Opinion, which radar detector should I buy?
Opinion, which radar detector should I buy?
I try pretty religiously not to speed anymore, b/c of losing my licience 2 times already, but I am having to drive 15 miles of highway driving to school and back. I want to know which radar detector would be the best option for me to buy. Thank you for all your help. This will be my 1st one.
Ive heard good things about the 9500 and valentine one. Yes this is for the cougar b/c i dont drive my 240sx much anymore. I do leave early anytime I go somewhere and make sure I travel the speed limit. I do not speed, b/c I KNOW that I will get picked up if I do. Do you recommend I buy new or is eBay an ok option to buy from?
Loveless wrote:what's pop?
from what I know, valentine 1 is the only radar detector that has a sensor pointing to the front and another to the rear
I was going pretty fast yesterday 120mph+ on the freeway and valentine 1 saved my wee wee
The Escort 8500 x50 has 360 degree detection as well as POP detection. POP radar is an instant on radar, which means that the gun is in standby mode until the officer hits the button which sends a short radar burst to measure speed, then goes back into standby. Conventional radar guns are almost always emmiting radation. And the escort is only $299 vs the V1 at $400!
http://www.radartest.com/artic...=9080
I love my V1, but instant-on scares the crap out of me. If V1 steps up to the plate within a year I will upgrade, but if not my next detector might be a Passport. I don't mind using 2 at once!
I love my V1, but instant-on scares the crap out of me. If V1 steps up to the plate within a year I will upgrade, but if not my next detector might be a Passport. I don't mind using 2 at once!
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hannibal
- Posts: 9680
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- Car: Red Line to Glenmont
- Location: Washington DC
Whats the point of POP detection, to give you a head start outrunning the cops?? Once the officer clocks you (whether standard or POP radar), youve been caught. I thought the benefit of a detector was to pick up stray radar from when the officer tries to clock a car around you. In that sense, there would be no difference between standard and POP radar, just some stray radar waves youre hoping your detector detects. <--sorry, couldnt help it 
For standard radar the goal is to pick up the signal long before you're close enough for him to actually get a read on your vehicle. The officer is often well out of sight when V1 gives the first beep.It sounds like Passport has the same goal for POP radar...to alert you to the sensor while it's in standby mode, ane before it is turned on. Whether or not you actually have enough time/distance to slow down is another question. 1600 feet, the distance used in a lot of tests, isn't much!
For the record, I don't condone speeding in urban areas. I'm probably one of the safest drivers out there. I drove for 12 years before getting V1 and I've never had a ticket. I'm the guy that you're cussing at as you pass me, cause I'm actually going 35 in a 35 zone. 
I just like to open it up sometimes on open stretches during long trips with no one else around...the Q needs a good workout now and then.
I just like to open it up sometimes on open stretches during long trips with no one else around...the Q needs a good workout now and then.-
hannibal
- Posts: 9680
- Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2002 2:38 am
- Car: Red Line to Glenmont
- Location: Washington DC
Oh! If these POP radar detectors can pickup the signal while the gun is in standby, that kicks ***.Like you said, 1600 ft isnt much. Youre better off just eyeballing it at that short distance.I want a detector for those times its impossible to see the cop. Coming over a hill, when he has a GOOD hiding place, when he gets on the highway behind you, etc.The cops around here like to play the 'broken down' car game. They stop in plain sight on the side of the road and pop the trunk. You cant see the blue and red lights on top, or the taillights, or any markings. And the officer is literally hiding behind the open trunk aiming his radar gun at traffic. Sneaky bastards!
IWannaS15 wrote:The valentine 1 has won every comparison Ive ever seen it in. The thing is expensive, but it seems to be the best. How much does the escort 9500 go for??
chingon, please tell us how you got a V1 for that price...
Well, it pays to know your stuff. I stick to this pretty big swap meet around my house. If I had not known what a V1 was, I would not have gotten it for 30$. I love it when you get stuff at 1/15th of the price...
BTW, that definition of the "PoP" is identified in the V1 manual as "instant on" i think. Basically there's no way to detect these radars. What V1 does, is, that it detects a signal when another car(s) in front of you is getting hit. In other words, the valentine detects the "fluctuations" between on and off. It also detects up to 3 bogeys i think. So if you have a cop hiding in a zone where your usual radar detector would go off, V1 will tell you there's more than one signal than usual and you won't be ****ed. It also tells u if the signal is in front or behind (radars only work in a straight line (so you can't get scanned from a side)).
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szh
- Posts: 15932
- Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 12:54 pm
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Unfortunately, no longer a Nissan or Infiniti, but continuing here at NICO! - Location: San Jose, CA
Valentine 1 is the way to go. Expensive, but worth it. I have owned a few radar detectors in the 30 years that I have been driving cars (more years than some of you have been around 
), and it cannot be beat. The remote display is also best for night driving - keeps the results down low (I have it in the cigarette lighter socket.).
Z
), and it cannot be beat. The remote display is also best for night driving - keeps the results down low (I have it in the cigarette lighter socket.).Z