radar detector
#2
Melting Slicks
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I run Escort Solo 2's in 3 of my vehicles. They are wireless and have never had any trouble with them. I just keep some spare batteries in each vehicle and they tend to last 3-5 months depending on how much I drive each vehicle. It also comes in handy when I want to take it with me in another vehicle being they are wireless.
#4
Team Owner
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Location: Riverside County Southern California
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GX-65
It has GPS and its database contains nation wide spreed-traps, red light cameras and speed-traps. You can add your own local speed-traps and others.
You choose which band to detect; X, K, Ka, TSR, Laser, all etc. It can be program for continuous display of voltage, speed or blacked out.
It is a great detector.
No, it doesn't have arrows like the valentine but, I bet when the valentine beeps you would slow down anyway.
The GX-65 is expensive but, I promise you'll get you money back within a week.
It has GPS and its database contains nation wide spreed-traps, red light cameras and speed-traps. You can add your own local speed-traps and others.
You choose which band to detect; X, K, Ka, TSR, Laser, all etc. It can be program for continuous display of voltage, speed or blacked out.
It is a great detector.
No, it doesn't have arrows like the valentine but, I bet when the valentine beeps you would slow down anyway.
The GX-65 is expensive but, I promise you'll get you money back within a week.
#5
Team Owner
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Just recently bought a new V-1.
For the money I'd say this one is not "smart"
I alarmed every off ramp speed sensor from Tracey to the Bay Bridge.
No matter what setting this thing talked continuously. I finally turned it off.
The Passport Series has many features that learn and store false positives.
In other words "smart"
I'm sending the V-1 back.......
For the money I'd say this one is not "smart"
I alarmed every off ramp speed sensor from Tracey to the Bay Bridge.
No matter what setting this thing talked continuously. I finally turned it off.
The Passport Series has many features that learn and store false positives.
In other words "smart"
I'm sending the V-1 back.......
#6
Safety Car
I got the passport 9500 with the GPS and usb uploadable database feature. You can login to their website and update the global matrix in its memory to make sure that added cameras and disabled cameras show up as alerts (or not).
It's payed for itself every time I hit the interstate.
it learns and 3x with a false alarm sets it's memory to not beep that source ever again. It will be busy the first week you own it, then it dismisses all the false signals from then on.
It's payed for itself every time I hit the interstate.
it learns and 3x with a false alarm sets it's memory to not beep that source ever again. It will be busy the first week you own it, then it dismisses all the false signals from then on.
#7
Safety Car
You definitely get what you pay for here. I have no use for one now. The State of Alabama taught me to wear my seatbelt, use my turn signal and never, never go more than 5 miles over the speed limit.
#8
Race Director
Just recently bought a new V-1.
For the money I'd say this one is not "smart"
I alarmed every off ramp speed sensor from Tracey to the Bay Bridge.
No matter what setting this thing talked continuously. I finally turned it off.
The Passport Series has many features that learn and store false positives.
In other words "smart"
I'm sending the V-1 back.......
For the money I'd say this one is not "smart"
I alarmed every off ramp speed sensor from Tracey to the Bay Bridge.
No matter what setting this thing talked continuously. I finally turned it off.
The Passport Series has many features that learn and store false positives.
In other words "smart"
I'm sending the V-1 back.......
#9
Team Owner
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That's why I'm loving my V1! The radar cops have a new trick in there elecrtonic warfare book! They use those speed warning signs as a shield because they know everybody is used to the false alarms there and will ignore the 'hit'. The V1 finds them because it will show 2 bogeys, One on K band will be the speed sign and the other on Ka band; your friendly ticket provider! I know the V1 is a bit gabby, but you should listen to what it's saying.
I drove thru 31 states. I can say there is Ka and Laser bands looking for our money. Like I mentioned, Ohio has more Laser Guns than Vettes.
#10
Le Mans Master
Personally though, got rid of my radar detectors 8 years ago and stopped getting speeding tickets too...go figure!
#11
Race Director
Going to laser-happy Austin today. With my old detector the laser signal NEVER went off even when I could see the officers pointing the pistols at the traffic from the side of the road. I'm anxious to test capture ability of my new V1 on Austins laser traps. I think it's ironic that one of the biggest traps on IH-35 is just on the downhill side of Slaughter lane
#16
If you can afford it...........
get the Passport 9500 with GPS and usb uploadable database. I had that for about 1 year and then got a Valentine One, which I've had for about 1 month now. The V1 works great....but...as someone else said above it chatters all the time in the city. The Passport 9500 weeds out false signals. I do like the arrows with the V1, but all in all I don't think that the arrows make up for the difference. Just my opinion....
#17
Race Director
Ohio highway patrol is still about 50% x-band.
I used to see them only use x-band when mobile, and laser when stationary.
However lately, Ive seem them use radar more and more when stationary (they love to park in the highway turn arounds).
So x-band detection is important if you travel ohio.
#18
Race Director
If valentine one had GPS lockout of false alarms, it would be, without any doubt, the best detector imaginable.
However, since I travel the same routes (on my job in which I drive across the state of ohio), I know where the false alarms are. So the latest V1, v3.872 is still very useful for me.
Yes, I know escort redline *may* have some better Ka performance at the upper end (35.5 GHz) of the spectrum, but theres no arrows, crappy laser performance, costs $100 more, made somewhere foreign, etc.
Of course its not detectable by the latest Spectre (used in Virginia, DC, and Canada) whereas the V1 is.
I think the reason why Redline is arguably a little better on Ka is because I think it uses 2 frontal antennas. One is of the length/shape that is good for X/K, the other is of the length/shape best for Ka. V1 has just one front 'horn' antenna and one 'rear' horn antenna that has to be a balance between X/K/Ka. Though it should be noted all the radar detector tests show that 35.5 Ka is tougher to detect (less alert) regardless of who's radar detector you use.
valentine one's used to be notorious for Ka band falsing from other radar detectors, etc. However they have fixed this. You an turn that feature (Ka guard) off if you want to. It may add 100 to 200 feet extra range on initial Ka alert in my tests against stationary 'your-speed-is' Ka speed signs. The valentine one is smart, even with Ka guard on (std settings), it turns Ka guard off the instant it detects Ka so that it is hyper-sensitive and reacting quicker than normal in case its I/O or 'quick trigger' Ka.
What is quick trigger Ka? This is a cop turning the gun on/off super fast (by hand, im not talking 'POP') so that it can register a speed in hopes that slower-scanning radar detectors (like Escort) are scanning another radar frequency (X or K) and wont alert to a radar encounter.
Luckily valentine one scans faster than the other detectors.
As for laser...I have gotten laser scatter alerts with my v1. At the same time, Ive had 2 encounters where I saw a cop aiming the laser gun in my direction and no alert. Though i cant *guarantee* he was pulling the trigger.
I like to think my no-front-license-plate retractable headlight black c4 vert is stealthy to laser (ie. it takes them a few hits before they get a read - while my detector screams bloody murder and I slow down), but Im told by some cops that they'd have no trouble picking that up on the first shot.
Unless its nighttime, I usually always see the cop before my laser detector goes off because of high situational awareness. The state patrol prefers enforcing this way - they'd rather give a ticket to a driver not paying attention that there is a cop there, then to someone who is driving carefully.
Im told they make laser jammers (surprisingly legal), but its hard for me to believe they work all the time. A state trooper (friend) I was talking to told me they all are garbage, dont work. So if they do work, get them, because the cops dont think they work.
Due to ohio's use of x-band and laser, V1 is the obvious choice for me. I like also that V1 scans faster than other detectors.
(btw, email V1 if your detector goes off constantly to K-band due to the highway speed sensors recently installed in ohio. They have a fix for this that doesnt affect k-band performance).
However, since I travel the same routes (on my job in which I drive across the state of ohio), I know where the false alarms are. So the latest V1, v3.872 is still very useful for me.
Yes, I know escort redline *may* have some better Ka performance at the upper end (35.5 GHz) of the spectrum, but theres no arrows, crappy laser performance, costs $100 more, made somewhere foreign, etc.
Of course its not detectable by the latest Spectre (used in Virginia, DC, and Canada) whereas the V1 is.
I think the reason why Redline is arguably a little better on Ka is because I think it uses 2 frontal antennas. One is of the length/shape that is good for X/K, the other is of the length/shape best for Ka. V1 has just one front 'horn' antenna and one 'rear' horn antenna that has to be a balance between X/K/Ka. Though it should be noted all the radar detector tests show that 35.5 Ka is tougher to detect (less alert) regardless of who's radar detector you use.
valentine one's used to be notorious for Ka band falsing from other radar detectors, etc. However they have fixed this. You an turn that feature (Ka guard) off if you want to. It may add 100 to 200 feet extra range on initial Ka alert in my tests against stationary 'your-speed-is' Ka speed signs. The valentine one is smart, even with Ka guard on (std settings), it turns Ka guard off the instant it detects Ka so that it is hyper-sensitive and reacting quicker than normal in case its I/O or 'quick trigger' Ka.
What is quick trigger Ka? This is a cop turning the gun on/off super fast (by hand, im not talking 'POP') so that it can register a speed in hopes that slower-scanning radar detectors (like Escort) are scanning another radar frequency (X or K) and wont alert to a radar encounter.
Luckily valentine one scans faster than the other detectors.
As for laser...I have gotten laser scatter alerts with my v1. At the same time, Ive had 2 encounters where I saw a cop aiming the laser gun in my direction and no alert. Though i cant *guarantee* he was pulling the trigger.
I like to think my no-front-license-plate retractable headlight black c4 vert is stealthy to laser (ie. it takes them a few hits before they get a read - while my detector screams bloody murder and I slow down), but Im told by some cops that they'd have no trouble picking that up on the first shot.
Unless its nighttime, I usually always see the cop before my laser detector goes off because of high situational awareness. The state patrol prefers enforcing this way - they'd rather give a ticket to a driver not paying attention that there is a cop there, then to someone who is driving carefully.
Im told they make laser jammers (surprisingly legal), but its hard for me to believe they work all the time. A state trooper (friend) I was talking to told me they all are garbage, dont work. So if they do work, get them, because the cops dont think they work.
Due to ohio's use of x-band and laser, V1 is the obvious choice for me. I like also that V1 scans faster than other detectors.
(btw, email V1 if your detector goes off constantly to K-band due to the highway speed sensors recently installed in ohio. They have a fix for this that doesnt affect k-band performance).
Last edited by dizwiz24; 06-22-2011 at 10:46 PM.
#19
Burning Brakes
dont forget x-band too.
Ohio highway patrol is still about 50% x-band.
I used to see them only use x-band when mobile, and laser when stationary.
However lately, Ive seem them use radar more and more when stationary (they love to park in the highway turn arounds).
So x-band detection is important if you travel ohio.
Ohio highway patrol is still about 50% x-band.
I used to see them only use x-band when mobile, and laser when stationary.
However lately, Ive seem them use radar more and more when stationary (they love to park in the highway turn arounds).
So x-band detection is important if you travel ohio.
#20
Team Owner
Member Since: Aug 2005
Location: Riverside County Southern California
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Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20
dont forget x-band too.
Ohio highway patrol is still about 50% x-band.
I used to see them only use x-band when mobile, and laser when stationary.
However lately, Ive seem them use radar more and more when stationary (they love to park in the highway turn arounds).
So x-band detection is important if you travel ohio.
Ohio highway patrol is still about 50% x-band.
I used to see them only use x-band when mobile, and laser when stationary.
However lately, Ive seem them use radar more and more when stationary (they love to park in the highway turn arounds).
So x-band detection is important if you travel ohio.
I dont know about that. I drove from California (31 states) thru Kentucky-Ohio-Pennsylvania and if the Ohio Highway Patrol has X Band they left it at home that Sunday morning. They looked funny, holding the gun with both hands.
Anyway, if they use the X-Band, next time I drive thru Ohio I will program my RD for it to work.