Final V1 k band test results: A and L modes.

[RacerX]

Okay, here are the results from the thread i started on k band testing with the V1.
This is the original thread, along with a video clip of "A" and "L" in action.
http://www.radardetector.net/Testing...nput.-721t.php

First things first. Here is the original test parameters in Word format. 10 pages.
http://www.donspc.com/Forum/V1%20k%2...pretest%20.doc


Here's a copy of the Final test results for download. It's a 2 page Word doc.
http://www.donspc.com/Forum/V1%20k%2...st%20final.doc

And here's a pic of the test results.




I tried to make this as condensed and self-explanatory as possible.
As you see, The more you change the settings to alert less, the more range you lose, mainly on instant on type encounters.
The difference between 5, 15, and 30 seconds was not very noticeable during these tests. The biggest difference i found with them would be if you live in an area that runs some constant, and then shuts it off for a while, then turns it on again. The 5 second seems the safest in this instance, since it seemed to break the barrier the easiest with a longer instant on pulse.

Anyway, this should give you a pretty good idea of the different setting combinations.
Now just decide what threats you face on k and set "L" mode accordingly.

Also, I run "L" mode in the city, with "F" changed, and a 30 second delay.
In open areas i switch to "A" mode, and on the highway i run strictly "A" mode.

[nomore55]

Great job and thanks for taking the time to do it! I need to study it and try to absorb the ramifications of the different settings.

[V1 Dave]

Good job that was a lot of work.
Pretty much what I thought is it appears that you stay fairly well protected if you don't mess with E and F and defiantly stay away from E and F at the same time for additional instant on protection.
I thought F alone would not change anything as it worked with E.
I could swear that (not another bet) option E and F muted all 8 LED's but the VR web site says stays muted at 6. I have an old chart at work but I am on vacation for two weeks. Maybe I will test that, or maybe that changed with the transition from 1.7 to 1.8

[RacerX]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
Yeah, you’re telling me. It went from borrowing a k band gun for a few hours of impromptu testing with some of the time delays, so I’d know what delay to use, to thinking I might as well share that with everyone, to a full blown structured test, including E,F,G.

The final test parameters are only a fraction of what I did to test and prepare the final results. As you may have read in the original post when I first started, it has grown and changed over the course.

I feel that anyone with a V1 can now look at these results and make an informed decision as to what combination of settings will work best for them. It doesn’t matter where they live or what kind of k band guns are used. With “A” as the baseline, you can see what type of range is lost with the different settings and apply them accordingly.

Good job that was a lot of work.
Pretty much what I thought is it appears that you stay fairly well protected if you don't mess with E and F and defiantly stay away from E and F at the same time for additional instant on protection.
I thought F alone would not change anything as it worked with E.
I could swear that (not another bet) option E and F muted all 8 LED's but the VR web site says stays muted at 6. I have an old chart at work but I am on vacation for two weeks. Maybe I will test that, or maybe that changed with the transition from 1.7 to 1.8

I thought the exact same thing about E,F. If I hadn’t of done this testing, I might have changed E and F and thought wow, it’s much quieter. Then driven down my same stretch of road and gotten nailed on instant on k band, wondering why it stayed silent.

In all seriousness, if I changed E,F,G and added a 30 second delay, I could literally come up on an instant on trap, the officer could turn on the radar gun, clock me, leave it on, turn around, pull me over, leaving the k band gun on behind, all the while writing me a ticket and I’d think there’s no way he clocked me, because the V1 would stay silent the entire time, even with the radar on behind me. I actually performed this exact scenario test, and it went as described. VERY scary.

This is why I went into as much detail as I did on this test, people need to know this, so they don’t do the wrong combination of settings, and then wonder how they got clocked, when the V1 stayed silent. I wish VR would have explained these settings in detail. It sure would have saved me a lot of time.

Here’s that same video clip I posted in the initial post, showing the difference. If you actually time it, right after I turn with the doors behind me, the time delay is up and it stayed quiet. I stayed there for about another 20 seconds and nothing. Only when I turned to face the door did it alert. Also if you notice, I turned again and with the door to my back, the V1 again went silent. G can be a scary setting, unless a rear k band warning is 100% not an issue where someone lives.
Mode test: 6.39 MB. small
www.donspc.com/Forum/modetest1sm.wmv
Mode test: 19.6 MB. medium
www.donspc.com/Forum/modetest1md.wmv


Here’s a pic of the programming options for E,F,G.
I underlined what each one is supposed to do.


Now E does what is described, if F is left at default.
F will work similar to E, just 6 lights instead of 4. If E is left at default.
Now I read it that changing E and F it will still work like F, which is alert after 6 lights. The problem is, it won’t, not even for 8 lights or a full blast hit. It will only alert AFTER the time delay is up. They don’t explain this anywhere.

Now I read G as thinking mute means it will mute the audio on rear alerts. It doesn’t just mute them though, it doesn’t even alert at all. No flashing rear arrow, no flashing k light, bogey counter, nothing. I expected it to continue alerting, just turn off the volume if I’m driving by a false source. Changing b,c,d,E,F have no affect on it either. It will not give any rear indication of radar, period.

So there you have it.

[thestaton]

wow this is some great information. If you had to pick optimal settings for general supression in the city what would you go with?

i know for highway I only use A. However in the city I find myself using little L.

but I'm curious from all the data what did you find works the best for city driving.

thanks

staton

[1fastmf]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
Yeah, you’re telling me. It went from borrowing a k band gun for a few hours of impromptu testing with some of the time delays, so I’d know what delay to use, to thinking I might as well share that with everyone, to a full blown structured test, including E,F,G.

The final test parameters are only a fraction of what I did to test and prepare the final results. As you may have read in the original post when I first started, it has grown and changed over the course.

I feel that anyone with a V1 can now look at these results and make an informed decision as to what combination of settings will work best for them. It doesn’t matter where they live or what kind of k band guns are used. With “A” as the baseline, you can see what type of range is lost with the different settings and apply them accordingly.

Good job that was a lot of work.
Pretty much what I thought is it appears that you stay fairly well protected if you don't mess with E and F and defiantly stay away from E and F at the same time for additional instant on protection.
I thought F alone would not change anything as it worked with E.
I could swear that (not another bet) option E and F muted all 8 LED's but the VR web site says stays muted at 6. I have an old chart at work but I am on vacation for two weeks. Maybe I will test that, or maybe that changed with the transition from 1.7 to 1.8

I thought the exact same thing about E,F. If I hadn’t of done this testing, I might have changed E and F and thought wow, it’s much quieter. Then driven down my same stretch of road and gotten nailed on instant on k band, wondering why it stayed silent.

In all seriousness, if I changed E,F,G and added a 30 second delay, I could literally come up on an instant on trap, the officer could turn on the radar gun, clock me, leave it on, turn around, pull me over, leaving the k band gun on behind, all the while writing me a ticket and I’d think there’s no way he clocked me, because the V1 would stay silent the entire time, even with the radar on behind me. I actually performed this exact scenario test, and it went as described. VERY scary.

This is why I went into as much detail as I did on this test, people need to know this, so they don’t do the wrong combination of settings, and then wonder how they got clocked, when the V1 stayed silent. I wish VR would have explained these settings in detail. It sure would have saved me a lot of time.

Here’s that same video clip I posted in the initial post, showing the difference. If you actually time it, right after I turn with the doors behind me, the time delay is up and it stayed quiet. I stayed there for about another 20 seconds and nothing. Only when I turned to face the door did it alert. Also if you notice, I turned again and with the door to my back, the V1 again went silent. G can be a scary setting, unless a rear k band warning is 100% not an issue where someone lives.
Mode test: 6.39 MB. small
www.donspc.com/Forum/modetest1sm.wmv
Mode test: 19.6 MB. medium
www.donspc.com/Forum/modetest1md.wmv


Here’s a pic of the programming options for E,F,G.
I underlined what each one is supposed to do.


Now E does what is described, if F is left at default.
F will work similar to E, just 6 lights instead of 4. If E is left at default.
Now I read it that changing E and F it will still work like F, which is alert after 6 lights. The problem is, it won’t, not even for 8 lights or a full blast hit. It will only alert AFTER the time delay is up. They don’t explain this anywhere.

Now I read G as thinking mute means it will mute the audio on rear alerts. It doesn’t just mute them though, it doesn’t even alert at all. No flashing rear arrow, no flashing k light, bogey counter, nothing. I expected it to continue alerting, just turn off the volume if I’m driving by a false source. Changing b,c,d,E,F have no affect on it either. It will not give any rear indication of radar, period.

So there you have it.

Thanks, RacerX

This is my first post to this group. I've been a long time RADAR enthusiast. Had detectors since I was first licensed, and always been interested in the technology. Needlees to say this Forum, has had me reading for hours....anyway....
I've owned a V1 for about 5 years now, and often stopped by the VR website to get information / programming tips, but have to say some of the features just didnt seem to make sense without additional clarification. I have done some basic features like shutting down X band, but have been hesitant to mess with too many of the delay features for fear that I would lose the capabilities I bought the detector for in the first place.

Anyway, I read through the entire evolution of your testing, and wanted to tell you thanks for taking the time to post, and clearly articulate the data, videos, etc. I feel much more comfortable about my V1 now,, it's features and their intentions. :idea:

[V1 Dave]

RacerX,
So yours mutes all 8 LED's with E & F also (until the time delay is over) That means that F on the chart is written wrong it should break at 7 LED's or say that it mutes at all 8 LED's. I'll bet MV doesn't know about this.
Personally I always use 1,7,b,G, (l) logic mode.
logic mode is much safer than advanced logic mode because you do see all the lights at muted volume even with (G) the rear arrow 8 LED mute.
Another safety net people forget is that you can simply crank up the muted volume ring in logic mode.
Section 7 works great for me as all CHP have Ka or I am not speeding or if I am speeding in a known K band zone I simply switch to A mode.
However I did notice that when I had my 3.818 the same codes tripped easier than my 2.879 so when I am finally forced to get the newest version I might have to add E

[RacerX]

thestaton,
At the moment, i'm running a 30 sec, delay with "F" changed.
This setting is a bit "strong" but it works pretty well for me around town. I would not trust it on the highway though for my area, since i have a minimum of 3 agencies i go through to get home from in town that run instant on k band. In total i have about 8 different agencies that are around here. Depending on where i'm going and what i'm doing, i'll go through at least 3 or 4 of them, with a combination of k, ka and Laser using constant (sometimes) and instant on (mainly).

If i were to offer a "safe" setting for general use, i would say no more than a 7 second delay, and leave E,F,G alone. This i would even feel comfortable running on the highway.

I think the best thing to do for you, or anyone else, would be these steps. Not necessarily in order of importance, but with these questions answered, you should be able to come up with the right combination of settings for city and possibly highway use.

1. Drive around town in "A" mode. in any areas where you get falses on k band, look at the strength meter and observe signal strength. Also count how long in seconds the warning(s) are.
This will give you some general ideas on how long of a delay you want. Now you can subtract about 2-4 seconds off that, because even when the signal stops, i've noticed the V1 still alerts for an additional 2-4 seconds. Counting the lights can help decide if you want to change "E" or "F". Not both.

2. What threat(s) do you have? Constant or instant on or both? If constant is the only threat you have, you can be much more agressive with "E" or "F". If it's mainly instant on, do they "quick trigger" or leave it on for several seconds at a time. If they use longer durations you could maybe use "E" or "F" and use a 4 or 5 second delay.

3. Is rear detection a concern or issue? For me it definately is, as i've had rear alerts as they are coming up on me, so i would not use "G" on the highway. If rear alerts aren't a problem around town/in the city, then changing "G" could work for you.

As you see, there are a lot of possible setting combinations. Now you know why it took so long to do this. Sometimes Using a stronger threshold with "E" or "F" can be balanced with a shorter delay, as well as using a longer delay with a lighter threshold.

I think one more thing i'll do is add a few short clips of some of the locations i used. This will give you an idea of what my idea of "city" and "highway" are. For instance, i consider highway to be somewhat rural and open, whereas others may consider it what i call "freeway" driving, like around Los Angeles.

Anyway, i hope this helps answer your question.




1fastmf,
Thank you, and welcome to the Forum.

Anyway, I read through the entire evolution of your testing, and wanted to tell you thanks for taking the time to post, and clearly articulate the data, videos, etc. I feel much more comfortable about my V1 now,, it's features and their intentions.

Well that basically sums up what i wanted to do, let everyone know what they actually do, so they can make an informed decision on the settings they want, and know what to expect from them.
And i completely understand trying to catch up on all the reading and info. This place is growing quick. Even I sometimes have trouble keeping up on all the new posts and replys by everyone.


V1 Dave,

So yours mutes all 8 LED's with E & F also (until the time delay is over) That means that F on the chart is written wrong it should break at 7 LED's or say that it mutes at all 8 LED's. I'll bet MV doesn't know about this.

Yeah, E & F together won't break even at 8 lights until the delay.
E alone, will break at 4. F alone will break at 6, but for some reason changing both together causes it not to break at all until the time delay. I can hit it at point blank range and it won't make a peep until the time is up. And speaking of MV, it'd be nice to see him stop in more. Hopefully he'll see this, in case there is something they weren't aware of.

Personally I always use 1,7,b,G, (l) logic mode.
logic mode is much safer than advanced logic mode because you do see all the lights at muted volume even with (G) the rear arrow 8 LED mute.

Good point. "l" basically acts like "A", but you can get the initial alerts at the lower volume including rear alerts even with "G" changed. Before i did these tests i was using "l" around town with the volume lower, since i didn't trust "L" mode until i could figure out what kind of range or warning i would lose. It is somewhat spread out here, so i may drive through a section of town that's not in the city limits, so S.O. patrols it with some instant on k band, so i usually go back to "A" mode in those areas.
I also find "l" quite usefull when i'm out of town, until i get a "feel" for what i'm dealing with.

Section 7 works great for me as all CHP have Ka or I am not speeding or if I am speeding in a known K band zone I simply switch to A mode.
However I did notice that when I had my 3.818 the same codes tripped easier than my 2.879 so when I am finally forced to get the newest version I might have to add E

Yeah, now that i have it all layed out on paper, i'll probably fine tune my settings a bit more, than from there i'm done. Hit "A" or "L" and drive protected.

[Skelevate]

There are a lot of huge posts in this thread with some good info.

So you're saying that in default mode, L mode causes a .5 mile loss of range for instant on continually moving, and constant on, and a 1.5 mile loss of range with instant on (stopping each half mile), compared to All alerts mode?

[RacerX]

Yeah, it seems like i'm still adding additional info every time i reply. I wanted to keep this as condensed as possible, but still give the relevant info, and i figured i would add details if anyone asked or if it came up.

Yes, that's exactly it.
I used "A" mode as the baseline. On this stretch that i used i could pick up the signal over 5 miles away, but just past the 4 mile mark is a signal light, railroad tracks and a small gas station and this would have thrown my timing off, not to mention excess traffic crossing my path so i used 4 miles as the starting point. Plus EVERY time the gun was triggered, i could pick it up at the 4 mile point in "A" mode with no problem. This way i could see what loss of range i would get.

The reason i did a second instant on test, stopped at each 1/2 mile was to allow the "timer " to reset.
I noticed that occasionally during the moving instant on, that once in a while it would miss one alert in the middle somewhere, but not everytime. There was some light traffic on this road to, and i noticed that sometimes having vehicles in front of me would sometimes cause it to miss a burst. It seemed that 5 seconds was the most reliable time delay. The higher the delay, the better your chance of missing something, especially if instant on is sporadic.

Tha's one of the reasons why i added the stopped instant on test, because in the real world, a radar operator probably isn't going to be triggering instant on every half mile. they may clock a vehicle, then leave it off for a while, then clock another, etc.., so the stopped test basically shows at what range the "default threshold" is broken.
Not to mention i used "2 second burst", but the gun can detect speeds almost the instant it was triggered. I could quick trigger it and get readings in under1 second.
I then decided to do the same test and change E, then F.
Now even though The threshold is raised with E or F, the difference is maybe a 100'-200' or so. The strength of the signal goes up quick, the closer you get.


To be safe, i would consider these best scenario results.

A lot of things can affect radar range, which can affect any early warnings in any mode. For instance, just vehicle location. The original highway test was only going to be 2 miles. the reason was, is that i was only getting consistent range in "A" mode to about 2.5 miles. And this was on the same stretch of highway, just parked differently and facing the opposite direction. Not to mention i wasn't trying to be sneaky to clock vehicles, by say aiming down at an angle, or letting something block part of my view or signal, etc. I wanted to get the most range and consistency possible.
Whatever settings any one use i would say start out conservative, and work your way up. it's better to still get a few falses then miss the real thing.

I think the most simplistic answer to "L" is that YES, enabling option "7" WILL cause some loss of range detection.