[Larry Currie]

My Son talked me into the V1 several years ago. I'd used an Escort before changing, but I'll never use anything but the V1 now. No tickets in several years.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, I have to concur. Yes, it was expensive, but I love my V1. It consistently comes out at or near the top in the comparison tests that I've seen, and it's nice to know where the radar is coming from. And I like the fact that Valentine will update the software free of charge as improvements are made, though maybe the other major detector companies do the same as well.

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[Larry Currie]

If it breaks they will also repair it for $75 and do any upgrades that have came out since your purchase.

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[flash]

based on the recommendations here, i had a valentine for a short while - i sent it back



i went for the V65 pro - it outperformed all other detectors they tested, including the valentine 1, in all categories that mattered to me - to me, the high rate of falsing of the valentine was not a good trade-off for the rear antenna



the V65 has saved me numerous tickets



that being said, eventually i will be putting in the big escort in both the 968 and the denali - the extra protection, and reduced falsing of the separate components is much more attractive to me than any single head unit - the bimmer can then have the V65



i think a lot of it is the kind of radar in your area, and how it is used - around here, Ka band is the most prevalent, as well as laser - some smaller towns still use K, but i've never seen active X band



also, whichever detector you choose, it is only as good as you are at paying attention to it

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[Fox944]

Rador detectors dont do anything for me. when i go for spirited drives its late night or on country roads where there is little to no traffic. a radar detector lets me know when i've been tagged. At that point it is too late.



When there is traffic on the road, it works...because the officers will be tagging people in front of you and the rador will pick it up. But i'm not going more then 10 over the limit usually(with the flow of traffic). So its utterly pointless for me to own a radar detector

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[flash]

interesting - i find the case to be the opposite - it's at night and on the open road with no traffic when i find the most protection - it lets me know a good mile or so ahead if it's radar (i'm screwed if it's laser) - in traffic, it's pretty easy to make sure somebody else is the larger target (at distance, radar seeks the biggest object)



it saved me 3 tickets on my hershey trip alone - big open road - lots of night driving

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[Renalicious]

Heh, well all the best technology in the world isn't gonna help when you're motoring along doing 160 (in a 100 zone), and a ghost car pulls up behind you, or you get nabbed by a heli coming up behind. Thankfully I wasn't the only one who got busted, as my friend with his 330i got nailed to. Except his ticket was $90, where as mine was $200 <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/huh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



He figures because he's technically from Oregon, and has Oregon plates, they think he's less likely to pay than someone from BC. However, the cop was very generous in that he didn't slap an excessive on me, nor the fact that I didn't have a front license plate (never have). Still, I no longer trust that highway anymore (Highway 91), and gunning it on the weekend, in day time no less, was pretty stupid anyways =/ I really need to find some nice country roads or get to those tracks days again. At least if you're gunning it in the middle of no where, well, you could argue the case that there is no one around to get hurt. That's the way I see it.

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[Chris Vais]

I've been tracking this post for some time now. I don't own a radar detector, never have. I've been driving since 1963, mostly in California with the exception of my military service time. The last speeding ticket that I received was in 1967. I picked my younger brother up on his last day of high school and punctuated the event by executing what was a the time a really nice burnout in front of the school. Unfortunately there was a cop up a side street that I didn't see. I got stopped in Alameda, where I live a couple of years ago, but the officer told me that I had such a clean driving record he didn't want to mess it up so he wrote me for a seat belt violation.



I did have a problem in North Carolina when I was stationed there. The local Sheriff used to set up a "Yankee Trap" outside of the main gate. If you drove a car with a "Yankee" plate on it you would be stopped for some violation real or imagined. If you drove a foriegn car ("a PORCH") as I did at the time with California plates on it, why you were immediately assumed to be a "comminist" pinko, hippie, war resister, even if you were in full uniform, and a prime candidate to be stopped. I along with a few others took exception to this treatment and complained to the Commanding Officer who then ordered up a "two dollar" pay day that took care of the problem in short order.



Driving in California, even on I-5, I make it point to never be the fastest guy out there and I don't "work" the traffic. There are no shortage of fools driving SUVs, vans and the occasional "rice rockets" at well over 80 mph that make excellent radar targets. Besides, the Interstate Highways in California are in such poor repair you really are at risk of your life if your driving too fast. I do drive my 968 fast, at times very fast, but only in locations and at times where I know that I can do so without putting anyone at risk and without attracting any unwanted attention.

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[ron1688]

I just drove back from sun city to sac last weekend and I swear by my x50. It definitely save me a minimum of 3 times during my 5.5 hour drive back. Climbing up the grapvine, the split between 99 and 5 and Coanlinga... I never leave without my escort period..

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[gryphon]

Man, the internet can be frustrating times. I try to read up on the Escort V65 Pro and all google finds for me are ladies to keep me from getting lonely. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Tom

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[flash]

my bad - it's RX65 pro by beltronics

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[gryphon]

"Tom is out for the evening with his new Internet lady. I'll give him a message."



automated response system

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[Fox944]

[quote name='flash' post='39848' date='Aug 13 2007, 03:30 PM']interesting - i find the case to be the opposite - it's at night and on the open road with no traffic when i find the most protection - it lets me know a good mile or so ahead if it's radar (i'm screwed if it's laser) - in traffic, it's pretty easy to make sure somebody else is the larger target (at distance, radar seeks the biggest object)



it saved me 3 tickets on my hershey trip alone - big open road - lots of night driving[/quote]





Detectors arnt going to pick up radars untill they are being used. If there are no cars in front of you...it isnt being used. Once you pick it up, its being used on you....at which point it may be to late. radars arnt 100% however. Sometimes they must gun you 3 or 4 times before they actually getting a reading...in which case it allows you to slow down in time before they get their reading. When they do pick up your speed on the 1st try....then you are done. Either way....late night no cars on the road, i have my high beams on. So you can usually see them and slow down in time before you are nabbed.





i've had a few. a couple escorts as well as a V1. i never found them to be any more helpful then my own eyes. I've never been saved by a detector & many times i see the police car before the radar picks up his signal. That and the fact that i know where most of the hide outs are on the roads i travel make them almost pointless for me personally.

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[flash]

well, i have to say that your opinion has definitely been in the minority of my experience (frankly you're the only one i have ever heard say that of anybody who has actually used one) - maybe you had a piece of junk, or had it placed wrong?



around here, the cops frequently leave the radar on - also, the focus on radar is pretty wide, unlike lasers - you really have to be pretty close to get a reading you can use (about 1/4 mile) - however, the signal is able to be picked up from a great distance by the detector (i've picked them up as far as 2 miles away) - this usually gives you a good amount of warning - mine even gives you both audible and visual indications of signal strength, and has a doppler effect tone



these things have saved me countless tickets - did it again yesterday - motorcycle cop sitting in a driveway down and around a corner - i was flying in his direction, but out of his line of sight - detector picked him up - i slowed down - finally i saw him, but by that time i was fine - he never saw me speeding



p.s. - in many jurisdictions, driving with your high beams on is as expensive of a ticket as speeding - mine is one of them



but, if you feel safe, that's cool - i swear by these things, as does just about anybody i know who has one

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[Fox944]

They use radar guns...which arnt shooting anything at you untill they pull the trigger. If there are no cars in front of you, then they arnt pulling the trigger untill they see you coming. At which point your detector will pick up the signal...at which point you will be able to see the cop with your own eyes.



On highways during the night. You should have your high beams on if you are the only car on the road (at least i do). Which will enable you to see a cop car at a distance due to the reflectors all over their cars.



I never swore by them, and our experiance is the exact opposite. Most everyone i know who had or used a detector (usually a V1 or Escort) feels they are worthless.

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[flash]

i think you need to look into that - not all of them are guns, in fact, i haven't seen a gun in a car in years - there have been dash mounted units in use for almost 10 years now - they were even testing them back when i was designing radar jamming systems for DOD 25 years ago - pretty much only the motorcycles use the guns anymore here - i pass CHP on the freeway all the time with radar banging away, and they aren't even in the car



your vision is at best, even with high beams, 1 mile on a straight road (remember, the horizon at 6' is only 3 miles) - on a straight road, detectors greatly increase your ability to "see" ahead



these things work - there is no denying that i have had LOTS of warnings that have allowed me to slow down in time to avoid the ticket - without that warning, i would have sailed right by the cop at the unaltered high speed - it is the same story with EVERYBODY i know who has one



with all due respect, if you are not having success, i tend to think it is the user, and not the unit - there is a bit of an art to paying attention to the subleties of the warnings, and not just ignoring them - placement is extremely important too



one saved ticket, and it has paid for itself - i'm guessing it's saved me about 10 grand by now

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[StephenHallman]

I use the Beltronics RX 65. I think its great. The only thing I don't like is how in shopping centers the X band tends to go off quite a bit. Which is fine because you can turn off that band. My friend uses the V1 which goes off every 5 seconds whether or not there is anything near. The Beltronics works great and has saved me from atleast one ticket. Highly recommended for those that worry. If it saves you one ticket in its life then it has paid itself off.

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[flash]

i have the same unit - how do you turn off x without turning off k?

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[StephenHallman]

I will try my hardest to make this not confusing <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



I turned off x band when I have city mode on. You can turn it to low sensitivity for X band or no X band at all. To do this: Hold down the City and BRT button for two seconds. It'll beep twice and you'll see now you can change things <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Pressing the RVW/City will change the category. Pressing the CHG/BRT will change the setting. Keep pressing the RVW button six times until it says CITY. You are now able to change to City mode sensitivity. Its set as standard but if you press the CHG button then it will change to LO X band or No X band. Your pick.





To completely turn off any one or more bands press the RVW button one more time from where you were. It should say "Bands". If you press the CHG button you can change the different bands and turn them on or off.





I do mainly city driving so I always keep it on city. It's just easiest for me to have X band off only in city. Your call though.



I hope that helps and it wasn't to confusing.

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[Fox944]

[quote name='flash' post='39950' date='Aug 15 2007, 11:58 AM']i think you need to look into that - not all of them are guns, in fact, i haven't seen a gun in a car in years - there have been dash mounted units in use for almost 10 years now - they were even testing them back when i was designing radar jamming systems for DOD 25 years ago - pretty much only the motorcycles use the guns anymore here - i pass CHP on the freeway all the time with radar banging away, and they aren't even in the car



your vision is at best, even with high beams, 1 mile on a straight road (remember, the horizon at 6' is only 3 miles) - on a straight road, detectors greatly increase your ability to "see" ahead



these things work - there is no denying that i have had LOTS of warnings that have allowed me to slow down in time to avoid the ticket - without that warning, i would have sailed right by the cop at the unaltered high speed - it is the same story with EVERYBODY i know who has one



with all due respect, if you are not having success, i tend to think it is the user, and not the unit - there is a bit of an art to paying attention to the subleties of the warnings, and not just ignoring them - placement is extremely important too



one saved ticket, and it has paid for itself - i'm guessing it's saved me about 10 grand by now[/quote]





All the NYPD cars as well as the Yonkers P.D. & NYS Trooper cars i have ever seen use guns. One of them even let me gun a few people for him. Then he would call the car in and they would get pulled over at the check point 1 mile down the road. The object was to aim between the lights and a tad lower (essentially aiming where the license plate would be/the most reflective part of the front end of a car). Sometimes the gun would not pick up their speed and would show eroor on the screen, so you would have to pull the trigger as many as 4 times before getting a reading. Other times it would catch the speed on the first try.



As for not using them properly, They were mounted on my windshield. I tried both mounting high by the rear view as well as mounting low right above the dash. I also had a V1 which was built in (by a tuner shop here in NYC) with the screen built into the dash of one of my previous project cars (a VW Corrado SLC).

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