Well, a few weeks ago, I changed from a Passport 8500 to a new Valentine One radar and laser detector. So far, the V1 seems fantastic, except, I noticed I was getting odd, occasional laser alerts that didn't seem to match any "threats" in the surroundings. A little experimenting produced this startling result: That's my little ole MFD driving my top of the line V1 totally nuts. Full screaming laser alert. I have found that by carefully mounting the V1, I don't get any (or very few) false positives, but really... Fundamentally, I find it odd that the sophisticated (supposedly) V1 would read the MFD's display as laser. Any optics/light specialists out there (or anyone else who cares) like to speculate on why this happens???
If your V1 is anything like mine, you'll also find it responds to red neon signs. It's used so rarely these days around here, and the few times I've gone through a lazer trap it didn't respond. So, I turned it off. If the new photo-radar units don't use X band like the previous units did, then I can turn that off too. Door openers use X band and trip the V1. Of course, not speeding is the ultimate fix. But I just like to know when I'm being watched.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(drrjv @ May 2 2007, 09:39 PM) [snapback]434452[/snapback]</div> Did you get it up there without major surgery, alteration, or damage? How did you do it, if you don't mind? <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(David Beale @ May 3 2007, 09:29 AM) [snapback]434702[/snapback]</div> Doing a little more digging, right in the manual, Valentine points out that some things are know causes of false positives. The one I found amusing, esp since I recall seeing it now, is that the tail lights on the Chevy Trailblazer (and it's other GM twins) will also cause laser alerts! I just find that bizarre. Yes, not speeding is the best way to avoid "imperial entanglements" but I drive so much (almost 40k each year) that sometimes it's worth the risk (especially when mitigated by electronics) to trade some extra gas for time saved. And those "slow down the times saved is insignificant" arguments are false too, unless you're talking short-range urban driving. My "standard" long drive, between New Orleans and Pensacola, is just over 200 miles. Going 80 drops my FE to the 42-45 range (temp dependent), but saves me over 30 minutes compared to 60 mph, which would put me at or above 50 mpg. I like having the choice. 8-9 times out of 10, I'll do it at 80. . . Follow-on note to the original post. I just pulled out the Passport 8500 X50 (was ready to ship in for upgrade before hand-me-down to wife) and tried the same test. After confirming that its laser mode was ON, it had no reaction at all, even when held flush against a brightly lit MFD. Weird, especially since I had deactivated its laser mode for over-falsing, which the V1 does not do.
The V1 has different filtering algorithms than the X50. Escort's idea is to minimize falses by looking for the pulse rates of specific guns. Since there are only a handful of different pulse rates in use right now it works just fine. And apparently the MFD does not strobe at one of those rates. The V1 on the other hand just looks for pulsed IR light...any pulse rate. As long as it gets two or more pulses at a time it goes off. On the bright side, you're protected (minimally) against pretty much any laser threat imaginable. On the down side it'll false on all kinds of stuff. Infinity's laser-guided cruise control particularly irked me because I used to encounter those at particularly inopportune times. I used a V1 with great success for a couple of years. It's not going to save you from everything but can keep a vigilant driver a little "safer." (Speed with indiscretion and you'll get busted no matter what you use.) The other benefit, as in my case, is that you can Ebay the thing and get practically all of your money back.
Brick: Thanks for the great info. I'm very perplexed by the results of the differing laser approaches. Oddly, I had deactivated the laser detection on my 8500/X50 because of false positives that seemed to be related to sun glinting. The V1 has not seemed to demonstrate that weakness -- yet anyway. We'll see how it plays out with more extensive use. Yesterday, I ran from New Orleans to Pensacola with the two detectors mounted on the glass, side by side. Neither gave me a single laser false, and although there were very small differences in reaction, in the end, I'd judge them essentially the same (at least for this drive). In each instance, one or the other would go off first, followed almost immediately by the other. No apparent superhet interference between the two, despite being almost touching close. Although the Escort is a cleaner looking unit (to my eye), I really like the Valentine arrow. As to relative safety, I've been using a detector of one flavor or another for over twenty years. I bought an original Escort unit (the big metal one) back in 85 or 86. I have to chuckle at the naysayers who claim that instant on, digital guns, laser etc make detectors useless. That completely overlooks that most of the time, you get your warning from the officer lighting up the cars ahead of you, I/O or not. I've even had several valid laser saves (SE of Atlanta on the interstates) where the scatter from up-the-road shots. In the end, it's all about applying sound detector tactics, not just expecting the thing to act like a Klingon cloaking device. Back on the original question, I've found that mounting the V1 further down the windshield, laterally centered, keeps it from falsing off the MFD, while still allowing the rear antennae to look through the back window. BTW, why did you ditch your V1?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ekpolk @ May 5 2007, 01:16 PM) [snapback]436062[/snapback]</div> I just got tired of the speed game. There was a time I thought it was ridiculous to drive the limit, so I was a 5-10-over kind of driver. Not much risk of a ticket around here doing 72 in a 65 but, like you, I felt like I should know when I was being watched. Then about a year ago (pre-Prius) I started learning how to improve my fuel economy through driving habits. That slowed me down and got me focussed on other things to the point that I realized that the V1 wasn't playing a role anymore. So I put it away and never felt the need to re-install it. But like I said, it was a great tool up to that point. Every once in a while I see a picture of a black hood over somebody's MFD, presumably to cut down on glare from the sun. I'm wondering if that would block the V1's view of the screen and solve your problem?
Not the same thing, but my old Sony Digital camera (FD95) used to freak out my Sony AM/FM radio with the built in head phones! At a ball game, if I had the radio on, and used the camera, it would static out the radio on AM. Wierd.
I think a call to Mike Valentine is in order - he crows so much about the V1 being technically superior to everyone else's detector that his credibility is on the line here. Tell him that! I own a V1 but without Laser. I've noticed in the last 6 months it's started falsing on Ka band to the point it's unusable so I'm sending it in for repair. Keith
I started using the V1 in my VW Golf probably 8 or 9 years ago. Brought it over into the new Prius in November. Although my driving habits have changed significantly, it still has utility. One real experience about 2 months ago - starting up from a stop light on a 2 lane secondary road - speed limit was 45 mph, I smoothly accelerated to 53 mph - got sporadic indications of laser from the long straight away up ahead. So I backed off and decelerated back down to the speed limit, to the frustration of the pick-up behind me who accelerated and passed me on the left in the other lane. Up ahead the state trooper pulled out from his hiding spot, and pulled out in front of me to pounce on his pray. Survival of the fittest. I have the V1 mounted roughly centered in the windshield just under the rear view mirror, which puts it in front of the MFD. Never had any problems with picking up anything from the MFD.
My earlier post was poorly worded. Laser is used so little here, and is so easy to spot visually, that I turned it off in the V1. I love that aspect of the V1 - you can turn on or off each band/mode at will. As far as interference, yes, I've seen the Chev. tail-lamps (and not just the Blazer) trip the V1 laser sensor, as well as red neon signs. In the RX-7, the boost system will trigger it (when you accelerate hard). Maybe that was a good thing, keeping me from getting too rambunctious. I fixed it anyway with a power filter and large capacitor in-line with the 12V supply. As far as usefulness, around here the highway is patrolled by the RCMP. They use "instant on" moving radar, and don't usually use it until they "see the whites of your eyes". The V1 doesn't help. Yes, if they use it on a car in front of you there is a warning, but usually you can't go much faster than the traffic anyway if there is a lot of it. That being said, the V1 has more than paid for itself, saving me several times, including one as posted above, when I got a warning (roadside trap) and slowed, and the nut behind me passed me and got pulled over. It's hard to drive a 3rd gen RX-7 at the speed limit, as it's capable of so much more, and always "wants to go". Funny though. I drive the anti-Prius (see below) faster on average than the RX-7. The 7 is just too "in your face". Bright "I'M OVER HERE OFFICER" yellow. It gets shot by radar all the time, and the look on their faces when they see I'm driving at the speed limit is priceless! Having gray hair helps too.
Guys: Thanks for the good input. I think I will call Mike Valentine, half to hear the tech response, half to see if I can get through to him. The various comments reflect what I've thought for years. Detctors (of any quality) are useless if you believe that they will protect you like the cloaking device I mentioned above. But with sound judgment and tactics, they are still very useful. BTW, the Escort 8500/X50 is also super easy as far as band activation and deactivation. I'm still trying to decide which is best for me. I really like the arrows, they give a level of SA that Escort can't match. OTOH, I've tried a couple trips with them mounted side-by-side on my windshield (Geek alert...) and really don't see much difference in their performance.
Hmm. Interesting.. I wonder what would happen if you pointed a TV remote at the detector? Those things run at ~40KHz, and they're modulated at approx 2KHz AM.. As for those chevy taillights, those things REALLY Bother me. They are pulsing the lights on and off ~100Hz, and like DLP based projectors, you can see these weird ghosting effects when you turn your head. It really messes with my depth estimation. Time to dig up my detector again. I kind of got distracted trying to mount it up in the dome light/rearview area, unfortunately, there's no accessory power up there. There's even a small ridge for the homelink power cable coming out! I've been too busy to take apart the pri to get cabling up there. (Yes I know that there is constant power up there (to run the lights.) but I want accessory power that is switched!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(_echo @ May 13 2007, 09:40 PM) [snapback]441352[/snapback]</div> It worked on my V1 and it sometimes worked on my older remote-mount Bel. The Bel would go off maybe 1/3 of the time, the V1 pretty much every time. Again, that's just differences in filtering and doesn't really tell you anything about performance against actual lidar.
