Questions for GOL ?

[steagall1000]

I have a question on which radar detector do you feel is the best overall in detecting KA,K,X bands??

Since 1992 which radar detector has been the best overall. Has it been the V1 or Bel/escort models?? The reason I'm asking is there is this guy that thinks the Bel has been the better detector versus the Valentineone. Personally I like V1. But in overall detection and range who really is better???? I need help on this one.


GB

[happya$$]

I have a question on which radar detector do you feel is the best overall in detecting KA,K,X bands??

Since 1992 which radar detector has been the best overall. Has it been the V1 or Bel/escort models?? The reason I'm asking is there is this guy that thinks the Bel has been the better detector versus the Valentineone. Personally I like V1. But in overall detection and range who really is better???? I need help on this one.


GB

Valentine One has been the most sensitive since 1992 in all bands BUT the gap has gotten smaller in the last couple of years

[steagall1000]

Thank you for your reply. This guy STALKERVISION keeps saying the Bel does not have heat issues like the V1. I told him magnesium is better against heat versus the Bel RX65's plastic. Plus in my opinion I think the V1 is just better made period. I wonder which one really does fail in high heat conditions.


GB

[steagall1000]

Happya$$,

Hey man I'm looking forward to your new test for 2008 on all the newest laser jammer test. Let me know if you guys need anything form me. I'm here to help.

GB

[stealthJamal]

We all have our preferences. When choosing between the best of the best you can't go wrong with whatever choice you make.

I prefer the Bel STi, I have been using the STi even BEFORE Virginia cops got Spectres.

[thestaton]

My first detector was the BEL 985 and I really though the world of that little guy.

I can only base my opinion from 1996 when I first started driving, but hands down V1 has lead the way with performance.

Belscorts win with features and close to V1 performance.

[MEM-TEK]

Thank you for your reply. This guy STALKERVISION keeps saying the Bel does not have heat issues like the V1. I told him magnesium is better against heat versus the Bel RX65's plastic. Plus in my opinion I think the V1 is just better made period. I wonder which one really does fail in high heat conditions.


GB

A black case is black and gets just as hot regardless of what material it is made from. Metal such as magnesium has a much higher specific heat compared to plastic. Thus a metal case takes longer to cool down. Yet in a way your friend is right that most RDs are less sensitive to heat compared to the V1. The V1 uses LNAs to amplify the incoming signal within the radar horn. The LNAs (which aren't cheap) are what gives the V1 its extraordinary sensitivity. These LNAs, although military grade, put out a fair amount of internal heat. Couple that with high ambient temperatures, such as leaving your V1 powered on and baking in sunlight within a parked car, can cause the LNAs to fail. According to Jimbonzzz, the STi is the only other RD which also uses LNAs. Thus its LNAs are just as susceptible to overheating like the V1's LNAs. Already a few forum members have reported their STi's seeming to be fairly dead on K/Ka band. I don't know if it was the K/Ka LNA which was blown, but I suspect that this is the case.

Anyway, my best advice for any RD is to be sure that it isn't powered on when you park your car for extended periods of time on warm or hot days. Its even better to remove it from the windshield and put it out of the sun and preferably in a foam padded case which will insulated it from extreme temperatures. If you do leave the RD on the windshield, then at least let it cool off for at least 10 minutes while your air conditioning is running before powering it up again.

I'm also an advocate of protecting your RD from extreme cold. Its best to bring it indoors on really cold nights. If you prefer not to then at least put your RD inside a foam padded case and then in your glove box to insulate it from the extreme cold. The same applies for extremely hot days too. My reasoning behind this is that the plastic cases of SMD electronics have a different coefficient of expansion compared to the underlying circuit board. The different expansion rates can put a lot of stress on the wave soldered connections, and some of those wave soldered connections -- particularly on the local oscillator board -- are very tiny. Since the LO board operates at very high frequencies, obviously any tiny cracks in the solder connections can greatly affect the performance of the LO circuitry. Thus it is best to protect your RD from either extreme heat or extreme cold regardless of what the manufacturer's specs say regarding the allowable operating temperature ranges.

I guess there is something to be said for 20+ year old radar detectors which used simple Gunn diode local oscillators and huge electronic components soldered in place with comparatively huge globs of solder. Aside from having to remove some oxidation due to age, so far I have been able to fully refurbish every 20+ year old radar detector in my vintage radar detector collection. Yet on the other hand modern radar detectors completely blow away these 20+ year old radar detectors with regards to performance!

To summarize, modern radar detectors are extremely complex pieces of electrical engineering. The wave soldering process for their local oscillator boards actually does push the limits of present wave soldering technology in order to gain the highest efficiency for the LO circuitry -- and thus sensitivity. Some of the components on the LO boards are so small that they must be hand placed under a microscope prior to soldering. These components are just way too small for an automated SMD pick-and-place machine to either handle or accurately place.

A similar analogy is found in the manufacture of laptop computer boards. Take a laptop computer board, flex it just a bit, and odds are 50/50 that it will no longer power up correctly due to micro cracks in its wave soldered SMD connections or in the ball grid array (BGA) connections underneath some of the chips.

I wish everyone would get the point which I keep trying to make -- take care of your RD by protecting it from temperatures extremes and from excessive vibration! If you do then your RD should last for years.

[jimbonzzz]

Yet in a way your friend is right that most RDs are less sensitive to heat compared to the V1. The V1 uses LNAs to amplify the incoming signal within the radar horn. The LNAs (which aren't cheap) are what gives the V1 its extraordinary sensitivity. These LNAs, although military grade, put out a fair amount of internal heat. Couple that with high ambient temperatures, such as leaving your V1 powered on and baking in sunlight within a parked car, can cause the LNAs to fail. According to Jimbonzzz, the STi is the only other RD which also uses LNAs.

To be clear, the V1 only uses an LNA for X-Band, but not for K or Ka.

[happya$$]

Yet in a way your friend is right that most RDs are less sensitive to heat compared to the V1. The V1 uses LNAs to amplify the incoming signal within the radar horn. The LNAs (which aren't cheap) are what gives the V1 its extraordinary sensitivity. These LNAs, although military grade, put out a fair amount of internal heat. Couple that with high ambient temperatures, such as leaving your V1 powered on and baking in sunlight within a parked car, can cause the LNAs to fail. According to Jimbonzzz, the STi is the only other RD which also uses LNAs.

To be clear, the V1 only uses an LNA for X-Band, but not for K or Ka.

Hmmmm so the next logical move for V1 is to use LNA's for K and KA

[steagall1000]

This stuff is so technical, I got completely lost. I will agree It is a good Idea to take your radar detector off your windshield, due to extreme heat, or the possibility of someone breaking into your car and stealing a V1. As for this LNA stuff, you guys can educate me on the V1's alittle, better. I'm just a laser jammer dude. :) Thanks for the reply on my question about heat.


Georgia Boy