kensteele

The V1 has been raised to diety status (in my eyes). It never fails to amaze me. So I am on the way home, this is the last night with my old tires so I'm truly giving them a workout. On the freeway, in a 65mph workzone (with no workers present), it's near dark, I'm doing at least 95mph in the left lane and I'm out front, pulling on half a dozen cars. There are a few cars ahead of me but probably like 1/4 mile ahead. I've just passed about 6 cars when all of a sudden I get full LASER alert.

It scared me so badly I was sure I was caught, after all this was laser. I knew where the cops were hiding but that had to be 1/2 mile or more ahead, the only place for them to hide ahead. It's totally flat and I didn't see any brake lights.

I hit the brakes rather hard, pulled into the right lane, slammed on the brakes, and came to a complete stop in the breakdown lane. As I was merging off the freeway, another full laser alert. Then the 5 or so cars passed me. I'm basically stopped on the side of the road before I got up to where to cops were supposed to be, refusing to go forward and accept my ticket. (For those in Kansas, OPP, SB Hwy 69 south of 119th).

Stopped on the side of the road, I'm shaking. Expecting to see reverse lights from a cop car backing up towards me. "My car had trouble..." or "My phone rang and I decided it was safer to pull over....". That's my excuse. As many cars are passing me now, I see very few brake lights and about two more laser alerts (these cops must be dug in). Now traffic is all clear, there's a break, nobody in sight...so I decided to go for it. I'm the only car on the road and as I approached barely doing over 40mph, another laser alert, and I could now see them (yes two cops) in the middle median, waiting like sharks; I turn off my V1 so they don't see the light.

I just know they're pulling out to get me.......NOTHING! NO TICKET! THE BEST NIGHT OF MY FRIKKIN' LIFE! I drive right by the helpless duo, I can only imagine them watching me cruise by. WHAT A RELIEF.

After thinking it through, I surmised that I picked up laser twice, approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile away. That I got one stray alert before I got the real clocking. And that cops DO USE LASER after dark for sure. A 95mph ticket in a 65mph work zone is nothing to laugh at...even in Kansas.

After a couple of years and literally hundreds of saves, V1 scored it's biggest save of my ownship. No other detector I've owned has been able to match this supurb performance. Do I get cocky and think I can beat laser? No. Do I continue to drive like a madman and not lookout for the cops? No way. But I do know that this V1 not only can pick-up laser consistently and reliably but also I have a decent chance to pickup laser reflections and do something about it and that a laser alert is not the same as an instant ticket. I just had to share this, cause I'm a V1 believer all over again!

Acura Sensei

congrats ken!


i have to look into the V1... but after the wedding.

how are the shoes holding up?


work has been killing me.... i've barely posted these days.

Zapata

v1 ownz

AgentDSS

Does anyone know what bands cops in MD, VA, and DC use?

Doc.Booty

Awesome. I just LOVE getting off like that.

I have more than my fair share of highway getaways like that. I was pulling on a group of cars one afternoon (heading north on I-75, past Flint, for you Mi peeps). I was going about 95, and i got blasted with instant-on K. Thankfully i was coming around a turn when i got shot, and there were a couple cars near me. I slammed on the brakes and fell back into the pack, doing about 70. Cop didn't pull out from the median.

I also find it interesting to just have the radar on when i'm driving around town with no intention to speed. I then know where the bears patrol for speeders. Am i the only one who feels a little arrogant whenever someone clocks me and i'm doing exactly the limit. All they did was give away their speed trap, bitches!

I've only ever been pulled over once, and that was only because i didn't listen to my Passport. It beeped faithfully, but i just kinda sat there. Thankfully no ticket.

I don't know how it works against laser though, because i've yet to see a Mi cop using it.

Red Rider

V1 Rules !! It has saved me several times now.

gdubb

Man I want one but damn 400 bucks.

But they do sound like they are worth the money

CL FWD SPEED

Man I'm just as clueless as you are...I'm thinking about investing that V1..not sure if its reliable...

Meth

my mountain radar jammer has saved my ass around 8x by now...once going 90 over a hill and getting stung with lazar...he just stared me down as I drove by...they never pull out...

kensteele

Sensei the shoes are great thx. Hook up the V1 as soon as you can, it's worth it.

Went back this morning to checkout the distances in the daytime, it's shorter than I thought. I first got hit by the laser at 2/5 of a mile out. I pulled over and stopped 1/5 of a mile from the cops. So according to my odometer it took me almost a quarter mile to break it down and pull over.

Looking back from the cops' position, they had eyeballs on me at least 5-8 seconds before they first started clocking.

I kinda wish the V1 has two laser alerts, one alert for full strength and another alert for anything less than full strength, both would be equally startling. I'm just curious if I actually got clocked or did pulling over foil the event. Because I got the first alert and it was over and done before I could even lift off the gas pedal.

fbazakos

i have been hit with laser at night many times. i agree, the v1 is king.

NOVAwhiteTypeS

ka - state troopers va, md
k- local cops
no x band

laser state troopers, local cops

AgentDSS

Really no X-band? I know on my V1 you can turn off X-band...I guess I should do that so I can stop getting these false alarms everytime I drive by shopping centers and stuff! I did get some high strength K when I was in Home Depot plus X (damn..sounds like I'm talking about drugs, heh )

Chaptorial

Its V1 or nothing for me. One of these days i'll get it.

kensteele

After driving around the metro area for a year with x-band on, I concluded it was ok to turn mine off. X-Band has been totally off on my V1 for almost a year and that reduced the false alarms alot.

JRock

Nice save!

Neech

Ken just get the jammer!

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Maryland is 1 of 2 states I was tagged with laser. I95 going into Delaware. FL was the other. I though cops couldn't use laser at night? Doesn't it have to have line of site? How can they pick a car out at night?

Doc.Booty

X band makes a different "beep" sound on my Passport compared to K and Ka. And the indicator is different, of course.

I toyed with the idea of turning off X band detection, but i've noticed that some of the local cops actually use it near me, or at least can if they want to. And i've seen people in Detroit get pulled over because of X band before - or at least that's what i usually pick up when the cops come down the entrence ramps with their lights on.

MikeS 18

I remember back in the day when Ken used to say, "Nah, V1 can't be THAT much better than the rest!" Good Call!

unixadm

In NJ, many of the local cops use X Band, so you NEED to have it monitored. BTW, how do you turn off the X-Band on the V-1? I only know of the 3 modes (A, L1 and L2). On all 3, X-Band still annuciates.

kensteele

Then your memory is quite well. Because I did indeed say that and I admit I was dead wrong. I was an idiot but I have since seen the light...that was two years ago.

Don't click on the link else you really are an idiot.

kensteele

Reprogram your V1.

X-band is definitely turned off and I almost don't even remember what it sounds like anymore. I have verified 99% that there are no X-band cops in the entire metro area...but I have to remember to turn it back on when I hit the road.

AgentDSS

Can anyone else backup that X-BAND is not used in MD, VA, and DC by local or state?

I'm guessing that only K, Ka, & Laser is used.

Is there any visual differences between Radar and Laser guns? The last time (first) I got pulled over in my own damn neighborhood, the motorcycle cop's gun had a readout of my speed and a pic snapshot of my car's front (plate area). I'm guessing it was maybe laser because that camera it had sounds like new technology (just like laser).

Sypher

Nice story, Ken.

I saw a clean looking silver Viper on the road today, and I could make out the V1 in his window. It's the only one other than mine I've seen around here. If I had seen him parked somewhere, he probably would have been confused when I complemented his radar detector before his car.

AgentDSS

BTW, I know that you can program your V1, and turn off X-Band...but also I read you can have Ka coverage MORE RESPONSIVE. What's the deal with this? Why is the V1 set to NORMAL by default? Whats are the pros (besides more coverage) and cons of activating the MORE RESPONSIVE Ka band option?

Sypher

http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt3.asp

From the site, it looks like it only changes the signal strength meter to be more "responsive", but I don't know exactly what that would mean. It does say that changing this setting does not change the actual sensitivity of the V1, so it'll pick up the same signals, just show them differently... Maybe it lights up the 2nd through 6th light in the meter for less signal.

I might have to try this setting...

Doc.Booty

Increased sensitivity = greater detection at range, but also more false alarms from leaky detectors or cops that aren't even near you.

kensteele

Thanks! Hey I'm in your city at least 5 times a year. Sprint has a huge warehouse (full of cellphones) there and I go to UPS, too. Nice city.....although I almost got killed flying out of that small airport during a storm on NWA.

I'm still trying to get a Slugger and visit that Corvette factory.

Sypher

My sister used to work at a Sprint warehouse here, maybe the same one? And hey, our airport is pretty big! Well, the UPS part at least!

Let me know when you're in town. We could get together for drinks and V1 stories.

Louisville's beginning to grow up a bit. There's a nice renovation of downtown that should make it a much nicer city to visit. As it is, all the good stuff is out in the 'burbs... near my house. Well, except for Slugger Field... it's pretty nice.

The Corvette factory museum is just okay, but I guess it's worth going once. I'm sure it's much more fun when they have their yearly pilgrimage. I was a little underwhelmed with the displays, but I wouldn't mind being able to test-drive a few of them.

Mammoth Cave is close by, and a must-see, so you could do the Corvette museum and cave tours in the same weekend. I just went down there this weekend myself.

xrunner86x

I live in MD, I dont have the valentine cause it was too much $$ but the only band I've ever picked up that was actaully cop radar is Ka. Ive found x band around here is always school buses or automatic doors, I just havent looked into how to reprogram my detector to turn it off. As for VA one of their favorites is the thing where they time you with the lines on the road.