V1 is great. Saw a Laser speed trap the other day (I would've been toast had I been speeding more) but the V1 picked it up right away... As for radar performance, it's great.. good sensitivity, giving me time to slow when there's a radar out there.. The arrows are key.. It's great to know where the "threat" is and how many of them there are.

 

The arrows are key.. It's great to know where the "threat" is and how many of them there are

I don't get it, why do you need to know where the threat is? I've used detectors for a good 15 years or more. If you are on the freeway and it goes off then it's a threat (if you're exceeding the limit) whether it's in front, side, behind or above. If the detector goes off and I'm doing over the limit I slow, until the signal is gone. If the signal starts again slowly after I passed a threat then I know it's following me OR there is another one in front, either way I slow to the speed limit. Which arrow lights up if it's air patrol? As far as around town I don't even use the detector, I only exceed the limit on the freeway along with the other 90% going 65-70 mph to and from work.

Maybe It's because I own my own house now and people go between 35-60 down my 25mph street all day long (one death last Monday) and multiple pets or the last 4 years (not mine). In fact a dog ran in front of me a few months ago, luckily I was going the limit. I hit the dog, he lived without breaking anything (caused $600 damage to the car) but it's just not cool to speed on roads where people walk or live. What kills me though is that these same people probably get upset when someone speeds down the street in front of their house.

 

I don't get it, why do you need to know where the threat is? I've used detectors for a good 15 years or more. If you are on the freeway and it goes off then it's a threat (if you're exceeding the limit) whether it's in front, side, behind or above.

Uhhhh... is that a serious question? You don't see how that info could be useful in the slightest?

Scenario 1... you are north bound on HW59 and you hear *beep beep beep*. Signal strength is only two bars. What do you do?
<font color="blue">Regular radar</font>: Slow down because you may be approaching a cop up ahead. Hmmm... its still beeping at 2 bars... well maybe the cop is up ahead going with the flow of traffic. Modern day radar detectors have beyond a visual range, so its hard to tell.
<font color="red">V1 w/ arrows</font>: Speed up, the arrow is pointing behind you, and at 2 bars it means he's not going to be able to see you, yet alone radar you. Just hit mute and the signal should disappear. If it gets higher, then he's haulin balls and gaining on you. Slow down.

Scenario 2: Your radar detector goes off to the point of blaring. You slowed down and indeed, there is a cop on the shoulder (if you were lucky enough to spot him). You pass him.
<font color="blue">Regular radar</font> : Your radar detector is still beeping even though you've past him, and if it has a decent rear range (V1 has both forward AND rear facing antennas) it'll continue going off until you reach your range limit. Continue to drive slow, or risk speeding up once you know you've past the threat. Unfortunately, there were actually two threats as another cop was just up ahead, and you were not actually just getting the beeps from the cop you past over the hill.
<font color="red">V1 radar w/ arrows</font>: Your radar detector is still beeping, and even if the cop was hiding in the bushes on the side of the road, the arrow went from forward, to sideways, to behind you right as you past him, helping you identify where that cop is. You are about to speed up once past the cop, but then you notice on your bogie counter that there are now TWO threats. Your arrow points backwards to the weak threat, and flashes forward to the stronger threat and identifies the signal and signal strength. Woah... slow down these guys are tricky.

I could go on and on. Do you HAVE to have arrows? Are the arrows alone worth $100? I don't know... you can decide. Are the arrows and bogey counter useful? You bet your ass. I don't think that can be questioned.

Any radar is better than no radar, but if you drive in big cities like Houston highways, then you can't just slow down everytime you hear the radar go "beep" or you might as well just drive slow all the time and save yourself the expense of the detector.

Its helpful to know that if you are getting a signal and the arrow points to a side and then behind RIGHT as you pass an overpass, that the threat is not even on the road you are on. This wouldn't be as useful if you live out in the country.

Maybe It's because I own my own house now and people go between 35-60 down my 25mph street all day long

Sorry to hear that, but then really you should be arguing against all radar detectors, if those are in fact the problem... not just encouraging use of less sophisticated ones IMO. Likewise, I never exceed even 1mph in school or residential areas. Our speed limit by my house is 30mph, and considering the retarded children in the street, even that is a stretch IMO. I do make my own judgement calls on a "safe" speed out on highways and certain completely empty but somehow still rated 40mph (because eventually they will be building houses there even though no building has started yet so its just a looooooooooooooooooooooooooong grass field). I wish we could adopt some of those "reasonable and prudent" laws for certain stretches of highway.

150mph would never be reasonable and prudent, but at least you could break 55mph (as all the traffic is doing anyways).

 

Which arrow lights up if it's air patrol?

Since when does air patrol use radar?

...And, since no one on this board speeds, then why would you need to waste any money on a detector anyways?


...No detector, no speeding tickets...And yeah, that was me that just went cruising past you...

 

Hmm Must be different then around Seattle, because mine only goes off every so often, mostly when the police forget to turn off their radar.But that's what I don't get I guess. It seems as if it's being said if you "need" to speed get a V1. For me I don't need to speed I just need something to maybe say "hey dude keep your speed in check" If I know there is a cop behind me 1/4 mile, I don't try and do 80 so he won't catch up to me. Normally the cops are doing around 70 here along with the rest of traffic which is fast enough for me. I guess though if you're out on a lonely highway doing 70 it might be a different story, but still don't see the point of knowing where it's coming from I can also tell on my older Cobra. When it goes off I check my speed, then if it slowly beeps over the next little bit goes away and comes back, it's behind me, and I continue to do 60-65 till he goes past. If the signal gets stronger as I go forward, it's to the front of me, after I see and pass the cop I resume speed assuming that the beeps slow down if they speed up again there is another cop. Seems simple. But again I guess in my driving conditions I'm less likely to get pulled over doing 70 because that would totally screw traffic up for the rest of the morning. If you see a cop with the lights on when on the freeway you can normally add 15 min. to the commute. If there is a carpool "sting" add about 30min. Although I do like those. I hate cheaters in the CP lane, and got to witness a guy dive in (from the carpool lane) right behind me a couple of weeks ago, and boom cop got him. I just wish they would raise the cost of those tickets, last I heard it was $87 I think it should be at least $150-$200.

 

I have the Escort Passport 8500 X50. It has worked great for me especially on the highway. I have noticed though that certain laser and photo it has stopped picking up. The police may have changed things in the city perhaps. On the highway though I always get ALOT of notice. It has paid for itself countless times.

 

What a waist of money. Just slow down a bit.

 

What a waist of money. Just slow down a bit.

since when do people do the speed limit nowadays???

thats a dumb comment also

 

Dumb huh. Its dumb to drop 400 bucks on something that might save you from a ticket

In most cases the ticket wont even be over 200 bucks.

 

then take off all the go-fast parts on your car and do the speed limit

 

Dumb huh. Its dumb to drop 400 bucks on something that might save you from a ticket

In most cases the ticket wont even be over 200 bucks.

It's not the money, it's the time and points involoved.

$200 is just one ticket, over time that number increases greatly and it pays for itself.

I'd rather spend a few bucks now, have a better chance at not getting a ticket and not having to take time out of my life for something that could have been avoided.

That being said, I can't drive with anything other than my V1

- Drew

 

then take off all the go-fast parts on your car and do the speed limit

I never said i dont speed, i just dont go 20+ over the limit.

 

then take off all the go-fast parts on your car and do the speed limit

I never said i dont speed, i just dont go 20+ over the limit.

There are cops around here that will bust you for 10 over if they feel like it.

The speed LIMIT is the LIMIT. If a cop really really wanted to they could bust your ass for doing 1mph over the limit.

lim·it n.

1. The point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed.
2. limits The boundary surrounding a specific area; bounds: within the city limits.
3. A confining or restricting object, agent, or influence.
4. The greatest or least amount, number, or extent allowed or possible

So ok, you don't do 20 over. Have you gone 5 over?

I really hate the people who say "if you don't want a ticket don't speed!" That's the biggest pile of BS.

Think about this scenario I came up with in the last radar detector thread when someone else made the same comment:

I've been in many situations where I have exited an off-ramp of the highway in unfamiliar territory and not known the speed limit. I have exited onto 3 lane parkways and assumed the speed limit to be 40-50 when in reality it was 35. Now assume local traffic is maintaining close to highway speeds (as they usually are) and there is a speed trap. So you're going the speed of traffic at around 50 in a 35. Now assume there's a speed trap around the next corner, which would be a good assumption seeing as an exit area like this would be a great place for John Law to make some end of month quotas.

So you're caught with your pants down doing what you assumed to be right. WHOOPS! You weren't being reckless, you were following traffic. Now you're following them to the side of the road to recieve your ticket. Sucks to be you!

Nate