Valentine 1

[ykobayashi]

Hi All,

I am considering buying a radar detector. It seems that its common opinion that if one is considering buying a radar detector that the Valentine 1 is the only way to go.

Now I know that the V1 is quite pricey at $400. I don't however care so much about forking over $400, what I do care about is getting subpar performance after paying that kind of money.

Anyone have any experience with V1s? Good or bad? If bad do you have any other suggestions.

Thanks,

Yoshi

[Chicane]

I have a $90 dollar fuzzbuster with text display that works pretty good. The only advantage I see to getting a valentine one is that you can always upgrade the internals, AND it tells you waht direction the pig is at.

- Rob

[Stevebsy]

I've had mine since 1995 and it is still going strong, despite being dropped several times, frozen in the winter, etc...

The SVX windshield really reduces the range though. I've thought many times about making a pod to put it in outside the car..hmm....

[mbtoloczko]

Originally posted by Chicane
I have a $90 dollar fuzzbuster with text display that works pretty good. The only advantage I see to getting a valentine one is that you can always upgrade the internals, AND it tells you waht direction the pig is at.

- Rob

There are more differences than that. The Valentine 1 has laser and radar detectors pointing forward and rearward. It uses information from both detectors to determine the source location of the radar or laser. I've got a Valentine 1, and this feature works incredibly well. Its like they say, once you use it, you'll wonder how you lived without it. Besides showing the location of the radar, the detector is incredibly sensitive. For many many years, I used an Escort radar detector. I had always thought that it was very sensitive. Then I installed the Valentine 1 in the exact same location in my SVX, and the usual radar sources in town that set off my Escort were setting off my Valentine 1 at least twice the distance away. Just remember, radar detectors will not save your ass when the cop is using on/off radar and you are the only person on the road. The radar detector will just tell you when the cop nailed you.

A few notes on installing radar detectors in SVXes. 1) The LS-L and LSi models use a titanium coated windshield which very effectively blocks radar from coming through the window. If you have one of these models, you might as well forget about installing a radar detector. 2) If you are willing to hack your sunvisor a little bit, the Valentine 1 can be mounted directly above the rearview mirror. This is what I did, and its a perfect location. It requires cutting off the portion of the sunvisor that extends above the rearview mirror. If you cut the sunvisor open, you can cut the support wire, bend it at the right point, zip-tie the two overlapping pieces of wire together, trim the visor material, and glue it back together with a hot glue gun. You can make it look like the visor never had the extension. Then the power wire can be routed between the windshield and the body of the car, then down by the door, and then under the dash.

[nordique14]

I have had a V1 for about 4 years. I can't compare them to other detectors as I haven't owned other brands.

The part about the internals always being upgradeable, in my opinion, is not a reason to buy. To have an upgrade done on an old model is around $200. I found that it was cheaper to sell my old one on Ebay and buy a new one. The V1 holds its value really well. They sell on Ebay in the $350+ range. That should say someting about the quality (or at least the perceived quaility).

My only complaint is that it would be nice if the V1 would allow some programming. Even in the "city" mode, it still sets off the X-band warning all the time. Since the CHiPs and local police only use K and Ka bands, it would be nice to be able to turn off the X-band. Some available detectors can be programmed to turn off the X-band.

And as noted in the previous post, people who have LS-Land LSi models have problems with reduced range due to the windshield blocking the radar waves. I don't know if the V1 can be mounted outside the car. My friend has a Passport that has external sensors mounted above the front and rear plates. This would eliminate the windshield as a problem.

My L model windshield does not interfer with the V1 so overall I am quite pleased with it.

Matt

[immortal_suby]

I've had a V1 for longer than I've had an svx now. Great unit - I would never go back to normal radar. I was thinking of upgrading mine but after reading this I'll probably buy a new one and put mine on ebay instead.

You can use programming on the V1 - Logic mode 1 will still show the alert but will mute weak signals and works well for city - this is how I leave mine.
Logic mode 2 will not even beep for weaker signals - extreme city mode - I do not use it since some cops around here still use x band and I dont want to miss a trap.

[Darksied-X]

While I'm not real knowledgable on radar dector technology, I do know that Valentine makes a remote display for the V1. It may allow you to mount the detector itself somewhere that it can get the signals better (behind the grill, maybe?) and mount the remote display in the cabin. The remote display cost $40, not too bad considering the price of the detector.

Personally, I plan on getting a V1 next year when I start working on my car, and I'm going to try this technique. I just think the remote display would look cool sitting behind the radio cover on top of the Alpine deck I'm going to put in.