niner niner seven

i agree with posts above waze does suck in regards to maps, but it does show where cops are in a 1 or 2 mile radius to where you are located. helpful for us who like to bring up the speed a bit.

freestreamt1

Valentine 1

Wayne Smith

Valentine pushes for range. He feels range is improved with antenna height. Therefore he does not want to hide his antenna in the grill or bumper (down low where other cars could block the signal). IMHO this is laziness, but he has held to this attitude for so long I doubt things will change. It does reduce his number of catalog items which has got to make his life easier.

If you want truly built in, go Escort.

On the other hand, what I did with my V1 was mount the main unit high and to the right of the rear view mirror, above the passenger's visor. You can't see it (very well) through the windshield, and it pretty much hides if the visor is down (Warning: Run your power cord first as you will need the full length for the routing and you don't want to mount the display too far to the right). I then used spiral wrap on the cord so that when I pushed it into the headliner it would be too big to pop back out. I routed this to the left, down the A pillar (no more spiral wrap now ... pushed the bare cord into the pillar so it is not visible), out of the A pillar at the dash (where if you look closely you can see the edge of the cord for a couple of inches ... if I wanted to get aggressive I could probably hide this), down the side (out of sight), and under the dash where it plugs into the OBD plug (a Valentine option). I then plugged the V1 optional remote display into the OBD plug and mounted it to the top of the steering column with some double sided tape. Sun glare can be a problem, so I mounted some black plastic to the top (again, double sided tape) to shield the remote display (and hide it from anyone looking in). All in all it is not perfect but still it is pretty stealthy. I added a multiple connector to the OBD plug for the V1 Bluetooth interface to make programming easier. This all tucks behind the footwell panel to the front of the fusebox. I haven't done anything with the Bluetooth interface as the new units come as POPt and I have had no significant false alarms in the three months I have had this (not much city driving ... where a detector isn't much good IMO anyway). Another reason I really haven't played beyond that with the Bluetooth is that the split screen on my Note 2 doesn't support this (I'd lose the Waze display). Maybe when the Note 5 comes out I will upgrade. The OBD plug auto powers up and auto shuts down the V1 and with the remote plugged in the main display goes black (again ... kind of stealth). Installation was literally only a few minutes and it works kind of as a "built in" but is not as good this way as the Escort. The beauty is that there wasn't a single wiring mod ... everything was literally plug & play.

9114Scab

Thanks Wayne, that was very informative.

ATLDiver

9500ix user here too...Very satisfied, the 'auto-learn' feature is IMO the killer app; very, very few false alerts. Those that I've had have all been on K band which I'm debating turning off.

PPadilha07997

Thanks guys awesome feedback! Ill let you know what I get! Too many good choices out there.

Valkuri

So, having just paid a $900 fine in California for 101MPH (open desert, 22 mile straightaway, wrong time/place; my own fault), I decided that it's time for a detector. In >35 years of driving and many cars, I've never had one.

Best I can tell from the string: V1 is perhaps superior in open areas, while the Escort is better in urban/dense suburban areas. Accurate?
Also: I despise cords and wires, and gewgaws attached to the windshield unless I can avoid it.
How intrusive is one versus the other? Sounds like the V1 just has to be on the windshield, and that's it.
Escort can be 'embedded', though the lower detector (e.g. grille) could miss some signals.

Most of my 'spirited' driving is in open desert: AZ, NM, NV, and Mohave desert/CA. My idea of speeding in town is 40 in a 35, so: not much need, there. I welcome any direction between the Big Two, versus other.
Waze sounds fascinating, but less valuable for my needs.

ADias

Only V1. Do not fret about wires - it is a measuring instrument - install it when in use, stowaway when not in use.

david

I can assure you that my Escort 9500ci is as good, if not better, than the V1 in open areas (and sub/urban areas).

A stealthy installation will be predicated on either your ability or the installer's, but I can also assure you that if done correctly, the Escort will be undetectable by LEO, unless you offer him a turn in the pilot seat.

If you are ever in the SF Bay Area, you can take a look at mine (as well as compare it to friend's V1), or just query local owners (or search for the best installer) and see for yourself.

For the most part, the V1 guys think that the arrows makes their tool the best solution, but Escort will also identify the location of the radar source via audible cues. IMHO, the ability to remember and lock out boggies, is invaluable.

P.S. I'm feeling your pain and commend you for maning up. Not gonna pile on -- nor do I suspect that you need a reminder -- but for the uninitiated, the use of the V1/Escort or any other radar detector will not replace situational awareness. In my neck-of-the-woods, a radar detector will do nothing about the Sheriff that is not using radar and is hiding around a curve in the 55-in-a-35 series of twisties...

Dennis C

I ended up buying the Escort Passport MAX2. The range is slightly less than the 9500ci, but comparable to the V1. So far, I'm very happy with it.

Wayne Smith

My V1 installation appears wireless and is almost invisible. But from comparison I believe David's fully built in Escort gives better warning. In the wilderness, lacking community, Waze loses is effectiveness. As David stated, situational awareness is critical. Slow down anytime you can see an overpass, etc.

I was just picked up at 84 in a 65 via LIDAR. But it was the car next to me that was at that speed. Sometimes you just have to pay the Highway Tax! In this case, the V1 never indicated a thing.

Valkuri

Quite true. I appreciate all of the posts for both systems; David, do you by chance have a photo of your Escort interior install? If not, I get up to the SF area perhaps twice a year, and might take up your offer: thank you. Clearly, either one is infinitely better than no detector at all.

In traffic and metro collar regions, I tend to hide like a sissy behind some other driver to avoid radar; in the wide open, it's...well, wide open. Where I need as much warning as possible. My own experience was courtesy of a CHP coming from the opposite direction. Couldn't tell it was a police vehicle, until perhaps a 1/2 mile away. Too late. Nearly any detector would have given me enough time to brake.

david

I'm traveling but will snap some pics when I return next week....

Valkuri

Thanks, David! Pls don't go to needless trouble, but: pictures are sincerely appreciated.

SpeedyD

Best radar detector in my experience is driving in the vicinity of Infiniti G3X, lowered Civics and WRXs.

If you do 10mph over the limit and blip on a downshift, it will auto-engage their detection units... whereby I mean they will hit the gas and go 50 over for the next 10 miles, helping draw out / detect any radar (or even radar-less) cops ahead of you.

Next best thing is Waze, but that is less useful in wide open / less heavily driven areas, for obvious reasons.