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I am in the market for a radar detector, as I just started a job with a 100 mile daily commute. It's about 90% highway miles, on a major interstate highway, and there are ample opportunities to *ahem* open the throttle if someone were so inclined.
* Yes, I understand that speeding is illegal, etc. I would really like to not have this thread turned into a debate about the moral and/or legal implications of speeding and lawbreaking. I think that open-minded discussions on this topic are awesome, but do it on your own thread
I purchased an Escort Passport 9500ix and am testing it now. I have a V1 on the way, and will try to make a decision in the next couple of weeks as to which one I'm going to keep. I'm impartial at this point, as I haven't received the V1 yet. But I have a feeling that the general public has had their perceptions manipulated by market forces driving positive reviews away from Valentine.
While doing my research, I kept getting a feeling that the reviews were off. It seemed like people in the know (technical knowledge, years of experience with multiple brands of RD's, or otherwise) on non-commercialized radar forums were talking up the Valentine One (as well as the Escort Redline and Beltronics STi-R+) while average drivers were more mixed in their preferences.
I finally figured out why... Valentine Research does not sell their radar detectors wholesale. If you purchase a new V1 from a reseller, that person has paid the full retail price of $399. That's why it's selling on Amazon for $479, because the middleman needs his cut.
NOTE: If you call Valentine directly, you can ask for a returned unit. There is a 30 day trial period, so units that are returned are serviced and sold for a $40 discount. Same warranty, basically brand new... that's what I just bought...
Out of all the 'reviews' I've read for radar detector comparisons, i.e. V1 vs 9500ix, or V1 vs Redline, there are very few that will actually acknowledge that the V1 is a good product. That's because the reviewers are often sellers, and there's no profit in talking up the Valentine. It's a far better strategy to talk about the V1's antiquated design and how it doesn't stack up to whatever radar detector they have for sale. (Usually Escorts)
An excellent article that kind of summed up the entire idea for me was a review from Wirecutter. Google search "the wirecutter best radar detector" if you're interested in reading for yourself. It does have a link to the Valentine website sales page (as well as for the Redline), but from what I can tell from looking at the source code, it's a standard link, with no affiliate tracking. That was the key for me in terms of the validity of the review.
An interesting point that the article makes is that the current and previous record holders for the cross country speed runs both use and recommend the Valentine One paired with the Waze app. The current record is 26.5 hours, averaging 100+ MPH from New York to Los Angeles.
I will update this post after trying out both detectors for a few weeks.
V1 is still the standard since it has phenomenal range, can see over hills and around corners,
and the directional arrows tell you if the LEO is coming at you from in front or behind you.
The side arrows are good at spotting an LEO coming across at an intersection.
The new Savvy module lets you set a mute below a selected speed like 35 mph and there's also a new bluetooth module as well.
A good friend of mine who drives on my race team has 3 Porsche Turbo's, a Ferrari 612, Mercedes AMG, and an E36 M3, with a V1 in every one of them. He's a well-accomplished Electrical Engineer and swears by the V1.
I actually have TWO V1 Detectors.. The arrows have SAVED me several times. Everyone assumes that the radar signal that is setting off the detector is coming from the front. NAY NAY Speed Racer!!
Cops LOVE to ping up in front of them while they are driving down the road. Jersey Turn Pike is notorious for that!! If you see the REAR arrow on the V1 light up, ya better start looking behind you.
On another note, If you are the only one on the highway zipping along and the LEO, pops you with a laser,, any detector that you have be it a $20. Walmart special, or $2000. All bells and whistles, it is just telling you to PULL OVER TO GET YOUR TICKET!
That being said,,,, You can also purchase a LASER JAMMER (and they do work and are legal) and when you get painted, it will jam the laser return signal long enough for you to react and haul the car down under the limit.
You can also PROGRAM the V1 to better suit your driving needs. The X band is a pain in the ***. I'm thinking about turning it OFF as most speed measuring is K, Ka and Laser.
The only thing that I wish the V1 had is a GPS function that allows you to mute out known false signals.
It's funny that you mention false signals.. When I was driving home today, I heard my Passport 9500ix start beeping with a K band alert. I immediately slow down and glance at my Waze app. Sure enough, there's supposed to be a LEO half a mile out. As I get closer, I see him with a customer on the side of the road.
So I'm thinking that everything is great. I got a warning, and Waze confirmed, and LEO was actually there.
That's until I drive past the cop and my Passport beeps and says "stored"... It was literally 3 seconds after I passed the two cars...
What I suspect happened is that the LEO was pulling someone over at a "relatively busy in the middle of not that much" kind of exit. And I've noticed that Waze has said that LEO was either on the highway or a short distance off the exit at least twice in the last week.
So either my Passport recognized the RD from the LEO and decided that it was a false positive because they're always there, or there is a false positive right off of the highway and the cop was a coincidence... after all, do they keep their radar guns on when they pull someone over?
And since this was my third day using the Passport, about 3 signals were stored into gps on my ride home...
Coincidence? Warning? Thanks for the input guys, it seems like my suspicions were correct with regards to what people in the know use...
*** I haven't made up my mind yet as I won't receive my valentine until the middle of next week.***
I am concerned that the V1 will be squawking constantly. But I'm pretty tech savvy so I'll probably mess with the band segmentation until I get it to my liking. I purchased the bluetooth attachment to allow me to edit the frequencies and lockouts.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by Pendexter
...........
I am concerned that the V1 will be squawking constantly. But I'm pretty tech savvy so I'll probably mess with the band segmentation until I get it to my liking. I purchased the bluetooth attachment to allow me to edit the frequencies and lockouts.
You can also program out bands using the normal front controls. Their web site shows you how.
I've turned off my X-band and Laser completely.
Ka (especially "instant-on") and Laser are the two killers out there today, so I have been using a Laser transponder for several years in addition to the V1. To those who think that the rear detection capability (and display) is nothing more than a "gimmick", don't have a clue what they're talking about. Like Bill said, it can, and will, save your butt, especially at night when someone is gradually overtaking you, and all you can see is headlights behind you.
Regardless of brand, situational awareness is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. Daydreaming, distractions, yacking with someone - either in person or on the phone - will get you nailed. Lesson: if you're gonna yack, etc, ease things down.
I had two V1's, and there is no denying the quality of how they work.
But, I just got sick of all the noise from false indications. Sold them, and got the Escort Max.
Love it. Works great, love the GPS features, and lock out of regular signals (security ie) on my regular travelled roads. GPS reminding of speed cams and red lite cams is nice too.
Max picked up that I got lasered twice by CHP the other week on the way down to Murietta. But, I was only going 5 over; and they're not looking for that.
As Bill said, if you are speeding a lot; and you get lasered, it's too late.
You probably can't go wrong with either. Too bad those two companies can't get together, and put the best features of both of their two units together, in one kick *** detector.
Don
Last edited by donald4972; 05-16-2015 at 12:35 AM.
Reason: spelling
I had two V1's, and there is no denying the quality of how they work.
But, I just got sick of all the noise from false indications. Sold them, and got the Escort Max.
Love it. Works great, love the GPS features, and lock out of regular signals (security ie) on my regular travelled roads. GPS reminding of speed cams and red lite cams is nice too.
Max picked up that I got lasered twice by CHP the other week on the way down to Murietta. But, I was only going 5 over; and they're not looking for that.
As Bill said, if you are speeding a lot; and you get lasered, it's too late.
You probably can't go wrong with either. Too bad those two companies can't get together, and put the best features of both of their two units together, in one kick *** detector.
Don
i agree. i returned my V1 before the 30 day trial period ended. even with the X off, way too many false alarms. went to the 9500ix and never looked back.
I'm still waiting for the V1 in the mail, but got tired of staring at the cord running from the cig. lighter to the RD. So I made my own Invisicord style connection.
NOTE: you can damage your ECM or other electrical components if you screw something up. Use a voltmeter, and proceed only if you know what you're doing. etc. etc. etc. I'm not responsible if your car blows up, blah blah blah...
This is my current configuration, with the suckers on the windshield. Once I decide which radar detector I want to keep, I will make a diy mirror mount. I'm not willing to spend money on a Blendmount when I can have some fun making one myself.
This view shows the phone cord connecting to the back of the mirror.
I really wish I took some pictures of the assembly out of the mirror :/ The two cables are connected with a ziptie. It's not my permanent solution, as I will probably use a much shorter black cable when I do the mirror mount.
Just a simple phone line with a Red and Green wire inside, stripped and plugged into the mirror.
I looked online, but surprisingly couldn't find instructions for my specific Vette. I have an '09 FRC with standard non-auto-dimming windows. Instead of the 7 pins or however many the other ones are, mine had 4 pins.
They were 2 rows, one that was orange/orange, and the other brown/black.
I guess the instructions on the Invisicord website does say to connect orange and black, but it doesn't say which orange to connect to.
From what I've read, one orange is for the reading light, and the other is for the parking light. The black is ground, and the brown is something... I heard that it was a 3v for something or other, but quite frankly I have no idea.
What I ended up doing is:
- Use a torx screwdriver to unscrew the mirror from the base. (It's about a 15 or 20 torx)
- Use a screwdriver to pry the locking tab up to remove the mirror from the connector. It was kind of a pain, but just keep at it.
- Disconnect the two gray tabs that keep the wires tight. Use a safety pin and push down hard to pry the tabs out.
- Once you get the gray tabs out, use a safety pin to pry the wires sideways. It's kind of hard to explain, and I really wish that I took pictures, but if you look at the connector, the wire goes in one side, and the female side of the connector has metal pins that will push into the other side of the opening for each wire. You need to pry the wire from the side that has the colored plastic wrapping on it (the outside of the connector).
- Take the red and green wires from the phone cord, and strip off 3/4". Use a lighter to melt the plastic away and a paper cloth to remove the plastic while it's still hot. (the wire was too small for my wire stripper). It's probably 24 gauge.
- The green goes into black, and the red goes into the orange that is right next to black. (The other orange is next to the brown, which looks almost the same as black).
- When you push the wires in, you have to press them into the opening that you made with the push pin.
- Once they are in, use a ziptie to tighten the two phone wires to the shrink wrap around the four original wires.
Put everything back together.
Enjoy.
Note: The power supply I tapped into, orange next to black, is probably the reading light power supply. It is on regardless of whether the door is open or closed, or whether the key is in or out.
I think if you were to tap the red wire to the orange next to the brown, it would behave differently. Maybe it only turns on with the door closed?
Not sure. Anyways, just press the power button to shut the RD off, or if you're outside, you probably want to put it out of sight anyways.
If anyone has tried the other wire, please let me know, as I might eventually try the other one just for curiosity's sake.
I have a V1 mount in all my cars. Never leave home without it.
I have had mine since 2000. (sent in for refurbs & updates of course) Always comes back as good as new. Don't know if other brands do this but with the V1 you can put in your serial number on their site and check for an updates.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by Pendexter
I'm still waiting for the V1 in the mail, but got tired of staring at the cord running from the cig. lighter to the RD. So I made my own Invisicord style connection....
That seems like a good temporary setup while you're waiting to pick an RD.
I'm using the Blendmount for my V1, and I ran a dedicated flat black phone cable easily tucked out of sight inside the front edge of the headliner, down inside the pax A-pillar and tucked into a hole at the end of the dash pad and finally come out at the toe-board fuse box. Because I always disconnect my V1 and lock it my glove box when I'm out of the car, and eventually the plastic locking tab where it plugs into the RD WILL break off from usage, I made up a female phone jack socket and custom mounted it into a small hole I made in the headliner near the RD area. Could only find white, so I painted it black. This effectively gives me a phone jack "powerport" for my RD.
I then made up a short 7" (~) jumper with a male plug on each end, such that one end plugs into the female socket in the headliner, and the other end plugs into the RD itself. I also made a backup jumper and keep it in the console for use if the plastic tab breaks on the jumper in-use when I'm away from home/on a road trip, etc.
One particular thing I like about the Blendmount, is because of the way it's mounted to the mirror dogbone, you can adjust the mirror anytime it's needed, and it doesn't affect the RD aiming/positioning. Same holds true in reverse and each can be adjusted individually (up to a limit of course).
Originally Posted by Pendexter
Note: The power supply I tapped into, orange next to black, is probably the reading light power supply. It is on regardless of whether the door is open or closed, or whether the key is in or out.
I think if you were to tap the red wire to the orange next to the brown, it would behave differently. Maybe it only turns on with the door closed?
Not sure. Anyways, just press the power button to shut the RD off, or if you're outside, you probably want to put it out of sight anyways.
If anyone has tried the other wire, please let me know, as I might eventually try the other one just for curiosity's sake.
I did some LED mounting inside my RV mirror (reading lights) and I saw the two orange wires you speak of. Although I haven't looked into it in depth, I'm thinking one is for the two reading lights and the other is for the small yellow LED "flood light" which dimly illuminates the console and glows only when the headlights are on. The incandescent bulbs used in the interior/panel lighting in our C5s, are dimmed using PWM, and that is how they are slowly dimmed and finally extinguish in the automatic timing mode (and manually dimmed too I guess) when you turn everything off and get out of the car, etc. LEDS sometimes seem to not like PWM and act weird, so I'm guessing that maybe the power source for the small yellow LED in the RV mirror may not go through the same PWM dimming circuitry that the incandescent bulbs do.
Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking with it.
Btw, I'm assuming that's a typo when you stated you have an '09 FRC.
with my v1, I had a cop pass me going the other way and hit me with his ka radar, saw I was not speeding and kept going. I know this because of the arrow pointing to the rear.
That seems like a good temporary setup while you're waiting to pick an RD.
I guess I know which side of you fence you're on...
Originally Posted by LoneStarFRC
Because I always disconnect my V1 and lock it my glove box when I'm out of the car, and eventually the plastic locking tab where it plugs into the RD WILL break off from usage, I made up a female phone jack socket and custom mounted it into a small hole I made in the headliner near the RD area. Could only find white, so I painted it black. This effectively gives me a phone jack "powerport" for my RD.
I then made up a short 7" (~) jumper with a male plug on each end, such that one end plugs into the female socket in the headliner, and the other end plugs into the RD itself. I also made a backup jumper and keep it in the console for use if the plastic tab breaks on the jumper in-use when I'm away from home/on a road trip, etc.
That is a great idea and I am totally stealing it. I'm having the same issue with my LG G3 smartphone, plugging it in the car, office and home every day has loosened the micro USB port. I just bought a QI wireless charging window mount, so that I can just drop my phone in for Waze and it will charge automatically.
Originally Posted by LoneStarFRC
I did some LED mounting inside my RV mirror (reading lights) and I saw the two orange wires you speak of. Although I haven't looked into it in depth, I'm thinking one is for the two reading lights and the other is for the small yellow LED "flood light" which dimly illuminates the console and glows only when the headlights are on. The incandescent bulbs used in the interior/panel lighting in our C5s, are dimmed using PWM, and that is how they are slowly dimmed and finally extinguish in the automatic timing mode (and manually dimmed too I guess) when you turn everything off and get out of the car, etc. LEDS sometimes seem to not like PWM and act weird, so I'm guessing that maybe the power source for the small yellow LED in the RV mirror may not go through the same PWM dimming circuitry that the incandescent bulbs do.
Anyway, that's my theory and I'm sticking with it.
Btw, I'm assuming that's a typo when you stated you have an '09 FRC.
You lost me at PWM. And yes, my 99 FRC is from back in the future...
with my v1, I had a cop pass me going the other way and hit me with his ka radar, saw I was not speeding and kept going. I know this because of the arrow pointing to the rear.
Before I started using the Passport, I couldn't imagine why anyone would care for arrows. Just slow down when you hear the beep, right??
Well now I have seen the light. Or more precisely, I see how not having arrows is similar to a false positive. It takes your focus away from the road because you have to scan all around and figure out if the 'threat' is gone or not...
From all the feedback I've received I'm very much leaning towards the V1. It seems that the Escort Passport is like an Apple iPhone. Turn it on, enjoy the unit, and that's the end of it.
The V1, on the other hand, is like a Google Nexus phone. You can use it stock, and it works well. But if you want, you can root, rom, and customize it to your heart's content. I've always been somewhat of a tech nerd, so being able to delve into the more technical aspects of setting up my radar detector to my personal needs is very appealing.
But as I keep telling myself, this is all speculation as I haven't tried out the V1 yet.
PS I do think that the Escort Redline has many of the same characteristics as the V1. I'm trying my best not to become a 'fanboy' of either company
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by Pendexter
I guess I know which side of you fence you're on...
Well, you DID say you wanted to come up with your own mounting...
Originally Posted by Pendexter
...........
You lost me at PWM. And yes, my 99 FRC is from back in the future...
Pulse Width Modulation - think of it as digitally controlling the rapid switching on/off of an electrical signal at various frequencies, depending on what you're trying to do, for example "dimming". It's so rapid the eye sees no flicker, but a smooth transition.
I have the 9500ix and think it is a great system. The arrows on V1 would be a benefit...but saw the new Escort has arrows now as well to go along with the other technology. Paired to the app on smart phone...the Escort is a great setup.
I have mine hard wired and then on a permamount under mirror with remote MUTE button down in area for ashtray.
The arrows in a radar detector are useless in my opinion. If you are taking time to look at where the signal is coming from before you decide to slow down, you are increasing your chances of getting caught by slowing down your reaction time.
If my detector says Ka, you bet your a$$ I'm slamming on that brake before I check ANYTHING else. Once you've slowed down, the only added value arrows would give is piece of mind.
I've been using my 9500ix for almost 3 years now, and it has saved me countless times. The GPS enablement, along with regular firmware upgrades, and the escort live app are pretty unbeatable.
Valentine 1 hands down is the best detector money can buy, the arrow feature is what has always been needed. You need to know where the threat is. I have owned EVERY manufactures detectors from the very first one, the Fuzz Buster in the 70's. The range of the V1 is outstanding, the arrows i can't live without as it tells me exactly where they are and in "logic" mode it's the best at filtering out all the false bullsh!t. This thing has amazed me since day one. I have my V1 hard wired with a remote viewer so as to keep it stealthy. I've had it 11 yrs now and still works and looks like day 1. Best money you can invest in is a V1 since traffic patrol is all about revenue,,,safety my ***. It will pay for itself first two times it goes off and with a 100 mile a day commute it will save your *** daily. When the arrows tell you were he is evasive action can take place confidently if necessary. PS, i haven't gotten a ticket in 11 yrs and it's certainly because of my V1. I had plenty of tickets before that. V1 ,don't leave home without it
05-15-2015, 01:07 AM
Motivation behind radar detector reviews
If you see the REAR arrow on the V1 light up, ya better start looking behind you. 
I guess I know which side of you fence you're on...
