The several year old Passport 8500 is better than anything that Valentine 1 ever made and they've had several models since including the new 9500i w/GPS. Read the feature list on this new unit and I doubt you'll buy a Valentine 1 after you see what it can do.
The Valentine 1 was a great radar detector a dozen years ago but there have been some great advancements in technology since yet people keep running to the Valentine 1 even though it's 1994's technology. You guys still rockin' your Tandy 286?
The last several radar tests that were done showed the X50 beating the V1, bigtime. The only thing the V1 has over the others is the directional pointer.
I think most cops are looking for a radar detector sitting in the middle of the windshield with a cord running down to the cigarette lighter. If you have yours jammed up above the rear-view mirror and have it hard-wired to your overhead console, I think they would have a hard time seeing it. Especially, if you had it on the other side of your mirror.
__________________
2007 5.7 CrewMax Limited 2WD; Pyrite Mica/ Red Rock Leather
20" Alloy | Nav-JBL | Moonroof | Sonar | Cold Kit | Daytime Running Lights | BedRug | ConsoleVault | SoftTopper | TRD sway bar | Weatherguard Tool Box
NAV Mods: Speed Pulse Generator | AUX video input
Buy your truck outside of the Gulf States Toyota monopoly if you don't want to compromise.
The last several radar tests that were done showed the X50 beating the V1, bigtime. The only thing the V1 has over the others is the directional pointer.
Most independent tests will put the Passport (8500 or x50) ahead of the Valentine 1 by a fair amount AND it costs hundreds less. I have get to figure out why people love the V1 detectors so much. Is it because of the full page ad in every car magazine claiming to be the best? Like they're going to claim to be 2nd best in their own ad which they paid for. The truth of the matter is I rocked V1's when they first came out a dozen years ago. Something better came along (about 6 years ago and has gotten better since where the V1 has remained the exact same) and I tried it and it's substantially better. If any of these people swinging from V1's sack would give the Passport a fair trial they too would see that it's a far superior product. The ability to simultaneously track/display SEVERAL different radar sources as well as their strength is substantially more important than an arrow telling me relative direction.
And now they've added GPS so that it will not go off at all below 25mph. You can also tag known speed traps so it goes off in advance. You can also tag false alarms so it will not warn every again. It does this by recording the signal strength and angle so that it will not alert against the false but if there's something new it will alert for that as usual. It also has a mic that senses cabin noise volume and adjusts it's own volume accordingly. You can even display your MPH using the GPS within the unit. There's even more options but this is a brief list of some of the new updates that the 9500i has over the previous models that were better than the V1. All this and it's STILL less expensive than the Valentine 1. Not sure how V1 will continue to sell units other than people who can't do their own research and buy whatever an advertisement tells them to buy.
Remember, more expensive and older doesn't mean better.
__________________
A right, not a privilege - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
=-----> DO NOT SHIP W/DAS (DEPENDABLE AUTO SHIPPERS)!! <----=
My roommate has a Passport, I have a V1. They are both excellent detectors, you cannot go "wrong" with either, tho as a few have stated one may be better than the other.
VG2 sensitivity is critical if you have a concealed detector in a state with laws saying it's ok for them to watch you, but not ok for you to watch them. Otherwise, nobody cares if you have a detector (ok, they do, but it's a moot point). Other signals sometimes replicate the VG2 output, and if equipped the detector will shut down its oscillator even in the free states...so you're blind.
The measurement technology hasn't changed much, and the detectors (all of them) operate on very basic technology that hasn't changed much either...all you're paying for with the PP or V1 or whatever is sensitivity, shielding, and gadgetry...that's it, and IMHO it's worth it. It's also very much worth it to me to know how many emitters are present and in what direction.
I have noticed the V1 I'm using doesn't always pick up the speed measuring devices on the side of the road...the little ones. My roommate's Passport generally picks them up on Ka, but I've been having some issues on Ka with my V1 for a while now. It's six years old and it's fallen off the windshield enough it's probably due for a checkup.
It does, however, pick up laser bounces, radar over hilltops, through trees, stuff like that. It's very sensitive. So is the Passport.
Whatever you buy, make the investment, 300$ and up, for a good unit. The Passport and the V1 are both very good and worth the money. Do the hard mount, it's a great setup. MAKE SURE that it has excellent sensitivity and bandwidth on Ka band. I haven't had an X or even K band signal in a couple years, but with my old V1 I'm missing some of the Ka signals.
You can buy concealed detectors, but separating the components like they do results in a 2x price increase over the V1.
I'm sending my V1 in for a checkup & update shortly, I'll post back what I find out.
-Sean
*Jer, I'm gonna have to check out that PP...g/f needs a detector anyway, they're worth the money...in Denver, if you miss one ticket, even a V1 is paid for, and that PP you're describing sounds interesting.
My roommate has a Passport, I have a V1. They are both excellent detectors, you cannot go "wrong" with either, tho as a few have stated one may be better than the other.
This is a great point and I agree that you really can't go 'wrong' with either one as they will both perform the task at hand for the most part. It's just frustrating how many people will come on forums and fight tooth and nail the fact that the V1 is substantially better than anything Passport and not even site any specifics as to why. I used V1's years ago (read: over a decade) when they came out and they were revolutionary at the time much the same way the Tandy 386 was to the 286, not that either one is very useful today. I switched to the Passports in all my vehicles (I normally have a minimum of three and sometimes as many as seven) after using one when it first came out. The Pro features (read the manual for the good stuff) are what separates it from the rest IMO and I like the real time volt meter display when not warning of radar because I used to have had pretty healthy a/v systems and it was an easy way to keep an eye on voltage level. I got less falses and better sensitivity out of my Passports than my V1's and that was just the 8500 and there have been not one but TWO upgrades since. This newest one (9500i) is a HUGE leap forward in radar detectors by adding GPS. Read a feature list on this thing and you'll agree I'm sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DevinSixtySeven
*Jer, I'm gonna have to check out that PP...g/f needs a detector anyway, they're worth the money...in Denver, if you miss one ticket, even a V1 is paid for, and that PP you're describing sounds interesting.
I can tell you that I'm more than happy with my 8500's (the x50 wasn't enough of an 'upgrade' for me to justify selling all my 8500's for) and after seeing/demoing a 9500i I'm in the process of putting together a deal to buy several of the 9500i's to replace my 8500's as they're amazing. The speedo is a little off on my Supra and there's no way to calibrate it correctly so the MPH display on the new 9500i will be more than useful for me. Not to mention I run w/o the roof and windows down so it's quiet at lower speeds and gets loud at higher speeds from wind noise so having a radar detector that senses cabin noise and adjusts the volume will also be nice. Not to mention the fact that the detector knows how fast you're going so no more annoying parking lot falses when you approach and start up/leave a shopping center. Any of these features alone is worth the price for me but the list is very long of these sorts of things and I'm sure Escort will take the lion's share of the market with this new unit unless the others can answer with something similar.
__________________
A right, not a privilege - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
=-----> DO NOT SHIP W/DAS (DEPENDABLE AUTO SHIPPERS)!! <----=
Well, what we're doin with my friends car is mounting up by the rear view mirror and running the wires down the A pillar into the dash
Are you running a remote input device for the radar detector? If not, just wire power into the overhead console and make your install job easier and cleaner.
__________________
A right, not a privilege - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
=-----> DO NOT SHIP W/DAS (DEPENDABLE AUTO SHIPPERS)!! <----=
I think most cops are looking for a radar detector sitting in the middle of the windshield with a cord running down to the cigarette lighter. If you have yours jammed up above the rear-view mirror and have it hard-wired to your overhead console, I think they would have a hard time seeing it. Especially, if you had it on the other side of your mirror.
Ahhh, the old "if I have a detector I'll get a ticket" wive's tale. Every time I've been pulled over with a detector or not, I got a ticket. It ain't about safety, it's about generating revenue. And that's what traffic cops are for.
You're best bet is to mount the detector in the center of the windshield. High for the RF sensitivity for over the hill & long range detection & somewhat low to hopefully catch some LASER scatter from other cars to help alert you to the one hiding in the shadows under the overpass using LIDAR.
[quote=benbeaux;728556]Ahhh, the old "if I have a detector I'll get a ticket" wive's tale. Every time I've been pulled over with a detector or not, I got a ticket. It ain't about safety, it's about generating revenue. And that's what traffic cops are for...quote]
I had a CHP officer tell me that they (his CHP buddies) get teed off when they see a detector. He said that as a rule they write the speeding ticket when they see the detector assuming that the driver is a "regular speeder". Maybe that was just he and his buddies, but it is not a "wives tale".
I have been pulled over several times in my life and been let off. They don't always write the ticket.
Ken
Re: Radar Detector
its a 98 Mustang GT
Linear Mode
