Howdy everyone,

I have been looking at radar detectors, mostly valentine one and some high end cobra. Give me your opinions on them please. Discuss the useability, annoyingness, and overall functionality if you have had any experience.


Thanks
Peter

I have a Valentine one and honestly don't have anything negative to say about it. It is great and I have never had any problems with it.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

hey Ali, tell me about detectors. I've watched your posts over time and your opinions seem pretty solid. What are the parameters under which you'd rely on your Radar/Laser detector? I mean like rain, heat, heavy traffic, night, city and their opposites.

I rarely drive over 85 and rarely under 65 (on the interstate). In general, I drive about 10 MPH over the limit. Is a detector worth it for me?

Well, the radar detector is just a radio reciever that tells you when it is recieving radio transmissions on the three bands that traffic radar uses. The thing that makes me think the Valentine One is superior is its reliability and ability to do more than some other detectors. For example a lot of radar detectors only have a front antenna. The V1 has a front and rear antenna. The V1 also tells you the location of the radar source, ie whether it is in front behind or to the side of you.

In addition, the V1 tells you the number of radar sources. For example, if it detects 2 different radar sources, it will display the number 2. Since there can also be other transmissions on the same radio frequency that traffic radar uses, the detector can pick these up as false alarms. The "bogey counter" is especially useful when you are passing by a false alarm. If there is a usual false alarm with the 1 source displayed, you usually write it off. If there happens to be an officer within the false alram one morning, then you will be able to see that there are 2 radar sources this time.

The radar detector is most useful when around other traffic and on the highway. For example, if you are the only one on the road and all of a sudden you get zapped by an officer, there will be no warning, he/she will already likely have your speed when the detector beeps. However, if you are on a highway and there is an officer zapping cars in front of you, you will have ample warning before he/she gets your speed. Also, if the officer leaves the radar on, you will likely recieve an ample warning.

I really don't speed much either. I find myself using it more for entertainment on long trips more than anything. I have seen the V1 pick up radar from over 2 miles away on a straight section of highway at times.

I would rely on the V1 to work as advertised at all times. The time when it can be tricky to rely on it would be only one on an open road. If an officer were to have his radar off and wait till you approach and then turn it on and read your speed, he/she will have your speed without warning in this case.

Cheers.
-Ali

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

Consider this scenario: you and the schmo in front of you are tooling along in the fast lane at a speed above the limit, but not ridiculously so.
You top a steep hill, and just over the crest, a cop is sitting there with instant-on radar, looking for revenue sources that will pay for his 2006 cruiser. The guy in front of you sees the cop and panics, hitting the brakes hard. You're coming up behind him. Had you had a radar detector in operation, you would have observed that a radar source was emitting bursts of energy at a point somewhere up the road (assuming you were equipped withg a V1, with the directiional arrows) and you should take care.

I have an old V1 and my wife's car is equipped with an Escort Passport 8500.
The Passport lacks the arrows (which are less than reliable on my old Valentine) but hey, when the Passport detects KA or laser signals, the message I get is SLOW DOWN NOW. How much subtlety do you need?

Russ M.

Yeah, being first sucks with instant on radar. I was in court today on a 300 dollar ticket. My Cobra went off and he had me.

That being said, I bought a couple of generations old Cobra in a pawn shop for 20 bucks (it gets X K Ka and supposidly laser but I doubt the laser part) and it has more than paid for itself. Denver runs photo radar vans and it will warn me a good couple blocks before one.

While the BEL and Passport are excellent detectors the Valentine is upgradable so obsolecence is less of an issue.

http://www.radartest.com/

I bought my V1 about 18 months ago. It may be pricey, but it defninitely works as advertised.

Oddly enough, my V1 probably prevented me from wrecking my car.

I had just gotten back from vacation, and went straight into a very screwed up work schedule. I had a particularly difficult time getting myself out of bed after what basically amounted to two days straight of very little sleep. I'm driving to work, nodding at every single red light on the way. I do remember passing the racetrack at Hwy 114 and I35W. I had reset the cruise to 55 mph (posted speed limit) shortly after passing that intersection. It wasn't long after that, that I can no longer place a couple of minutes of time. A Roanoke cop pointed his laser gun at me, and shot off a speed reading. The V1 going off, instantly broke me out of my trance, and I was disoriented for a second with being unable to place the last couple of miles of driving. The cop ever had a clue that he just woke up a sleeping driver. That little jolt kept me alert enough to finish my drive to work. I spent most of that day, nodding at my workstation. Oddly enough, had it not been for a device meant to point out the revenuers, and the presence of one of those revenuers, I would have probably totalled my car.