I managed to catch the eye of a highway patrolman, and consequently, earned a speeding ticket. He admitted to me that he had an older 911, and it had a radar detector. He suggested that I get one. Can anyone give me any suggestions as to which ones are better, and do they really work? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Larry
'82 Shark

 

If I am not mistaken, over the past year this was topic was covered a few times. I beleive most of the owners liked the "Valentine".

John D

 

Larry,

Bummer! <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" /> <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" /> In or out of town ticket?

From all the previous post and conversations regarding radar detectors...and having owned an Escort years and years ago...I've still decided to go with the valetine model after the 1st of the year. Seems most are happy with that model.

Good Luck.

Tim Delarm

 

I have a Valentine and a Passport 8500, the latest greatest version. Without any hesitation I vote for the V1. It is hands down the best protection money can buy.The pitfall is that they run $400

The story on the Passport was that we bought a car 2500 miles from home, a FAST car. There was LOTS of open country on the way back. On short notice I couldn't get a V1. Went to Best Buy and bought the second best detector on the market, the Passport.

I got picked up by the MAN in deserted nowheresville New Mexico for ~85 in a 65. The detector went off at the last second, instant on nabbed me. With no traffic around I would have been cooked anyway. In the meantime I have lived with both. There is NO comparison in range IMO. The directional arrows and source counter on the V1 set it above the rest.

When I went to get my GT, 800 miles from home, I pilfered the V1 out of my wifes BMW. I would rather take the heat <img src="graemlins/icon107.gif" border="0" alt="[icon107]" /> from her than try and get home in a 928 sans V1 THAT is how good it is

 

I didnt think even a V1 would protect you from instant on radar - given you are the lone car on the road and he shoots you at the last second.

I have had Cincy Microwave products for years. The best one I had was a lonely two lane road and a car pulled out coming toward me with one headlight and all of a sudden my radar ( passport ) lit up and beeped and scared me such that I hit the brakes hard.

He pulled me over and asked why I slowed down so fast - such that he could not get a lock on his radar machine.

Told him it was the sudden one headlight that appeared and he said slow down and have a good night.

Sounds like the consensus is V1 with passport a less expensive second. The passport seems to work fine for me to avoid the traps - more serious drivers may need the V1

 

Thanks to everybody for the advise. I'm going to look into getting a Valentine.
Hey Tim....I was busted on the 14 (wide open).
Larry

 

He recommended you get one. What does he recommend?

 

Larry,

OUCH! <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

That's one stretch of road that's hard not to let her rip! <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

Merry Christmas to you and yours

Tim Delarm
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

 

Steve G.
He recommended I get a radar detector, but we didn't discuss brands, hence my posting.

Merry Xmas to you and yours Tim <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

 

I have the SR-1 detector - noty sure it is any better than the V-1 - but it is very effective.

It has paid for itself many times over - that I am certain of.

 

My $0.02 -

I've had the last three versions of the Passport, and had to send *all* of them in for repairs at some point.

 

Years ago, I wouldn't be caught without my detector. It didn't matter what brand, I would always get zaped and would pay the ticket. Between false alerts and as posted above the rapid braking, I would tend to egnor the alarms and get caught one way or another. Since I gave up on the detectors and started driving free style, knock on wood, I have not been given a ticket yet. I know when I open it up and cruse around 140 mph, the thing wouldn't help anyway. I also think that the cops look for cars that hit the brakes on impulse when taged and pull them over.

My question would be, have the detectors improved so vastly that if you are driving say 15 to 20 mph over the limit, they will give sufficiant notice?

Ell
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

 

My Valentine and I just returned from a 1500 mile trip to LA, Calif. .....I love my Valentine !!! I had at least three solid hits from Laser and a few from radar. The laser hits were first a beep and then Smokey locked on. He must first make a visual estimation, then an initial check with the machine, which triggers the detector; then he must lock on to you for a few seconds to verify the velocity. All this is necessary for a legal bust. At the first chirp, the handbrake gets pulled which restores legal speeds...then the lock on, if he chooses to continue, and the detector chirps increase in intensity and frequency until they are blaring and almost continuous. By that time, you should be at close to legal speed. In my cases with laser, I was close to legal speeds so I simply lifted when I heard the first chirp...he was just browsing at that point. But all three times Smokey locked on following that burst, probably when he saw my car and what it was.

With radar, the Valentine will pick up the signal as he is browsing from ahead or behind hopefully long before he or you get eye to eye. In one case, I picked up the chirps from a Smokey as he was about 20 or 30 cars behind me and shooting both backward and forward; I slowed and let cars pass me for about 10 minutes until Smokey appeared and passed by. As he did the Valentine arrows changed from back to front and I knew I was also getting hit from the Smokey who had just passed me. I waited until he exited the freeway before resuming my original "attitude".

The arrows are everything Valentine claims they are. Once you know the source of the hits and can know where to make visual contact with it, half the battle is over.

I love my Valentine more every day. I also think that some Smokeys must see that their targets are Porsches and decide to ignore them (if they are not creating a hazard) because they are Porsches. I say this because if I was getting hit as much as my Valentine says that I was, I must have been getting hit that many times when I didn't have it and nothing happened. (Smokey has discretion to bust or not to bust)

The trick is to get the first chirp long before Smokey sees your car and is just browsing traffic ahead or behind you; that way you have time to pull the handbrake, make for the left lane and be cool as you pass by. Watching the arrows helps you do that.

One thing you should not do is to get complacent and assume that you are in fat city if you have your Valentine on, because Smokey may also pace you as well. It is easy to fall into that trap.

You never heard any of the above from me at any time.... and anyway, how would I know any of this business, eh???

<img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />

 

Ell, I think you need to know your enemy first. What I mean is that the police use certain tactics to nab speeders.

I have found that most city cops drive around with the radar on. With a V1 you will pick them up WAY before you can even see them. The county cops are a little more savy using instant on sometimes. The Highway Patrol actually puts thought into collecting revenue from you. They lie and wait many times and use instant on. If there is other traffic on the road you will likely get a warning from someone ahead of you getting zapped. You will get a fairly strong warning, then it will go away, SLOW DOWN.

Laser is pretty tricky, most of the time they will get you. Acceptable range for laser is about 1000ft. If you are paying attention you will see him before that, hopefully.

So learn how and where they operate on your normal routes. Being attentive is critical. The detector is not a license to speed. Buy the best, the V1, anything else is a gamble. The directional arrows, great range, and two step falsing filters work very well. I trust mine implicitly, it has saved me many times.

 

Honorable mention - keep an eye on the *brakelights* of the cars far in front of you. This is often the first indication of a trap.

Don't forget to take two minutes and make an entry in the "Duration of Ownership" thread.