bel 980

 

I don't recall the name. Some animal I think. It's actually a scanner that stops when it hears something. Lots of truckers have them. Thing is cop don't drive around chatting on their radio all night. Good supplement probably. But better yet get a CB and let the truckers tell you where the cops are.

 

I had a Bel and a Cobra. Gave up on them both. I found that they'd chirp all the time (electronic road signs, grocery stores, stupid stuff). Seems to me like very few departments use radar any more, they've all gone to laser. My detectors both work for laser but they are tricky. By the time the laser hits your car (and detector) you're already busted. I got a loud chirp, a digital display that told me what kind of laser they were using, and then a big ticket.

A lot of people will argue with me but I wouldn't waste the money on a detector. Mine may have saved me from 2 tickets in the last 50,000 miles but they also give you a false sense of security which has cost me 3.

Such is life with a lead foot.

 

I think they warn you of that specifically in the manual, the trick (and bit of luck) is to hope the detector senses the laser while its aimed at another car. Also there is a narrow angle that the detectors will be able to detect the laser, but they do work.

IMHO

 

I read an article years ago when laser was first coming out that said a light mounted on the front of the vehicle with a photographic filter caused the laser gun to read as much as 10mph less. I don't remember which filter it was, but it seemed like a good idea!
They also said that using your headlights would cause to read wrong,but hate to take a chance on that.

 

Take it from a cop....

Save your money!!! When we use radar (instead of laser) it doesn't stay on constantly, so no radar signal is being sent out. We wait for what we believe to be a car/truck exceeding the speed limit, then activate the radar. Newer radar systems can also pick out the fastest (i.e most obvious to the eye) moving car/truck. I think the average reaction time for hitting your brakes is somewhere around .75 seconds, in which time the radar has already displayed your speed, which equals SCREWED. If you think your radar detector has saved you, also consider most cops give a bit of a cushion, some are sitting there with the radar running constantly so people with detectors slow down, (with no intention of writing a ticket) and others simply don't care.

 

i have a whistler from walmart. it was 30-40 dollars and has definitely paid for itself. Coming back to NC from ohio it saved my a@@. It picked up a cop in WVfrom the other side of the mountain( dont ask me how). At first i didnt trust it but ow i depend on it. Click here to see a fuzzy pic of it. Il try to find the box to get the #'s and price.

 

even if cops have "instant on" radar they still can be effective. They shoot the car(s) in front of you and hey, you pick it up and slow down. if you are by yourself then yeah, your screwed. And that $40 detectro from wally worl has a laser detector too.

 

I've heard that HAM operators with mobile rigs can monitor the police chatter legally, and avoid the problem...

 

heck, you can get scanners in at radio shack that do that

 

off topic, but...

certain states, localities (NYC), prohibit scanners in motor vehicles. Hams are legal do to the fact they are regulated federally (and not subject to local enforcement) and their sets can receive on freq's used by gov't including PD.

FWIW

 

slightly OT, but I recall reading how having your car painted flat black, decreased the effectiveness of laser, does anyone have any hard info?

oh and any cop who writes a speeding ticket is a hyppocrit.I never see cop cars going the speed limit.

 

I'm surprised that the other Valentine 1 owners haven't gone into detail about the front-rear ID capability. Knowing where the radar is coming from is just as important ask knowing it is "somewhere" ...

More and more the police are using radar to clock you from the rear. And I disagree with the member of the law enforcement who posted "don't bother buying one".

While driving on a dark two-lane highway, my V1 reported that radar came from the rear. I knew it was a ways back because I didn’t see the lights in my rear view mirror. I set the cruise control at 55 MPH (in a 65 zone) while I waited for the police cruiser to come along. A car passed me going quickly (about 80 MPH) so I knew that he was the one clocked. The police then came up behind me closing at over 20 MPH and ALMOST rear-ended me, turned his BRIGHT side light on as he passed me, then pulled both of us over. This officer was a real jerk, and should have been given a reckless driving ticket! He was an AZ DPS, not some local cop.

The officer then told me that I was speeding, and further lied by saying that he said that he clocked me from the front and turned around (which I knew wasn't the truth because of the V1 from the rear indicator). He then spent 10 minutes TRYING to get me to admit that I was speeding (you were going at least 75 (in a 65 zone) ... and I replied “you almost rear ended me, and I was going 55 MPH. He was always threatening "I'll write you up for that" and I suppose hoping that I would admit it. When I refused to accept his lie, he went back and wrote me up a warning for 65+ in a 65 zone, at least he didn't lie on the ticket, he had NO idea how fast I was going (though if I admitted to speeding, he could use the confession against me). My friend riding with me was amazed at the bold face lie coming from an officer.

Often in CA and elsewhere (especially in small towns/radar traps) the police are leaving their radar on ALL THE TIME ... either just being lazy or when they're stopped at the side of the road hidden by a hill. The V1 gives over 1 - 3 miles warning in these cases.

I've had two cases where I've beaten the "instant on" from the rear. Once the officer pulled me over just to see what kind of detector I had (and gave a warning, same 65+ in a 65).

It can't save you all the time, but it helps. And, sadly I can say it can help you know when an officer of the law is lying to you.

The V1 also has a "bogie counter" that displays how many radar sources there are. I've driven on I10 into CA and seen saturation patrols. People see one police car and think that they are the source of the radar and down the road are pulled over by another car. My record is picking up the radar signal from 6 different cars at one time!

The V1 is the only way to go.

 

Does law enforcement have the capability to read your detector? In others words can they detect if you have a detector? If you are in a state where they are outlawed, they would then ticket you for speeding and for the detector....plus they'll take your detector.....


thanks, roy

 

I just installed a Whistler 1740. It mounts on a suction cup bracket above my rearview mirror. I wired it by tucking the power cord between the headliner and the windshield and feeding it down the pillar to the power point for my pillar guages. I removed the plug and wired it direct into the circut. The detector is from wally world. It reacts to X,K,Ka band radars and laser. It also has a VG2 detector for when the police are using anti-detector detectors.