vanster

I have a few long drives coming up and considering investing in a radar detector. The prices are all over the map as well as reviews. Question is, what is a decent one and do they really work?

Speedtoys

They do. I like my v1.

But only as well as the driver following speeding 'rules'. Those all have to do with trying to avoid being caught by instant-on radar.

SeanR

Valentine 1 User for a very long time. Love it.

Mongo

I bought a cheap Passport 8500. Reads Ka and Laser... which is what every CHiP in California uses. Good enough for me and was only $40 USED.

And by common sense, as soon as you have been lasered you've already been trapped. Laser gives approximate speed instantaneously.

beetleything

Yep LASER is the killer - they set up traps here in Canada and unless you spot them - your toast ! Sure the V1 will tell you - but it's to late!

Wisconsin Joe

Yes. They work. They detect the radar and laser emissions. They alert you that there is some sort of speed detection (or maybe an automatic door or something) in the area. False alarms can be annoying.

I run a Valentine and like it a lot.
It's saved my tail a few times. Almost all of those 'saves' were encountering oncoming cops with their radar running constantly. I was able to pick them up early enough (not in visual range) that I could slow down and be ok.

Instant on radar and laser are different. Maybe you detect it when they light up someone ahead of you, maybe you detect it when they light you up.

Knowing how cops like to set up, understanding how radar and laser work, paying attention to the road ahead, slowing down when topping blind hills, driving on familiar routes (and knowing where they like to sit), all of that is essential.

Simply turning the box on and flying down the road will not work very well.
I know a couple guys who ran them for a while, then quit. They say they got complacent with the detector, and got more tickets with one than without.

I know some people that have better success with apps like Waze.

Nothing is foolproof, the only real way to avoid a ticket is to not speed.

But used correctly a detector can give you an advantage.

cfiiman

I just bought a Passport S55. The main reason I got one is because my 996TT already had a Passport hard wired line coming out of the cabin light area that I wanted to put to use. Ironically that line does not turn on my detector Anyway after using it for a few weeks I can understand the complacent thing. It seems to only go off with Ka picking up automatic doors and such and once in a while I have a full on laser light it up but see nothing. I'm assuming it is from someones parking sensors passing me but who knows. Honestly it annoys the $hit out of me and I'm thinking of taking it out of the car.

Hula

Used a detector since forever. Yes, they work but it's not 100%. They are worth it.

I've been clocked by airplanes, VASCAR, and LASER. There have been times I picked up RADAR and didn't slow down enough but it made he difference between a ticket and jail.

Long time Valentine One user but switched to Passport/Escort for it's GPS based database. Big advocate for Waze too.

Crumpler

O.B.1

NoVector

A selling point of the V1 is ability to get updates, BUT the update is not cheap. I bought a Valentine V1 ~7 years ago and loved it. It hardly ever gave false alarms and when it did, hit the brakes. Fast forward to now and I can’t believe the number of false alarms I get—I mean everywhere. So I looked at the V1 page and below is what it says. BL: if you send in your unit and $289 they send back a new unit. All-in-all, I guess that’s not bad – better than iPhone anyway

------------------------------------------------
This is the response after I enter my serial number:

“Your V1 does not have Junk-K FighterWe recommend that you UPGRADE. Junk-K Fighter eliminates most of the nuisance false alarms caused by lane-change warning systems in some newer cars. Customer satisfaction is very high with this feature.Our Instant Upgrade works like this: As soon as we receive your old unit (in operable condition with no tampering of the serial number) we'll exchange it for a brand-new, current-production V1. This is our way of assuring you'll be without V1 protection for the shortest time. PRICE: $289 plus shippingWhy is this UPGRADE so costly: The parts compatible with the circuitry of these older V1s are no longer available to us. Today's V1 is a complete internal redesign. So our Instant Upgrade is, in fact, a brand new V1 with all the accessories you would get with a purchase today, provided to you at a $110 discount. We appreciate your loyalty. Here's what you'll get:Junk-K Fighter blocks false alarms caused by K-band lane-change warning systems in some newer cars. Traffic Monitor Filter, created to eliminate false alarms caused by SpeedInfo, a traffic-flow monitoring system that sends frequent K-band radar bursts into the traffic stream. Improved Euro Mode, now with K-band coverage expanded to include the lower frequency photo radar devices in use in other countries. (V1 is already optimized for North American radar as it comes from the factory; Euro Mode is not for driving here). For specific frequency details, click here. This upgrade will install the Euro Mode but you must activate it. To activate, see http://www.valentine1.com/Lab/techreport3.aspCrystal-controlled Frequency Tuning to permanently safeguard coverage at radar-band edges.Extended Serial Protocol (ESP) enables two-way communication with SAVVY and V1connection. New standard V1 accessories:

New windshield mount with new suction cups.

New visor mount.

New Lighter Power Adapter.

New Direct-wire Power Adapter.

New coiled cord.

New straight cord.

New wire-harness connector.

Dual-Lock® fastener.

New Owner's manual.

Spare fuse.

Spare suction cups.One-year limited warranty, same as new units, starting at Upgrade date.”

yrk928

Another vote for the V1.

Lots of tips and tricks, but try to have "bear bait" aka someone else that is also traveling at a good clip but is in FRONT of you.

That way they will get hit by radar or laser first and give you a split second to slow down.

jcorenman

Van, absolutely get a radar detector. Our first rule of thumb however is always drive safely. That is not so say slowly, not at all, and safely generally has nothing to do with those silly signs they stick alongside the road. But that is one roadside conversation that you never want to have. A bored officer in an SUV might cut you some slack for simply being over the PSL, but never for that plus being stupid.

As for tools, use anything available within your budget, learn the subtleties, and then take clues from the terrain and traffic around you. We use a V1, Waze, and a laser-jammer where legal, all have helped a few times. But most important is staying alert and maintaining situational awareness. On a lightly traveled two-lane the v1 will usually pick up IO tagging a car ahead before they can see you, the range on straight roads is unreal. But on a seriously lonely road, any other vehicle -- or coming up on a blind rise-- is a good time for caution. And where we travel, sunny weather brings out the motorcycles with their laser guns, but only where the left shoulder is wide enough to safely pull someone over. To avoid being the prey, think like the predator.

CHP usually drive with their Ka band running, but not always. A few months ago, heading south on I5 in Norcal on a late evening, we've got a Mustang that we passed hanging a half mile back-- using us as the rabbit. No problem, we've done that a lot. We pick up a few Ka chirps ahead, then silence. Then again, and again a minute later... Ka instant-on somewhere ahead in the darkness. Ten minutes go by, still ahead and slowly getting stronger, taillights in the distance, and our exit is a couple miles ahead so we slow down. The Mustang of course does what Mustangs have to do, and cruises right on by. He was there as we took our exit, having a roadside conversation. IO works out the back window also.

Safe travels!!

jheis

V1 . Saved my butt many times, usually because the detector picked up the signal far in the distance when they were shooting at someone else. Lets you know there is a bear hunting in the area so you can adjust appropriately.
With instant on, it just tells you when you're getting a ticket..., but even then, if they shoot at someone else, the detector lets you know they're in the area.

James

The Forgotten On

I use a Beltronics Pro 100. It's an entry level detector that gets the job done, it gets false alarms in the same places often (X and standard K band) which doesn't bother me but is dead accurate when it comes to detecting Ka band and laser.

I have 33 bar bias valves in my 81 which prevent the nose diving that the 18 bar valve gives you in the later cars so you can slow down quickly and not have the cop notice.

They need 2 forms of speed verification to pull you over in CA. Don't give them the chance to get 2, let alone 1.