Remote Radar Detectors

[VehiCrazy]

Hey everyone. I was wondering if any of you out there have ran a remote radar detector and if so which brand/model and how did it perform?

[Hotsauce]

I have the passport remote. the Bel is the second best remote, but not by much.

John C.

[Tone]

Remotes are great once you get past the added expense of the units AND custom install plus the inablity to take it with you in rentals. NOTHING beats the Valentine 1 though for the ultimate in radar information to the driver to help protect you. It’s not enough to just know there is radar out there - radar LOCATION is the key to the ultimate in protection.

Mounted up high on the windshield (can’t really be seen outside the vehicle) gives it far greater range than any remotes that have to be mounted low in the bumper or grill. V1 also offers a remote display that many have housed in the fuzzy hole. Check the latest Car & Driver INDEPENDENT review (Feb 03) and explore the V1 site before you purchase any other detector - http://valentine1.com/

[VehiCrazy]

Thanx for the responses. How is your passport on false alarms Hotsauce? The reason why I need a remote detector is that I work on a military base and radar detectors are not allowed, so stealth is my number one concern. It cannot be seen/recognized by the SPs.

[WyrreJ]

The other day I was in the fast lane, behind 30 or so cars when this other SUV pulls up behind me and in about 30 seconds my V1 goes off on the Ka-band like crazy with the arrow pointing in the reverse. I look around and there ain't anything like a cop behind me or anywhere else. And I'm not speeding, since I'm stuck behind those 30 other cars. So I figure it won't hurt to pull over to the slow lane and see what happens. Sure enough, that SUV passes me and the V1's arrows track him from behind, to beside, to in front and then he turns it off. It is pretty obvious the guy had a Ka-band transmitter he uses to scare radar detector users out of the way. I wrote down his plate, and contemplated calling the FCC since, unless he is specially licensed, he's probably committing a felony broadcasting on a restricted frequency, but I didn't bother. Next time he runs into a V1 owner he may not be so lucky though...

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure he used his transmitter on me because he could see the silhoutte of the V1 mounted above my rear-view mirror and figured my radar detector would make me an easy target. So I've been thinking about some sort of console molding that could go up there above the rear-view mirror, maybe with some map-lights and sun-roof controls and that the new, slimmer, V1 could "hide" in behind lightly tinted glass (or maybe just with cut-outs that precisely match the receiver horns and cover all of the built-in display and knobs) and just use the remote display tucked away somewhere innocuous and definitely not visible to drivers in the rear.

Anybody else look into something like that? I think it would combine the best of both worlds, you get V1 quality in a well concealed installation that you could still remove when necessary for a lot less than any of the hidden-in-the-grille units.

[hitnrun74]

He just had an old, cheap radar detector. I've got a couple of old ones that will set off anybody around me's detector. Nothin malicious here. Older radar detectors will almost always set off a newer, high sensitivity one. Check out a 1980's vintage trapshooter by Cobra. It will set off just about any radar detector out there.

[Hotsauce]

I will agree that the V1 is the best detector, but it has its drawbacks.

High visability. Where I live if you forget it in the car even once, it will get stolen immediatly. These are also visable to police. My remote is completely invisable. the display is above the sunvisor, and can't be seen from outside the truck. There is also a remote mute button.

A fancy detector, especially a V1 annoys police. They all know what it is. It marks you as a pathelogical speeder. Remember, even with the best detector you can still get pulled over for speeding, there are other ways to clock speed. The last thing you want when you are trying to charm your way out of a ticket is a detector in the windshield while you claim "I never speed, honest, it won't happen again"

Pulling the detector down after the flashing lights appear in the rearview will make it appear that you are hiding something under the seat, and can lead to other troubles.

John C.

[WyrreJ]

I've never seen a leaky detector leak on the Ka band - most of them are too old to even know what Ka is. I pick up plenty of those cheapies (and it makes me want to get out of my car and tell the owners to turn them off, since they are probably so cheap that they aren't useful in the first place) and in this case it was a) broadcasting on Ka and b) started about 30 seconds after the guy pulled up behind me and stopped after he passed. Those together suggest that it was deliberate and not just a cheapo detector.

[Tone]

Remote detectors with displays on the visor or up high are just as visible to police (and anyone traveling behind you) and will get the same kind of negative attention when stopped. My rear tint is so dark, that is NOT an issue and has never been an issue in a stop. The V1 could be hidden in a case up on the windshield (and someone made a rv mirror with in inside) but then you would loose uch of it’s location ability. I prefer the superior range and functionality of the V1 over convenience - it comes down to how much protection to you want. .38 specials are great guns but certainly don’t have the same stopping power of a .45 - choose your weapons carefully gentlemen (and ladies).