I use the Beltronics Vector 955. Pretty good performance, although it seems to be a bit more K band sensitive for some reason. I'll pick up automatic grocery store doors from like 1/2 mile out

In the Republic of VA is llegal, however I got one for when I go off the Republic like for ZdayZ.

However I don't depend of the radar, cops are smarter that what you think...they don't use thier radar constantly unless the traffic is heavy like in Holidays, etc.

Most of the time they are stting a trap with the radar off, once they see you in the distance is when they will turn it on and you are fry.

I have V1's..... one in my G and one in my Z. Great units still need to use common sense on any detector.

Another thing cops in WA like to do is hide in the "blind spots" where they know there are constant false alarms, like the "Your Speed" signs. They just started doing this in the past few months, clever bastards

I think they work extreamly well, I'm rocking a 9500ci 9500xi and a v1 (in different cars). In NJ there a lot cheaper then paying tickets

I have been running a Beltronics RX65 for 2 years now and love it. In full disclosure though, it is more of a peace of mind device since while I do not pretend to follow the speed limit all the time and am very attentive, I have never been in a situation yet where if I did not have the detector, I would have been nailed.

Get an Escort or Beltronics model that has integrated GPS. It will learn the false signals based on location, signal frequency and signal strength, and mute warnings for them.

EDIT: As a bonus, many of these GPS-enabled RDs have a programmed-in database of speed and red light cameras.

:iagree:

i love my passport 8500 x50 because it has saved me from many speed cameras that i did not know were there

An RD is a tool, not a magical no ticket device.
You're right, some cops use instant-on radar like you describe, the trick is to drive 1/8 - 1/4 mile behind some other speeder. When they paint him with radar you get the warning.

I was home over the holidays and drove thru the glorious Republic of VA. I agree with you. The cops are getting interesting with their placement and use of Radar/Laser. Saw quite a few of them hiding in the rafters and support beams of overpasses.

A few hear have started camping out near the gates on base. There are speed sensors at every gate to go on base and the MPs don't mess with you about speeding up to the gate (I.E. speed limit is 10 and you are going 20-25 up to the gate). Anyway, a cop was sitting at one of the gates and catching people as they left base. Speed limit drops from 40 to 25 and then abruptly to 10 passing the gate house. They got paid that day.

I retired my bird dog years ago.

I still need to get one before my next ticket. I said that over a year ago and still have not.

I think radar detectors are a waste of money, granted I have a Passport 8500 Blue since I got it for like $120 and it's still working since like 2004. Personally I drive too chill to get a ticket but it's nice to have a detector anyways ;o

It really comes down to if you are the usual speeder or not. A lot of times cops don't even turn their radars on. I mean if you are clearly speeding, they can still pull you over if they see you in the act. Radar detectors are for detecting RADARS, NOT COPS. So either have a good eye for noticing cops or use the radar detector to help aid you in doing so.

I've have a Whistler XTR-695SE, works great! I have however ordered up a Pro3600 from Whistler now, so i can go built in again.

That's what mine is. That's the double edged sword with those. The "Your Speed" signs are so prevalent in this area, it's learned where they are and turns a blind eye to them. However the signs operate on Ka and thats what the city cops use as well, so I've literally driven past a visible speed trap, radar gun up and in use, and not gotten a peep from it.

Sounds like the cops are doing instant on or laser.

I think instant on. The Beltronics has been very reliable picking up laser. They just passed a huge statewide spending thing on patrols, trying to boost ticketing revenue so I'm guessing better training came alone with that. Luckily they are predictable enough I just take it nice and slow in the known areas.

I'm a gadget geek, so I own at least one example of almost every platform offered by Belscort. (S7,M4,M3) I also run a V1 3.864. And LIDAR jammers on all 4 vehicles I drive. (although my work vehicle is so big that the LED jammer on that thing probably provides almost no protection)

M3's are the most sensitive units on the market. (Escort Redline, 9500CI, Bel STi, Sti-R, STi-R+) I almost forgot; the M3's are stealth and undetectable to radar detector detectors.

V1 is the next most sensitive unit on the market and uses arrows to help you locate the source of radar. (Helps you know when you are "done" with a given alert sooner) V1 is also the most "responsive" RD on the market. Although a "segmented" M3 is right there with the V1. (STi-R and STi-R+)

S7's (older belscort platform that's no longer sold) are next with good all around performance.

M4's (Almost every thing else offered by Belscort at the moment) have good sensitivity for radar that's in front of you, even over a hill, but falls off once the source is off at an angle. (around a curve) M4's are as good as a V1 on one particular Ka frequency. (35.5 Ghz) Still slower to respond on all bands though. (takes a bit to "process" and then alert.)

Belscort's use of GPS on some M4 and M3 units has almost perfected false-alarm rejection and also can alert to cameras.

They are illegal here, though I may get one whenever I move from VA.

I just added the fact that M3's are undetectable. Forgot to mention that originally.

The V1 tells you how many radar sources it it is picking up. If it's more than the usual for that area...

That is why I like the V1, direction and number.

I have a bel rx65. Overall a great detector, it has saved my butt many times already.. 2 days after getting it i was going to return it and get the V1 but my dog ate the box it came in.

I'd prefer the v1 due to the arrows. I realized that one day too late. That being said, i am still satisfied with my purchase. Just a tiny bit of buyers remorse. Plus the rx65 is way cheaper.

Yeah I had a V1 previously and loved it, made the mistake of selling it to a buddy. The Beltronics is a pretty solid one, minus the multiple threats and whatnot, fortunately my typical routes don't change much so I know when to slow down around the usual hiding spots. Like Astros said though, V1's are significantly more expensive, and with a wedding coming up, she who must be obeyed is largely in control of the checkbook

Im considering to buy a V1 but few questions...

Does it really work like a charm? Will it really detect every cops around me?

And I live in California, is it legal here??

No, it does not detect police, it detects radar. It will let you know if there is a signal in certain radar bands being broadcast.


I believe Cali allows for radar detectors.

Radar detectors are legal in CA. The last speeding ticket I got (the first in 10 years) was from a cop (CHP) who got me the old fashioned way -- with an airplane. The guy who wrote me up was cool and wrote it for 10 mph less than my actual speed. He also pointed to my radar detector (a Passport Solo S2 at the time) as he was handing me the ticket and asked how well it works.

We have Beltronics 995s in the Z and the Acura TL, and a 965 in the Honda Element. All work well; all have paid for themselves many times over.

This year the NJ state police are using instant-on and lasers. The latter alerts on a Bel to tell you it's time to pull over; you've been already caught. The instant-ons are much more challenging; you now know to decelerate IMMEDIATELY at the first chirp. (I think police have to track/record you for a certain number of seconds or distance with conventional radar, which is not the case with lasers.)

So the greater variable you'll have is where and when you drive. A Sunday morning, with breaking clear weather? Plan on 3-6 traps per hundred miles, with some operated in wolf-pack fashion. Rush hour? No problem. Half an hour after morning rush hour, or evening happy hour? Always a problem.

And here on the central NJ coast, you can be returning from a 700 mile trip from anywhere, any time of the day or night, but you will always get at least one alert in the 3.5 miles from the Garden State Parkway to the local streets. Both Wall Twp. police and state troopers use this stretch to pay their department operating budgets. (Think of brown bears standing in the river catching spawning salmon in their mouths.)

I agree......I have one passport 8500 thats blue leds and one that is red. The 8500 has the same detection electronics as the 9500 but does not have the GPS built in.

i have a 9500ix and its saved my butt many, many times. i used to drive 200 miles/day for work and was saved at least once a week. as said earlier in the thread, its only a tool though, and you have to learn how to use it as a driving aid.

i remember this one time i had a subie tailgating me (i was doing around 75-80mph in the fast lane, and the lanes to the right were all driving super slow). i get a Ka 34.7 hit and immediately brake down to 65. he probably thinks i was brake checking him, and he begins to tailgate me even further. i change to the right lane, and he flies by me. the good thing about getting a nice Ka hit is that you usually have a mile before you get to the source. well, half a mile up theres a suby on the right side of the road with a CHP behind it!

Legal in Cali. VA, and DC and lots of Canada are the areas they are illegal in, I think.

No, only cops running Radar or Lidar that are aiming it in your general direction without something obstructing the radio/light waves.

Think of it like this...(Helps if you have seen Deliverance)...

Terrain, and anything else that can block radar will effect it. Think of radar like a flashlight and a radar detector like your eyes. Now, you're in the woods at night and you just beached your canoe and there are some rednecks out there chasing you with visions of rape dancing through their 1-track minds (cops looking to make your wallet squeal like a pig, boy!). Okay. They have a flashlight (radar), and you have eyes (Valentine 1). You can see their light through the trees before they see you in the beam if they are just shining it all willy-nilly. But what if they sneak up on you and blast you with the light? Well, gotcha. Or what if there is a hill between you two? You won't see it then, either (they won't see you, is the counterpoint). However, in a perfect world, the dumb redneck just bumbles through the woods with his light in one and and the other in his pants and you know well ahead of time to avoid what he's got planned for you.

Often its the same with cops. But some of them have been taught not to shine their flashlights all the time, and how to only shine it where you will see it when you're already in the beam. So no, the V1 won't work a miracle, but you sure wouldn't be in those woods with a blindfold on, would you!?

The one thing in Cali that might trip you up is traffic drones. The V1 does not have a GPS system, so every 1 mile or 2 you will get blasted with noise. If you have those, I would get something else with GPS. Whatever you do, don't buy cheap junk. Good stuff starts in the upper 300's.

*Valentine will sell a "refurbished" (Good as new from what I hear) unit for $359 if I am not mistaken, might look into it if you're on a budget!

---Your only hope with Laser is that the cops aim sucks and you shave a few mph off your speed before he bounces your plate or headlight, or you get jammers. Once you hear the tone, done.

---Best defense against Instand On is a Valentine one. They are VERY quick to react. That coupled with a "Rabbit" will allow you to be mindful when you get a few Ka band chirps up ahead spaced out at about the interval of traffic. Even one Ka blip should make you think hard about your speed. Ka is usually a cop--or a POS detector like a Cobra leaking.

---Lots of cops are liars. Nothing you do will truly save you. My friend got a ticket 2 months ago (prior to this story) and was thus being super mindful of his speed as he did the "double or nothing" deal to keep it off his record. He was going through a known speed-trap area and construction zone to boot. He was in 3rd gear doing 30mph in his Cobalt LT. He had cruise set. A cop pulled him over and gave him a ticket for 45mph. Refused to show him the readout (they don't have to), and wasn't even the cop who tagged him supposedly (There was a hummer passing him at the point where he thinks they supposedly clocked him). Anyway, the pigs are going to gank $290 out of a struggling nursing-student's budget. Even though he didn't do anything wrong. So even obeying the law, using a detector, and everything else, they can still screw you. Best just to avoid them every way you can, and know your rights. However, just know that you don't have to be breaking the law to be penalized. The gangsters in blue just have to SAY you were. Lots of them have an "Us vs. Them" mentality--and so should you. Just remember, this isn't a battle you fight with your fists or a gun or anything. It's one you fight by knowing your rights, and standing up to them PROPERLY to assert those rights. Even then no guarantees, but you gave it your best.

www.flexyourrights.org

I actually do the same thing lol. It's like you are more aware and/or paranoid when its up there in the window. LOL

OUCH!!
I have a Beltronics Vector 950 or something - it works just fine and got it used on eBay for $80 6 years ago or something - but got my first ticket last year when a cop coming over a hill flipped his radar on. I had no chance. "You were visibly going really fast so that's when I switched my RADAR on.."

I just hardwired my V1 in my Z last night and it already saved me this morning from a bike cop hiding behind a sign. Loving the range of the v1 and the arrows are really helpful.

Can't live without them arrows! :)

I have the Escort 9500xi. Aside from catching radar, it also has a database of red light and speed cams. I have been saved from several tickets with the red light cam warning. Great detector. Escort does weekly updates you can load to the database, so it is always up to date.

I've had a V1 for 8 years now and it has payed for itself many times over.

I have an Escort detector and can't fathom driving without one. When coupled with a dose of common sense and understanding of the limitations of the detector and how it normally responds to your commute or trip it will undoubtedly save your bacon.

V1 is a monster. As cool as my HUD is and all that, I will probably go back to regular display as sometimes I jam the radio and don't always look at the HUD. The flashing light/arrows will get my attention better, or if I want to run it silent for whatever reason so it doesn't wake up a passenger on a roadtrip.

YouTube - 075

I gotta figure out how to utilize the center "button" between the seat warmer buttons for a silencer for my V1. I hate having to reach up to hit silent mode when it's blaring at me around every corner in the city.