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July 23, 2009 2:33 p.m. Tom_Spangler Reader

The Valentine One's tears cure cancer. Too bad it has never cried.

The Valentine One counted to infinity - twice.

The Valentine One does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. The Valentine One goes killing.

If you can see The Valentine One, it can see you. If you can't see The Valentine One you may be only seconds away from death. Or getting a speeding ticket.

The Valentine One sold it’s soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled radar detection ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, The Valentine One radar alerted the devil in the face and took it’s soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for the Valentine One.

The Valentine One built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, The Valentine One met all three bullets with it’s directional arrows, deflecting them. JFK's head exploded out of sheer amazement.

The Valentine One has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there.

They once made a Valentine One toilet paper, but it wouldn't take E36 M3 from anybody.

A blind man once stepped on The Valentine One' bogey counter. The Valentine One replied, "Don't you know who I am? I'm The Valentine One!" The mere mention of it’s name cured this man blindness. Sadly the first, last, and only thing this man ever saw, was a fatal radar alert delivered by The Valentine One.
July 23, 2009 3:01 p.m. blaze86vic Reader

YaNi wrote:

Not worth the investment.

$400 for a piece of equipment not gauranteed to lower the amount of tickets you recieve is alot. Instant on really neutralized the effectiveness of radar detectors.

My friend has a Valentine V1 and I had a Passport Escort and we have both been ticketed while using them. I was crusing down the highway at 75mph and all of a sudden I come over a rise and the thing goes ape E36 M3. Busted. My friend got busted going 80 in a 65 by aircraft with his V1.

After that $180 ticket (I HATE YOU CLEVELAND!!!) 3 years ago I decided to do some research and change my driving style. I have a couple tips to lower your chance of being caught: slow down for blind turns and over rises, and stay in the right lane as much as possible. As fighter pilots always say: Situational Awarness is life. Check your mirrors and look ahead (its useful on the race too). I haven't had a ticket in 3 years.

Listen to this fella! I got more ticket in the one year I had a radar detector than I did any other year of my life......yeah I have a few. I've gone almost a full year without tickets now. However, as many tickets as I've gotten I've never gotten a ticket when I was intentionally speeding. All my tickets are less than 15 over, and a load of crap profiling BS. But that's neither here nor there.

Like he said, pay attention, slow at the peak of a hill, slow for corners you can't see. Pay attention to the area that you normally drive, and find the places where cops tend to sit, and places where they can't safely park. It's not guarantee, but neither is a radar detector. At least this is free.
July 23, 2009 4:05 p.m. Jensenman MegaDork

The Brown Stig wrote:

K40 had an industry leading front and rear radar detector in the 80s that was similar.

I used to install K40's. (I did one in a HUGE motorhome, that one was a BITCH.) They were pretty cool (and pricey as well) but you didn't have the portability of the Escort. I had the GTi and MGB, both of which I drove con brio so I went for the Escort.

One thing that's been left out of the conversation so far: the type of car. The Trooper is about as low profile as you can get, I've been going 80-85 in a 70 and the cops don't even look over. The last speeding ticket I got was in the J-H which is not exactly low profile and does not blend into the background. I was doing 50 in a 35 MPH zone. In my defense, it was a Saturday morning, the 35 MPH zone was a construction zone which normally had a 50 MPH limit. The construction zone was deserted at the time but the 35 MPH speed limit still applied. Dammit.
July 23, 2009 5:13 p.m. vazbmw Reader

That my friend is funny

Rangeball wrote:

Just get one of these.

"but officer......"
July 23, 2009 5:17 p.m. vazbmw Reader

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

LOL
July 27, 2009 11:53 p.m. andrave Reader

my $40 whistler beeped today and I slowed down, and sure enough a state trooper came flying up from behind. Saved my bacon once again as I was doing 10 mph over at the time.
July 28, 2009 7:23 a.m. 924guy HalfDork

Oldopelguy said:
the old Escort is more sensitive than any of the dozen or so other radar detectors I've tried to replace it with, so I finally just gave up and kept the old thing.

one of the magazines (forget which) did a pretty decent article a few years back, comparing new detectors to "vintage" ones.. the old units beat the new ones in almost every test. of course the old ones wont have 15 channels, but apparently they are more sensitive and better quality than most newer ones. Im still using the the old bell detector i bought on clearance in the 90's, held together now with electrical tape , but still works like a charm in the rare times i actually plug it in. you can get these at yard sales all day long for under $5...

ALWAYS contest a ticket, if your record is good chances are high they will reduce it to a non points violation plus court fees. of the two speeding tickets ive received, both were dismissed after talking it over with the clerk or ada in each case, and one was doozy of multiple tickets and genuinely a case of mistaken identity! (the red honda flew by my red 924s and cop saw "Porsche" and decided it was me that had been evading him, that sucked, but cooler heads prevailed and all charges were dropped.)

fun article has the tech, the scary, and the stupid... but i like to read about alex roys "adventures" just dont want to be on the road at the same time as he is.. article on alex roys gadgets and expliots
July 28, 2009 7:52 a.m. The Brown Stig MegaDork

To stop everyone from being able to go 10 over the speed limit the Obama administration suggests you buy a Dodge Stratus.
July 28, 2009 10:31 a.m. andrave Reader

As a partial owner, I'd suggest a GM. As a partial driver, I'd suggest ... pretty much anything else.
July 28, 2009 11:11 a.m. The Brown Stig MegaDork

You own Chrysler too son.
July 28, 2009 12:24 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

Anyone ever think that the "Cash for Clunkers" deal where We the People pay $4500 to the car company as an incentive is really a marketing deal like "Factory Rebates"? We own the car companies, we own the money printing presses, so, combine the two and BINGO, everyone gets $4500 to come buy a car from us. Of course, all the cars go up in price $4500, as does a grill cheese sandwich at Sonic and everything else, but, hey, we moved another unit!
July 28, 2009 1:00 p.m. belteshazzar Dork

the second time I got picked up by laser I sold my V1.

there's nothing it can do but tell you to open your wallet.

the only bright point is, I bought it off craigslist for $225, and sold it a year later on ebay for $325.
July 28, 2009 1:11 p.m. Josh HalfDork

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Yeah, I have had about enough of the TV ads quoting prices of new cars AFTER the $4500 rebate, as if everyone and their grandmother has a dusty old Delta 88 taking up space in their garage that they can turn in. I saw one for a Hyundai Accent for $11,000 or so after rebate. Who in their right mind has ever paid $15,500 for one of those? Imagine the screwing that those of us who already drive clean, efficient, well maintained cars would get if we wanted to make a deal right now.
July 28, 2009 1:22 p.m. Josh HalfDork

belteshazzar wrote:

I bought it off craigslist for $225, and sold it a year later on ebay for $325.

Sometimes I think I should start a hedge fund that buys up small, easily shipped high value items on Craigslist and resells them on eBay. Once I get big enough I would rent an airplane hangar and fill it with every motorcycle and Miata that I can find in November, and roll them all out with a fresh coat of wax and a 40% markup in April. So who wants to send me all their money?
July 28, 2009 1:35 p.m. walterj Dork

vazbmw wrote:

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

LOL

+LOL
July 28, 2009 9:46 p.m. dj06482 New Reader

Been there, done that. During college I had a $100 radar detector. After my first ticket while using said cheap radar detector and paying $130 in fines and roughly $800 a year in increased insurance (for 3 years), I vowed to never use a cheap radar detector again.
poopshovel wrote:

For myself, it's worth the $$$ to get a good one. I travel about 75% back roads in my daily 75 mile commute, and run into a ton of local enforcement (almost 100% Ka-band). Many of the local roads that are targeted have very low limits (i.e. 25 MPH) when the average speed of traffic on them is 40-45 MPH. One ticket of 40 in a 25 zone will hurt you, not to mention the insurance consequences.

If most of the cops are using Ka, why spend the extra dough? My cheapy model picks up Ka splendidly both on the hwy, and on the backroads. Swear to god, no BS, it saved me on the way to my buddy's house this past weekend. I wasn't driving like a maniac; just wasn't paying attention to my speed. I was going a little over 60 in a 45 through on a hilly, twisty, 2 lane road that's notorious for cops. It gave me about a 6 second heads-up, which was PLENTY of time to slow down.

If the V1 makes you feel warm and fuzzy, and you've got endless cash to blow, go for it. Personally, I couldn't sleep at night knowing I bought a marginally "better" gizmachy that cost me more than the last two cars I bought.
July 29, 2009 5:43 p.m. Datsun1500 HalfDork

Josh wrote:

Sometimes I think I should start a hedge fund that buys up small, easily shipped high value items on Craigslist and resells them on eBay.

My 17 year old Son buys musical equipment on CL and resells it on Ebay. He will buy a box of pedals, then resell them individually on Ebay. He made a profit of $11,000 last year... said it beats bussing tables....
Aug. 27, 2009 9:44 a.m. andrave Reader

Hate to bump an old page but I just want to throw this out there:

My walmart whistler failed me this morning. I was on a long straight stretch (a mile or so) doing about 15 over the limit (I had just passed 2 slow moving cars) and I saw a cop ahead right as my detector beeped once (indicating weak radar). The cop was already pulling up to the road to pull me over by the time I got a warning. This was one of the rare instances that having earlier detection would have been useful.

As it turned out, I got away with a warning from a friendly cop. shrugs
Aug. 27, 2009 10:10 a.m. dj06482 New Reader

andrave wrote:

Hate to bump an old page but I just want to throw this out there:

My walmart whistler failed me this morning. I was on a long straight stretch (a mile or so) doing about 15 over the limit (I had just passed 2 slow moving cars) and I saw a cop ahead right as my detector beeped once (indicating weak radar). The cop was already pulling up to the road to pull me over by the time I got a warning. This was one of the rare instances that having earlier detection would have been useful.

As it turned out, I got away with a warning from a friendly cop. shrugs

I had a similar experience many years ago that moved me to getting a "real" radar detector. However, in my case it was an expensive lesson, and I had to deal with a $130 ticket, and hundreds of dollars in increased insurance premiums over a three year period.

I kept getting some weak Ka on my way into work this morning (Escort 9500), so I slowed down to an appropriate speed. Sure enough, about 3 miles down the road were two officers having a chat in a turn-off.

Yesterday, I was on some back roads and picked up some Ka (it was near a known trap, so I take those warnings very seriously). I couldn't see the police car until I was within 100 ft. of it, he did a masterful job of hiding the car in the bushes.

It's situations like these that make me thankful for my 9500. It doesn't make me invincible, but coupled with some situational awareness it definitely helps. I'm not going to get in a big debate discussing V1 vs. others, but I do highly recommend one of the top rated detectors, regardless of brand.
Aug. 27, 2009 10:23 a.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

I was coming home yesterday. Turned into a 30MPH zone. I was doing 32 in the inside lane. A Civic with dark windows went blasting by me at 40 or a little better. My Thug Buster (distant vision looking right at the cop in the trailer park driveway) went off. I slowed to 30 and smiled a lot. The Honduh blasted on by the cop. I slowed down to let the cop enter traffic safely (you know how they are, they'll run into you for grins) and the lights came up and the Honduh went down.

It was a really weird travel day around here yesterday. Tailgaters everywhere, extremely high anger level, etc. A Road Rage Day waiting to happen.
Aug. 27, 2009 11:31 a.m. 96DXCivic Reader

Let's say that I was willing to bend the rules a little. Do the radar jammers work? And where can you get them?
Aug. 27, 2009 12:42 p.m. Dr. Hess PowerDork

"I've heard" from sources - cough-Esprit-list-cough - that the Blinder brand Laser jammer works quite well. The radar jammers you see advertised are all reported to be junk. Any real radar jammer will be so outside the federal law that no one could manufacture one and stay in business.
Aug. 27, 2009 4:40 p.m. dean1484 Dork

Every ticket I have got is with a detector in the car. I now usually drive 5 under. That way at the limit feels fast. Seriously just re train your self to be between the limit and 5 under as opposed to being at the limit and 5 over. IT will take a week or three but once you do it driving gets allot better. Makes the chances of getting pulled over for not paying attention allot less likely. I have not had a speeding ticket in over 15 years. (stop signs in snow banks are another story).

Ohya fight the ticket explain to the judge your exact conditions. Your ticket sounds more revenue related than speed related.
Aug. 27, 2009 10:42 p.m. plance1 HalfDork

I live in Cincy, I have driven by the place many times where the V1 is made (west chester area). Never stopped in but might want to since everyone raves about their product. Ive been to traffic school twice (fast driver, slow learner) when I was younger so I've been through this. Don't waste your time trying to fight the ticket, especially if you only have one, the judges and cops are stacked against you no matter even if you were innocent. CB's are great, I used to have one in my car, but the problem is you have to listen to random trucker talk to get an occasional nugget of cop info.

I've used these guys twice, they reduce your ticket down to no points.

PulledOver.com
Aug. 28, 2009 10:20 a.m. jikelly Reader

I have a K40 that's a on the dash unit and a blue Passport 8500. Both detectors work well. Actually the K40 stopped giving audio alerts. Something inside got damaged.

Still both units have saved me from tickets. Generally I watch the road like a hawk for law enforcement types, but of course I slip up every now and then.

I got popped by a motorcycle cop back in may when he hit me with a laser gun. I saw him as he was lifting up the gun, but couldn't apply heavy brake because of the car on my butt, the detector went off and I pulled over on the street just past the officer. Thank you for your donation, have a nice day.

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