Radar detectors

Any help on getting the right radar detector would be of great help. I am tired of the unknown mounty waiting for me.

Same here. We got nailed Sunday.

Sarah

I use an Escort 8500. Its as good as a Valentine, but $100 less. Its still expensive though. Oh, and it can be upgraded.

radar detector

Jake:
I did some research on this on the radar detector sites and the ones to get are the Escort 8500 X50 or the Bel equivalent (same company). The Valentine is still right in there, however.
I got the Escort, and it's excellent; very well filtered, with good range. I have picked up Ka band at 7 kilometres. I have a set of Etymotic ER-6's plugged into it.
I wait for a fast moving scout to come by (usually an LT or a Porche) and pull in an eighth of a mile behind. This technique has saved me a lot of tickets.

Rinty

I know there's always multiple opinions when it comes to getting the right gadget, but there's probably little argument that The Valentine Radar Detector is the favorite out there. Not the cheapest mind you, but it does a great job.

It's the only radar detector that shows whether the radar is coming from front and rear. All others just show what's coming in front of you. It shows the type of radar, how many sources it's coming from, and how strong it is. This is helpful for example if the source is coming from behind you and the signal strength is fading, then you know you're moving away from it and it's probably stationary. If the signal remains constant or gets stronger, that's usually an indication you're being tailed by a cop with radar. And yes that's happened on a number of occasions.

BMR Products makes a great shelf and mount designed for the Valentine, however I would recommend playing the sound through an Autocom since when you're focused on the road, you may not see the lights in time. Kind of like when you've been riding down the road and realize your blinkers have been flashing for the past mile. I know . . . I'm the only one who does that . See shelf below:

Momentary hyjack

Hey, RTRandy......where did you get that nice hood for the GPS?


You may now return to regular programming.

I have a V1 and never ride without it. It is on a RAM mount to get it up as high as possible and I have the Hoon Hardware Radar Box to keep it waterproof.

I listen to the V1 with earphones and that is far superior to just relying on seeing the lights - especially in the daytime.

The interface on the V1 is what makes it superior in my opinion. It's tempting to say that one detects a copy 50 feet further away, but if you know how many signals you're receiving, which direction they're coming from, what type of radar they are and which one is the strongest, you're way ahead.

Valentine 1 offers all of that. Additionally, they offer software upgrades for your unit as they develop better detection programming.

You should also be aware that radartest.com is a paid site. Detector manufacturers pay to have their equipment tested, which Valentine refuses to do.

hlothery said:

Hey, RTRandy......where did you get that nice hood for the GPS?

Click to expand...

I know you can get em at cyclegadgets, but you can also make one yourself out of an Office Depor presentation binder cover and some velcro. Much less expensive.

hlothery said:

Hey, RTRandy......where did you get that nice hood for the GPS?

Click to expand...

Click on the BMR Products link on that post and it'll take you to their link. They make those hoods themselves and they're reasonably priced at $27.50

That photo is from their link, however I have the exact same set up using the Garmin 276C and the Valentine shelf. I think I'll take a photo tomorrow and post it to show how it came out.


, http://bmrproducts.com/index.php,

Out of the weather for V1....

Just a note...

...the Valentine is NOT weathertight (waterproof) and may fail if it gets wet. There is a housing available ("Radar Box" at radarbusters.com) that will provide a level of protection against the elements. A must have for the V1.


-GF <")))))><

radar detectors

A couple of years ago, I rode a friend's R 1100 S which is equipped with a Valentine, and I noticed that it falses a lot more than the Escort 8500. I know the Valentine is a good unit, and has the 360 degree reception feature, but I thought I should mention it. His unit is about 5 years old.

Rinty

rinty said:

A couple of years ago, I rode a friend's R 1100 S which is equipped with a Valentine, and I noticed that it falses a lot more than the Escort 8500. I know the Valentine is a good unit, and has the 360 degree reception feature, but I thought I should mention it. His unit is about 5 years old.

Rinty

Click to expand...

There are three levels of control for controlling falses, which are set by the user by pressing the volume button. There's an All setting, which shows everything, a Logic setting the cuts out many falses, and a Super Logic setting which, in my experience, only reports real radar hits.

He may also be due for a firmware upgrade.

radar detectors

That would explain it then, because we were way out in the boonies, and he would have had it set to the most sensitive mode, for maximum protection on his speedy S. I do the same on my unit.

Rinty

rinty said:

That would explain it then, because we were way out in the boonies, and he would have had it set to the most sensitive mode, for maximum protection on his speedy S. I do the same on my unit.

Rinty

Click to expand...

Actually, the sensitivity is the same all the time, it just applies different logic to filter out false signals. I usually leave mine on Logic, unless I'm in the city, in which case I put it on Super Logic. With it set to All, it'll show me things it knows are falses, like signals from other radar detectors, door openers and that sort of thing.

Drives me nuts.

detectors

Yeah, the Escort is complex too. You can set four different X-band filtration levels: "Highway" for normal sensitivity, "City", for reduced sensitivity, "City LoX" for further sensitivity reduction, and "City NoX" for no response to X-band reception. Then there are a whole bunch of other programs for other stuff. It's worse than an AEG oven. I just leave mine set on Auto, and it works fine.
The technology on these detectors has sure come a long way. My old Uniden used to false every few seconds, but I just got good at interpreting the thing. Dave Anderson at Anderwerks, my tech, said that I would be better off having a string of garlic cloves around my neck to than rely on it.

Rinty

I no longer run a radar detector. Even with constant diddling, I got too many false alarms--which caused me to panic for no good reason.

2. I find it more reliable to "read" the situation, figuring out where I would hide if I were a leo, and taking appropriate action. For instance, I slow down when passing under overpasses where a leo might be lurking at the top of the onramp, or cresting a series of hills where a leo might be waiting at the bottom. Find some careless "bear bait" and follow along a few hundred yards behind.

3. With instant-on radar/laser, you may not get enough blips to figure out where the leo is located before you get there.

4. If you're playing the speeding game and have a detector prominently mounted, and you do get stopped, the leo is very likely to make it a ticket, not a warning. You were playing the game and lost this round. So, if you choose to run a detector, hide it. Cut a small hole in a fairing panel, or build a plastic cover that looks like a GPS or radio. Consider one of those "heads up" helmet displays with a radar light, not a warning horn. It's really embarrassing if your radar buzzer goes off while the leo is standing beside the bike.

5. If you're in the detector habit, bear in mind that some states and localities make them illegal. See 4.

pmdave

detectors

Dave:

If you haven't tried the latest generation of detectors, they are really well filtered. On a recent 630 km trip, my new Escort falsed three times outside of city areas, and I did not have the X band reception disengaged.

I know you don't get enough warning with instant on, but I find there are lots of scouts out there who I can shadow.

Rinty

Do they work?

Hi All,

I know it's been discussed before, but after years (25) as a Patrol Officer, I think I should let you in on a secret. Most (but not all) departments are going to the lazer gun systems. These are great for Police, not so good for Radar Detector companies.
The guns do not emit any sort of signal until you pull the trigger. I know the manufacturers say otherwise, but we tried the Valentine, FuzzBuster, BEL and several others, and they didn't let out a peep until the trigger was pulled. We did get a lot of warnings though, warnings that WalMArt had an automatic door opener, a warning the CVS had a theft detection device and so on.
We would just go down the road, or sit beside the road, wait until we could see a car that appeared to be going faster than the others, point and click. Yep, you got a signal. A signal that you were already locked in. AND, most cops will automatically cite anyone with a radar detector figuring they speed alot. I know the excuses, I was coasting downhill, I had my cruise set, You got someone else, and so on. The easiest thing to do, is slow down and enjoy the ride.
Now, that said, there was a type of cloaking device that was reviewed in American Iron magazine. I actually tried one, and it worked. With it on, I could not get a reading on the bike. As soon as it was turned off, it showed up like a bomb going off. Sorry but I can't remember the name of it. I would think if you did a GOOGLE search on radar cloaking, something might show up.... But, make sure it is a passive system. If you are putting out any type of signal, you need a Federal license. Last I heard, the fine was something on the order of $10,000 per occurance, and the Feds don't mess around.....
Anyhow, slow down and enjoy the ride.....
Jeff

umm, I admit I am a little stale on my LADAR technology, but how can LADAR be used on a motorcycle? in most studies I've seen, the laser has to have something fairly large and flat; and refelective to bounce back off of; like a license plate. So unless your hitting them from the rear; which doesn't sound likely, how are you using them on bikes?

has the technology improved to the point where they don't need a nice flat license plate to make them work?

also, not sure what part of the country your in, but here in Washington state, most agencies are still operating on radar