radar carrying a long way, you are SOL. The detector with the most range gives you the best chance because it allows detection (maybe literally only ONE beep before you hit the speed trap) for cars the furthest ahead of you, effectively extending your detection zone. Pretend that this is like submarine warfare and you'll get the picture...detector driving is a skill that you learn.
I will respectfully disagree with some of the items that were just posted. I LIKE the multiple hit counter of the V1. I can certainly see how a cop could hang out near a Walmart, tagging people as they go by, because they are so used to the detector going off from the automatic doors at the front of the store. It was nice to know that while passing a Walmart, that fifth radar signal was probably NOT the doors, especially since I had just passed said Walmart and four of those signals were behind me. Oh, I like that directional indicator very much.
Even in submarine warfare, the more information you have, the better your decisions will be. The V1 provides more information than any other detector, and while you may choose to ignore that extra information, I for one would rather have it available.
In conclusion, I will respectfully disagree with your statement about how the direction indicators and the hit counter are "crap." I found them to be most useful.
I guess if you are speeding by Wal Mart, then you have a use for the hit counter. I've found that the vast majority of these instances of "multiple" hits or places where the auto door opener will set your detector off are in town/city and I obey the speed limits there.
Neither was I. I was making a 1700 road trip from Texas to Virginia, and the Walmart/Sams/Lowes or whatever was visible from the highway.
In Atlanta, they have some radar-activated stop lights, instead of the magnetic detection types found in VA. Every overpass I went through, the V1 would pop up & say "bogey" and then let me know when I passed it. One particular overpass, it popped much earlier than before, and it was practically having a conniption by the time I got to the overpass. The reason was some guy had stalled and a cop was parked under the overpass, helping him / writing him up and he had left his radar on. Hit counter read "2". Much more usefull than just a light and a beep, 'cuz I was getting really used to ignoring signals from overpasses in that town.
Using a detector when you're in town and not speeding... the easy way to fix this is to shut the thing off until you hit the highway. At that point, every brand is just as effective.
Anyone know of a website that keeps track of towns or states that use Laser? I just received my V1 today and I do agree Laser is a toughie to get away from. Might as well avoid the towns.
Also, are there any techies out there that have a spec for the V1 interface to the remote display? I am in the works of building an mp3 player/gps unit for my car and thought having an onscreen readout would be cool. They (Valentine) were not willing to give away the spec though. Hard thing to hack too since you gotta spark the alarms.
Comments
Geez, you're a hell of nice guy. Ripping of the police is one thing, but ripping off innocent strangers is worse than what the cops do. I'm glad I can't call you one of my friends. I'd be afraid my "new" V1 would become an "old" V1 the first time I wasn't paying attention.
johnQPublic, I think that was the total time on I4 from Orlando to Daytona exit. I was going very fast. My other friend was right behind me and he did the same too.
It was theft. If you are still denying it, then you haven't learned anything yet. What difference does it make how "long ago" it was? Are you trying to say you wouldn't do it now?
How do you feel about people who steal from you? They're just getting a free "upgrade", courtesy of you. Why shouldn't I feel entitled to a percentage of the money you make? You got plenty. I need some. Seems fair to me. You'll never miss it. I'll just take a little. It'll be fine. Trust me.
A friend of mine that does a lot of high-speed driving to the left coast - recommended that I didn't need the best - I probably won't be out on the interstate a lot. He recommended a battery powered unit for convenience.
Any comments? I'd like the V1 - but don't like the idea of string wires all over the place.
You can install a V1 with the wires nicely hidden. Even if you don't, there's only one power cord (same as with any other detector).
Battery-powered units are weak even with fresh batteries, and especially when the batteries get weak.
Or is stealing from you a whole different ball game?
All I have a problem with is the business of rationalizing it. Doin it is one problem. Sayin it's OK because they can afford it or because it was a long time ago or because everybody does it is a separate problem.
That's all I'm sayin. Never intended to make a big deal of it.
Anyhow, here's my question. Does anyone know if there's any problem using it in a convertible? I'd assume not, but you know what they say about _assume_ing.... As soon as I get a "no, convertibles don't make a difference", I'm going to FINALLY buy my first dectector...
Only things I hate about V1 is when I drove at night, I had to "guess" which was the right band LED. Now I have learned the location of the correspondent LEDs so I can recognize it quickly at night. Also when I mute the alert by pushing the button and the tone drop down to the preset mute level. I can still hear the weak beeping sound if I don't have the radio on, kinda annoying sometimes. They need to make it completely mute as one of the function (just a suggestion.) Other than these I don't have any problem with my V1 at all.
And "No, convertibles don't make a difference." IMHO.
Anyone heard of/can recommend this thing?
They have a web site. Check em out.
I encountered a deadly radar today. It was one of the Ka-band hand-held unit. I was driving by a school zone and the cop just raised his arm and zapped me with the radar in 1 sec. Good thing I was doing the speed limit for the school zone at 20mph. I smiled at him and continued driving. But that was pretty scary though. Imagine a different scenario where you are going fast and the cop zaps you just like that. My V1 will not save me at all! Argh! It is getting more difficult to speed now and not to get caught . . .
For starters, I love this thing. Very informative, very sensitive, and a blast to play with. Didn't have a problem with muting the volume. I did have a problem with detection to the rear, but we were pulling a metal trailer so I'm sure it wasn't the detector's fault.
No tickets. I love this thing. I have to sell it because my regular ride is a convertible, and I live in VA so using it is extremely dicey. Sigh.
Speaking of which, does anyone out there live in Atlanta? What is up with the overpasses? Every time I drove under one, the X band would go nuts, and nary a cop in sight. I suspect it is the traffic signals that they use, but I'm not sure.
Anyhow, I can definitely recommend them.
>What is up with the overpasses?
Orange County, CA overpasses make my Valentine freak out as well. I didn't see this behavior when I lived in Virginia. Very odd.
particularly the South, to park the vehicle running radar on an overpass. By the time you see him in your rear view mirror, it's way to late.
The apprehending officer is either on the entrance ramp, or on the side of the road further down. Radio is much faster than you are...
Unless the police ALWAYS park on the same overpasses, and they are always using X-band radar, that isn't the explanation. Also, I take the exit by one of these overpasses: no police cars underneath or up above. Now, I suppose that it is possible for them to have planted permanent X-band transmitters to scare speeders with detectors, but that might be a little far fetched.
Poman, you think Ka hand-held is bad, wait till they zap u w/ a laser! The detector going off is sort of like a preparatory measure to remind you to start coming up with excuses now as to why you were doing triple digits in a 55.
I placed an order for a V-1 today, but realized that their rear antenna may not be effective since my rear window is tinted (32%). Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks.
--Lee
Intuitively - I would think that a detector mounted in the bumper is worse than one mounted on the windshield. In hilly country - you might loose a second or two.
I wish I could find a good evaluation of radar detectors. I found one in the Automobile magazine site - but have not found any others. Any suggestions?
As for mounting the radar detector high vs. low, the instructions with the Valentine don't say one way or the other. I tried both during my trip and didn't notice any difference in warning time. I would much rather have the stealth install for the K40, but with the computer logic of the V1. I have an idea, but it's going to be a Rube Goldberg type of affair...
I'll say that again, slowly: Laser detectors are useless. There is not ONE detector, not even one, that can provide you with any protection against a laser gun. Period, point blank, not one of them can do it, so don't even factor this into your decision. The laser beam is simply too narrow to provide any signal if you are down the road and the cop is plinking cars in front of you. The only reason to have them is to jog your brain for excuses, because when and if that thing goes off, you ARE getting a ticket.
As far as detection goes, the higher on the car, the better, but I really think that in the real world, there's little difference between a bumper and a windshield mount. A dash mount is problematic because of the metal wipers shielding radar, and some cars have metallic window tints up top which attenuate the strength of the incoming signal, so there are problems everywhere. Additionally, rearward protection is also useless...after you've passed a cop, it doesn't matter whether you can detect him at maximum range. If he's instant-onning cars in front of you (from behind an overpass or something as they go by), you will get a reflected signal off of the back of their cars before you are into the beam yourself. While in the beam, even a detector with no "rearward" protection will provide a strong reading.
If you seriously want to avoid laser detection, you have to buy a jammer and K40 makes one of the best, along with Laser Blinder, I believe, although don't quote me on the second one.
The V1 has some interesting features, many of which are useless, like the multiple radar and directional crap. Radar has such a short range that you're out of the detection zone in the real world in a pretty short time, so who cares whether the radar is beside you or behind you? When the meter is pegged you stay slow until the signal goes away and it's quiet for a couple seconds. While this V1 stuff is maybe cool to watch, it's of little use for actually avoiding tickets which ALWAYS come from radar sources that are IN FRONT OF YOU before you enter the tracking zone. However, the V1 has top-flight range and anti-falsing, so it's still probably the best bet. I'd much rather see their technical features without all the Star Wars crapola in a more reasonably priced package. Because the Bel 855/955STI has equivalent range, it makes it tough to justify spending the additional $150.
My personal recommendation from driving with a detector for years and getting NO radar tickets in that period is buy a detector with #1 the most range and #2 good antifalsing. #2 becomes more important in urban areas. In rural areas, nothing, NOTHING can substitute for range, because the facts of speed traps these days dictate that instant-on will be used. Stationary, always-on radars are NO challenge even for a $40 detector. Your ONLY chance to avoid instant-on radar is to get a signal when it is used on a car ahead of you on the road. If there are no cars, the cars are too far ahead, or the terrain is not amenable to radar carrying a long way, you are SOL. The detector with the most range gives you the best chance because it allows detection (maybe literally only ONE beep before you hit the speed trap) for cars the furthest ahead of you, effectively extending your detection zone. Pretend that this is like submarine warfare and you'll get the picture...detector driving is a skill that you learn.
Even in submarine warfare, the more information you have, the better your decisions will be. The V1 provides more information than any other detector, and while you may choose to ignore that extra information, I for one would rather have it available.
In conclusion, I will respectfully disagree with your statement about how the direction indicators and the hit counter are "crap." I found them to be most useful.
I guess if you are speeding by Wal Mart, then you have a use for the hit counter. I've found that the vast majority of these instances of "multiple" hits or places where the auto door opener will set your detector off are in town/city and I obey the speed limits there.
In Atlanta, they have some radar-activated stop lights, instead of the magnetic detection types found in VA. Every overpass I went through, the V1 would pop up & say "bogey" and then let me know when I passed it. One particular overpass, it popped much earlier than before, and it was practically having a conniption by the time I got to the overpass. The reason was some guy had stalled and a cop was parked under the overpass, helping him / writing him up and he had left his radar on. Hit counter read "2". Much more usefull than just a light and a beep, 'cuz I was getting really used to ignoring signals from overpasses in that town.
Using a detector when you're in town and not speeding... the easy way to fix this is to shut the thing off until you hit the highway. At that point, every brand is just as effective.
Also, are there any techies out there that have a spec for the V1 interface to the remote display? I am in the works of building an mp3 player/gps unit for my car and thought having an onscreen readout would be cool. They (Valentine) were not willing to give away the spec though. Hard thing to hack too since you gotta spark the alarms.
G