Radar detector suggestions

CBs are good on the interstate, but so little of my driving is done on a road that is likely to have a CBer ahead of me as to make a CB useless for "situational awareness"

Instant on is really 2 pulses. The instant on pulse tells the officer you are going fast enough to warrant another pulse. The second pulse is all that's admissable in court. My V1 keeps me from getting the second pulse, well keeps me from getting the second pulse at the original speed.

With so many cities up-ing their revenue streams by increased traffic enforcement due to the bad economy you can't afford not to have a radar detector. And then there are the cities that have always been heavy on the enforcement side with rolling radar, constantly changing speed limits, short yellows, etc., etc.

A radar detector also warns you of impending traffic issues. Emergency vehicles and road work typically now have a transmitter

Plus one on it not being a be all and end all and (a lil' something for the lawyers) it is NOT a substitute for sensible driving.

The po po are well aware of how best to fool detectors; the aforementioned rises etc are favorite hunting grounds. Knowing the normal operation of your particular unit is a key to staying out of trouble; on your daily routines you'll get used to the grocery stores etc which trigger falses. Once youa re outside of your normal area, you have to pay closer attention since you don't really know what may or may not trigger a false.

The thing about detectors (and this applies to all of them): the steady tone is NOT the one to be concerned with. By then it's too late. It's that momentary 'blip' which makes you wonder if you really heard it. THAT'S the one which should put you in 'now I'm being hunted and I'm slowing down IMMEDIATELY' mode. If you are lucky, that will be the 'blip' or 'instant on' radar being used a ways down the road.

Screw the V1 snobs. Buy the cheapest damned one you can. Mine has saved my ass more times than I can count. If you get hit with Laser, the mighty V1 is going to do the same thing as the $20 wally world one. Plus, mine tells me to "fasten my seatbelt" when I start the car. Take THAT $400 piece of crap!

PS: Screw wally world too. Go to Radio Shack and support the local folks.

I've used radar detectors for 20+ years. I've had an original Escort and Passport, Cobras, Bels, and one Uniden. They've saved me a bunch of times, but I've been ticketed while using them, as well. Like others have said, they are a tool, but you can't rely on them. Partially for that reason, I don't see myself ever spending $400 on a V1 or one of the high-end Escorts now. Not when my $100 Beltronics gives me 80% of the detection range for 25% of the price. The "bogey counter" is a neat idea, but wouldn't do me much good. Basically, if the thing is going off, I'm slowing down regardless, so it doensn't matter if there's more than one. I've also heard that the V1, while easily the most sensetive detector on the market, it also quite suceptible to false alarms.

i still use one that detects x bands....funny it only works when im near grocery stores

There are some po-dunk towns up here that still use x-band. Believe it. And yeah, I think my brother's V1 goes off about every 90 seconds on the hwy. Great if you know what all the beeps mean. Annoying as berkeley if you're the passenger/swap seats and the "owner" falls asleep.

poopshovel wrote: Screw the V1 snobs. Buy the cheapest damned one you can. Mine has saved my ass more times than I can count. If you get hit with Laser, the mighty V1 is going to do the same thing as the $20 wally world one. Plus, mine tells me to "fasten my seatbelt" when I start the car. Take THAT $400 piece of crap! PS: Screw wally world too. Go to Radio Shack and support the local folks.

Plus nine.

OK, So I have presented the $400 price to my wife, and she slapped me on the azz and said find something cheaper.

So what is the best cheap (Under $200) detector Beltronics Vector 965 etc? I need laser detection, POP and whatever the latest bands are

Thoughts?

Lemme tell you about "cheap" RADAR detectors. That money you are saving will be blown on the first ticket that the cheap one doesn't save you on that the V1 would have. Save up your pennies and get the V1.

(I still won't drive through a certain "deep south" state, and that's because of a "cheap" RADAR detector. My original Escort was purchased as soon as I got home. I'm also fairly certain the statue of limitations is up on that one.)

Also, Laser detection is crap. Get a jammer if you want protection from it.

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.

I've run a Passport 8500 for about 9 years now and for the last year am also running a Passport 9500. Both detectors have easily paid for themselves many times over and I would (and do) recommend them to anyone. I really like the GPS feature of the 9500, I know how fast I'm really going (thank you BMW speedometer error) and I've marked several of the speed traps so I'm alerted the any time I pass by that area. More than anything, by marking the known speed traps it makes you more aware as you're driving.

As others have said, situational awareness (along with reducing your speed) is the key. However, I think detectors can be a very effective tool in your arsenal.

Realize the V1 or any other radar detector is almost useless in city/urban highways where radars are set to monitor traffic speed, my buddy had one for his 540i and in Atlanta would turn it off 10 miles outside of I-285 because it would just go off coninuously and was quite annoying.

YOUR CHEAPEST OPTION IS TO SLOW DOWN!

You can set the V1 to an in-city mode. However, I agree that around town their usefullness drops considerably.

I got lasered in the Esprit some time back on my morning commute. Came up over the hill and the V1 went nuts. There was a PoPo with his car on the side of the road 90 degrees to the traffic lasering everyone over the hill. Fortunately, I wasn't speeding. I need to send two V1's off for an upgrade. The latest revision does photo RADAR too. We don't have that here, but I had my picture taken out in AZ last year on I-10 in the LS400. Several times, I think.

Dr. Hess wrote: Lemme tell you about "cheap" RADAR detectors. That money you are saving will be blown on the first ticket that the cheap one doesn't save you on that the V1 would have. Save up your pennies and get the V1.

I still don't buy this. Yes, the V1 is more sensitive, but is the difference big enough to save you where a cheap detector wouldn't? It's a matter of opinion, of course, and it depends on where you are, but I'd argue that it isn't.

As I said earlier, I've been ticketed twice while using radar detectors, both were sub-$150 models (a Bel and a Uniden). In both cases, the detector went off early enough to warn me. The first time I simply ignored it thinking it was a false, and the second time I had the windows open and the radio blasting, so I didn't hear it. My fault both times, the detectors did their jobs.

To summarize, in my opinion, any modern detector from a reputable company will provide adequate warning to a driver who is paying attention. A V1 may provide an earlier warning, but (again, in my opinion) not earlier enough to make a difference.

This guy has done some testing: http://www.radartest.com/ Be warned that he's been accused of being a V1 basher by V1 fans.

vazbmw wrote: OK, So I have presented the $400 price to my wife, and she slapped me on the azz and said find something cheaper. So what is the best cheap (Under $200) detector Beltronics Vector 965 etc? I need laser detection, POP and whatever the latest bands are Thoughts?

Just think how hard she'll slap you when that cheap azz detector doesn't save you from your first $400 ticket.

Buy the V1. You'll be glad you spent extra in the end.

(azz-end, get it? I crack myself up sometimes)

I retired two years ago after having been a police officer for almost 28 years. Although I never used radar, my recommendation is to contest the citation:

If the officer doesn't show up to make a case for the state, your citation will probably be dismissed.

Find out the rules of implementing radar enforcement in your state. In CA, traffic surveys backing the speed limit and use of radar for enforcement are required to be available for inspection by the violator; if they're not, the citation may be dismissed;

Never ask a question you don't already know the answer to and;

You will not be required to make a statement, but if you do testify on your own behalf, anything you say may be used against you.

If you must go under $200, Whistlers are generally good, but the V1 is in a totally different league.

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.

I went back the road today to check out the situation. Well the speed went for 35mpy at the base of the hill to 30 at the top of the hill. I wanted to see how fast I was probably going. In order to go 30 I had to hold the brakes to stay below 30. I was surprised at the steepness of the hill

On strange think about the situation yesterday was there was car in front of me that was about 3 car lengths ahead. We were going the same speed, but he was not stopped. I figure if he was not speeding neither was I

Is this dumb logic?

HangfireOne wrote: ... If the officer doesn't show up to make a case for the state, your citation will probably be dismissed. Find out the rules of implementing radar enforcement in your state. In CA, traffic surveys backing the speed limit and use of radar for enforcement are required to be available for inspection by the violator; if they're not, the citation may be dismissed; Never ask a question you don't already know the answer to and; You will not be required to make a statement, but if you do testify on your own behalf, anything you say may be used against you.

The best things the V1 has going for it (in order) are: Number of sources, Direction of Sources, and Sensitivity. I think it's worth $400. So does a buddy of mine who bought a $300 detector (that I won't name), got a ticket with it (because he didn't stop to think that that reason for the beeping could be ahead of him and not the one he just passed), and promptly thereafter bought a V1. (Of course, it was boneheaded to re-engage the warp drive while the beeping was going on, but that's another issue.)

It isn't a substitute for sensible driving, but it's saved me from enough tickets to pay for itself many times over, including one laser. (He got the car in front of me and there was enough scatter for my V1 to go off.) I find it most useful for warning of the occasional revenue officer on severely underposted roads (think 20-30mph on a divided boulevard where traffic normally does 45-50). There are a lot of severely underposted roads in suburban Houston.

What the V1 really needs is an upgrade to let you turn off the rear laser. I've never once had a legitimate laser strike from the rear, but those adaptive cruise controls in Infinitis set it off all the time.

Mr. PoopShovel (I just wanted to type Mr PoopShovel cuz it made me laugh), This is my issue. Everything I have read, all my friends and most of the folks on this thread say V1 is the best, but I am not sure I need the best (for $400). That is quite a bit of dough considering my commute to work is 6 miles. If I did major communting 20 plus miles. I could justify the cost.

Sounds like I need to drive like I normally drive (no speeding tickets in 25 years) but add a moderately good detector to the arensal. just for times like yesterday when I am not paying close enough attention.

poopshovel wrote: ...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.

I have had the V1 for a few years, and it is worth every penny. Nothing is a 100% guarantee, but the V1 gives you more warning in more situations than anything else out there. Read the comments above, generally, people who have them swear by them and people who poo-poo them have never used one for any length of time. They are also able to be upgraded as updates are released, so it is a long-term investment as well. If $400 is too much, slow down.

http://www.radarbusters.com/radar-detectors/beltronics-radar-detectors/beltronicsvector955radardetector1.cfm

I have the RMRC 450 made in the US it annoys the local po I notice him reset his gun with it.

Stan

If you're not going to spend the money for a good detector just go ahead and paste some hundred dollar bills on the windshield and let the passing cops just take what they want. It will be much less hassle than fighting tickets.

There's a reason a good detector costs more than a cheap one - it works in ways to actually help you keep from getting a ticket.