Radar Detectors

E

Edward Arata

Greetings,

Recently got at speeding ticket in my WRX (imagine that!) and have decided
to get a radar detector. Had an old detector in the glove box, lot of good
that did me. (Great thinking!)

So have done a little net searching and the two that come up are the: Escort
Passport 8500 and the Valentine One. I have heard of both these companies
and always heard good things about the Valentine One. What are peoples
opinions or experiences with these or other radar detectors?

Also I was reading about some kind of "radar jamming" that is an option on
some detectors and can be an upgrade to the Passport. Is this a gimmick or
has anybody used this?

Thanks,

Ed
 
Ed,

If you live in VA or CT, forget the detector; they are illegal & will be
confiscated. Stay away from jammers, because they are highly illegal.

Since getting the Valentine One in June 1997, I got one ticket and that was
because I intentionally ignored the warning! (What was I thinking!!!!!!)
The detector gives you direction, and the number of sources. Very useful.
Check the reviews in the major car magazines, there is nothing remotely
close. (The contruction is also stellar. My Cobras always had power cord
problems.) But you will pay. Mine was over $400. Also, be prepared for a
large back order time. If one of the major magazines just reviewed radar
detectors, the company will get swamped with orders.

Problem that I have now is that the Forester XT is doesn't require much foot
pressure on the gas pedal. If I don't watch my speed odometer, the
Valentine One acts a safty net.

But remember with any detector: It is a tool & has to be used properly.
Take it easy when there are no other cars around, and always be aware of
your surroundings.

Niels
 
Both the 8500 and the V1 are very good units. I had a V1 until 2 years ago,
when I decided to try the 8500. The V1 is a better unit in many ways, but it
falses too much and I was "learning" to ignore the warnings. The 8500
eliminates 90% or more of the false alarms, and yet gives me plenty of warning
so I find it more useful.

I also use a Blinder laser jammer, which has been tested by a neighbor policeman
and it works extremely well.
 
The only states that deem the use of a radar detector illegal are VA and DC.
CT repealed the law years ago. Not that it matters to this NG, the use of a
RD is illegal for all commercial vehicles over 10k lbs in all states by
federal law.

Shamus
 
Niels said:
Ed,

If you live in VA or CT, forget the detector; they are illegal & will be
confiscated. Stay away from jammers, because they are highly illegal.

As already indicated, they have been legal in CT for many years (at least 7
or 8) - also, while they are illegal in VA, all you get is a ticket (you get
a ticket if you have the detector and the power supply in the front of the
car - it doesn't have to be on) - they do not confiscate them.
 
The only states that deem the use of a radar detector illegal are VA and
DC. CT repealed the law years ago. Not that it matters to this NG, the
use of a RD is illegal for all commercial vehicles over 10k lbs in all
states by federal law.

And it has been pointed out before, in Canada, the provinces
(especially Ontario) where detectors are illegal have detector
detectors which are very effective. And no, I don't mean VG2,
which many detectors claim to be invisible to. There has been
a new one out for a while which the OPP have used to great result.

Don't expect to cruise the 400 series highways undetected.
 
Dave Null Sr. said:
in
And it has been pointed out before, in Canada, the provinces
(especially Ontario) where detectors are illegal have detector
detectors which are very effective. And no, I don't mean VG2,
which many detectors claim to be invisible to. There has been
a new one out for a while which the OPP have used to great result.

Don't expect to cruise the 400 series highways undetected.

And I hope they bring back photo radar too
:)))
 
[posted and mailed]

Recently got at speeding ticket in my WRX (imagine that!) and have
decided to get a radar detector. Had an old detector in the glove box,
lot of good that did me. (Great thinking!)

So have done a little net searching and the two that come up are the:
Escort Passport 8500 and the Valentine One. I have heard of both these
companies and always heard good things about the Valentine One. What
are peoples opinions or experiences with these or other radar detectors?

Also I was reading about some kind of "radar jamming" that is an option
on some detectors and can be an upgrade to the Passport. Is this a
gimmick or has anybody used this?

Wired magazine recently have the Valentine One and Cobra ESD 9870 their
thumbs up:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/play.html?pg=10
 
Radar Detectors
From: "Edward Arata" (e-mail address removed)
Date: 2/8/2004 7:07 AM Eastern
Recently got at speeding ticket in my WRX (imagine that!) and have decided
to get a radar detector. Had an old detector in the glove box, lot of good
that did me. (Great thinking!)

So have done a little net searching and the two that come up are the: Escort
Passport 8500 and the Valentine One. I have heard of both these companies
and always heard good things about the Valentine One. What are peoples
opinions or experiences with these or other radar detectors?

Also I was reading about some kind of "radar jamming" that is an option on
some detectors and can be an upgrade to the Passport. Is this a gimmick or
has anybody used this?

Thanks,

Ed

- I have a V1, but I'd not hesitate to buy an 8500.
- The directional arrows are what set the V1 apart from other rd's. IMO it
has very good filtering capabilities, but when it comes down to it, most all
do; one just must become accustomed to how one's own detector operates -
period. The Bel's tend to be overly sensitive, but better safe than sorry!
- Battery operated detectors are not as good as their wired counterparts.
- Radar jamming is not legal unless you have an FCC license for a moving
vehicle (doubtful!). They are easy to see when they appear too, the V1 goes
nuts and there is not a LEO in sight, only the oncoming 'vette or 'stang (never
fails).
Terry - '02 Regatta-Red GT wagon 5spd - 25,000 miles
'03 Silver Legacy SE auto-sedan - 2450 miles
Yakima / TandeMover / Rockymount rack
To reply, get rid of the "nonsense"
 
Already solved. Valentine has a detector that can defeat the VG3
technology that the OPP thought would be useful. I use a Valentine
One detector and I just laugh at the OPP now. The detector works so
well I can do Toronto-London in 1.25 hr.

Go to www.valentine1.com

They even package the detector special just for Ontario so that the
mail man doesn't know you have one.

Go to
 
Already solved. Valentine has a detector that can defeat the VG3
technology that the OPP thought would be useful. I use a Valentine
One detector and I just laugh at the OPP now. The detector works so
well I can do Toronto-London in 1.25 hr.

Can the OPP cite you based on pace?

Steve
 
Motor Trend magazine rated the V1 & 8500 very close in performance but, the
8500 won. All other detectors were ok but, far behind those two. eddie
 
The one detector that's apart from the pack is V1. I didn't copy myself. So
VG2 misses Valentine One. In our tests, Valentine One is better than all
others for VG2-proofing. Our best competitors are pretty good, maybe good
enough. Some others resort to a dubious strategy; they switch off their
radar protection when they sense VG2 nearby.

Recently, we've been hearing of another radar-detector detector, the
Spectre RDD. Used first in Canada, enforcers of detector bans in Virginia
and Washington, DC, and the nationwide ban in heavy trucks, surely have
this tool on their must-have list. It claims to have been designed
specifically "to detect the latest state of the art stealth-type radar
warning receivers." Does it find V1? Very likely, according to reports
we've been hearing from a few V1 users. One participant in an internet
chat room, who claimed to be a Canadian enforcer, said "I've snagged a
Valentine 1 already." We've been unable to acquire a Spectre RDD for
testing. Until we can do so, be advised that no super-heterodyne receiver
is perfectly undetectable, and that includes V1.
 
The one detector that's apart from the pack is V1. I didn't copy myself. So
VG2 misses Valentine One. In our tests, Valentine One is better than all
others for VG2-proofing. Our best competitors are pretty good, maybe good
enough. Some others resort to a dubious strategy; they switch off their
radar protection when they sense VG2 nearby.

Recently, we've been hearing of another radar-detector detector, the
Spectre RDD. Used first in Canada, enforcers of detector bans in Virginia
and Washington, DC, and the nationwide ban in heavy trucks, surely have
this tool on their must-have list. It claims to have been designed
specifically "to detect the latest state of the art stealth-type radar
warning receivers." Does it find V1? Very likely, according to reports
we've been hearing from a few V1 users. One participant in an internet
chat room, who claimed to be a Canadian enforcer, said "I've snagged a
Valentine 1 already." We've been unable to acquire a Spectre RDD for
testing. Until we can do so, be advised that no super-heterodyne receiver
is perfectly undetectable, and that includes V1.
 

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