Radar Detector Poll!

[YellowJacket]

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]

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]

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]

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.