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Radar Detectors
OO> Which radar detector should I buy?
Hi Barry - although I'm new to the list, I must say this is the first
time I've heard someone claim the Val-1 to be of poor manufacturing
quality. I am biased a bit towards the Val-1 since Mike Valentine is a
BMW CCA member here in Cincy and I have known him through the club for a
number of years, but I will try to give you an honest evaluation of my
Val-1.
Some of the car mag. reviews have indicated a plastic case, it is
actually a lightweight magnesium metal alloy. The window suction cups
usually won't stick very well to the window in very cold weather, which
around here is in the mid 20's farenheit, or lower. But the unit has
survived numerous falls off the windshield and bouncing merrily off the
dash for the last two years when the suction cups let go. The only
other problem has been the concealed display unit (highly recommended,
BTW) lighter plug cracking and then developing an intermittent power
connection.
The unit has performed flawlessly otherwise, you really can't beat the
signal counter and direction indicator. If you go back and check the Car
and Driver test results, they showed the Val-1 to be either first or
second in VG2 detector-detector "proofness". I've had a lot of
conversations on Prodigy about radar detectors, and many folks
who have had the BEL's claim to have many false alarms on the SWKA band,
and this has been a claim for the Escorts as well. You may know that
Mike Valentine was co-founder of Cincy Microwave and co-inventor of the
original escort. Cincy Microwave, now called "Escort" has had a lot of
problems in recent years, and in the time between the last 2-band DSP
Escort and the Escort 4500, most of their products were not very good.
Now, the Escort 4500 is on par w/ the top BEL 645STi, and Val-1, and I
presume their newest detectors (Passport 5000, Solo 4) are maintaining
the standard for the most part.
Mike Valentine has explained to us at several meetings how the Solo
battery-less radar detectors work, which is a compromise between
conserving battery power and maximum detecting efficiency. Apparently
they conserve battery power by going into a stand-by mode for
approximately 90% of the time (we're talking milliseconds here), and
then waking up, so to speak, and scanning all bands like crazy. The
potential loss of response time in an encounter is obvious, even if it
is just milliseconds. Of course, that's all it takes to get a lock.
You may want to consider getting some of the photo-radar plates to deal
w/ the photo radar - perhaps someone else will have some recommendations
about those. Photo Radar is only used in a few places in the U.S. Mike
did comment at a meeting last fall that the laser plates offer about a
20% reduction in a license plate's reflectivity, for anyone considering
them.
Discreet mounting for you must obviously be a priority. It would be
helpful to know what kind of car you're driving for mounting
possibilities. The Val-1's concealed display kit for you might be
particularly worthwhile; if you can figure a place to mount the detector
discreetly, it could be wired in and the display module placed
conveniently in your sightline, and out of sight of outsiders. I think
my '87 325is lends itself to a few possibilities as far as that goes due
to the headliner-sunshade console, but depends on what you're driving.
If your wife doesn't drive like an unbottled banshee, the Solo4 might be
the ticket for her, otherwise I have to whole-heartedly endorse the
Valentine one as a primo choice in radar detectors. Laser is line of
sight, so you could not detect laser without the detector facing out the
windshield (and then you can still get nabbed from behind). Which
reminds me, the BEL's claim of rearward laser detection is bogus, it
might work in a lab, but not on the road with one(!) rearward facing
optical sensor mounted on top of the detector, with the detector mounted
near or on the front windshield.
All top detectors should detect photo radar, it falls within the SWKa
band - reaction time is the problem, due both to limited signal strength
of photo radar, and short notice (ie, it's going off as you drive by),
but if you can get some warning, any extra time will help. If it's on
all the time as you say, you should have enough warning, I would think.
If the photo radar traps are in the same place, the signal direction
indicator should also help you ID where the traps are and be forwarned,
unless they shift them daily.
The radar scene bandwidth-wise should be fairly settled for a while now,
I haven't heard of any legislation that will increase the SWKa range.
So as far as future concerns, any current detector should remain
"solete" for a while. Valentine Research was the only mfgr. to have an
upgrade program for their existing detectors when the feds expanded the
Ka band to SWKa - yeah it cost something, but it was still cheaper than
a whole new detector, and nobody else did it. Well, sorry so verbose,
but perhaps that helps! Happy Shopping -
Marshall Garrison (marshall.garrison@domain.elided)
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