Valentine One Concealed Display

[9eighty6]

Rick ... I think you raise a very valid question. I considered this before ever buying one. After getting a ticket at night though, my whole perspective was changed. I went from not having one for a year -> having a cheap one and enjoying it -> getting one that will help me out just that extra bit more.
Reasons to have one:
- Ability to "see" cops at night.
- More awareness of hidden cops ... I don't know about you but here in NY, they looove to hide. Often I won't know until the detector goes off ... I start looking ... locate them and go "damn", I would have never seen him there.
- A small amount of reassurance on days with an open back road and no signal anywhere.

Reasons NOT to have one:
- If you are a person who constantly drives way above the limit because with a detector, you will start to think of yourself as invincible. People such as these will inevitably get nailed at one point or another and taught a very expensive lesson.
- Added reason to have car broken into (besides stereo).
- Good luck getting a warning: I heard somewhere that getting a ticket from a cop while having a radar detector visible is like giving them the middle finger and announcing I LOVE TO SPEED!

Keep in mind that I am not a person who speeds excessively, but I do enjoy my car. ... I have listed a few pros and cons but in the end, this is my own reasoning and I just enjoy having the detector. That's it, that's all.

[rick3000]

I have considered one for road trips in the middle of no where but it does justify the cost for the few road trips I take. Plus, I don't drive at night to often. I guess it all depends on the habits of cops in your area.
Thanks for the pro's and cons.

Also, to answer your original question, I have seen people mount the radar detector screen in the center console batwing (the lowest trim piece). You might be able to find a picture if you look on renntech.

[RandallNeighbour]

I've got a concealed display for my V1 and find it only to be useful at night. The thing is only 20 inches away from the unit.

Everyone's different, but it's an audio visual aide, and should probably be higher up than on the batwing. After all, when you hear and see a radar threat, you want your eyes on the road, not on the remote display.

I'm for putting it in front of the digital speedo and wiring it in right. The main unit needs to be high up enough on the glass to get a good reading from behind with an unobstructed view or the directional arrows for the sides and rear will not work well.

[Frodo]

Quote:

"I've got a concealed display for my V1 and find it only to be useful at night...The main unit needs to be high up enough on the glass to get a good reading from behind with an unobstructed view or the directional arrows for the sides and rear will not work well."

Posted by RandallNeighbour.

Please excuse my ignorance, but doesn't the second statement mean that the detector is not really "concealed" at all?

Just wunderin'.

[RandallNeighbour]

You cannot really "conceal" the V1 main unit. The secondary display you can buy can be concealed though.

It's good for night driving so people don't ride your butt attempting to read your detector going off. It's also good for not notifying police that you're using a detector while driving at night.

Spend some time on the V1 web site and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If you want a truly concealed system, then head to a Porsche dealership and plunk down your $1200-1800 and they'll install a K40 system in your front and rear license plate frames and put some LED's in your cluster.

[hqduong]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

You cannot really "conceal" the V1 main unit. The secondary display you can buy can be concealed though.

It's good for night driving so people don't ride your butt attempting to read your detector going off. It's also good for not notifying police that you're using a detector while driving at night.

Spend some time on the V1 web site and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If you want a truly concealed system, then head to a Porsche dealership and plunk down your $1200-1800 and they'll install a K40 system in your front and rear license plate frames and put some LED's in your cluster.

Has anyone had any experience with the k40? is it just as good as the Valentine One?

[Frodo]

I know essentially nothing about the k40 units, but my first thought was that they wouldn't be as sensitive, if they are mounted in the license plate frames. From everything I've read, the higher the better when it comes to reception of signals.

Plus...I'd have to get a front tag!

Thanks, Randall, on the "concealment issue"...as typically happens, I figured that out more or less immediately after hitting the "Submit Reply" button. (Too lazy to delete!)