What radar decector should I get?

[King Kang]

I want to get a radar detector, and I've done a little research. I can't find what I'm looking for though. I abosolutly don't want the stick to my windshield style radar detector. Years ago, I heard of ones with remote sensors and remote displays. Where can I find one?

peace

[idrive]

not to rip on the SI... i drive one too... but the SI is not worth a remote mounted radar detector... Trust me you cant go that fast in an SI... a $200 range windshield mounted radar detector will be plenty for you.

http://www.radarbusters.com/
http://www.radartest.com/

[BlackFL2k2Si]

Valentine One. Best detector for the money for sure.

[Mugen Power]

Err... isn't it the most expensive detector out there?;)

But I agree. I got mine a few weeks ago and I'm lovin' it.

[ThickMick]

I'm lookin at a jammer as opposed to a detector. The one I'm loolin at retails for $150 (Phazer II see link below). The Troopers around here use a gun that they point and shoot. In other words, it is not constantly on so by the time they zap you its too late for your detector to give you fair warning.

Anybody have any experience with this product?

http://www.technoscout.com/general/product/product.asp?product=185

[foilpan]

check out radartest.com (http://www.radartest.com/) for reviews.

i was thinking about getting the bearcat scanner mentioned on this site instead. with jammers, they'd know something's up when you fly by and their readings are all off. that's IF the jammer works right. i forget, but i think the scanner thingy detects police radios (the ones they wear on their sleeves), so you'd know when a cop is near well before you got in range of his/her radar.

something to think about...

[SiR Medic]

Originally posted by SilverFL2k2Si
Valentine One. Best detector for the money for sure.



If detectors were legal in Canada, the V1 would be gracing my dash right now.


They are also available with a "stealth install kit"



Oh yeah... Jammers? THEY DON'T WORK.

[blueiedgod]

don't waste money on expensive radars. most of the times cops use instant laser, and by the time your radar goes off, they already have you in their sights. i got this cheapo, $30 radar/compass from buy.com price mistake of the day, works fine, goes off before i see cops, but i don't go faster than 15 over the limit anyway. compass is about 50 degrees off from my GPS. Called PNI they explained it by the fact that GPS uses geographical north pole, while radar uses magentic north pole which is not exactly where geographical north pole is. it has VG-2 anti-radar detector warning (when cops want to see if you are using the radar). has a digital read out as opposed to LED's, and shows the strength. also has highway warning display, and displays messages that are usually are up on those digital boards. not a bad unit for $30.

[Brettnyt]

oh the size of the brick my mom would shit if she found me with a radar detector in my car.... Talk about a hypocrit, my dad has one in his car and hees all like "You dont need one Brett...." What a bad example... But I must admit, doin 70 through the twisties IS quite fun in his 330xi... nice not havin to worry about the popo... IM JEALOUSE! :(

[NamingException]

It's true that state of the art radar and laser guns will get you every time. Anytime a cop uses always-on radar you can detect them from a long ways away though. Driving to Boston last weekend my Bel 940 picked up troopers consistently long before I came upon them. City cops almost always use constant radar, so they're easy to pick up too. Around here troopers use instant-on guns on the highway though. Gotta watch out for them.

[hamproof]

There's usually some driver going faster than me anyway.

I use it mainly to avoid getting caught by police who work in small towns where they hide in the bushes and nab you for doing 5 over. Good source of income for these bastards. They should be out catching murderers and rapists rather than hiding in the bush and catching someone doing 5 over.

Also, a detector is good for night time driving on highway. Cops usually don't use laser at night coz' most will be sleeping in their car anyway. They use K or Ka band (at least on the highway I drive on) and keep the gun constantly on. So, a decent detector will pick 'em up a mile away.

I use a Valentine1. Love the directional arrows and bogey counters. Well worth the $400 (unit) and $40 (remote display).

[King Kang]

Originally posted by idrive
not to rip on the SI... i drive one too... but the SI is not worth a remote mounted radar detector... Trust me you cant go that fast in an SI... a $200 range windshield mounted radar detector will be plenty for you.

http://www.radarbusters.com/
http://www.radartest.com/

Thanks, but I'm not looking for a remote display detector for its performance, rather its stealth factor. I simply don't want something hanging off my windshield. Plus, you can loose your liscense here for going faster than 15 mph over! (NC has TOUGH speeding laws.)

Unlike NY, cops in NC don't use laser or instant on guns....regular detection is all I need. Does anyone have more experience with the Valentine remote display stealth thingy?

peace

[hamproof]

You can read about it on the valentine1.com website.

It basically blanks out your main unit display as to not light up your car like a christmas tree. When the arrows go off, it is like an airplane landing strip.

I mount the detector above the rear mirror, route the lines along the roof header trim down the a-pillar (passenger side) into the dash and finally hard-wired to the fuse box. Remote display is mounted inside and under the top surface of the little cubby below the CD player.

[fsugatorbait]

Originally posted by hamproof
You can read about it on the valentine1.com website.

It basically blanks out your main unit display as to not light up your car like a christmas tree. When the arrows go off, it is like an airplane landing strip.

I mount the detector above the rear mirror, route the lines along the roof header trim down the a-pillar (passenger side) into the dash and finally hard-wired to the fuse box. Remote display is mounted inside and under the top surface of the little cubby below the CD player.

a picture would be nice...sounds like a good setup.

[hamproof]

You can see the phone line run along the A-Pillar on the passenger side.

[Mugen Power]

The only thing I was worried about putting my V1 in that location was whether or not the rear sensor would be blocked by the rear of the car... it's kinda hard to tell since the roof slopes down to the back.

[SiGirlNamedSong]

yes. definately the v1. any used v1 is better than any brand new other kind. valentine is my love. too bad i cant afford one myself haha

[hamproof]

Don't worry about the slope. You can angle it to get a clear line of sight out the rear hatch. To get even more down slope, just angle the rear view mirror down. With my 5' 9" frame, it is not a problem.

Putting it to the right of the rear mirror is not an option coz' at times when my gf. is in the car, she'll move the visor down and block the detector. Of course if you want to get tricky, you can position it just bet. the rear mirror and visor (when the visor is down).

Just a word of caution. Not all V1 are alike. The company keeps improving the sensors throughout the years. So, those that you buy used might look alike, but in fact they are not. Fortunately, you can go to the V1 website and lookup how *outdated* your detector is based on the serial #. The company has a database of buyers and their V1 serial number. I've read stories whereby someone's V1 was stolen and the crook actually called V1 to buy accessories. They looked it up and realized the buyer and serial # does not match. They called the original buyer and found out it was stolen. Called the cops on the crook :)

Here's the link to check. If you or anyone else buys from eBay, use this:

Link to V1 10-digit Serial Number check (https://store.valentine1.com/upgrades/)