From digest.v6.n769 Fri Jun 13 16:45:34 1997
From: Kai Lindsay Wang <lwang_at_shirenet.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 23:42:40 -0400
Subject: Old V1, New V1, Bell Radar Detectors

Wednesday 6/11 I wrote:

I send my Valentine-1 (V1) radar detector in two weeks ago for their upgrade.
Meanwhile I have been using a borrowed new Bel Radar/Laser detector. The Bel radar detector (costing $300) is usually ranked number 2 behind the V1 in magazine tests.
After driving around for the last two weeks with the Bel, I'm ready to throw this piece of sht in the trash! The Bel has NOWHERE NEAR the range of my old V1 and the damn thing constantly gave false alarms (including false K and Ka alarms)! It was driving me nuts.

I got my V1 back this morning. I temporarily mounted it on my passenger side visor. I have the Bel mounted on the drivers side visor. Now I can do a side by side comparison of the two detectors before I have to give the Bel unit back.

As some of you have requested, here is an update:

I've been driving for the past two days in the city and on the highway with my newly upgraded V1 and Bell radar detector mounted one on each visor.. I have the Bell unit set to City mode and the V-1 unit set to Advanced Logic mode (Big L).

Btw, the Bell and V1 do not false each other at all. Even if they are touching each other they will not set each other off.

Here are some observations..

The Bell detector definitely falses more frequently than the V1. Once in a while, the Bell unit will sound 1 to 3 X, K or Ka alarms and then nothing. I am pretty sure the Bell is falsing since the V1 remains quite. The V-1 has not falsed K or Ka yet for the past two days. The V1 will only false X band when I am VERY near a shopping center with automatic doors utilizing X band radar or when I go under a overpass with X band radar sensors. I am able to track the X band falsing with the V-1 Radar Locator as I pass by the non-police X band source.

On one occasion I was rounding a bend at 40-50 mph in a 35 mph zone. A police car was hiding perpendicular to the road with K band radar on. The V1 gave warning first (well ahead of time for me to slow down) while it took the Bell detector 2 seconds after the V1 to give K band alarm.

While going into Washington D.C. on route 66 (traveling ~70 mph in 55), my V1's Ka band alarm went off. It took the Bell unit about 3+ seconds to sound it's Ka alarm. 2 seconds after the Bell unit started it's Ka alarm I saw the police car along the side of the road. ( I've noticed that cops along route 66 are using Ka radar nowadays).

Comparing the upgraded V1 to old V1, it *seems* that Ka detection range has been greatly increased. I couldn't really tell the difference in detection range with X and K band. The upgraded V1 seems to falses alot less than the old V1 (the old V1 did not false much anyways). The radar locating ability of my upgraded V1 is more accurate.

If I had an old V1 side by side with the newly upgraded V1 I would be able to make a better comparison. I originally purchased my V1 when it first came out years ago...

Kai