Driving home yesterday in my 8, there is no question but that my Valentine One radar detector saved me from a fat ticket. Sometimes it's unclear, but this time there was simply no question at all. I was driving around a long bend of the freeway in California, approaching an overpass, when the V1 beeped at me. (I have it set to beep only on Ka, because that's what almost all the cops use now and it's the only band the CHP uses, and there are NO false Ka alarms. Ever.)

Anyhoo, it beeped at me when I was going about 85, and the limit there was 70. I was in the left lane, passing a group of cars. I was the only one significantly speeding, and the only one in the fast lane, and there were only about six other cars. I let off the gas and rounded the turn under the overpass. There was a CHP on the right shoulder and I passed him at about 65. He let my group go by, then a moment later another car rounded the bend in my lane and the cop pulled him over a quarter mile behind me. So sweet.

Funny how the guy behind me got my ticket. Survivor's guilt? Like pushing someone else into a machine gun nest.

Incidentally, I was looking (for my brother) at cheaper detectors, and the problem is they lack volume controls, you can't shut off X and K bands, and they may be a lot less sensitive. If you want those vital features and can live without the patented directional arrows, you can get a used Passport 8500 on eBay for about $180, or a new one for about $220-250.

But the arrows on the $400 V1 really do come in handy: Knowing that the bogey is behind you can be highly informative. (You know to look in the mirror, and you know that either it's coming up on you (as the strength indicator shows) or you're leaving it behind.)

 

Paid for itself in one occurrence, Nice! :D I just don't like the bulky 70's arrow-look to the V1. I'd rather have it speak out "radar front, rear or side" like a NAV, maybe with vocal signal ranging. Has it been made rechargeable and wireless yet?

 

The arrows don't seem all that useful to me. You don't get zapped from the sides, so it's just the front and rear that you have to worry about. As long as there is an alert, you should be careful.

 

well you can get zapped from the side its just too late. not head on side though, coz that would give you 0 speed hmm...maybe im just totally wrong on this one or dont know how radar works...m'eh ill continue to rely on blind dumb luck

 

Far as I know, you can't get a proper reading from the side.

 

it makes sense, in essense a radar detector is detecting the blue (red?) shift in its signal to give a velocity? am iwrong? either way if this is right, from a side angle the beam comes back clean without a doppler effect shift.

 

I definitely like my Solo S2. The signal strength and the way it beeps, I can tell if it's front or back. If it's getting stronger, I know I'm getting closer, thus the target is in front of me. If it's getting weaker, it's behind me. Of course a cop could be zooming up from behind, but either way, if the signal is getting stronger I'm going to be slowing down.

 

what do you do about the cop waiting behind a bridge...by the time you see him he's already caught ya.

 

What about him? Any cop in hiding who has some sort of instant on detector is going to get you regardless of what detector you have.

 

In the bridge scenario, you can often pick up the splash, or halo; check out the V1 web site for some nifty illustrations. My situation was almost exactly that, and it still saved me.

In the instant-on situation, you're screwed unless he's zapping cars ahead of you, which sometimes happens. (One time I wasn't speeding, and the CHP on the median zapped me and another car as we passed him. We would have been toast if we'd been speeding.)

Voice and cordless would be nice, Toadman, but the V1 web site makes a big deal about how much sensitivity you lose by going cordless. I still like the arrows. The biggest changes I would make would be to differentiate the sounds of the different bands much more (a la cell phone ring tones) with different color LEDs, and get rid of the obnoxious start-up tones, which are way too loud if you have the volume cranked.

 

I made a four hour drive today, and the V1 saved me an honest 4 times. I drove 85-90 the whole way.

Who cares how big it is...do you think the cop is not going to see a detector because it is a half inch smaller if he busts you? It isn't big enough to obstruct your vision. The arrows let you maintain your speed better, since you can disregard certain signals quicker.

I can understand how some people might not be used to having a larger appliance though. Maybe you could strap one on and try it out? :p

 

What you said. And the V1s of today are a lot smaller than older ones.

Mine is above my rear-view mirror and a cop would have to kneel to see it.

 

+1 for another SOLO S2 user..

 

Arrows saved me $$$. Got alert (Ka band) and slowed down for cop on downhill side of overpass. while still getting rear arrow alert got flashing front arrow alert before next overpass. Yep, another one on next downhill. Do they call that a tag team match?

 

Above the rear view? Could you post a pic? Do you have the homelink? Also, how did you do the wiring?

 

This thread answers all your questions.

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-radar-detector-hard-wired-installation-8242/

 

Yea. It's attached, using the suction cups, directly above the rear-view (center) mirror). I used the V1 hard-wiring adapter. I used a fuse adapter to get power out of one of the fuses down by my left shin. I routed the cable up the left edge of the cockpit, up the A-pillar, and under the headliner. I ran another V1 wire to the remote display, which I mounted in front of the speedo. The whole process took maybe 15 minutes, with zero cut wires. Please see this thread (starting on page 2) for details and photos. Below is one of the pictures. I moved the detector up to its current position later on.

 

Beat me to it! :o

 

One of the benefits that I've found is being able to verify the location of the alert, false or not. The arrows and the counter will help you identify when you are passing, and when you have passed the source. This not only helps you better identify certain buildings in your normal route, but also narrow down which vehicles are causing the alarm (or possibly be a stealth cruiser or photo-radar location, either permanent or temporary). Without the arrows, you can't narrow the possibilities as far, and you tend to make more assumptions, which will sometimes be the wrong one.

For one example, there have been countless times when I was driving down a limited access highway, and the V1 gave a short, weak alert. Without the arrows, I wouldn't know if there was a instant on radar source up ahead, so I'd have to slow down for a couple of miles. Not only is that frustrating, but it wastes time, and people you've passed will go back by you, and you have to re-pass them again (in traffic, that wastes even more time, and is more frustrating). With the arrows, they would briefly show front and side, and I was able to determine that it was from a semi I passed by (there are alot of legal and illegal electronic items that truckers will have that could set off a detector).

Another time, I was hustling back to Dallas from Houston on a Monday. Light traffic, normally light in troopers too. Some Ford Escort flew past me doing over 90 mph (on some hills it slowed, so it was obvious that the guy was running as fast as possible). I let it go a half mile so that I was well away from him when he drew attention. I was caught behind some traffic, so I just let him go. Some ten minutes later, the V1 lit off up front as I was cresting a hill. About a mile and a half down the line, I passed two state troopers, who had pulled over the Escort. The radar counter was still showing one, as I passed them the arrows rotated accordingly, and just as the second trooper was behind me, the V1 signalled a second radar source. Without the arrows, one would assume that the second radar source would be the second trooper car I just passed, which would have been blocked until I got around him. But with the arrows, I could tell that the second radar source was directly in front of me. A mile up from where the troopers had pulled over the Escort, there was a third trooper sitting under a bridge (pretty well hidden at that) clocking us. If I didn't have the arrows, I would have assumed that I was still receiving only the other two troopers (I was still receiving that rear signal from them when I passed the trooper under the bridge).

The arrows have definite uses. Whether it's worth it is up to each individual.

---jps

 

As far as getting 'zapped' from the sides... obviously head on gives best radar gun accuracy.. and as the radar gun moves to the side (and pointed at an angle to you from the roadside) the vector of forward motion becomes less and less, until it is zero at 90 deg to you.

I've heard that cops don't really mind (and may actually setup that way) with an angle to you as then their speed readings are lower, so if you try to say their gun was inaccurate, they know they have already given you (and their equipment) the benefit of the doubt in your favor... and you'll have difficulty arguing it in court when they show their setup and the angle of aim ... to the judge.

Of course I have no direct knowledge of this .

 

Hard 8,

85 in a 70 would be a "fat ticket" in California? How much would it be?

In Houston you have a 50/50 shot of even being pulled over for say duing 75 in a 60. Most people drive 10 over normally.

I don't use a radar detector in Houston because county and HPD use a variety of different radar/laser guns. I radar detector is as good as a leaky condom when it comes to laser.

I am glad you are in area that has cops with Ka nearly exclussively and little falses.

-Mr. Wigggles

Ps. A cool feature for a radar detector would be one that adjusts it beeping volume based on ambient noise level. When I used to have a radar detector, I had to have it at max volume to compete with my stereo. Unfortuneately that would be way too loud for situations where I didn't have the stereo on and scare the **** out of my passengers whenever I turned the car on.

 

And for the passport owner...:D
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...passport+radar

 

Not to jack your thread Hard8 but do any companies make a scrambler or radar blocker, is there such thing?

Thanks,
Brian

 

Yes. Some are little more than scams, some are legitimate. The radar jammers that do work are very illegal to use. Without going into it again, it is a federal felony to use them.

Not really. There are ways to decrease reflection (most of which are impractical and undesirable for a sports car) but not block it.

---jps

 

I know you don't want to go in to it put could you point me to the place where it says it is a felony? Unless you are pumping out megawatts It will be an FCC viloation but I don't think a felony.

-Mr. Wigggles