The Valentine One

not neccessarily, if he is targeting people up ahead and you pick up the signal. if he gets you with laser, then its too late. and if you'd like to start a thread arguing how much you like your radar detector....by all means go ahead. everyone has their own personal driving preferences and choice of radar. mine is the V1. We can argue back and forth all day which is better but fact is that the V1 has patents others dont that are extremely useful (arrows) and i guarantee if it wasn't patented every other radar detector would come with them
 
and if you have some cool idea as to where to mount or did some good custom job with your radar then by all means share. id love to hear...always open to new ideas that look good and can potentially save you from a ticket.


any radar...
 
thanks....i was talking to you. i didnt start this to hear about how good your radar is. but if you think it is then go ahead and tell why. tell how you set it up, what its strong and weak points are.
 
Threads like this seem so damn lame because most just dont understand whats going on out there as far as detectors and cops running traffic detail. For starters, from the cheapest model at walmart to your godsend V1 they all work they same. They DETECT radar when its present, whether its just a little light that goes off or a buzz sound or your almighty directional arrows they all tell you to do the same thing...SLOW DOWN. Does it really matter whether the cop is on the side, up a tree, parachuting down from the sky, it shouldnt matter. It tells you something is going on up ahead and its best to just slow down and set the cruise at the posted speed and ride it out for awhile. Alot of models have little extra things but they're just there to pull more money out of your wallet. They arent going to save you any more over a standard model. Only a lazy cop will let you "detect" his presense anyway. A cop just running continuous radar is looking for that one idiot doing 100 mph carelessly. A cop can use his radar in a smart manner that'll render all your devices useless. I have posted this before but i'll mention it again. I have a 14 yr old Uniden radar/laser detector. Nothing fancy just a standard detector for all bands. This was how i had it set up in my old LS. Its in the same location in the new LS but it looks alot cleaner.
radar.JPG
In the 14 yrs that i have been driving and using this radar i have had one speeding ticket, and in that case the trooper was in a plain jeep cherokee and hit the radar on right as i passed him....no detector would have prevented that one. Point being, an old out dated detector still does its job perfectly. I drive 500+ miles per week with most on highways and its never failed me. The key is to use the detector along with smart driving. When your out in the open, its never smart to speed. They can be sitting in wait and as soon as you come into view they hit you and your done.

I snapped this picture of a group of troopers sitting in the median. My detector went off in plenty of time for me to get my phone out and get a pic. If they werent running continuous i could have been snagged. It was three crown vic's and a tahoe k-9 unit.
troopers.jpg
Another car i was able to grap a picture of would catch any of you. You'd never suspect a Honda if it came up behind you on the highway. Hard to see it but its all lit up with blues lights. Snagged some kid in a ricer.
honda.jpg

Drive smart regardless of what crap you have hooked up and you'll be ok.

radar.JPG


honda.jpg


troopers.jpg
 
In my Mark VIII I have a Cobra detector I bought about 3 yrs ago for around 120 bucks. It has always served me well. Nothing fancy about it. The only time I got a ticket since I've had it is when I didn't have it in the car because I was driving home from the mechanic and I took it out. In my GF's Trailblazer I have a Whistler detector that I bought for around 120 bucks and I don't like it as much as the Cobra. It has a few more gizmos, like a compass and voice memos, but it gives a ton of false signals, way more than my Cobra. I drive down a very familiar street, and my Cobra gives me no signals, but the Whistler gives false alerts every time at the same spots. I'm sure the Valentine is nice, but my Cobra works great for me and I only spent 100 bucks. BTW they both detect laser too.
 
The valentine is made in america and is somewhat more rugged than other units. I had a bell whisler that was only a few years old and stopped giving audio warnings with only the light coming on.
I didn't notice because in the colder weather I remote start the car and don't hear the startup self test.
The really cheap units like from radio shack or walmart are fragile and can stop working if you drop them only a foot or so.
Around here all the cops and troopers have their rolling radar on as they drive. It is impractical to turn these on and off while driving. They also alway's sit in their favorite fishing holes around a corner or over the crest.
A better detecter will pick up these signals with plenty of warning.
Only once in 20 years have I been hit by an instant on radar.
It's only the guy shooting a laser that I've come upon in an unusual location. That only comes up like once a year and the M20 detecter/jammer takes care of that
The arrows do have their advantages.
I pulled out of my driveway and within seconds the detecter went off with the rear arrow flashing. Looking in my rearview I noticed a blazer some distance back which turned out to be a state trooper.
I've had the side arrows warn me of cops when coming up to intersections as my light turns yellow.
If you can afford it IMO the valentine is worth the extra money.
Of course being alert and paying attention and practicing visual scanning if you're speeding is also smart. Slowing down at night is also prudent.
 
My first radar was a cheap $50 whistler unit that performed just as well as the valentine i have. it eventually stopped working after about 2 years. ive always felt the cobras are slow to pick up signals and dont show real signals as strong as they should be so id get confused over whether its a microwave door opener or a radar. the v1 does get false alarms but you know they are false alarms, the only time it goes full blast on a false alarm is when i pull right in front of one of those self opening doors. but ill get a full alert over a mile out from a real radar signal.

ive used an escort too and it does pick up just as well as the v1 in my opnion but for the extra $100 its worth knowing what direction they are.

ive never used the bel sti driver but they are owned by escort and all it seems to have to me is a lot of fancy uneeded stuff.

i dont know about all of you but i just need the nitty gritty which is where, how many, and what.
 
and about laser. ive also been warned up ahead by laser. i kept getting laser signals so i slowed down i went under an overpass where a cop was standing and aimed right at me.

someone later told me that the windows in a car disperse all the laser light in different directions so you can sometimes in some off chance pick up laser before it gets you.

new jersey police are starting to use it more and more so i might have to get that m20 blinder or shifter...............and opinions on those
 
Laser they shoot at the front license plate (if you have one). I have seen two products: one is a spray and the other is a clear plate cover that covers the license, both scatter the laser light and work to some degree. The front windshield on most autos is slanted too much to get a good reading.

The laser beam is so narrow it is hard to get scatter on a detector.
 
yeah i know they aim for the front plates or headlight housing but they'll hit the windshield and that refracts the laser all over the place giving you the chance to possibly pick it up.

i know there are sprays that sort of stuff but im not going to spray that over my headlights too.

their are the m20 blinder and shifter that scramble the laser..... anyone else think they are worth getting or is it some gimmick like rocky mountain radar's radar jammer
 
I got hit with laser going down the highway about a week ago. Slowed down and passed a cop that was sitting in the U-turn spot. He didn't get me though. I was with a few other cars in the same area though.
 
I decided to put my radar detector up top above the rearview on the driver side and it noticeably picks up less signal...i assume from the solar tint up there
 
The M20 picks up the signal from the emitters that are mounted on both sides of the license plate.
Here's a pic of one of mine.
Sorry idf the pi's a little dim.
They're really good at picking up laser.
Mounted outside near the plate there's no distortion or signal loss as can happen with devices inside the car.
I also have the laser absorbing plate cover.
At a typical distance of 1000-1400 ft to the gun the police laser beam is 3 or 4 ft in diameter kida like a twirling rope.
Having fog lights on also helps by adding to the infra red .
laser jammers are legal laser is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as opposed to radar jammers which are regulated by the FCC. These devices require a license to operate as they emit radar beams like a police radar gun.
Every police radar has to be licensed.
The FCC will not issue a license for a radar jammer and using one is actually a felony(!) gasp!
There was a company called Scorpion Jammers that made one for 500.00 but it was pretty big and the stealth one was 1400.00 but they're not in business anymore.
Used units can occasionally be found on ebay, but who want's to be potentially charged with a felony over a speeding ticket.
 
See thats what I don't get, why not just either take the ticket or not speed, if these things aren't allowed why take the risk of getting pulled over for something unrelated and then oh by the way...is that a laser jamer I see there? Well kiss that 750.00 dollars good bye along with what ever cost of fines that probably exceed that amount.
 
Have a V-1....

Have had one in my TBird for bout 10 years now mounted above RV mirror, tapped into unneeded sunroof wired that exist there as part of cars wiring harness.
I believe I paid about $400 for it and at last check of s/n there was no firmware upgrade for it (they are upgradeable by V1). Been using detectors since the first Fuzzbuster!!!! V1 is awesome...after a bit of getting accustomed to sounds, numbers and arrows it's second nature. I feel naked driving anything without it, I'm so use to it.
It warns you waaaay ahead of time usually by reflected signals off other objects giving you plenty of whooa time.
Being an escapee from Peoples Republic of Jersey myself I'd never drive without one back there in that socialist police state. I had 7 tickets MAILED to me once there by a local scumbag cop. ( He was eventually kicked off the force for other reasons.)Much fewer cops here in SC, but still a ticket is a ticket, and I now live in a speed trap town...well only 2 cops though!
Looking to mount it now in the 'new' LSC but have sunroof and garage door opener up above where I like it mounted.Don't like no dash mount and wires.
Remember it's a 'radar locator' not just a detector, and start slowing down
when ya hear and see a detection..that's the ticket, pun intended!..~G
 
why does that matter? radar detectors, laser jammers, and passive radar jammers are all legal. only active radar jammers are illegal.

and i dont care who wants to criticize me but i beleive that speed limits are outdated, at some times unsafe, and the current ones are just a source of revenue for the city/states.

say you are going 10-15 mph over the speed limit but just keeping up with the pace of traffic and cop decides to pick you out of the group. well you can slow down because you have the advantage of sometimes knowing they are ahead/behind and you dont give him that reason to pull you over

i travel a lot on the highways i have put almost 10,000 miles on my ls in 7-8 months. and i also feel naked not having a radar detector....whether its a wal mart one of top of line one on my dash. but every little bit helps and i would spare no expense on something that could potentially save you thousands
 
Outdated? Ok so say you are going that 10-15 mph over a 50 mph speed limit and happen to hit the person doing that speed limit. Does that thing tell you when there is a person pulling out onto that road?
 
no my eyes do that because that person isnt hiding behind bushes on the side of the road purposely aiming for me


your tellng me you've never broken the speed limit by even 1 mph?
 
No I didn't tell you that but bushes hide cars that are not aware of you speeding so do many other obstructions no matter how well you can see.

You can do what you want I just think at this point it is pointless to keep going on it. Dude you know people will use what they want and so will you. I look at it this way, say I'm minding my own business and some one happens to be speeding on down the high way just cause he can detect if there is a cop waiting to snag him. All of assuden things change and for any reason theirs a accident. I'm screwed, my cars screwed and in my case my daughters with me 89% of the time shes screwed all cause someone knew they could get away with speeding.

Now again accidents happen but wouldn't be so bad if it were at a lower speed and the other was not speeding.

Now if this is a product that works for you for what ever reason hey thats great but you know others are just saying that they use something else cause it suits them best.
 
my previous post i was referring to the police

sorry but there are too many other factors and variables to consider for that to be a legitimate argument. for you and your daughters sake i hope that doesnt happen. i dont weave in and out of traffic. i do not speed in heavy traffic period, i keep up with the pace which i hope is a safe one. the only time i consider myself dangerous is when a person hangs in the left lane in a keep right pass left zone doing the speed that the right lane next to them is doing when they can easily get in that lane. in that case i will pass them on left or flash them to get over. but in the mean time while i am in that left lane.....which lane do you think police watch the most?.

if you can honestly tell me you dont go a single mile per hour over the speed limit...ever, then why argue. your just as guilty as me. im not denying i speed but i do have a beleif system different than yours. i try to be as safe as possible whether thats going the speed limit, faster, or slower which is the best any of us can do is to be as safe as possible

i spend most of my time on the highway and after a while that becomes a pain so yes i do like to get where im going a littler faster than 65 miles in one hour

btw....if your only minding your OWN business when your operating an automobile, then you should not be driving
 
I've been using the best radar/laser detector for years and it hasn't cost me anything. It's sometimes called 'chasing the white rabbit', I let someone speed past me and just follow a safe distance behind them. The car can't look suspicious (grey, dark blue, tinted windows, luminas, trailblazers, crown vics) or be going too fast, if the wife's in the car, can't go past 90.

When the car hits their brakes, so do I, and more than once I've seen that car get pulled over and I keep going. Then I go back to just a little over the speed limit until someone speeds by again. At the same time, watching for obvious trap areas and staying in the right hand lane as much as possible.

Anyone else here use the 'white rabbit' radar/laser detector?
 
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