Radar detector choices...

[BackinBlack]

Originally Posted by Nexus6

But what if it bounces off a road sign and then back at you from the front (which is known for happeneing alot).Or if you are in front of a big rig,and the signal bounces of its large front metal shell sending a rear detection and you keep going thinking he's behind you(which has also been known to happen)

How does the radar signal make itself undetectable from one direction and then suddenly detectable from another?

A V1 will detect the original signal and its reflections. The gimmick arrows show me that is going on. Also remember the reflections are always weaker than the original signal, so the V1 will notifiy me of the strongest.

Dude you won't convince me. Enjoy your choice of radar detectors, I'm enjoying mine.

[Nexus6]

Originally Posted by BackinBlack

How does the radar signal make itself undetectable from one direction and then suddenly detectable from another?

A V1 will detect the original signal and its reflections. The gimmick arrows show me that is going on. Also remember the reflections are always weaker than the original signal, so the V1 will notifiy me of the strongest.

Dude you won't convince me. Enjoy your choice of radar detectors, I'm enjoying mine.

well i could draw you a diagram of how line of sight works,but im sure you would find a way to dismiss that as well.

[Hesh]

Originally Posted by BackinBlack

If the bogey is south and I'm heading north I don't need to slow down. I'm liking that "gimmick". The direction is a valuable piece of the puzzle.

The key is before you ever looked to see direction you have already slowed down. Just due to the reaction of the detector going off. Which is all its really meant to do. Slow you down before actually being shot with the gun. The most important funciton is detection at distance. There are better detectors than the V1 for this. You are right tho you will choose what you prefer and I will choose what I prefer. Id rather have a detector that picks up signal further away from me then having it tell me where its coming from.

[Aaron1121]

I have my old V1 in my wife's car, and an Escort 9500 in my Camaro right now.

5-7 years ago, the V1 used to be the best detector hands down. But the 9500 now stomps it. I have x band turned off in both my units, but I really can't stand leaving the V1 turned on for anything except highway driving. It goes nuts with small signals and false alerts all of the time in urban areas.

The Escort unit seems to not pick up anywhere near the same level of false alerts as the V1. And with the new GPS built in, you can pretty much silence any false alarms on your normal routes.

Hands down, Escort wins the battle with the current models. I like Valentine as a company, they took care of me on a warranty issue and have great customer service. (Escorts customer service sucks) but Valentine needs to update their detector to catch up.

Here is a good article.

http://www.radartest.com/article_2.asp?articleid=100578

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by MCOR Automotive LLC

What I was mentioning in some other threads is that a company called NAV-TV (they are number one in the game of OEM integration right now) has released an interface for the K40's and the Escort 9500's that allows the complete elimination of the LED's and the displays. It sends all the information through a data signal to the DIC display. It tells you if the unit is off or on, if you are getting hit with laser or radar, and from what direction you are getting hit from. Right now, it has just been released for the Escalades, 09 Vettes, Tahoes, and some others. But, I am told by the chief engineer that they are working their way through the Camaro right now. I'll post when it is released and any pertinent info in regards to it.

Cool stuff though. Did a couple installs on Escalades that were awesome. It doesn't get anymore stealth of an install than this!

That sounds like what I want. Where do the sensors go? I tried hacking up a regular detector to separate its display, planning to mount it in my grille and put the display/speaker in the gauge cluster/dash, but I broke it (imagine that!).

Originally Posted by BackinBlack

If the bogey is south and I'm heading north I don't need to slow down. I'm liking that "gimmick". The direction is a valuable piece of the puzzle.

How does knowing the direction of origin tell you what direction the cop is headed or which way he's paying attention to traffic? Cops in front, behind, or on either side can all pull me over.

Originally Posted by Aaron1121

I have x band turned off in both my units

I wish I could turn off X-band on mine. I don't think I've ever gotten an X-band detection that was a cop (though it goes off all the damn time), false alarms on K or Ka have always been very rare for me.

[8ty8 ls1]

belltronics is the only company i trust when i comes to detectors. my mother has the sti driver and that thing is truly amazing...even tho my x50 is excellent also!!

[BackinBlack]

Originally Posted by Nexus6

well i could draw you a diagram of how line of sight works,but im sure you would find a way to dismiss that as well.

Unlesss you authored some of my electrical engineering text books from college, I'm not interested in your versions of any diagrams, so yeah, I've dismissed that as well.


Aaron1121 thanks for the article. It was a good read.

[BackinBlack]

Originally Posted by Hesh

Id rather have a detector that picks up signal further away from me then having it tell me where its coming from.

Fair enough. My V1 is 15 years old, and through its updates has always given me enough range to avoid tickets. I want all the data I can get.

Hope the discussion and links will help others pick the right detector for themselves.

[MrClean]

I have the Valentine (in my wife's Tahoe) the Escort 9500ix in my Silverado and I just put the 9500ci in the Camaro - the Escorts beat the Valentines hands down. The GPS feature on the Escort 9500 eliminates most -if not all- false alarms so you can run your detector on max sensitivity all the time. They also have red-light and speed camera database that is updateable. In addition there is a mark feature that lets you mark know speed traps/school zones etc. and the unit will verbally remind you that you are nearing these areas. The 9500ci also has laser shifting - laser detectors just tell you your getting a ticket - laser shifting jams the laser gun, giving you time to hit the brakes.

For stealth the 9500ci is the way to go - mine is virtually invisible to someone that doesn't know where to look and I mounted it with a hidden toggle so if I do get pulled over I can shut it off. Its a bit pricey but better that a high dollar ticket and the increased insurance premiums for 5 years.

Just my .02 from someone who currently uses all the different detectors.

[PA FAST]

Originally Posted by MrClean

I have the Valentine (in my wife's Tahoe) the Escort 9500ix in my Silverado and I just put the 9500ci in the Camaro - the Escorts beat the Valentines hands down. The GPS feature on the Escort 9500 eliminates most -if not all- false alarms so you can run your detector on max sensitivity all the time. They also have red-light and speed camera database that is updateable. In addition there is a mark feature that lets you mark know speed traps/school zones etc. and the unit will verbally remind you that you are nearing these areas. The 9500ci also has laser shifting - laser detectors just tell you your getting a ticket - laser shifting jams the laser gun, giving you time to hit the brakes.

For stealth the 9500ci is the way to go - mine is virtually invisible to someone that doesn't know where to look and I mounted it with a hidden toggle so if I do get pulled over I can shut it off. Its a bit pricey but better that a high dollar ticket and the increased insurance premiums for 5 years.

Just my .02 from someone who currently uses all the different detectors.

After reading the reviews most people seem to feel the same way.

[1camaro70]

my 2010 Camaro has a V1, my Acura RL has a V1, my G35 Coupe has a V1, my daughter and son have V1's, we don't go anywhere witout one, with the Camaro you have to use everyday, way too smooth, you go fast without realizing it. shouldn't say it but no tickets either.

[69 Camaro 09]

everyone i know is a huge skeptic of radar detectors... and the ones that aren't tell me it doesn't matter if you get the shittiest one or the nicest one. how do i reply to both these types of people?

[fee5fofum]

Escort 9500ix : GPS-Powered Truelock Filter , Detects red light and fixed position speed cameras ( one of my my favorite feature) , Speed Alerts ..Also you can download updates from your PC or Laptop and back up all your data to your PC or Laptop..

***Just got it last month and So far so good*** ...
So many detectors out there , each one has it's own Pro's and cons..

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by 69 Camaro 09

everyone i know is a huge skeptic of radar detectors... and the ones that aren't tell me it doesn't matter if you get the shittiest one or the nicest one. how do i reply to both these types of people?

I've used quite a few, though I've never used the expensive really nice ones.

Shitty ones are worse than worthless, they are annoying. They make constant awful noises that rarely correlate with enforcement activity.

Mediocre ones go off when there is enforcement activity, or sometimes when there's a cop not using radar/laser (they pick up the cop's Police Band radio, AFAIK). Often the warning is soon enough to save you from a ticket. They tend to have some false alarms, but on your daily commute you learn where those false alarms are.