Do the Arrows ever lie?

**f_399** · 09-12-2005, 12:48 PM

should I totally depend on the V1 Arrows?

I know the V1 has some false alerts but will the ARROWS ever give a false direction

I ask because when I get Ka from the rear.... I pause... look behind.... if I dont see the cop and there are a lot of cars I dont slow down

Also the other day I got Ka alert from the side and it was alerting a good 5 seconds (was going 70MPH).... this I thought couldnt be a threat because its from the side

So are the V1 arrows consistent?

**kpatz** · 09-12-2005, 12:51 PM

Reflected signals can throw the arrows off, esp. in the city but for the most part they're accurate on the highway.

Sometimes you can get ghost arrows or bogeys depending on the rev. level of your V1, but in that case the flashing arrow should point you to the real threat.

It's best to slow down when you get an alert, epecially if it's Ka and relatively strong. Chances are it's the real thing.

**RacerX** · 09-12-2005, 03:52 PM

Do the arrows ever lie?
yeah they do, and they talk behind your back too. :wink:

Seriously, for the most part they're pretty accurate, but definately not 100%.
As with any detector, rely on signal strength first, then direction. i have seen them show opposite of the source.
i believe the side arrows basically look at the signal strength front and rear and if they're about equal it lights up the side arrow.

like kpatz said, reflections can throw them off. i think i even caught that on video, where an overpass caused the arrows to read incorrectly for a moment. i've seen a few situations where they were off a bit, but overall they have worked well for me. let me see if i can find the link.
Here:
2.66 MB small
www.donspc.com/Forum/V1kaarrowssm.wmv
or
8.14 MB large
www.donspc.com/Forum/V1kaarrowslg.wmv

Either way the answer to both questions is No, not 100% of the time for the reasons that have been stated so far by everyone (well, me and kpatz anyway.)
they are useful most of the time, just evaluate the situation and go from there.

**SpeedFreak** · 09-12-2005, 10:07 PM

Like they said , Reflections are a big factor in this, you got to keep in mind the ways it can reflect when you get an alert.

**kenton** · 09-13-2005, 08:03 AM

I passed a Ka alert the other night and for about 2-3 seconds after I passed him the arrow still pointed Up, after that it finally caught up with the radar and switched quickly to the sides then constant on the rear.

I figure it's 'normal'

**Veil Guy** · 09-13-2005, 08:59 AM

We found that sometimes V1s will report to a rear threat when in fact the threat is from the front.

Why? In certain cases we were followed by trucks which make great radar reflectors.

First and foremost if you feel the bogey is from a bonafide source, obviously you should be minding your speed.

The direction indicators are most helpful, IMHO to help confirm a passing "threat."

Veil Guy 8)

**lordhamster** · 09-13-2005, 09:11 AM

My rule of thumb is this: If the V1 alerts KA I slow down fast. Then worry about the arrows later.

The arrows are only a rough indicator of where the radar is coming from, rear or side does not mean no danger....

What the arrows are very usefull for however is when you are in an unfamiliar area and you have say a K band source. As you pass by the highway sign, you'll want to look for the arrows to go side then back.... if they stay up front, the likely culprit is something other than the sign you passed and until you can figure out who it is keep moving.

**Rottman** · 09-13-2005, 12:09 PM

They work much better than I thought the would!!

**nomore55** · 09-13-2005, 12:23 PM

Ensure that the V1 has a clear view of the rear window. I had mine up a little too high and it would catch all sorts of reflected signals from the rear side of the rear view mirror. I lowered it about 1" and the performance showed a BIG improvement in accuracy.