i know you expected to hear this, but my Valentine-1 is badass! it alerts me well in advance to get down to the speed limit. you cant go wrong with the V-1!!!!!!
How well do radar detectors really work?
Sorry for the lame subject that has probably been done over about a million times, but I need to go to Vegas next month for some... uh... errr... business and I have about a 10 hour drive doing the speed limit. Well I was thinking maybe I could buy a radar detector and get there in about 6 hours, could this work? I had a radar detector many years ago and thought they are o.k., but I wouldn't consider taking a 100mph road trip with it - I would get busted for sure. Has the technology gotten much better and has someone done something similar and gotten busted or gotten away with it?
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Have to agree with Red here! Also picks up radar from behind.RedSnakeGTS said:i know you expected to hear this, but my Valentine-1 is badass! it alerts me well in advance to get down to the speed limit. you cant go wrong with the V-1!!!!!!
Not fool proof, especially when the road is completely open in front of you, but it's saved me too many times to remember!
Yea I know Valentine is bad ass, but are they good for road trips? In other words, what percentage chance (would you guess) that I could take a 10 hour road trip going 100mph and not get caught if I was using a radar detector?
When it's your time, it's your time. The detector makes the interval between times a bit longer but there are not guarantees for when the big man will outsmart you... For me, it's been exceptionally well. I've done something like you describe without a problem -but there are no guarantees... /images/graemlins/smile.gif If i was a betting man i'd say your odds are better than 6 to 10 to make it with a detector and something lower than that to make it without. But i have nothing to back up this guess with.
well i dont see how a road trip is any different than a short drive around town? the only difference is your chances of seeing a cop are increased due to more time on the road. more time driving = more cops available, the radar itself should work the same....
I think a big part of your chances relate to the traffic along the way. That's why I made my comment before about open roads. I can always make the best time when there are numerous cars around. The odds that a cop will turn on his radar (at least while parked) for some other car ahead of you (thereby alerting you to his location) is far greater than if you're cruising down a nearly empty hiway at 100 mph. As good as the V-1 is, in such a situation you'll never get an reading till it's too late.
Love my V1, and I have made a few trips with the cruise control set about 95. I dont know about the road you are traveling on, but a big thing around here are those damn lines on the interstate where a plane times you going over those lines. I have pretty much memorized where the lines are on the interstates I travel. No radar detector is gonna pick those things up. The best advice I can give you is just be aware of your surroundings, but a V1 DEFINITELY helps!!!
my V1 has paid for itself many times over, if I was too lose it today I would replace it tomorrow
V1 V1 V1, one of my best investments :thumb:
I just got back from a cross country (5000 mile round trip) and used a radar detector. On one leg of my trip I went through 4 traps where I was going 25 mph over the limit and the radar detector saved me in all 4 cases. Part of my trip took me to Vegas and these are my observations:
1) Having a radar detector is better than not having one.
2) In the desert, it's a lot easier to go fast using a radar detector because there are fewer places for the cops to hide and visibility on the highway is good for miles. However, don't let that lull you into complacency.
3) In some places, police use airplanes to monitor speeders. Your radar detector is useless against this gestapo tactic. (Just watch for planes).
4) I noticed that cops don't use laser at night. Since there isn't much of a defense against laser, you might consider driving at night. The other side of this argument is that it's easier for cops to hide at night.
All in all, I would recommend a radar detector but don't let it do all the work. Keep your eyes peeled for the man and you should be ok.
1) Having a radar detector is better than not having one.
2) In the desert, it's a lot easier to go fast using a radar detector because there are fewer places for the cops to hide and visibility on the highway is good for miles. However, don't let that lull you into complacency.
3) In some places, police use airplanes to monitor speeders. Your radar detector is useless against this gestapo tactic. (Just watch for planes).
4) I noticed that cops don't use laser at night. Since there isn't much of a defense against laser, you might consider driving at night. The other side of this argument is that it's easier for cops to hide at night.
All in all, I would recommend a radar detector but don't let it do all the work. Keep your eyes peeled for the man and you should be ok.
Which detector did you go with?
V1 gets my vote and has saved my ass on more than one occasion. I like the multiple bogie feature.
If your question was directed to me, I left in a hurry and left my Beltronics detector at home and ended up buying a cheaper model on the road (Cobra). I just didn't want to put a lot of money into a new radar detector when I had a good one (the Beltronics is ranked in the top 2 or 3) at home.par said:Which detector did you go with?
The Cobra I bought was ranked in the top 5 or 6. Honestly, I don't see a lot of differences in all the different detectors (that make a lot of difference in real world situations) except bells and whistles. I know the V1 has better range, but to me it seems that the difference between detecting a signal at 2.1 miles vs. 1.8 miles is negligible.
The bottom line is that I went through 4 traps and every one was detected in time for me to slow down and avoid a pretty big ticket.
I use a Uniden model GPSRD. Has very good range on the road, has a built in GPS that can be programmed to know where the false alarms are so as not to go off. And can tell real-time speed and locks in top speed. That and a bunch more stuff I have not tried yet.
I wouldnt call the directional arrows and bogey counter on the V1 "bells and whistles." Worth every extra penny IMO.
I would definitely reccomend a Valentine 1 (V1). It's the best and I have one in all my cars.
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