Radar Detector Poll! - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

RandallNeighbour · 04-06-2005, 05:30 PM

I'm torn between an X50 and a V1, so I thought I'd post a poll. Everyone seems to love the one they have, but I'd like to see how many of you chose one over the the other

Jeph · 04-06-2005, 07:22 PM

They say in the world of radar detectors, you get what you pay for. And if their performance is relatively equal (like their respective prices), I'd take the Passport any day of the week based on looks alone! That V1 is UGLY and has looked that way for some time now. It's got a KNOB on it! It almost looks like a small CB radio.

Knowing what direction the radar comes from kinda cool. But how necessary is that? If there's a radar around, you'll slow down regardless of its direction. That's my philosophy anyway.

Great, now you've inspired me to go look at Passports on eBay!

Brucelee · 04-07-2005, 06:21 AM

Its kind of funny. My son always has the latest technology for avoiding tickets and gets them by the basket.

I haven't had a dector or a ticket in over 35 yrs. During that time, I have owned some of the fastest cars in the world.

Go figure!

RandallNeighbour · 04-07-2005, 06:41 AM

I'm guessing your son isn't nearly as cautious of where and how often he drives fast. Hopefully, the flow of fines, insurance hikes and possibly the loss of his license will teach him this lesson the hard way!

And I'm also guessing that you didn't drive the fastest cars in the world at 20+ mph over the speed limit on cross-country trips like the trip I'll be making this summer.

The reason I posted this poll and thread was because I'm driving my boxster from Houston, TX to Gilroy, CA for the garlic festival in late July... I'm going to use the 30 day MBG to discover which radar detector is worth purchasing... the V1 or the X50.

I'm leaning toward the X50 because it's reported to be sensitive, but not false as much as the V1 ... I'm not so worried about false signal noise, but the wife in the car on the trip gets perturbed with it and wonders why it's making noise when it shouldn't. Can't say I blame her.

So, I'm looking for some real-life experience and the poll will help me choose, although it will be hard because few, if any boxster owners own both or have owned both recently to make a good side-by-side comparison.

YellowJacket · 04-07-2005, 06:55 AM

Is the Passport X50 the replacement for the 8500 or something? I've never heard of it. But then, I recently moved to Virginia, where they are illegal, so unfortunately, I fall under the "no radar detector" category.

If I were to buy one, I would buy the V1. Based on friends who've owned the Passport and the V1, I would spend the extra money on the V1 -- it's a far superior product.

And the directional arrows are very useful -- here's a scenario I just created, but I'm sure there are tons more. You're at the intersection in a small town, and get an X-band hit. In front of you is a grocery store and in all other directions is nothing. If you had the arrows, you could be sure it's a false alarm from the automatic doors in the store. If you don't have the arrows, you're left wondering if it's a cop coming up behind you or crossing in the opposite direction.

By the way, for those of you complaining about looks of the V1, that's ridiculous. If I bought products on looks alone, I'd be on a Mercedes board complaining about the poor build quality of my SL500 right now. :-)

Perfectlap · 04-07-2005, 07:34 AM

Well here in NJ where insurance rates are the highest in the country and the previous governor ratched up surcharges for speeding, I think you have to be nuts to drive without a detector. Bottomline is NO ONE drives at the speed limit.
If the police were truly interested in enforcing speed limits they would use those toll cameras that photograph your license plate once you trip the speed sensor.
They have those in Austria because the police their aren't just trying to make money. A detector is no guarantee but all it takes is one speeding ticket to ruin your insurance bill. The long periods of silence from the detector is what I enjoy most no more looking in my mirrors for that phantom cop.

anyhoo...
I rode along with my friend has the wireless passport which is like the X50 without the cord or POP. It functions much like previous detectors I've had in the past. Its nice but its no V1.
The arrows really really changes the whole driving experience.

Once you start using the arrows you really appreciate them once they are gone. The speed at which the V1 determines that you have passed the radar gun is amazing. I passed a police car that was pulling over another driver and THE VERY SECOND I was alongside the arrow changed to left or right and the after that it went to pointing behind.
That was a great example to confirm the accuracy of the arrows but sometimes that sneaky police guy is hiding so its REALLY REALLY nice to know when you're past him. I don't think I would trade that instant feedback for the uncertainty of whehter you're still being followed or not knowing if you have come up to the gun yet.
Yes the V1 is sensitive even on full Logic mode but you can turn down the volume to a low level and with the remote readout box situated right under the speedometer you train yourself to go with the visual warning first and instantly compare against your speedometer. This visual warning of arrows is very helpful if you have the volume up loud on your radio as I often do.
This morning I put a piece of electrical tape over the X band light which from what I understand is rarely a police frequency. So if the remote box lights up I can only see the K and Ka. Valentine should use different color lights for the different threats.

By the way in that radar shootout that some one posted on here the testers noted that the V1 was the only unit to detect laser from a trailing vehicle. They glossed over this but that's impressive considering how difficult it is to detect laser from a stationary object alone. And who cares what it looks like...

YellowJacket · 04-07-2005, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

This morning I put a piece of electrical tape over the X band light which from what I understand is rarely a police frequency. So if the remote box lights up I can only see the K and Ka. Valentine should use different color lights for the different threats.

There was actually a guy on one of the bmw boards a while back who posted a DIY on this. If I recall correctly, he just got some multi-colored LEDs from Radio Shack, de-soldered, re-soldered, and it took about 30 minutes.

Perfectlap · 04-07-2005, 11:47 AM

me and a soldering gun is bad news. Doing my amber-ectomy of the headlights was the last time I pick up that tool. I should send Valentine One an email to change the color of the lights, but the electrical tape works well. No more turning on the interior light to see if its X or Ka.

pez · 04-07-2005, 12:54 PM

I agree with Brucelee, I used a detector once and it gave me a false crutch to lean on, I got more tickets in that one month

then in 10 years of driving without one.
Being a Firefighter/EMT I talk to police and troopers all the time, usually their take is if they pull you over and you have a detector in the car means instant ticket, no warning!
Seeing a detector in the car means you intend to break the law.

Just my .02 worth

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Its kind of funny. My son always has the latest technology for avoiding tickets and gets them by the basket.

I haven't had a dector or a ticket in over 35 yrs. During that time, I have owned some of the fastest cars in the world.

Go figure!

Lux · 04-07-2005, 02:14 PM

I would also have to agree with Bruce and Pez. Having a detector hanging there is kinda asking for trouble I think. Plus the thing going off every time you pass an automatic door would be obnoxious. However, if you gotta have a detector, the only detector worth having is the K40. Total stealth with front and rear protection. Sure it costs more...but not that much more.

-

St. Louis Boxster · 04-07-2005, 05:36 PM

Just bought a Solo 2 from Passport and used it on a drive to Birmingham from St. Louis. Saved me 5 times. It caught K and Laser. It's battery operated, so no cables and I can switch it from car to car. After 24 hrs of use the batteries are only 25% spent.

Thought about a V1.. changed my mind, not for the difference in $$, but for the ability to switch between cars. During this trip the V1 could not have perfomred any better.

Good luck !!

Perfectlap · 04-08-2005, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pez

Being a Firefighter/EMT I talk to police and troopers all the time, usually their take is if they pull you over and you have a detector in the car means instant ticket, no warning!
Seeing a detector in the car means you intend to break the law.

Just my .02 worth

That's a ridiculus attitude by law enforcement. All one has to do is go on a highway and see that 1% of traffic (around here at least) is driving at or below the posted speed limit. Did they all just decide on a whim to break the traffic laws? No. They intend to break the traffic laws every time they merge onto the highway. Unless there is heavy traffic, no one staying at 55. When I travel to other cities like Miami I can't believe how fast people drive in SUV's, minivans and Jeeps. I bet none of them have ever had any formal driving instruction since they were 17 years old applying for that learners permit.

The funny thing is its not just law enforcement that believe Radar detectors are for "speeders". My friends father shot me a disaproving look when he saw the V1 in my Boxster

Around here People seem to forget that going with the flow of traffic means you speeding. Most people I know go with the flow, even my friend's father.

I think I lost count after the 12th time that my V1 warned me of a police speed trap during light traffic on the two major highways here in NJ. If the cop had decided to come after me at least just once it would have cost more than $400 I spent on the V1 in the ticket and insurance surcharge. Well worth the investment in my opinion. Why walk into a trap if you can avoid it?

People who don't think radar detectors work need to talk to my friend Dan who just got his license suspended after several tickets. And he's defiinitely not a "speeder" and drives an old Volvo. He now has to wake up at 5am to take public transportation to get to work by 9am for the next 6 months(at least 2.5 hours to get home). Yeah that's almost as much commuting time as time at work.
The speed limit is set so that the Police can arbitrarily pick anyone off and bring in some revenue. If he speed limit is intended to be a deterrent then its a collosal failure.

YellowJacket · 04-08-2005, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

. When I travel to other cities like Miami I can't believe how fast people drive in SUV's, minivans and Jeeps.

Haha, it's funny how views of the same exact thing can vary. Every time I'm in Miami, I get annoyed at how slow people drive. But then, I learned to drive in Atlanta -- which by definition is 16 lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic going 85-90 mph.

ntmatter · 04-08-2005, 09:52 AM

Actually, you can de-program Xband on your Valentine one, by following the instructions here: http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt3.asp

aramati · 04-08-2005, 10:23 AM

I have the X50 8500. I am not yet sure about it. The false alarms are making me "the slowest driver on the road". On the road from San Diego to Las Vegas, the detector went on several times. A couple were due to these "here is your speed" set ups. Once I got a full alarm, yet I could swear I was alone in the desert; I did not see any trooper and cars were passing me at a much higher speed. So far I cannot say it has saved me from anything, but for sure made me drive slower.

Could you please tell what are the physical things that make a detector give an alarm (other than from the Police)? I am reading through the thread that automatic doors do. Anything else?

Perfectlap · 04-08-2005, 10:30 AM

Desert roads wihout trees and buildings allow the radar warning to travel incredibly long distances of 10 miles. So its ideal for testing who has the longest range detector but not really so ideal for a desert driver.

regarding deprograming X:
yeah its cool you can turn it off, but I'm somewhat hesitant to turn off the X warning completely.
Any opninion?
I called Valentine and they said there were no plans to distinguish the X KA, K and Laser bands via different color lights. Must be some direction from a Valentine lawyer.
By the way if you decide to deprogram the X band its code 1 when you do the press down and turn on step. Make sure the arrow is pointing down when code 1 is displayed. Power on off again and a " P " with a light flashing below the P should be indicated.

Also I was cuirious about this, newer V1 have the POP warning incorporated into the K adn Ka alerts.

RandallNeighbour · 04-08-2005, 12:09 PM

A number of the online reviews of the V1 state that it falses so much on the freeway that it's annoying.

Have you V1 users found this to be true? That's a major factor in my purchasing decision. I must have that special blend of "sensitivie enough to work well, not so sensitive that it reports every Walmart door opener from a mile or two away" detector.

and yes, I know the arrows would show you it's a door opener at Walmart as you pass by, but locating the false signal is not my concern here... having a detector that is smart enough to know the difference is my main issue.

RandallNeighbour · 04-08-2005, 12:28 PM

aramati:

First, I was under the impression that the X50's circuitry was good at parsing out falses. Ugh. Not good news. I'm actually looking into the top of the line Bel now. Rated as good as the other two main detectors.

Second, to answer your question, there's a bunch of sources for false reads from your X50...

Automatic doors on stores
Very old and very cheap radar detectors in other cars
plus, oddly enough some vehicles... Ford Explorers make mine go off.

There are others too, but I can't remember them right now. A google search will quickly tell you what can set them off apart from the real thing.

Perfectlap · 04-08-2005, 12:33 PM

well the detector doesn't distinguish between automatic doors and police car speed guns. It distinguishes between frequencies, it jus so happens that the automatic door operates on the same frequency as some police. WHich sucks but its unavoidable. Which is where the counter comes in really handy. As a general rule areas where there are automatic doors are areas where you really shouldn't be driving so fast. Once your past the 'areas of human activity' I find in my area that the cops usually hang out on desolate stretches of road where there aren't any shopping centers. Stretches where people tend to put the throttle down. this is where my V1 is either quiet or saving my neck.

Its a trade off do you want to be able to know what is going around everywhere or do you want to run the risk of missing a false alarm that isn't really so false? That's a gamble I sooner not take for the sake of convenience.
Some however do choose to run that risk and opt out of the getting the V1. I think false positives are more annoying without the arrows and you will be getting them with any brand.

I have the volume on mine set very low, and have now become acclimated at reading the priority of the arrows and the counters to be able to rather quickly know when something is out of the ordinary. Especially when you travel the same roads frequently, roads where cops like to hang out. The V1 is very consistent in that respect, I can predict with great accuracy when it will go off on those frequently traveleved roads and the arrows instantly confirm my predicitions as false alarms that are behind me.
All detectors require some interpreting and I think these dopey little arrows give you the best tools.