Well, I finally decided for SURE...

Ive had my buddies Valentine One on loan for a week or so now.

so far ive had 3 near-ticket expierences.

The last two were the best though.

Last night i went to pick up my girlfriend cause she "wanted me to", and i was already pissed off because i had a bad day, so everyone was in my way and i was speeding. Coming over a small hill in Clearwater, (the hill between Drew ST and Coachman on US19 for the locals) i was going about 70, in a 50. I know better than to speed going over that hill, but i was in a different state of mind. There was a car about 100 yards in front of me, and all of a sudden, the laser warning on the Valentine starts screaming at me. I SLAM on the brakes, and just as i hit 55mph, it happened again... Looks like i got REAL lucky, the cop was pulsing the guy in front of me first, and he must of slipped and the beam went in my direction, and the second time he pulsed me. Sooooo lucky.

Then tongiht, coming up 19 again, 60 in a 45, between Klosterman and MLK, the Instant-Ka warning went off, again, slammed on the brakes, and as soon as i let off the brakes, there the bastard was, hidden in a driveway.

The third time was also tonight. A trooper on US19 i picked up from almost a mile away, he was using broad Ka. I was playing with a mustang at the time, he passed me when the warning went off, and he got the ticket. He looked pissed. Mental note to all: If you see the guy with the radar detector slow down suddenly, YOU SHOULD TOO!!!

God, i love this thing.

So tonight i ordered it. $412 after shipping. I also got the K40 laser difusser, because its the best, and i was DAMN lucky last night. the V1 is great, but once it tells you your being hit with laser, its too damn late. Ill be mounting the K40 behind the grille as i do not want to add the front license place cover. $202 after shipping. sounddomain.com had best price ive ever seen. retail is $330.

I'm telling you guys, if you speed, or want to, with this combination, if you get a ticket, its your own fault, cause you were paced! Yes, i know, i shouldent be speeding neway, but i dont run red lights or do stupid sh!t on the road, so if thats all im guilty of, maby St. Peter will let me in after all.

Ill post pics of the K40 mount when im done!!

-me

 

Interesting. I've had a V1 since I've owned the car, but I'll have to look into this K40 diffuser. have a link? Thanks.

 

Must be nice to live where detectors are permitted....

 

I have the K40 2000 w/ the laser diffuser. It comes in a license plate frame which can be dismantled. Then you put it anywhere you like. I mounted it centered in the lower grill.

 

Yah V1 detects laser, but like i said by the time it does, your already screwed. the K40 scrambles the beam so the cop gets an error code instead of "138mph"

http://www.k40.com

Its the Laser Defuser Plus

 

So get it anyway.

 

I thought about just getting one of those laser/radar jammers... and i wasn't having any problems until yesterday, got a damned ticket for 64 in a 45.... I am kinda upset. Got me on laser, my detector never went off. I never saw the cop cause he was on a motorbike.... I'm looking into this now, whats up with the laser diffuser?

-Ryan
'99 SSM TL

 

They are two different animals. A laser diffuser is LEGAL and floods the area in front of you with light. The laser gun cannot read. Light, at this time, is not regulated. A radar jammer on the other hand operates on radio waves. These are regulated and are illegal everywhere. Besides, it is debatable that these units even work or work as claimed.

Bottom line:

Laser jamming =

Radar jamming =

 

I wonder if you could get a radar jammer even though they are illegeal? you could hide it so its not seen... but dont pigs have the ability to detect that?

 

I wonder if you could get a radar jammer even though they are illegeal? you could hide it so its not seen... but dont pigs have the ability to detect that?

This is what will happen:
When the speed gun is pointed at your car, there will be no reading.
The cop will point it at another car....and get a reading.
Back to your car....No reading (or scrambled)
You will get pulled over for sure.
You just have to decide if you want a ticket for speeding....or a ticket for having an illegal device in your car ?

 

Isn't laser jamming illegal too? So if you have the laser jamming (K40 diffuser) device, won't the cop know something's up and pull you over anyways?

 

NO, laser jamming is not illegal anywhere. How could it be? You're just talking about light after all. You can make most laser guns ineffective by simply removing your front plate and driving with your high-beams on.

 

Laser jamming is not illegeal anywhere in the US. Radar is governed by the FCC. Light is not yet governed by any US agency, thus, if you wanted invisible lasers to shoot out of every angle of your car, no problem.

-me

 

Not true. Lidar jamming is illegal in the following five states:

Minnesota
Oklahoma
California
Nebraska
Virginia
and also Washington D.C.

How can it be illegal? Simple--these states word their laws stating *any* device that inteferes with speed measurement equipment is illegal. So they're not attacking your right to transmit infrared light (which is not regulated), but rather your right to interfere with their equipment. And that is perfectly legal for them to do. More and more states have legislation like this proposed, and it covers things like jammers, blinders, even license plate covers (which are already illegal in most states).

 

Laser Jammer/Blinders/Interferers are ILLEGAL in CALI. Most online sites and professional state that laser jammers don't work PERIOD! So i'm not ready to go throwing $300 for something that could just be a plastic box.

For laser differing, you say it emits light infront of the car....does anyone know the specs of what type of light and at what wavelength the light is? If it is IR light, it wouldn't be far fetched to have an array of IR LEDS in front of my car.

Simple--these states word their laws stating *any* device that inteferes with speed measurement equipment is illegal. So they're not attacking your right to transmit infrared light (which is not regulated), but rather your right to interfere with their equipment.

Doesn't everything have to comply with "part 15 of the FCC rule"
which states the 2 conditions

1) Device may not cause harmful interfernce
2) Device must accept any interference recieved including interference that may cause undesirable operation.

I find this printed everywhere, CD player, Computer Components, etc.

How are "they" going to prove that you where using a "device" to interfere with their "speed measurement equip" when virtually any device could be causing the interference?

If not mount your "device" somewhere that makes it look OE, and have a switch for it somewhere out of sight...and if the mofo cop pulls you over and accuses you of having a "jammer" turn it off, and then spit in his face for being an a$$hole.

 

Food for thought - The darker the paint color, the harder it is for Laser to obtain a speed reading.

Black is best.

White can be "pinged" at a distance of several miles.

 

doesn't stop me

 

Yep, although the distance at which each can be picked up isn't quite that dramatic. Color will affect the range at which a target can be acquired, but the difference between the colors is a matter of a few hundred feet (although sometimes a few hundred feet can be the difference between seeing and being seen).

Also, for you Zaino freaks, a clean car will reflect a signal better/further than a dirty one. Like color selection, the difference between clean and dirty isn't dramatic when talking distance to acquisition, but there *is* a measurable difference.

Moral of the story: black dirty car = good. White/red clean car = bad.

 

FCC rules only cover transmission of radio waves or radio frequency interference (RFI), since that is the only form of energy they can regulate. Electronic devices are usually required to comply with this regulation because of their propensity to emit RFI. True, some of these devices probably emit RFI in minute amounts--not enough to interfere in the same sense that your cell phone may. But the states' laws specifically address using devices to interfere or circumvent speed measuring devices. But you're right--it would be up to them to prove that that's what you were doing.

As long as the *RFI* from the device (when it is turned on) was not interfering with anything, then lidar jammers would be in compliance with FCC part 15. You could jam them with infrared light all you want and it wouldn't violate FCC part 15. So that's why the five states passed the "interference" law. It covers any kind of interference, not just radio interference which is already handled by the FCC.

Also, note that the laws cover both circumvention methods and passive methods. Rocky Mountain Radar was able to skirt under FCC regulations with the Phaser II radar jammer by claiming it was a "passive" jammer, i.e. it didn't actively transmit radio waves. It just added some white noise to the signal in an attempt to fool the radar gun reading the reflected signal. (Aside: the FCC sued Rocky Mountain Radar and the case has still not been decided once and for all, and most indepentant tests confirm that RMR's passive jammers are absolutely useless). Nonetheless, even if the Phaser II is legal by FCC regulations, it is still illegal under these five states' laws because it is a device used to circumvent detection by speed measuring devices. Same with license plate covers. They don't emit anything but they are also covered under these laws.

 

Smoked license plate covers are illegal, but I haven't heard about clear ones. Anyone care to elaborate? My car currently has plate covers and I haven't had trouble with the law enforcement harrassing me over it.

 

You're just not suppossed to have anything covering your license plate period.

 

In MD, you're not allowed smoked license plate covers. But clear is ok. So that must be for your state, TX.

 

You'd have to check the laws of DC. Here in MA, clear covers are also illegal because the law says you shall not alter or diminish the reflective capacity of the plate, and clear covers can cause artificial reflections in the right light, causing the plate to be harder to read.

 

I got it!!!

Got them both today UPS, along with my acura-tl.com plate cover from this site... Needless to say i spent the better half of the evening installing them.

The new version of the V1 is nice too... v1.8 rulz! I didnt put the front plate for the K40 on, in FL you dont need it and i think its ugly. So i mounted the K40 module on the front bumper, right in the center (i cut the center black piece on the bumper)

I called up a cop buddie of mine, and we tested it out. That K40 really does its job. He couldent get a reading on me. Now all i have to worry about is Instant-on. Maby i should upgrade my brakes now?

 

So it's confirmed that the K40 acutally works AS IT'S SUPPOSE TO? The lidar laser gun will not pick up ANY reading on you? What kind of test did you do...what conditions, no traffic, low traffic....what is the effective angle of the K40. 100% effective? Where did your buddy aim the gun at? How fast were u going when he tried to get a reading off you?

Sorry for all the questions...but if it ACTUALLY works, i would consider buying it....i live in CA where it's illegal to have it...but driving 45 mph in a 40 mph zone is also illegal...so who cars?!?! My insurance is $1300 for 6 months and i can't afford to get cited.

 

Is V1 the best radar detector?

 

Ok, we did it at night, which is the best time for cops to use laser as there is no reflective interference. I was coming up a 3 lane highway, pretty much alone, doing the speed limit (55), he was on my right, standing behind his cruiser using it to steady the gun. He fired it at my headlights, the only thing cops can use if you don’t have a license plate in front, and he got nothing. It was a totally clear night, about 58 degrees outside, about 1 AM.

Nothing is 100% effective, but after that test, which was pretty much the worst possible position for me to be in, clear night, all alone, perfect angle, im happy with the results. We tried it 3 or 4 times.

If its illegal in CA, be careful. The K40 has to have an unobstructed line of sight to the road, so if you looking at the front of my car, you can see the K40 box. I hope it does not get stolen!!!

-Me

 

Some people say Valentine, some people say Escort. But its pretty obvious from all the independant tests you cant go wrong with either. I had a 8500, and i like the V1 considerably more.

-Me again