Stereo & Electronics - Radar Detectors?

What models are you guys running?? How well do they work?




I have a cheap old Bel 830i I paid $5 for at a garage sale. I'm a careful speeder, and I don't really need one. I would like a V1 someday though...

escort 9500ix liking it so far but it hasnt been detecting cop cars for some reason..

I use the valentine one everytime i take this car out. Now im not heavily speeding, just like 5 over. But it is good for the occasional road race. It always detects cops atleast a half-mile away and i love the arrows so i know where to keep an eye out.

I use the valentine one everytime i take this car out. Now im not heavily speeding, just like 5 over. But it is good for the occasional road race. It always detects cops atleast a half-mile away and i love the arrows so i know where to keep an eye out.

damn...i think i should of gotten a v1, when it detects cops is there traffic? i live in cali and there is always traffic, so im thinking that either their radar is not on or traffic is an obsticle

escort 9500ix liking it so far but it hasnt been detecting cop cars for some reason..

its probably time for a tune up. you gotta send it in to get it tune.

I use the valentine one everytime i take this car out. Now im not heavily speeding, just like 5 over. But it is good for the occasional road race. It always detects cops atleast a half-mile away and i love the arrows so i know where to keep an eye out.

basictly what he said. once you use a V1 you will not want to go back to any other radar detector. not only for its great detection range but also for the arrows :D

damn...i think i should of gotten a v1, when it detects cops is there traffic? i live in cali and there is always traffic, so im thinking that either their radar is not on or traffic is an obsticle

it will detect no matter if theres traffic or no traffic.

it will detect no matter if theres traffic or no traffic.

what do they do when they tune it? i just got it off ebay used, and its only been detecting redlight cameras. it would detect cops when i got it but now it wont alert me

go on valentine one's website and they have this thing where you input your serialnumber into it and it will tell you if you have the newest version or not. If you dont, it will offer you to upgrade. Basically you just send in yours and i think they send you a new one, but im not a 100% on that.

You also have to remember to is that cops dont have their radar guns on all the time. I have driven past a few cops before and it never went off. But 2 seconds later i pass another one and it goes off. And the greatest thing is that it will detect pop. I once was driving on a minor highway and the v1 kept going on and off for like a min. Eventually i saw the cop parked almost in the bushes on the side of the road, flicking the switch on and off.

go on valentine one's website and they have this thing where you input your serialnumber into it and it will tell you if you have the newest version or not. If you dont, it will offer you to upgrade. Basically you just send in yours and i think they send you a new one, but im not a 100% on that.

I have an escort tho

You pay 129.99 to have it upgraded. I have one too and its doing the same thing :bang:

Ah. well im not too sure on the escort. You might have to give them a call or check out their website.

I got an escort 8500 x50. Works great and i speed every day. go it used off ebay for like $150 shipped. Best radar IMO without spending $400 on a V1 or 9500.

I got an escort 8500 x50. Works great and i speed every day. go it used off ebay for like $150 shipped. Best radar IMO without spending $400 on a V1 or 9500.

damn, i guess now im f*** i spent 400 for nothing..

You pay 129.99 to have it upgraded. I have one too and its doing the same thing :bang:

when did u realize it was doing it?

what do they do when they tune it? i just got it off ebay used, and its only been detecting redlight cameras. it would detect cops when i got it but now it wont alert me

sorry for the late response. they basictly calibrate it and tune it to make sure that its sensitivity is good and detecting radar like when new.

sorry for the late response. they basictly calibrate it and tune it to make sure that its sensitivity is good and detecting radar like when new.

Oh I see. I might just give them a call or something because it's lame that it won't detect cops. :-/

Oh I see. I might just give them a call or something because it's lame that it won't detect cops. :-/You have to remember that it's a radar detector not a cop detector. I can pass patrol cars all day long and some days never get a peep out of the radar detector. I know it works because I get alerts on each of the bands every once in a while. Automatic door openers use X and sometimes K band. Those speed indicator signs in construction areas usually use K band around here. The band that is police only is Ka band and I get those alerts infrequently. Our local police use K band so only Highway Patrol seems to use Ka.

If you are ever getting alerts on each band (regardless of source) then the detector is working. It might not hurt to have it tuned up but I suspect that is generally unnecessary.

You have to remember that it's a radar detector not a cop detector. I can pass patrol cars all day long and some days never get a peep out of the radar detector. I know it works because I get alerts on each of the bands every once in a while. Automatic door openers use X and sometimes K band. Those speed indicator signs in construction areas usually use K band around here. The band that is police only is Ka band and I get those alerts infrequently. Our local police use K band so only Highway Patrol seems to use Ka.

If you are ever getting alerts on each band (regardless of source) then the detector is working. It might not hurt to have it tuned up but I suspect that is generally unnecessary.


It will detect K and X band all the time but not around police vehicles. I've passed by so many different cop cars and nothing.

I use a Valentine 1 and it is the best. I've had a couple different ones and they don't compare. Highly recommended.

It will detect K and X band all the time but not around police vehicles. I've passed by so many different cop cars and nothing.

Probably means they do NOT have their radar guns turned on...like mentioned already, its a radar detector not a police detector...just because a cop is on duty doesn't mean he is running his radar gun. Alot of times here, they do instant ons because so many ppl have radar detectors. Also there are alot of times I've driven by parked police thinking they are trying to catch speeders, but they are just killing time and not paying attention to traffic at all.

only one way to find out if it works OP, go fly past a cop and see if it goes off

It will detect K and X band all the time but not around police vehicles. I've passed by so many different cop cars and nothing.

Have you downloaded and upgraded to the newest firmware from the Escort website?

http://www.escortradar.com/register/iregister.asp

Like said earlier, it is a radar detector ... it will detect radar, not cop cars.

Have you downloaded and upgraded to the newest firmware from the Escort website?

http://www.escortradar.com/register/iregister.asp

Like said earlier, it is a radar detector ... it will detect radar, not cop cars.

no i havent..i bought the radar used on ebay and its already registered and i emailed the guy but he wont reply

no i havent..i bought the radar used on ebay and its already registered and i emailed the guy but he wont reply

I would call Escort and see if they register it to you.

i have a cobra i paid like 50 bucks for at advance auto parts.. works perfectly and has picked up Ka's when my friends V1 did not.

radar dectectors are great..but if you slowed down just a little you wouldn't have to worry...

I would call Escort and see if they register it to you.

I didn't know u could do that. I'll go ahead and give them a call. :-) thnx

i have a cobra i paid like 50 bucks for at advance auto parts.. works perfectly and has picked up Ka's when my friends V1 did not.

Don't say that! Makes me regret buying this thing. Haha

radar dectectors are great..but if you slowed down just a little you wouldn't have to worry...Very true! However, I never go more than 10mph over the limit (and seldom more than 5mph over) and I haven't had a ticket in over 30 years and yet I still always have a radar detector in my car. I like to have it just as a reminder to keep an eye on my speed.

i have a cobra i paid like 50 bucks for at advance auto parts.. works perfectly and has picked up Ka's when my friends V1 did not.

:bs: My Valentine 1 ALWAYS picks up signals at least 1/4 mile before my buddies Cobra...there's a reason Cobra's are so cheap....

i regret getting an escort...i knew i should of gone with the v1, but yesterday it picked up a KA band which is cops i was excited lol

A while back my department and I did some test with A Decatur Genesis X-Band, Kustom K-Band, Stalker KA band and an LTI 20/20 Lidar.

Against them was a Bell, Cobra, Valentine, K40 (Dash Mount), an Escort 8500, Advanced Radar Components Intercepter, Advanced Radar Components Raptor (beta), Phazer and Phazer II from Rocky Mountain Radar and some plate mounted Lidar Jammer.

To not bore you with the details:

Valentine (In Sensitive Ka mode) and Escort 8500 detected K at more than 3 miles away. Ka and X were almost as far. The Cobra and K40 were similar on the bottom end and the Bell was right in the middle. We expected more from the K40. For Detection, the Valentine and Escort plug in model (not battery model) were great.

The Phazer and Phazer II, epicly failed. Actually increased the speed detection range of our old Decatur Genesis X band, and Kustom K-band hand helds. Totally ineffective against the LTI 20/20 Lidar. The LTI grabbed the speed each time. Totally ineffective against the Stalker Ka. In other words, junk.

The ARC Interceptor, was a huge Detector/Jammer and ran CRAZY HOT. Looked like an old analog Escort. The Interceptor only detected X and K and successfully jammed us. We did discover the first speed the Genesis and Kustom Falcon K displayed was the vehicle speed, then the jammer would send crazy readings. THe speed would go from 55 to 105 down to 10. Interference indicators on our guns never lit up.

The ARC Raptor, was smaller, ran cooler and would Detect Jam X, K and Ka. What was amazing was Ka is a very wide band. We can choose a frequency and lock it during calibration. The Raptor successfully locked on to X, K and Ka and Successfully jammed us. Ka band was REAL slow though. As the detector in it had to sweep the entire range, sample the frequency and lock the transmitter. But it eventually did jam Ka.

I don't recall the model plate Lidar jammer, but it successfully jammed the LTI 20/20. It ran hot too.

for testing we used a 1995 black firebird, a 199x Ford Probe Black, one of our Crown Vics and a full size chevy pickup during the tests.

The Lidar Plate jammer did not successfully jam the LTI 20/20 on the chevy truck. Only the cars.

A narcotics tech guy built an array of 24 infrared leds from Radio Shack and placed it on the grill of the chevy truck, and it successfully jammed the LTI 20/20.

Interestingly, the 1995 firebird black and ford probe black both were undetectable by the LTI 20/20. LTI later told us, vehicles without reflective surfaces are hard to detect and the black colors must have absorbed the lidar. With no fog lights or large surfaces, they stealthed on by,

The bad news is, ARC "I think" was obliterated by the FCC. The knowledge those engineers had to build such a device had to have been amazing. I still have an old Rocky Mountain Radar Phazer/Phazer II (Absolute trash, makes our job easier) and ARC Interceptor. Can't find the Raptor..but haven't looked.