radar detectors

[Rodoni]

Every time I got close to buying a V1, I'd see the highway patrol on the freeways going to and from work using laser. But then again I go down to socal a lot and whenever I ride in my friends' cars with V1, we've been saved a couple times each trip so I'm still undecided whether it's worth it or not

Not all of norcal has lidar. Ive seen it on 85, 101 and 80 the most. In SLO, most all of em use radar (CHP and the local PDs). Only 1 time have I seen some Lidar action and it was on highway 1. Cops cant drive and use lidar. They can only do that with radar.

Most motor cops up north use Lidar now though. Also, you can still be saved with the V1 with Lidar. Its a slim chance but at least youll know for sure if youve been hit or not.

[TomSuddard]

I'm running one of those hardwired Lidatek LE-30s in my E30. Works great, and jams the Lidar, too.

[Adrian_Visser]

I'm running one of those hardwired Lidatek LE-30s in my E30. Works great, and jams the Lidar, too.

How much did that set you back? I saw a Laser phasing system for sale with the escort 9500 for like $1500. That's alot of speeding tickets, I think I would just fucking pay a couple tickets in that case.

[pelotudo]

I have owned my V1 for a couple years now and absolutely love it. The arrows, as well as the bogey count, makes an unmatchable difference over anything else on the market. They also hold their value very well compared to other units the market.

GFs brother picked up a 9500 and its total crap. Other than the updates and GPS feature the detector is junk compared to the V1.

The V1 can also be sent in for a reduced price upgrade later on whereas the others cant.

In regards to laser, you're screwed either way unless you have a laser jamming system. I have friends with the blinder m20 systems they use in conjunction with their V1 and they have been saved more than a couple occasions. Ive been lucky enough around here to not be going the wrong speed in the wrong time otherwise I would be SOL as well.

And in regards to the cost of the jammers/phasers cost, I would honestly rather spend $1500 in ticket prevention then paying one $200 speeding ticket; principle, to me at least, is worth more than the cost of prevention.

[e30rapidic]

3 cars - 1 Escort 8500 and 2 Escort Solos

[Jon325i]

Not all of norcal has lidar.

In Sacramento the CHP is using lidar....I-5 and I-80 corridors mainly (perhaps 50 heading up to El Dorado Hills). I've seen them in use, and makes my V1 damn near pointless to have because by the time the alarm goes off, its already too late. Just watch the speed in the populated areas....not as much of a concern in rural parts.

Jon

[iwantspeed]

any input
on having a mute button?

i figure, if you mount it on a switched 12v and you get pulled over I would turn off the car which would turn off the radar before the officer would come up to the window.
then when going to start up the car i could just turn the knob on the radar to volume all the way off and it would not make the startup sound.

if your driving and its annoying you with false's
just turn the knob to low volume and just watch the bogey count and the ramp up.

Am I wrong in my judgment?

[TomSuddard]

How much did that set you back? I saw a Laser phasing system for sale with the escort 9500 for like $1500. That's alot of speeding tickets, I think I would just fucking pay a couple tickets in that case.

Nothing. My dad had bought it to install in the first M3, but never did anything with it. I found it in the back room one day, and asked him if I could have it. He said it was too damn complicated, and he couldn't figure it out.

Two hours later, I had it installed. I had to notch the grille a little bit, but that isn't noticeable. I wired my unused foglight switch to turn it on and off, and I put the LED that blinks right next to it. Then I hid a rheostat underneath the dash, so I could dim the LED at night. The whole setup looks factory.

[pelotudo]

any input
on having a mute button?

i figure, if you mount it on a switched 12v and you get pulled over I would turn off the car which would turn off the radar before the officer would come up to the window.
then when going to start up the car i could just turn the knob on the radar to volume all the way off and it would not make the startup sound.

if your driving and its annoying you with false's
just turn the knob to low volume and just watch the bogey count and the ramp up.

Am I wrong in my judgment?

the V1 has this feature actually. kind of hard to see here:



but if you look to the very left side of the volume button on the left you'll see a little nub sticking out. this is a second volume button that you spin around kind of behind the main volume button, and is known as the mute volume. when you've got active alerts and youre getting annoyed, you just push the v1 volume button inward and itll make a small click and it will go in mute mode. with this little nub you can turn it around wherever to control how loud the muted alert it, from 0% of the original alert volume all the way up to 100%.

any time a new bogey is encountered it will make a louder alert again then the subsequent alerts are all in the muted tone until a new bogey is encountered. its quite ingenious actually and i had no idea what that little secondary volume button was for until i got the v1 hardwired and running.

[Rodoni]

In Sacramento the CHP is using lidar....I-5 and I-80 corridors mainly (perhaps 50 heading up to El Dorado Hills). I've seen them in use, and makes my V1 damn near pointless to have because by the time the alarm goes off, its already too late. Just watch the speed in the populated areas....not as much of a concern in rural parts.

Jon

I know this, I was aiming my statement to the south bay area where Joonsup is located. Ive seen CHP using Lidar at the junction of 80W and 680S on many occations. It doesnt affect me though because I take the 680S ramp and theyre shooting for SF bound people.

[quikveedb2]

so i'm gonna break this down into 3 points, because i disagree with so much of this statement

1. I have owned my V1 for a couple years now and absolutely love it. The arrows, as well as the bogey count, makes an unmatchable difference over anything else on the market. They also hold their value very well compared to other units the market.

2. GFs brother picked up a 9500 and its total crap. Other than the updates and GPS feature the detector is junk compared to the V1.

3. The V1 can also be sent in for a reduced price upgrade later on whereas the others cant.

so here we go:

1. hm, well actually, my 8500 X50 can pick up up to 9 different signals, 3 each of X, K, and Ka in expert mode (which is how i run mine), with individual strengths, it's like a "bogey counter" for people who can count for themselves. as far as the arrows go; they are useful, but if you understand how to read a radar detectors signals, determining direction isn't that hard. additionally, regardless of direction, wouldn't you slow down if you get a Ka signal of moderate strength? i'll take the earlier warning from my escort that gives me more time to adjust my speed too, since it has better range. as far as value goes, from what i've seen the escort or beltronics doesn't seem to devalue any quicker than the V1.

2. you mind going into a bit more detail here? escort & valentine both sure seem to be doing ok, despite escorts being "total crap", so what are you basing this statement on? you mean like being able to cancel out false alarms with the GPS that the V1 is so good at picking up? a customer of my bike shop owns a Scuderia and a Califonia, among other fast cars, and swears by escort as well, so what are we missing that you know?

3. Wrong, do some research;

https://www.escortradar.com/store/Escort-Radar-Trade-In.html

https://www.beltronics.com/trade-in-program.php

and if you're talking about updates to your own detector, you mentioned the at-home update feature on the 9500 in your post.

and just for some reading, for those who care to be informed. it's 2 years old, but good info nonetheless:

http://radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=9090

here's another one i just read:
http://radartest.com/article_2.asp?articleid=100578

again, i respect the V1, it's a great piece of technology and i would never turn one down over nothing at all, but sweeping statements about other brands are usually made by V1 owners who have never used anything else. actually it kind of reminds me of some bmw elitists.

[pelotudo]

1. hm, well actually, my 8500 X50 can pick up up to 9 different signals, 3 each of X, K, and Ka in expert mode (which is how i run mine), with individual strengths, it's like a "bogey counter" for people who can count for themselves. as far as the arrows go; they are useful, but if you understand how to read a radar detectors signals, determining direction isn't that hard. additionally, regardless of direction, wouldn't you slow down if you get a Ka signal of moderate strength? i'll take the earlier warning from my escort that gives me more time to adjust my speed too, since it has better range. as far as value goes, from what i've seen the escort or beltronics doesn't seem to devalue any quicker than the V1.

correct, it can pick up multiple bogeys, but do you as a driver doing 45 mph know every time which direction which is coming from? which is the strongest and which direction it is in? which one is on the sides of you and irrevelent? no, you do not. not saying you cannot deduce this for yourself, but it makes going through multiple bogeys much easier when you know this information.

and no i dont necessarily slow down due to a moderate strength ka band. why? b/c a lot of the time its a junk detector spewing crap out of their boxes and the v1 picks it up shortly after and cancels it for me. i have never come across a false ka being an actual officer either...yet.

2. you mind going into a bit more detail here? escort & valentine both sure seem to be doing ok, despite escorts being "total crap", so what are you basing this statement on? you mean like being able to cancel out false alarms with the GPS that the V1 is so good at picking up? a customer of my bike shop owns a Scuderia and a Califonia, among other fast cars, and swears by escort as well, so what are we missing that you know?

not a problem at all. i am basing my opinions, and please only take those as opinions, on my own use of each product.

escorts, while a very good product, offer products from very low range to very high range. their very high range product sounds, acts and alerts identically to their low range models. the v1 looks, acts, alerts, reacts differently. as regards to the gps feature, its useless to me honestly. after driving by the same area daily i know where there's going to be a door, i know where there's going to be k band spewing and the alert doesn't even register in my head anymore. its like a new language you learn, and its mine. i know where they are and i make the mental note, not worrying about what someone else has entered in theirs and i have updated to mine.

your friend with his car is is no relevence of me. my friends with lp640 lamborghinis prefer v1 so touche.

3. Wrong, do some research;

https://www.escortradar.com/store/Escort-Radar-Trade-In.html

https://www.beltronics.com/trade-in-program.php

and if you're talking about updates to your own detector, you mentioned the at-home update feature on the 9500 in your post.

that trade in you show, while very enticing, is about as stupid as trading in a cell phone for a new one and getting $25 off your bill.

the v1, you can send to them and pay anywhere from $70 to $150 for a new unit. a new one costs $400, so that would mean you're saving $250-$325 toward your new unit by upgrading. that "trade in" program you're referring to is nothing more than a way for them to take your unit, refurbish it themselves and resell it for retail cost or close to it.

you would be much better off selling the unit locally or on ebay and then buying a new unit as $80 off the cost of their $300/400 unit is insulting.

and yes im referring to the GPS again, which again personally for me is useless once i have learned the v1.

and just for some reading, for those who care to be informed. it's 2 years old, but good info nonetheless:

http://radartest.com/article.asp?articleID=9090

good reading indeed, and i would encourage anyone who is in the market to make their own informed decisions.

again, i respect the V1, it's a great piece of technology and i would never turn one down over nothing at all, but sweeping statements about other brands are usually made by V1 owners who have never used anything else. actually it kind of reminds me of some bmw elitists.

wrong, at least in my case, but that is again your own opinions and i beg to differ.

[quikveedb2]

everyone is entitled to their opinion, but expect a rebuttal when you make a sweeping, derogatory statement about a product that has been proven to be legit time & time again.

at speeds of anything greater than 45-50mph, presumably you are on a highway or freeway, and signals from the side should be short, weak, and quick, if they show up at all, no? and as far as crap detectors setting off your V1, doesn't hitting the mute get old? auto mute is a great (read: requisite) feature for a $400 detector, imo, and the V1 should have it.

you spoke on learning the language of your V1, so what difference does it make how an escort alerts? if you know the language, and you have a high end detector that picks up signals reliably, who cares if it speaks the same language as a lower end unit?, it's not as though you're gonna have a high end & low end escort working in parallel & get confused. whats your point? oh and i mentioned the customer at my shop with multiple performance cars in case you decided to drop the "you get what you pay for" argument, which V1 owners usually do. money is clearly not an object to him yet he chose the less expensive option, that's all i was getting at.

i never said the trade in was a good deal ( iactually mentioned in an earlier post that it is not), just that you were wrong in your statement that other companies don't offer the service, which you were.

i for one prefer my radar detector be quiet unless there in an actual threat, but to each his own. i just enjoy a good debate. can i have a ride in your friends lp640 lamborghini?

[xLegendOZWest]

my Bros got a V1 in his car and i love it saved us both so many times.

[pelotudo]

my sweeping, derogatory statement was geared toward a very specific product, the 9500, which i have personal experience from. its also made after using the product side by side (not literally) with my v1 and the current owner of it even liking the v1 more after using it.

and at speeds of 45 im in towns around where i live, where there's plenty of cvs's, wal marts, walgreens, targets, malls, and what not to where the arrows play a big factor.

and the v1, with regards to junk detectors that are not actual threats, will cancel itself and display a "J" on the screen notifying me that it was a shitty detector (probably low end cobra or bell) is the cause of the alert. i dont have to hit anything, it does it for me. does the bell? not that ive seen, it continues to alert it as a ka band.

the automute feature is one that i do not feel is necessary. it may be nice in certain instances, however i prefer to have my v1 blasting off quite often when im driving down the road. i would rather not have it automute and i forget about it for some reason and get tagged. another personal preference, not that one is better than the other, its just the amenities you feel are necessary are completely irrelevant to me. just like i prefer the way my e36 drives compared to an e46 even though it has higher amenities. a cable clutch feel vs hydraulic. a bumpy, jerky shifter and suspension vs a smooth silky ride. you ask a doctor and he'll probably have the opposite opinion, but to me these all create a better feel of "driving" to me and i prefer them at 26 yrs old.

along those same lines, i prefer to not have an auto mute, not to have a gps, and to have a more industrial sometimes referenced archaic looking v1 over a flashy belltronics. why? because ive used the top end of both models and the v1, to me at least, is a much better product. that, combined with the upgrade option valentine offers, seals the deal.

in reference to the upgrade/trade in debate, in my original post i stated clearly that

The V1 can also be sent in for a reduced price upgrade later on whereas the others cant.

and that is absolutely correct. no other company offers an upgrade to the unit you have, NONE. yes they offer rebates and you can get a new unit, but you cannot have your old unit upgraded for a much reduced cost and sent back to you. and if they cannot upgrade your unit either b/c of age, damage, wear, etc they will end up sending you a new one which i know they have done to multiple friends at no extra cost.



any time you're in fl lmk. while the LP is quite nice and flashy, the roomate typically drives that around, and i much prefer his CGT anyways.



EDIT: ^^ you can actually see the LP640 as well in my pic, peep the yellow :)