Prius Radar Detector - Truth or Urban Legend?

The LAPD was kind enough to place one of their stationary radar devices, on a street near where I live. I drove by it several times, and there was no "glitch" on my GPS/Nav unit.

A stationary radar device is a device that says "Your Speed is: ____" while you are driving towards it. It is a solar powered, stationary, fixed radar unit to encourage people not to speed in a certain area without assigning an officer to actually write tickets.

 

Not to get too far off topic, anyone know where the easiest wire to get access to is for hardwiring a radar detector in? I can crimp onto the wire, I just need a good ACC-On wire. Anything near the glove box?

Patrick

 

I like those, it's always good to try to pass those things as fast as possible... but of course I would not do something like that... *grins*

 

I want to get a good radar detector in my car when I get it. But I don't want some device on my dash. Are there any good ones that can be hidden or intigrated into the car somehow?

Alpha

 

So you think tapping into the plug's power source would work? I'll have to check it out.

In terms of hiding a radar detector, I have a Valentine 1 with a remote display. I will hide the detector behind and to the right of the rear view mirrow (to the right so the rear laser can poke out). You can then put the remote display on your dash somewhere with velcro. People ask what it is, you can make up anything you want. Never had a problem in the years I have owned it.

Patrick

 

Tapping into the front power outlet

Here's a photo of the front power outlet connections. First you pull the plastic pin out by pulling the bottom plastic edge toward the passenger door (labelled 1 in the photo). The pin may go flying, so be prepared to catch it. Then grab under the power socket and pull the plastic panel toward the rear of the car (2 in the photo). Then cut away the black plastic covering the two wires leading to the socket. Depending on the size of the wires you use, this Radio Shack wire tap: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?cata...ct%5Fid=64-3052 might do the trick.

 

Re: Tapping into the front power outlet

Thanks for taking the time to post that! I have everything I need now, I really appreciate your help.

Patrick

 

The jumping arrow is more likely being caused by the "snap to road" feature that tries to put the calculated location right on the nearest road. It's a very nice feature that keeps your anxiety low. I have one section of I-70 where the map is way off and the arrow is cruising through a meadow for a mile or so, then it snaps back to the map.

 

I have a Valentine One, the old style, about 7 years old - the all-in-one body design, with no remote display. I had it installed in my Camry, right above the inside rear-view mirror (the wiring went directly into the fuse box with the power cord hidden in the A-pillar and in the crack between the windshield and the headliner).

I'm planning to transplant this unit into my new Prius when I get it, and I had a couple of questions.

1. In some photos, it appears that the glass above the inside-rear view mirror, i.e. the top center of the windshield, is blacked out. Is the case in every Prius and if so, is there anything one can do to change that? I'm afraid that my fave location for the radar detector will be unusable in the Prius if that spot is blacked out.

2. If I can't use that spot, does anyone have a better idea for a location where I can put the radar unit so that (1) it will have an effective range ahead and behind (2) it will not be too visible from outside the car, and (3) I can easily conceal the power cord and do a semi-permanent install?

Thanks in advance for all of your advice.

sodium11

 

Not to be a spoilsport or anything, but the cruise control works really well. No need for a radar detector to warn you "just in case you get distracted and end up exceeding the speed limit".

 

mboileau, thanks for the tip, I'll strongly consider that placement. One question, though, if the RD is placed up there, is it within arm's reach? The unit has a mute/volume knob on the front that I find myself using now and then - would be a pain to reach that control from the driver's seat while driving?

 

its hard to imagine a signal in the low megahertz range (radar) affecting something in the upper microwave range (GPS in the gigahertz range)

actually what we need is radar detector built in to the system where if a signal is detected it simply overides the TFT display.

 

Does this happen every time? I experienced this glitch once, on my first Prius trip (home from WV), and have never seen it since. It was disturbing to see my little icon traveling off in the bushes and fields, but I was able to visually confirm that I was, in fact, still on the road. I assumed it was an error in the map data. I assumed it could be reproduced, but I've never driven that stretch of road again.

Clearly, if it can be reproduced, it's probably not radar, in addition to the other reasons stated in this thread about why it's not radar.

 

On the iQue you see this when the digital map does not match the road or you are getting a poor signal. When I drive down the drive way at work I see it because our driveway is not in the database but the apartment complex and assisted living center next door and 6 feet away is. I will drive along and pop I am in the dive way next door. Funny thing is that we have been here years more that the folks next door and have a city bus stop on our loop drive.