"bi-directional"?

Radar antennas (in detectors) are shaped like horns and pick up signals from the direction in which they face. The good news is that radar signals bounce around a lot. So, even when your radar detector is facing forward and a cop is shooting you in the back, your non-valantine detector should have something "bounce" back into the horn and alert you.

The difference would be when the cop is a great distance behind you and shoots you in the back. There is a point where the reflected signal is too weak for a standard detector's forward facing antenna to pick up. In that case the extra rear-facing antenna found on the V1 will pick up a signal that a regular detector would miss.

In that a case, the distance would probably put you so far ahead of the cop that you are not yet even noticed by him. So it's not so much about the V1 picking up a "threat" that a regular high-end detector would miss. No, it's more about getting earlier notification.

 

There are so many reviews out there that contradict each other saying that one is better than the other. Of course each manufacturer will say that they're the best and go on to explain why...that's why the valentine one site states:

"Ordinary Radar Detectors have a single antenna facing forward: to cover beside and behind your car, they hope radar will take a lucky bounce into the front opening."

They want to sell their detectors...but what constitutes an "Ordinary Radar Detector?"

Anyway let's try this again...here are a couple of links.

http://www.beltronics.com/store/gx-65.html

See paragraph 14...

http://www.radarbusters.com/belescor...inearticle.cfm

 

I've gotten signals from behind with my "ordinary" radar detector,
and mine is several years old.

 

no matter what kind of detector/jammer you get. if you rely on it too much and dont use a good deal of common sense, youll get snagged eventually.

personal experience.

 

I already said...


Look, I have owned more detectors than I can count, including but not limited to;

Bel vector 985

Bel RX65

Escort X50

Escort SRX

Escort 9500ix

Laser counter measures too..

3 different ZR3's

And one ZR4

I have driven 100 to 200 miles/ per work day for over a decade, and tested many radar detectors / laser jammers over many miles.

Not to mention extensive, documented laser jammer testing such as this...
http://blip.tv/file/1037183

I am not a "radar expert" but electronics has been my life since 1986, and I am into electronic countermeasures a lot more than the average person. (How many people have tested every car they own against just about every lidar gun used in the USA?)

There is nothing wrong with the high-end Bel or Escort radar detectors, in fact the custom install STi-R and 9500CI have the best detection range on the planet right now, even better than V1. However, for windshield-mount detectors the V1 can detect police radar and lidar better than all others. The 9500ix and STi are close, but not quite as sensitive. I know, from personal experience, that the V1 beats the 9500ix in raw sensitivity.

This raw sensitivity isn't always a good thing, as I pointed out in my first post in this thread, and people who need to avoid false alarms should go with something like the 9500. (the newer Bel GX65 is probably pretty good too but I have seen no controlled tests and have no experience with it.)

This should give people a good idea of what I mean when I say "better"...

http://www.guysoflidar.com/august-20...ctor-test.html

 

just get a v1 online or used bro, you wont regret it. Its expensive for a reason..

 

I have a v1 im willing to sell..Pm me if interested!!

 

ended up buying the passport 9500ix... got a very good deal at best buy.... this applies to all the experience radar detector users out there.... the factory settings have Ku, POP and SWS bands set on off... i dont really know who uses these bands and if its necessary for me to turn them on... any help???

 

Just leave them off.

 

^ -1 jammers are not gonna protect you nomore in thses days.

 

must say so far ive been very dissapointed..... ive been drivign with teh passport 9500ix for 2 days now and today i have driven by 3 NYPD squad cars and i didnt get any beeps..... thought that this was going to be a better system guess i was wrong

 

maby their radar was off

 

It doesnt go off everytime a cop/sheriff car is around you bro lol. Its called "radar detector" because it detects radars, not cops. Obviously those cops you passed had there radars turned off.

 

lol.. cop detectors..

 

The Valentine One is the best radar/laser detector you can buy in the under $500 radar detector category.

http://guysoflidar.com/august-2007/r...ctor-test.html

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detector-performance/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detec...adar-detector/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detec...ice-laser-gun/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detec...adar-detector/

http://www.laserveil.com/laser-detec...ice-laser-gun/


Valentine One's website:

http://valentine1.com/


The Laser Interceptor is the best laser jammer.

http://guysoflidar.com/july-2008/laser-jammer-test.html




http://guysoflidar.com/march-2007/la...mmer-test.html




Laser Interceptor website:

http://www.laser-interceptorusa.com/

 

I was recently faced with this same problem when upgrading from my old crappy Cobra which I just learned that I couldn't trust: Valentine 1 or 9500i.

All of the reviews go back and forth, as they're both phenomenal pieces of equipment. I went with the V1 for one reason only: Situational awareness.

I'd much rather trust the fact that my detector gives me a bogey count of 3 instead of 2 and I know something is up (happened a couple days ago) instead of just locking out a known false location and hoping that the 9500i did the right thing, which I'd read it didn't quite always do. Training my brain to know when things are wrong seemed the way to go for me.

 

I've had Valentine One radar for over 4 months before I sold it. They are great with picking up laser from long distance but cops in New Jersey are trained to use their laser more tactically. If they see you speeding, they'll haul *** right behind you and turn it on for second to get your speed record. So it really depends on what state, but if I were you. I would just not speed at all and I learned that in hard way.

 

If I'm not mistaken, laser has to be used from a stationary location to acquire a correct reading.

And, if you don't notice someone hauling *** up behind you, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings.