opinions needed on radar detector
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,403
Likes: 31
From: Allentown PA & Elk Twp NJ HPDE Addict
Originally Posted by Honez
I am no expert but about 3 months ago I got a ticket by a cop using instant on laser. After he wrote me the ticket we talked about the new instant on radar and laser detectors and bottom line is they do work the only problem is by the time they warn you it's over and they have you. While you will no doubt hear stories about how they saved many from tickets I'm not sure that they still have as much value as they use too. Someone prove me wrong please, if I thought for a moment that they truly did give you enough warrning to adjust your speed I would be the first to buy one. I live in Mission Viejo which year after year is rated as the safest city in America, that's becuase there's a cop every 100 feet or so and they all seem to have radar/laser guns pointed at you. My city is so over patroled it's not funny. 
I totally agree with the effectivness. The cops in rural So Jersey will drive at night with their dash mounted units off, wait to get the perfect bead on you, then throw the switch to the on position, and BANG...you're busted! The most you could hope for in a situation like that is to hit the binders enough to scrape a few MPH off the citation. But...would I dirve without one? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Passport is my choice.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,515
Likes: 17
From: Keller, TX
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by 502ci
Nobody use a jammer anymore?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,135
Likes: 5
From: Newberry FL
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by RPOZ4Z
only, I choose the passport 8500.
I have gotten a ticket with mine, but it did warn me at 90 mph (passing a truck) and I didn't slow fast enough. The officer clocked me 84 in a 70, so I am still satisfied with mine. I kinda like the look of the V1, looks futuristic and robotic.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 605
Likes: 0
You could always read Motor Trend's 2005 Radar Detector Buyer's Guide.
If you're really bored, you could also read the 2004 version.
If you're really bored, you could also read the 2004 version.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,210
Likes: 0
i scoured e*ay for ages before getting a V1 New from Valentine
the ones at auction ALWAYS seemed to sell 30-40 bucks short of a brand new unit, and for the ones that didnt it was was because they were a version or two behind in the version level of the firmware - taking the auction price + version upgrade by sending to V1 (they do a live quote on the web for a given SN) just about always still equated to close to New V1 prices.
I read that to simply mean - its a data-less day on the internet before you manage to sneak up on a V1 steal on e*ay
Its a safe investment (to me)- if it saves you $2,000 in one or two fines (200-250 bucks plus the collateral damage of Insurance premiums...) and in a year or two , and you sell it for purchase cost less 100$ --your well on top
* observations
+i like the arrows
-- i dont drive enough to 'differientiate the tones for various threats' - im getting there, but i do look over to categorize the band (ie bbeeeep bbeeep ;;;---> is it X? (prob nothing), K (careful), Ka (Slow down NOW regardless), Laser (screech) - and it annoys me how in a mad glance its not too easy to distinuish them (coloured LEDS would be better, and maybe one on each Corner of the UNIT? --> yeah it works fine, but im just thinking of ways i would make it easier to interperate that much quicker ....
+ it was SUPER (true for any detector) easy to mount - at the top of the glass where the electrodes for the rear view mirror dissapear into the roof lining, there is a formed cavity -- run the cable up to there, gently pull on the front of the roof lining a touch and push the cable into that space , follow it along to the edge where it meats the Apillar, and the Apillar meets the window, a quick jump around the apillar (up high, barely noticeable) and then into the weatherstripping down along the passenger side window edge- from there into the glove box recess and behind it, and down to the footwell where you will find a factory spare dangly socket to plug into
- i hate the idea of having to remove the unit when i walk away tho -visual temptation to any thug 'steal me - $highresale value radar inside$ lol
+- Laser ...due to the rake of the front windshield the laser detector aspect's effectiveness is greatly retarded , add further detractors given that LEOs rarely Point at the middle / top of your glass , but the licence plate area to begin with and yeah, when you see it light up, its gonna be tooo late however .... www.laserveil.com claims to have independant evaluations of a coating that gets treated to the licence plate (or in my case ill apply to a plate that ill mount behind the cover -- they still target your car even if your plates not there...) and retards / absorbs laser signal reducing the lead time from getting hit from 2000 feet away to 500 feet - seems to me to make sense and in conjunction with a laser warning sound from the detector, you would have that 500 feet that you otherwise didnt get....
-+ if i had to do it over again - i would opt for researching escorts built in unit, or the k40 front and rear mount ones, not laser scramblers but just radar detect / laser detect (its legal to report on laser light, hell i think its even legal to send out laser light (given the FCC dont have any jurisdiction to legislate the 'use of light') [im sure this will get correct appropriately...] - so while you might be within your rights, the LEO could just follow you for 20 miles until you screw up some other way if he clued into to your use of scrambler...
- there are some chaps selling v1 rear view mirrors that sound awesome but...well think about it, you get the 'v1 remote module' so you can rewire your visual queues to a dashboard area of your choosing ('lest you share your intel with your nearest driver??') , so why would you mount a v1 near the rear view mirror only to then wire the output into the rear view mirror - lol!!
whatever you get - escort and v1 are both highly rated by the forum, their word is good enough for me - just comes down to resell value (for me) , features, asthetics (if v1 is more sensitive keep in mind that also means it will ding you for More false positives as well - and that gets old really fast)
hope some of that ramble is of use...
FreeStyler
the ones at auction ALWAYS seemed to sell 30-40 bucks short of a brand new unit, and for the ones that didnt it was was because they were a version or two behind in the version level of the firmware - taking the auction price + version upgrade by sending to V1 (they do a live quote on the web for a given SN) just about always still equated to close to New V1 prices.
I read that to simply mean - its a data-less day on the internet before you manage to sneak up on a V1 steal on e*ay
Its a safe investment (to me)- if it saves you $2,000 in one or two fines (200-250 bucks plus the collateral damage of Insurance premiums...) and in a year or two , and you sell it for purchase cost less 100$ --your well on top
* observations
+i like the arrows
-- i dont drive enough to 'differientiate the tones for various threats' - im getting there, but i do look over to categorize the band (ie bbeeeep bbeeep ;;;---> is it X? (prob nothing), K (careful), Ka (Slow down NOW regardless), Laser (screech) - and it annoys me how in a mad glance its not too easy to distinuish them (coloured LEDS would be better, and maybe one on each Corner of the UNIT? --> yeah it works fine, but im just thinking of ways i would make it easier to interperate that much quicker ....
+ it was SUPER (true for any detector) easy to mount - at the top of the glass where the electrodes for the rear view mirror dissapear into the roof lining, there is a formed cavity -- run the cable up to there, gently pull on the front of the roof lining a touch and push the cable into that space , follow it along to the edge where it meats the Apillar, and the Apillar meets the window, a quick jump around the apillar (up high, barely noticeable) and then into the weatherstripping down along the passenger side window edge- from there into the glove box recess and behind it, and down to the footwell where you will find a factory spare dangly socket to plug into
- i hate the idea of having to remove the unit when i walk away tho -visual temptation to any thug 'steal me - $highresale value radar inside$ lol
+- Laser ...due to the rake of the front windshield the laser detector aspect's effectiveness is greatly retarded , add further detractors given that LEOs rarely Point at the middle / top of your glass , but the licence plate area to begin with and yeah, when you see it light up, its gonna be tooo late however .... www.laserveil.com claims to have independant evaluations of a coating that gets treated to the licence plate (or in my case ill apply to a plate that ill mount behind the cover -- they still target your car even if your plates not there...) and retards / absorbs laser signal reducing the lead time from getting hit from 2000 feet away to 500 feet - seems to me to make sense and in conjunction with a laser warning sound from the detector, you would have that 500 feet that you otherwise didnt get....
-+ if i had to do it over again - i would opt for researching escorts built in unit, or the k40 front and rear mount ones, not laser scramblers but just radar detect / laser detect (its legal to report on laser light, hell i think its even legal to send out laser light (given the FCC dont have any jurisdiction to legislate the 'use of light') [im sure this will get correct appropriately...] - so while you might be within your rights, the LEO could just follow you for 20 miles until you screw up some other way if he clued into to your use of scrambler...
- there are some chaps selling v1 rear view mirrors that sound awesome but...well think about it, you get the 'v1 remote module' so you can rewire your visual queues to a dashboard area of your choosing ('lest you share your intel with your nearest driver??') , so why would you mount a v1 near the rear view mirror only to then wire the output into the rear view mirror - lol!!
whatever you get - escort and v1 are both highly rated by the forum, their word is good enough for me - just comes down to resell value (for me) , features, asthetics (if v1 is more sensitive keep in mind that also means it will ding you for More false positives as well - and that gets old really fast)
hope some of that ramble is of use...
FreeStyler
Heel & Toe
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by jsdanehy
I had a friend (now deceased) who worked for Escort. He was in Research and Development (R&D). He admitted to me that Valentine was more sensitive and that he was working to catch up. I believe you get what you pay for.
Here is a link and video of the V1 alerting to radar quicker than the X50 and sometimes the X50 didn't alert to the radar at all. They are pulling the trigger so quickly on the radar gun that the X50 filters it out.
http://www.radardetector.net/V1-vs.-...otout-865t.php
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/we...ZmQzMXk1NDE%3D
V1 wins in POP detection video:
http://media.putfile.com/JammerTestscom_tests_V1X50_POP
V1 wins in laser detection because it detects a laser gun in stealth mode while the X50 remains silent:
http://media.putfile.com/JammerTests...nd_X50_stealth
Last edited by CLIFFORD250; Jan 2, 2006 at 03:58 PM.