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Automotive News & Views Radar/Lidar detectors
1206 messages, Last post on Dec 28, 2008 at 5:16 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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What's so hard about it? Slide the detector into the bracket, plug in the connector and go. Removing it from the bracket is easy, and doesn't require a screwdriver like some other models. Somewhere out there on the WWW is a page dedicated to one guy's hardmounting of his V1 in an NSX. He built a custom mount for it on the back windshield and disguised it to look like a 3rd brake light. I'll post the link if I can find it. |
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I've got an solution for your Radar Problems.. perhaps already mentioned, paint your car with the same paint that the stealth bomber has, it absorbs radar, and won't reflect it... Now where can I find this paint... I hope it comes in other colors... F- |
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| You're assuming it's the paint. It's not. Well, not entirely. | |
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Well actually it is the paint in combination with the flat angled sufaces, If I remember correctly 3M or Dupont makes it. as well as radar absorbing coating on the windshield. I did see a think on SpeedVision where a guy had a car that looked like a Stealth bomber, looked funny but actually performed quite well. Oh well F- |
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My V1 saved my butt a couple of weeks ago heading east of Mesa, AZ on Route 60. About a mile out, I was alerted to an X-band signal that increased quickly until I came up to and passed one of those moveable "Your Speed Is XXX MPH" units. About a mile ahead, the V1 alerted me to a second X-band signal which became stronger as I came upon a trooper parked on the shoulder writing a ticket for a hapless traveler. Obviously Smokey had counted on anyone passing the MPH unit to feel that they were home free....until his rear-facing radar nailed them. Another mile down the road the V1 started picking up a Ka-band instant-on signal. Sure enough, there was a second cruiser, facing oncoming traffic in the center median, about a mile and a half beyond the first Ka alert. Alan Funt was right: "When you least expect it...smile, you're on Candid Camera". Those guys really know how to set traps. I carried it on the plane all the way from NY, but it was worth it. My Valentine One sure kept my vacation from turning sour. |
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| I want a slide in/slide out "hot shoe" receptacle because I slide in/out my Solo three or four or more times a day. I don't want to have to connect and disconnect the power wire each time. It's a small refinement, obviously, but makes the difference between being used and not used ALL of the time, which means it is going to be active when you come upon a radar trap. That's one of the reasons I wish a permanently installed receiver behind the grill would work. The alternative to a permanent installation is a wired "docking station" into which you could slide the V1, and it's connected and operating. And then slide it out and secure it awqy from prying eyes, out of sight, when you park. I do much the same thing with my Nokia handsfree cell phone installation. The phone snaps in, the power and outside antenna are automatically connected, and it powers on ready to operate in the "car" mode, even if other settings have been selected for manual use. That's what V1 should do, IMHO. | |
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Your solo is cordless, right? I think you have three options right now: 1) Hard-wire the Valentine somewhere where it won't be stolena 2) Spend the extra four seconds to plug it in when you get in the car, or 3) Put up with the less effective cordless and/or in-dash models. The valentine uses the "back" of the unit for radar & laser sensors. The power jack is on the side of the unit. Still, you might consider writing Valentine Labs and make the request. They may consider it. |
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mcgreenx: bhepler is 100% right. I have owned a Solo cordless for two years and was unhappy about the short range of detection (¼ to ½ mile). Too dangerous. That's why I invested in the Valentine One about two months ago. I hard-wired the small, included, "Direct-Wire Power Adapter" to a location right next to the suction cup windshield mount. I leave the 5 inch power cord plugged into the V1 while it's stowed in my glove compartment. I spend about five seconds to slide the V1 into the mount (I'm obviously older and slower than bhepler) and plug the other end of the cord into the adapter. I'm sure that I can handle the unplugging and stowing in the four seconds. Forget the behind-the-grille location for a radar detector. It's way too low for early over-the-hill detection, and signals are blocked by the grille material. |
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It cost a few $$ but what it has saved me in tickets and insurance costs, I could have bought a dozen of them ! So I was driving at night, on a road that had its share of hills and corner where there were numerous hiding places for the law enforcement. There were two cars infront of me, all of us traveling at a speed considerable higher than the posted speed limit. As I think back on the event, My V1 began warning me about 3.0 miles from the police radar. At first, it would alarm, then go silent, then alarm again. As the group of cars got closer, the V1 has been in constant alarm mode for awhile. We were about 1/2 mile from the police radar when the radar detector from car directly infront of mine, alarmed. Well, the two guys infront of me were pulled over and for myself, I had slowed to the posted speed limit before passing the "critical" distance point of detection. The guy infront of me, his radar detector works great at a distance of 10 ft. parked on the shoulder directly infront of the police car. I found out a week later, the guy infront of me was a good friend who lived in the same town. I asked him what the damage was from the ticket. He was fined $175 and a total of $350 in insurance penalties. He was so pissed off that he threw the radar detector out the passengers window before he left the scene. |
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You mentioned a concern about spending big bucks on the V1 when the technology will at some point become obsolete. To my knowledge, V1 is the only detector on the market that will upgrade your existing unit with the newer technology. They refer to it as "no planned obsolesence." It will cost you a relatively small fee, and you'll have to be w/o your detector for a couple of weeks--but it's better than buying a completely new unit. And, as someone else already mentioned, the V1 is so good, even if you never upgraded, it will still provide excellent protection for a long time. gibble: I've owned pretty much every high-end detector on the market, and if you can't afford a V1, I'd recommend a Whistler. But--if you're willing to spend $250--can't you just save up for a couple of more months and get the V1? Believe me, you won't regret it. |
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