Valentine 1 - Why are the 'Arrows' any good?

Disclaimer: This is not a Valentine 1 vs Passport vs any other radar detector post. That has been beaten to death in many many other threads. My question is: What value is there in the 'arrows' feature of the Valentine 1 telling you which direction you are being hit from? After all, if you get hit by radar/laser, and you are driving too fast, the unit beeps and you slow down. What value is direction? Are you going to look in that direction first, and then decide whether or not to slow down? The only value I see is that it helps to play 'spot the cop', but won't make any difference in whether or not you get a speeding fine. Am I missing something?

That's been my argument since 2000. I have a Passport but a I have a K40 in my 996 which tells me wether the signal is coming from the front or rear. Thing is, I slow down first regardless. When I drive my ML with the Passport I slow down then look in the rear view mirror but in the 996 I slow down then look at the front/rear indiator lights. (I can barely see out that damn cheap plastic window in the rear anyway so may there is a good purpose..

This is a typical question by people who don't know how to use a V1. Radar never reads from the side because you are on a parallel path to the radar source, Benefit #1. If you have a closing signal, getting more intense, you either have a unit you are closing on or one closing on you, Benefit #2. If you have a signal that is lessoning and it is behind you, just accelerate freely, Benefit #3. If I get a medium signal behind me, I don't slow down. I don't have to hit the brakes everytime it goes off. Once you get used to it, this is second nature. Since patrol cars regularly leave thier radars on all the time in several of the local cities, this feature is extreme valuable discernign targets. Keep in mind also that other manufacturers don't use this feature, not because they choose not to; but because it would be illegal to have it. Valentine Research holds several patents including the directional arrows and intergrated front and rear sensors in the same unit. With the V1 and the remote display I have a tremendous amount of information within a fraction of a second. The arrows are large and easy to see the direct at a glance. The beeps form each band are well defined, the number of signals is easy and quick to read and the signal strength is easy to rocognize visually and audibly. It is kind of funny, RADARTESTS.COM didn't make the V1 its top pick because the V1 lacks features like operator screen customizing and audible warrings like those lesser brand units (although it was the most sensitive in Ka and POP), but no V1 owner ever has an issue with the display or audible warnings.

I think it's one of the strongest features on the unit....(along with # of bogies and strength) I'm biased........have Val 1s with custom remotes in 3 Pcars as well as the AMG. Why , would you want to look around 360's..... when Val can tell he on the right. You are motoring past a parking area on your right......nothing but field on your left......you get a side arrow.....you instantly know he's on your right. To me, this means an instant downshift cause (much like if he were behind me) I don't really want him to see my brake lights........now, since he was off to the right (right angles to your travel) he definately did not get a usable radar reading (vascar maybe) but more that likely he just has a visual and plans to pull out and scope you from rear.....again, you know where he is coming from. When he toggles on/off back there you know it's him......not other in front over the horizon. This is just the tip of the iceberg.......honestly, I find it invaliable.

Time to warm up my Popcorn'O'Rama I think This is usually as good as the the 'which oil is best' re-match Anyone got carmel?

Mostly I check the arrows to see if I have passed the source, if I didn't see it visually.

Makes sense.

02 is on the right track. Keep in mind that traffic radar is all doppler based. It is reading the shift in frequency from the prime frequency that the police unit is emitting. The higher the return frequency the higher the velocity compared to the police unit. The lower the return frequency, the higher the velocity as well,--only you are going away from the police unit. Relative frequency is everything. The V1 with two antennas keeps track of the signals that it is getting from the front antenna and also does the same for the aft antenna,--and goes to the trouble to compare them. If the same signal is being received by both the forward and aft antennas then the internal processor comes to the conclusion if they are of the same power level that you are in the middle somewhere and the police unit must be at your side. The V1 also gives you the ability to differentiate between multiple 'bogeys' and it reports them to you with the increase in the counts on the display. It discriminates between all those signals and maintains a label on each one,--also helping you to figure out if you are merely in a high 'radar clutter' area or if there are multiple police units near you. If you get a hit that the police is lateral to you then at that moment in time your actual velocity is not a factor with the police. You have no relative closing or opening velocity RELATIVE to them and you are therefore essentially invisible to them,--at that moment. (Of course, they can probably visually acquire you in this region and estimate your speed with their eye). Other radar detectors give you little hints in their instruction manuals about how to determine if your bogey is in front or behind you. One good trick is if you pass under an overpass with a large metallic sign on it,--and you get a hit. Once you pass beneath it the signal may go away entirely. That would tell you that they are behind you, as their signal, coming up from behind, reflected off the sign and into the front of your detector. The V1 doesn't have to rely upon a reflected signal to give you that information. In short, the V1 is a lot more sensitive as it isn't relying upon reflected signals to reach your detector. As we all know, reflected radar signals are ultimately going to be weaker than nonreflected signals as no attentuation of the signal occurs in direct reception. When driving down the freeway it's nice to see a hit from the front and then as that signal grows, it transitions to the rear antenna and shows up as an aft bogey. Keep in mind that some areas use unmarked police cars. It will help you to recognize an unmarked car a lot better. It will also help you to locate and isolate a badly emitting radar DETECTOR in a neighboring car (or truck,--mostly). Today's detectors are largely of a superheterodyn design which means that they use the prime frequency to improve the signal to noise ratio of the detector,--but they are supposed to filter that prime frequency so that it doesn't leak out and 'pollute' other cars' abilities to locate a police unit. The cheaper units seem to be very noisy and foul up your reception. All the high dollar units that any of us would buy are generally non-leakers. Truckers seem to buy the worst. The V1 will help to identify them as you drive by their rig. I've spent over 30 years in the radar field. And, yes, I run with a Valentine 1.

Yup...that'a what I do as well... I see as this: Are the arrows necessary? Probably not... Helpful in providing more information? Definitely so.

Do I understand correctly that the V1 will even point to your cell phone when it causes the V1 to false-positive?

I've spent 30 years making sport of avoiding bears.......Val helps me have more fun .......now add 'Blinder'

oh, yea, me, too. Only longer! ;-)

I have a passport. I borrowed a V1 from a friend to use on a long trip to play with it and see whether I wanted one. The arrows really are useful. Nonetheless, I did not buy a V1 because I thought it falsed a lot more than my trusty old passport. But it may be that my trusty old passport is just not picking up as much as it should. I don't know.

I've had a V1 for over 4 years and never had this happen. Exactly what band is your cell phone operating on? I've had cell phones that would give feedback static through the cars speakers when they range, but never interferance with the V1. Cellular phone bands are a very different range than X, K, and Ka radio wavelengths. DCP, The V1 has several operating modes. By standard it is in "A" (all bogeys) mode. All bogeys mode will go off for everything and is the default operating mode from the factory. I had the same experieince when I initially got my first V1 (my new Version 1.8-POP2 came today ). Everyone I know runs little "L" (logic) or big "L" (full logic) mode. Both of these greatly reduce the false signals. I have been running mine for years in big "L" full logic mode all the time, which works best for me in a large metropolitan city environment. Very few false signals, usually electric eyes for doors in X and K.

I mainly use my V1 on long drives, let's say LA to SF in my 5-serie and the arrows are really helpful IMHO. Few occasions, my rear arrows are ON and signals strengths are building-up then I am pretty sure a State Trooper is behind me. As I slowed way down, he would pass me, then few miles down I5, he would stop someone 100% of the time. One time, after beeing passed at high speed by an American muscle car (Camaro SS or the new Pontiac GTO), I saw my front arrow ON with signals building-up strong, and as the trooper passed me from the other side of I5, I saw him slowed down and U-turned around to go my direction on I5. He then sped up real fast and caught up with the American muscle car a mile down the road, pulled him over. I think that is V1 strength with the arrows... In the city I don't even bother to use the V1, and I just don't speed Cheers,

I drive around on "advanced logic" mode on the V1, so it only makes sound when it's actually something to probably worry about. I drove across the country twice at 95mph with the V1, only slowing down when the arrows told me I should worry about it. If it's to the side or in back, I don't slow down. It saved me 6-8 times in those two trips, and was WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!! I used to have a nice Beltronics that just went beep and I had to slow down every time it went beep and I had no idea where or how many there are around me. I got the V1 because I don't want to have to slow down every time it goes beep- simple as that. With the V1 I can pass thru a speed trap, and it'll tell me that there is still another cop up the road, in addition to the one I just passed behind me.. it'll clearly indicate this to me with the "bogie counter" and the arrows. All the Bel does is go beep. You would think it was beeping because of the cop you just passed, then get nailed by the one just up the road, and you would have no way of knowing.

FYI Bell and Passport have boogie counters they just don't have arrows.

One reason that was implied but not specifically stated is when there is more than one police car! I've had the V1 going off, passed a cop but the arrows were still pointing forward. There was another cop just over the hill. Without the arrows, you would assume that the cop you saw was the one you were picking up with the detector...

People that don't use the V1 all say, "well if your detector goes off, you are going to hit the brakes anyway.. so what is the point of the arrows?". You see, this is exactly the point. I bought the V1 because I don't WANT to hit the brakes everytime I get an alert! Heck, 3 out of 4 times it's something I don't have to worry about because it's to the side or behind me.

My Passport shows the strength of each radar signal represented as a bar graph. So when multiple bands and or signals begin to warn I can see the bar increase. If there are two signals the 2nd bar increases as I get closer to the 2nd source and the 1rst bar will decrease as I pass the 1rst source. So in essence I know there is a 2nd car ahead.

Not true, I've used the V1 pleanty of times. When my dectors go off I slow down, I don't hit the brakes. When I'm local I know how many signals are in my local routes so if I see an extra bar indicating an extra source, I slow down. The only place I look when the detector beeps is in the rear view since I'm already vigilantly looking ahead. If I used arrows I would only look at the arrows after looking in the rearview first, assuming I don't see anything behind me. This is what is done with my K40 which has front and rear radar indicators. If I'm out of town on the HWY I don't get falses with the Passport but pleanty with the old K40 installed in the 996. So when it(Passport) beeps on the HWY I know it's the real deal. 9 times out of 10 police won't be coming from behind me on the HWY because I'm driving at the same speed they typically are. They will only be catching up to people going slower than them.

You are correct, if both cars have a radar unit operating. However, in my example, there was only one radar unit, which was indicated by the bogey counter. The assumption at that point would be that the cop I see is the one with the radar, but in my example, the actual car with radar was still ahead.

Same difference. If I approach the Police vehicle and my strength indicator doesn't increase it is clear there is something else out there, especially if I pass the patrolman and the strength indicator doesn't decrease.

Did anyone else notice the little blurb in the latest Autoweek. Escort is introducing a new radar detector, the 9500, which is supposed to come with some totally new technology, including GPS. I'm not sure how they're going to utilize that, but it got me to thinking. Imagine what it would be like if you knew what everyone ELSES radar/laser detectors were doing--the ones several miles ahead or behind. The information could show up as hot spots on your NAV screen, for instance. That would be truly awesome. Anyway, Escort is apparently unveiling the 9500 at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

That would work if the cop had his radar on the whole time. If, like most cops, he was using instant-on, you could pass the first cop, get an alert, and think it was stronger simply because you just passed him - so obviously it was him who just triggered the radar gun. Then 1/4 mile around the next turn, you find out you guessed wrong.

To each his own, but I like knowing 1) how many cops are out there, and 2) where they are. The first time you get tagged fore and aft by two to three cop cars(that happens a lot here in South Florida, but may not occur where you are), you'll love the arrows.

An instant on alert is an entirely different situation. You can have any radar detector and get popped with instant on, arrows or not. LOL! If I use the situation you've switched to this time, I will pick up a signal for a couple of seconds, if that long, then it will totally disapear so will it on your V1. If I've passed the 1rst police car and picked up the 1 second-2 beep I still know there is a police car around and I'd still be travelly at a reasonable speed. Not to mention I still can see signal strength, the officer must see me and be within 1/4 of a mile, and I still can use my eyes. I'm not trapped inside of a Air Trafic Control center using old plasma screens as my only tool. Instant on like laser is the luck of the draw with you hoping nethier is aimed at you. Also, on the Interstate here on the East Coast most State police don't use instant on. NC uses it the most along with pacing.

I've noticed now that I have been using the new V1 POP2, that even in full logic model it goes off in X and K. It goes off near the same stores as before, just 100-200' soon. Also, I noticed the display togles when you first turn it on. I am guessing there is a different diagnostic mode it runs when it first turns on.

You pick up instant on when it isn't aimed at your car. Most alerts I get are on and off, and I know someone is up there beaming people long before I get beamed myself. Like I said, if you pass a cop on the side of the road, then soon after get a quick alert that goes off, you won't know if it was from the guy behind you or if there is another one unless you have arrows.

I had a POS detector that utilized GPS to learn false alarm locations as well as warn of "known" speed trap locations. Great concepts but poorly executed in this particular detector and it had mediocre sensitivity to boot! Hopefully the Escort will be much better. All police car locations are constantly tracked using GPS these days. With all the damn unmarked Magnums, Chargers, Impalas, SUVs etc. out there what I'm waiting for is a police data receiver that warns me whenever I'm within a mile of a cop. Now that would be priceless!

In CT it is almost always Laser, and if you don't get flashes from the other side, or a sea of red, You are usually done. I still keep the V1 installed however. Thankfully, the CSP usually have their regular spots and they rotate around evry so offen. I sometimes get a hunch, when they have been missing for a while. They like to show up a lot in the last 10 days of the month.

Interesting. I didn't know anyone had tried adding GPS to a detector yet. I agree, it's all about how the technology is applied. I think there's great potential to the idea, though. If I see any info. come out of the CES this week, I'll post it.

Here in Europe they have all the known blitz cameras that can be down loaded into your GPS system. The GPS system works great except for the mobile units. The V1 can be programmed for Europe, is not legal, and it would pick up all the cameras. Problem is again that it is not legal an although it does a real good job of not being detected by other radar detector detectors it is not 100% like one other unit is, unfortunately that unit is not programmable for Europe. Issue here is that if you are caught the unit will be confiscated and on top of that you will receive a large fine. I am waiting on the next generation which will hopefully solve this problem. Other issue is the laser guns, I guess for that you can get an M20 laser jammer but also willing to bet it is illegal over here.

Signal strength and eyeballs, I'm already looking ahead. It's funny, it seems you guys think folks who don't have a V1 are getting more tickets than you. V1 is like PSM, they are nice to have but one almost never needs it unless you are driving really reckless. Even then, if you are vigilant, you still wont need either.

The GPS will probably be used for the following: 1) Web up-datable GPS data on speed and red-light cameras - giving you warnings before you reach these locations 2) Speed limit warnings - possible use of GPS to compare actual speed with local limits and warn as appropriate - i.e. school zones etc etc 3) GPS marking of speed traps by driver, giving you a reminder when you pass your local hot spots This technology has been available in Europe for a while now - and combined with a RADAR/LASER detector, gives you a move complete package for protection.

Sounds good. Thanks for the info. And once wireless internet is available everywhere in our cars, then there will be even more possibilities!

Don't leave home without it!!!!

A great idea for changing a product company into a subscription service creating a revenue stream. Having said that, it sounds pretty darn good.

I have a LaserBlinder M20 in my daily driver that has been extremely effective at fixing this problem. It does give you a little headache listening to the V1 and the Blinder Buzzer going off at the same time, but no tickets.