SharkSkin

No.

heinrich

Thanks for yur insights Dave. Well, I suppose different tools have different uses. My SR1 gives a different tone (softer, gentler) for the rear receiver at the rear tip of the car, even if it's a direct hit. So one gets used to pinpointing the location of the threat. If it's off to the side, the signal will likely be broken, but if it's within about 100% from the front or rear and pointed directly at you, you know it very well. Personally I cannot imagine a directional arrow being a BAD thing, however the price to pay in the V1 is a great mass of false hits, which I could never live with.

I'm struggling with this new unit from Bell/Escort, because the X-band is given equal value with other bands which is crazy!!! AND it falses very similarly to the V1.

pmotts

Don't know what's different about my V1 but I get very few false hits. Maybe it's the great city I live in

SharkSkin

Most of the falses I get, aside from Ininiti & Chevy issues, are X-band. I don't think X-band is used anymore in Calif. so I've considered shutting off X band altogether. I would have to be absolutely sure it's not used here before I do so. Meanwhile, I almost never get X bogeys on the highway around here. Usually it's just around town, and I use one of the logic modes in town to filter out that garbage.

rhys

Unfortunately, here in NJ our staties still use x-band, and I noticed today that my local grocery store uses K-band for its door openers! As far as front, side or rear, I'm going to hit the brakes with any and all alerts, because the only way to know I should have and didn't is a big fat ticket which, on many roads here (turnpike, expressways, etc), is double the normal fine, the price we paid for getting the speed limit raised from the double nickel to 65. However, it should be noted, I guess, that most of those roads are so congested as to make any kind of high-speed driving downright stupid.

SharkSkin

Threat environments vary, as do tastes. In NJ, disabling X-band would obviously be a mistake. If I lived up in the police-state of Washington, I would be a lot more interested in laser detecting/jamming. IMHO the key is to find out what the threat is, then find a detector that keeps you informed appropriately in that environment and suits your taste/budget. In retrospect, I should have taken my V1 with me when I was driving up around in Wa, then maybe I wouldn't be so puzzled by H's experiences with a V1 there. Maybe it's worse because of radar scattering off of the ever-present raindrops.

Foz

Very strange... I went back and triple-checked my research, and can find no mention anywhere of an active emitter for the climate control system, only passive sensors.

But the fact that it only comes on every 30 seconds doesn't seem right -- If it truly was emitting IR, I would expect it to be on continuously.

If you get a chance, try this experiment: Put the detector a few inches in front of the sensor until the alert goes off a few times, then put your hand so that the sensor is covered (but don't block the front of the detector with your hand), and see if it still triggers.

davek9

Just got back in, please note on the V1 there are actually four indicators (counting the tones).
One tells signal direction (if it is scattered then most likely not a true radar, but reflections).
Second one is a signal reflection level; the lower the number is an indication of real radar.
Third is signal strength (enought said).
Forth is a tone for the different types of signal (X, K, Ka, Laser, etc.).
So 1 or 2 on the reflection meter and a solid direction indicator followed by increasing signal strength equals radar in direction indicated.

You can usually tell if is a false signal by the number of reflected signals your getting on the reflected signal indicator, the only time this is not clear is if real radar is being used in a high reflection area, signal strength is usually higher than it normally would be for that area.

There is really no way for any of them to be perfect as they are only detecting set frequencies, and if enough radio signals are in an area, sooner or later they will bounce around and or mix forming harmonics that will reproduces the same frequency’s that a radar detector is looking for.

The better models have well constructed antenna horns (some are castings) to tune out unwanted signals, block the weak ones and amplify (tune in) the chosen, also accompanied by more elaborate signal processors that also sample the signals and weed out the trash.

Whenever it goes off if I am flying low I immediately break, let off and then evaluate the situation, else I just check my speed. With the laser and instant on guns you can only rely on picking up signals from some other unlucky bxxtard getting hit.

I had used an expensive Bell w/a cast antenna horn (until it fell one too many times) and swore by it for years, the nice thing about the V1 is that it gives you the warning, the info that it sees and lets the real computer (you) sort it all out.

H2

I turn my V1 off in towns...too many false beeps from garage door openers, signs, other cars, etc. etc. Works well enough on the road though. I like the arrows as it lets me pinpoint where the false (or real) signals came from.

Harvey

SharkSkin

Dave, you must have a newer V1... WTF is #2, signal relection level?

brnsrgn

V1 with arrows and count can be very helpful in areas you are familiar with. Just the other day I was driving past a corner where I get a false signal, and usual a count of two sources. This time three sources. Normally can blast past this area, but one extra source was definitely new. Slowed up, crested the hill, and there was Dano pointing a device at me.

As you use the V1, the way it relays a complex arrray of information becomes a sophisticated tool, rather than an idiot light. In your car do you prefer a bunch of warning lights, or just a speedometer and light that says bring me to a mechanic now?

Loaded

AH BINGO! Great idea.

davek9

It did take a bit to get used to as w/most radar detectors show you a large number that is the signal strength, not on the V1.
On my V1 (~2 years old) the large LED digit is the number of reflected radar signals the unit is receiving, the signal strength meter is below the large number represented by a series of LED dots forming a bar (longer the bar the greater the signal).

I’ll post a pic tomorrow if you like, I should send mine in to have the software upgraded over the winter.

SharkSkin

Dave, that was kinda tongue-in-cheek... I have a pretty recent upgrade(POP). The digit is the number of radar sources(bogeys) detected. The V1 has no way of knowing what's reflected and what's direct. It can make some inferences with clever enough algorithms, but it sounds like you've misunderstood the purpose of that display. It has served the same purpose for many, many years.

Ron_H

It does take some experience to interpret the data the V-1 transmits. Once you have that, it is a sophistocated tool, as has been said. Using logic mode, the bodeys are usually apparent. And town driving just means turning down the volume. I agree with using the numbers to interpret the signals and the flashing directional arrow is usually the source to which you must pay most attention, despite the other signals (flashing arrows) from the other directions.
But when you have mastered instant interpretation of those signals, it is a love affair. Does Valentine have a daughter??

I usually always brake on a strong signal, and then search. Some of you guys know my reasoning for doing so. I do NOT worry about Smokey seeing a nose dive by my car. But listen to this: I have also been stopped when I saw the bear far in advance and no signal was heard or seen from the V-1, and was written for radar; of course I knew at the time the bear was a f****ing liar. And it helps prepare for my reaction at the scene. Did I ask if Valentine had a single daughter??

The root cause of all of this madness is the former national 55 limit. That is when the greed and immorality was spawned. But with too much Yin, there is an offsetting increase in Yang. What did you say is the phone number of Valentine's daughter's.