woodranch

I just got yesterday from driving from Las Vegas.I must say I have a Valentine Radar dectector that really dissappointed me.As I am comming down a nice size hill I see a white car on the side of the road.By the time it was to late and I am up to it I see it is a California Highway Patrol(Usually they have black and white cars)sitting out with his radar gun pointing at on comming traffic.The Valentine did not make a peep.Luckily he got someone else but I really do not understand why it did not work.I know this has been debated but is Valentine still top rated in detectors.Is there a better detector on the market because I was very lucky this time and have lost faith in valentine.

ltc

If the V1 is broken, I would suggest contacting them and returning it for repair/evaluation. Their customer service/repair/upgrade policy is quite good.

Assuming it isn't broken, are you sure it was radar that he was using? It could have been laser and you wouldn't have had a response from your v1 if he was targeted at the 'other' car.

Surprising, since the V1 is widely regarded as anything but worthless amongst the various RL forums


I did military design work back in the Reagan days that is 'affiliated' with electronic counter measures......if I only had what I worked on back then, I'd never get another radar/laser ticket ever again......God, how I miss Reagan)......and yes, I own 2 V1's.

Land Jet

My Escort 8500 has saved me from probably 40 or 50 tickets of the radar gun variety. Unfortunately, you cannot put your foot on the brake faster than the speed of light, and I have 4 laser tickets to prove it. For laser, you need a jammer. Escort makes a combination radar detector/laser jammer unit but I don't know the model number or price. Several other combo units are also on the market but I haven't seen any test data so can't comment on their reliability or effectiveness. Maybe some other board members could add to this.

When I first got my detector, I remember not turning the volume up and wondering what was wrong with the unit. Could you have done something similar? And itc is correct, laser does not register on a radar detector unless it has laser sensing capabilities.

woodranch

Do most Highway patrol agencies use laser now?Who uses laser as opposed to radar?

ZX9RCAM

Actually my V1 has alerted to Laser even when the cop was on the other side of a slight rise targeting another car & gave me time to slow down...

sdw999

Passport SRX w/shifters. I have beaten every laser attack I have experienced with this unit. I know it gets knocked for not offering direction and it's not cheap, but it works great and I have never received a ticket (knock on wood). Stealth installation is also nice.

NCporsche

Sounds like the CHP was using laser.

I've been following another car and both of us had V-1s. He got hit with laser and my V-1 was silent. Five miles down the road we had switched positions. I got lasered, and alerted, so I knew it was operating properly.

gmsracing

Laser protection is tough with the V1. (Or any dedicated detector.) Radar they are great. I've had a couple of instances where I detected laser off a car in front of me, but usually it is tough to pick up the scatter in time. Shifters are the real solution to lasers. I've seen an increase of laser usage here in Oregon and California when I drive south.

ltc

It's all a matter of geometry; sometimes you're OK, sometimes you're not.

The V1 does have laser, but as previously mentioned, by the time any laser detector goes off, it's too late.

Coochas

No matter how good a detector you have, if there is not much traffic around for scattering and a cop is using 'instant on' radar/laser, then you have a high chance of being busted.

For the record, I use an Escort 9500 which I think is amazing. No tickets in many years but I know this will change. "Judgement Day is inevitable,.... you only postponed it."

woodranch

Don't you mean Passport 9500?? Which model do you have?

Coochas

I guess,...it's all the same! I'm just used to calling them Escorts.
The 9500 is the newest model with GPS that allows you to 'mark' areas where false alarms (e.g. microwave burglar alarms) occur so that it will not give an audible alarm. It's a really great feature and I would imagine that the next V1 will have something similar.

OldGuy

I have been saved a bunch of times with the V1. But I ilve in the more rural areas of California. They all use Ka band.
I would bet on I 15 coming and going from Los Angeles they are using laser, because with the amount of traffic it would be easy to say, there were 15 other cars around me. With laser he is going to have to be sure he was pointing at you, which lends itself to the implementation of the laser.
And ANY dectector will lose without the laser shifter, which maybe be illegal in that route.

docjackson1

i can't explain what happened to you, but on radar, my valentine 1 has been terrific. it also works well with laser, but obviously, if they get you with the laser and you don't see them first, you are screwed. in my experience, the v1 is a good product. i would try the carrera gt forum, as the owner of valentine (mike valentine) is on the carrera gt forum.

TT Surgeon

Mike must be selling a lot of V1's!