Radar Detectors.........Which One??

*****read this*****

i got this from supraforums a while back
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C&D recommendation, by a long shot, was Valentine 1. I agree totally. I
have had my V1 for about 6mo, 'trading up' from a Passport. I have been
amazed ;-) at how I've grown to depend on the directional readout. Also,
I'm very pleased with the company. I called to order the remote display
unit about 1mo after my purchase. I expected to just place my order and be
gone... The guy at Valentine asks 'so, how do you like it so far... What
would you change...' What followed was a 30min discussion on the details
of the V1, how its different modes work, stealth driving techniques, etc...

The 'salesman' also talked about the laser detector portion, which he had
been piloting in Ohio. (I don't have laser detection...) His experience
agrees with everything I've read... All a laser detector does is confirm
that your speed had already been clocked. It is *much* more deadly than
trigger K or Ka. Luckily, it is also much more of a pain to use. And
since cops can raise all the tax they need with an X-band unit running full
time, maybe it won't proliferate.

What I don't like about the V1? I know these are all rather petty, but...

1) The detector always comes up in its most sensitive mode, and has to be
reset manually. It doesn't remember the mode it was in.

2) I was used to using the Passport in dark mode exclusively. I hate being
the conga leader in a conga dance, so I would rather that my detector not
be noticable from behind. Thus, the remote display unit purchase. Works
great.

3) I pick up Ka 'noise', primarily from Uniden wide-band detectors within
about 1-2 car lengths... maybe other wide-bands too. The V1 guy said the
signal emitted by the other detectors was true Ka, so the decision was made
to allow it through. The alternative was a selective 'dead spot' in the Ka
band sensitivity.

4) It's bigger than most others. I was able to fit it above my rearview
mirror, though, with the remote display unit mounted in the dash. So this
is no longer a problem.

5) I have had problems with the suction cup mount coming loose when I use
it in other vehicles.

I'll add two more 'gripes' which came from a collegue who recently bought a
Valentine One to replace an old Uniden RD-9...

6) The volume of the alert (or maybe the alert tones chosen) are not as
loud / noticable as with the RD-9. (I think they are louder and better
than the ones from the Passport I replaced ---ssc)

7) I wish it came with a nice carrying case like the one with my old RD-9 for
times when I dont want to leave it in the car.

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A couple of comments from a very satisfied (and thus probably biased) V1
user. I have had the V1 since December. 90% of my driving has been in the
Houston area, with the balance on trips to Austin and a trip to Florida. I
have yet to run across Ka radar. I imagine that as police departments buy
new radars, they may buy Ka-capables, but for now, the main threat remains
K band.

As for Ka range... A lot of super-wide band detectors (I know Uniden is
especially bad) set off other detectors in Ka. It is a legitimate Ka
signal, so cannot be filtered out completely without blinding the detector
to that particular portion of the Ka band. I think what Valentine did was
to engineer a compromise by reducing sensitivity in this area a bit. This
may be why the tests show lower Ka range... It seems as if some detectors,
again Uniden comes to mind, have advertised more elegant solutions.

I would recomend calling the Valentine 800 order number (1-800-331-3030)
and asking them about the Ka range issue. My experience is that they are
quite knowledgable and willing to discuss the specifics of these types of
issues for their detector.

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I bought the remote display after about a month of using the V1. I had
been using the ori