suraj

I have extensively researched this forum and came across many stories where V1 has saved speeding tickets. I am seriously considering getting a V1 soon.

It would be interesting to hear about experiences where you got speeding ticket inspite of having a radar detector. What was the reason for getting it, under what ciscumstances, was it a machine (v1) error or human error?

On the other hand, can you share tips/rules of thumb/do's dont's about avoiding speeding tickets other than the ones mentioned in V1 manual?

Thanks a ton!
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subterFUSE

The Valentine is among the best detectors money can buy. The detection strength is excellent, but the best feature by far is the arrow display. The arrows are petented, so no other detector on the market has them. Once you have lived with the arrows, you'll never be able to go without.


As for tickets... The Valentine 1 is excellent for detecting various types of police radar. Your typical highway scenario, it will alert you of a speed trap FAR in advance.... giving you approx 30 seconds to prepare and slow down. I just made the drive from Orlando to Charleston, driving about 95-100 mph the whole way. My V1 saved me 4 times just on that trip alone.

Where things become more difficult is when police use Laser. Laser is different than radar because it fires a focused beam of light which only needs to be activated for a fraction of a second. You see, radar sends out a more constant and diffuse signal which spreads out over long distances. That is why your detector can sense the radar long before the radar gets your speed. However, laser does not spread out much over distances.... and the cop doesn't have to turn it on until he sees you, so your detector is not going to know you're being pinged by a laser until frankly, it is too late. The Valentine 1 has laser detection.... but the only thing it is good for is letting you know... "Hey dumbass, you're about to get pulled over."

The key about laser speed detection is that police can only use them from a stationary position, and they must be aimed precisely. This means that laser guns can't be mounted inside a police car, like radars can. Laser guns are handheld units, primarily. The scenario where you will likely encounter a police laser speed trap is in a residential zone, with the police on foot. They hide in the bushes and get your speed from a long distance away, and then they walk out into the street in front of you and point you to pull over.

I got 2 speeding tickets this year, and they were both in residential areas from police on foot using handheld laser guns. I had my V1 activated both times, but it was no help.... just as I described above.



IN the past, I have also gotten a ticket where I was clocked by aircraft. Obviously no detector will assist you there. So now when I drive on the highway, I pay attention to the skies ahead for small planes flying overhead. They tend to fly very low, and parallel to the highway.... so once you know what you are looking for, it's not hard to spot them, too.

Bimmer32

wow, you're a veteran . . . thanks for the tips.

EuroCarFan

In most states, you can combine the V1 with a laser jammer like the Laser Blinder X-Treme M-20 (front only) or M-40 (front and rear) for the best protection. Sucks that it's illegal in CA.

my530i

Why do we car if it's legal in CA? We can have ECU software which is not legal in CA from Dinan, right?

EuroCarFan

Good point... wonder if it's too late to tell my wife to get it for me for Xmas...

suraj

It looks like there are 4 kind of threats which are hard to avoid

1. Instant on radar
2. Laser
3. Pacing
4. Aerial detection

Radar/laser devices can be of some help in (1) and (2). What strategies have worked to avoid getting caught by (1) and (2)?

For laser, is the following very useful
http://www.radarbusters.com/products/coatings/veil.asp

subterFUSE

Instant on radar is still easy for a Valentine 1 to detect, assuming you are driving in any amount of traffic. If there are cars ahead of you on the road, the cop will no doubt be trying to gauge their speed before yours... and since radar sends a diffuse signal which travels far and spreads out widely... your detector will pick it up, even if it is only for a moment. The Valentine 1 identifies the type of radar signal. Police radars tend to fall in the Ka band. I rarely, if ever, encounter a police radar using K or X band.

As for laser, you're never going to beat laser with only a detector. In fact, even if a cop shoots your car with a laser, your detector might not pick it up. Laser beams are, by nature, concentrated and coherent beams of light which do not spread out over distance. The cop is going to aim his laser at your front bumper (or license plate if you have one), so the beam might not even hit your radar detector up in your windshiled area. By the time it does, you're already nabbed.

Pacing? Well, if you don't have enough sense to smell a cop on the road.... even an unmarked car.... then you don't need to be speeding. I can spot a police car a quarter mile behind me at night, just by how the headlights look.

Aircraft only operate during the daytime. They fly low, and follow the road. You can see them easy, if you are paying attention. Not hard to beat them.

suraj

For laser protection, would a combination of V1 and a laser shield (http://www.radarbusters.com/products...ser-shield.asp) on the front plate do a good job? I understand that headlights can also reflect laser beams but I read somewhere that with the lights on, the laser gets confused and it is hard to nab the driver.

Is it true that when you speed, you should always make sure there are cars ahead of you? In other words, you should never be in front of the pack as it would make you vulnerable due to your isolation? If this is true, it means that one should never speed on an open road.

Additionally, with all the radar and laser detectors in the car, how much do people usually go above the prevailing traffic speed? I mean if speed limit is 60, with traffic moving at 70, is it safe to speed at say, 99?

subterFUSE

I have never used a laser jammer before, so I can't attest to their effectiveness. There are some products which are simply a spray coating for your license plate, and I believe these are basically snake oil. I have heard the electronic laser "jammers" work well enough to give you reaction time to slow down..... but I've never used one.


I find that my Valentine 1 is so effective at detecting radar, that I have little fear of being nabbed while travelling on the highway. You will almost never encounter laser on the highway. On the highway, police like to sit in their cars and use the built-in radar. Since laser only comes in handheld machines, which must be aimed like a rifle... you won't see them being used by police inside cars often. So..... I always feel confident that my Valentine 1 will be enough protection on the highways. When I am in residential areas, where laser is more common.... I try never to lead a pack of cars, and I tend to follow the speed limits more closely now after getting nabbed twice in 1 year.


On the highway, when traffic allows.... I will drive about 90-100 mph when the limit is 70. If there are other cars around, I slow down for safety. The cops always say that speed kills. Well, I prefer to say that "difference in speed kills." If everyone is going 80, it's not so bad. But if you are going 100 and everyone else is going 65, THAT is seriously dangerous.