Dock

For radar, it doesn't matter at all where you mount the detector in terms of height.

Radar bounces off most things...trees, guardrails, billboards, buildings, over passes, trucks, cars, etc. This is the reason you can pick up radar energy, and get an alarm from the V1, even when there isn't line of sight (LOS) to the radar itself. Ever notice how you will get an alarm when the officer is around a curve or over a hill before actually achieving LOS to the radar?

There is *no* difference in detector performance against radar given either the low mount or the high mount positions (there *is* a difference between the two locations when encountering laser). Remember, at a half mile out the radar beam covers a circle that's over 140 feet in diameter... and at one mile it's over 280 feet in diameter. Think about how big those numbers are. And these circles only define the actual physics of the radar beam - it's 3db defined beamwidth. In reality the radar energy is bouncing all over the place, so you don't even have to be within the beamwidth to get an alarm.

Radar produces an ever expanding pattern (the beam) of electrons which travel at the speed of light. They bounce off most things and continue on at the same speed ...in other words they are all over the place. The V1 does not require much radar energy to be detected before it alarms. As a matter of fact, you can drive with the V1 on the seat beside you and still receive an adequate radar alarm.

So here's an example of the actual RF environment out there...take the officers radar out to 0.5 miles and shoot it back at your car sitting parked on the road (aim the radar at the center of your car). Place the V1 on the ground in front of your car - it alarms. Now put the V1 on a pole and raise it 70 feet in the air above your parked car - it alarms. Now walk out from the side of your car and place the V1 on the ground 70 feet away - it alarms. Get the picture? See why there is *no* difference between mounting the detector high or low on the windshield?

In terms of laser (due to the laser's beamwidth), the closer the detector is to the officers "aim" point, the better the chance it has of picking up the laser's energy. Officers normally aim at either the front license plate (if there is one), or one of the headlights. Your best hope in a laser encounter is to be along the line of sight of the laser to the targeted car ahead of you. That way any stray laser energy (though it doesn't produce much stray energy, since the beamwidth is so small and there isn't much spreading of the signal) or poor aim by the officer might trigger a response from your detector and allow time for you to slow down before the officer actually targets your car. In a single car encounter your only real hope is that the officer's aim is bad (or that his hand isn't steady) and he wanders around a bit with the beam. In this case, the closer the detector is to the headlight(s) or front license plate the better your chances of detecting the signal. In a single car encounter, if the officer's aim is good, and he waits until you're well within range, you're toast.

Bill P.

Dock,

The V-1 instructions, if I remember correctly, suggest a high mount in order to maximize reception through the rear window for the rear sensor.

Bill

Dock

With the V1 mounted as low as possible on the windshield (centered) there is still great LOS out the back, although the V1 would do just as well sitting in the passenger's seat. Try it sometime.

deepblue

Not with Lasers you wont.

<Quote> : "With the V1 mounted as low as possible on the windshield (centered) there is still great LOS out the back, although the V1 would do just as well sitting in the passenger's seat. Try it sometime. </Quote>

Dock

The "V1 in the passenger's seat" relates to the receiver's radar signal detection abilities.

For radar detection, the V1 can be placed either high or low on the 996 windshield...it won't make any difference.

For laser, the highest threat is from an officer in front of you, so the lower the mount the better.

deepblue

I shouldve added :-) after my post...I was pictureing the V1 sitting in the passenger seat...its late here :-)

Dock

Not to worry...