Soon to be new V1 user questions

[crisptito]

Just purchased my first ever V1 today and hopefully will have it tomorrow afternoon! Very excited. This will be my first "serious" detector with my only other experience being with older Bel and Whistler models. It took me lots of research to decide between the V1 and the 9500ix. My driving is mostly city, but I do frequently make road trips up I65 and on I-20/59 in AL. Wondering if some of the more experienced V1 owners in the forum could give me some advice/answer some questions.

1. I plan on using the settings posted as a sticky on the forum home (disabling X and modifying K and the automute options). Any other programming changes recommended? Can someone confirm the automute and sensitivity levels are changed only in logic mode and not all bogey mode? Would like to switch between the two for highway and city driving.

2. Is there anywhere I can find information about installation of the V1 in a Lexus IS 300? Would like to hardwire it high on the windshield. Should I have this done professionally?

Thanks in advance.

[Red Turbo Tegg]

Welcome to the world of V1. It is truly a badass detector. Anyhow, to answer your question.
Yes, the programming options as far as automuting and such will only have effect if your in logic modes, and in A mode there is no muting, all threats come through and the only muting that is done is your push of the button. Be aware though, if you turn bands OFF, they will stay OFF even in ALL BOGEYS mode, so be careful about what you do. As far as hardwiring in a lexus, or any other car for that matter, I have no idea about, but I would say if you don't know what your doing, leave it to a pro. Someone else may be able to help you better with that though.

[th3 factory freak]

As Red said, welcome to the exciting world of Valentine 1. You have chosen one of the BEST pieces of equipment on the market.

First, I would highly recommend getting the Valentine 1 carry case. It's specifically made for it, it will protect the unit and you can carry the unit with you while it's not in the car. I carry mine on the train everyday.

Second if you're going to hardwire it, I recommend going the distance and getting the concealed display as well, it will keep you focused on the road and is much more convenient than look up at the main unit when you get an alert.


As far as hard wiring the detector, here is how I've done it:

A. Take the detector and position it where you'd want it. High up is good, but avoid the dark tint if you car has one on top of the windshield, so just below it will do.

B. You'll need to run 4 wires, 2 of them are the RJ-11 (phone jack) cords that come with the hardwire kit, 1 black electrical wire for ground and 1 red electrical wire for power. If you want to get fancy, you can also go to radioshack and get a nice red switch, to make a custom switch for your V1. That comes in handy when you want to shut off the unit quickly without reaching up to the main unit.

C. Determine where the power will come from and where to ground. With the power, you have 2 choices:

• Tap into the main fuse box.
• Splice into a "hot" wire.

The first 1 is what I recommend, the second one is the easiest. Here is a diagram to get you started:



The ground wire will need a metal ring adapter and that will go onto any nut or bolt that goes into metal.

To tap into the fuse box, you'll first need to determine what kind of fuses your car uses. I don't know the technical terms, there are 2 kinds, one is larger than the other. You'll then need to look at your car's manual to determine where is the spare fuse socket and you can use that for your project. You'll then need to buy a fuse insert and crip or solder that into your red wire and it goes into the fuse socket.

* You'll also need to figure out where you want to hide your hardwire junction, so it does not just sit out there and also determine where you'd want to mount your concealed display.

Here is the steering area and steering cover of an IS300.





I marked the location for the concealed display and you can also drill a small hole in the steering cover (it's plastic and very easy) to run the wire to the concealed display. Be careful when running wires near the steering, make sure it's attached correctly to some surface so it doesn't get caught when you turn. Zip ties work well. Consult a professional if in doubt.

Let us know if you need help.

[CactusMan]

Good advice.

[takeshi]

Any other programming changes recommended?

Spend some time with it in A mode before you start programming it.

[Paperlantern]

I drive with mine in A mode virtually all the time, i cant fathom a time to use l or L, the detector isnt doing its job if your asking it not to report signals. I just say Give me everything, i'll figure out what they mean.

[chris3g]

well little l still reports everything, it just does it at muted volume and visually. Big L is the only mode that completely suppresses alerts.

[crisptito]

Thanks a ton for the feedback. Especially thanks Factory Freak. Great description. My V1 arrives tomorrow and I will then start to evaluate programming, position, and hard wiring. I thought about the carry case idea too. I am thinking that I am going to have to take it out of the car quite a bit. Not really for theft worry, but more for heat. It gets really, really hot in central AL in the summer. Don't want to fry the circuitry, although I have read that Valentine has improved the resistance to heat in later versions.

To me the selling point of the V1 is the arrows. My friend has one and I love knowing where to look, rather than random alerts and not knowing what caused it.

Do you guys think that the V1 will make some large changes in the near future to combat advancements made by Bel, especially with the 9500ix? Voice alert, improved display and audible tone of alerts would be great. Much of this though would cause a redesign in the actual case of the V1. Frankly, I am still kinda wanting the 9500ix, there are quite a number of good reviews and some claim Ka detection is better than the V1, although it is generally accepted that the V1 handles laser better. The 9500ix is a real challenger to the V1, but I think I am backing a proven winner.

[languy99]

Thanks a ton for the feedback. Especially thanks Factory Freak. Great description. My V1 arrives tomorrow and I will then start to evaluate programming, position, and hard wiring. I thought about the carry case idea too. I am thinking that I am going to have to take it out of the car quite a bit. Not really for theft worry, but more for heat. It gets really, really hot in central AL in the summer. Don't want to fry the circuitry, although I have read that Valentine has improved the resistance to heat in later versions.

To me the selling point of the V1 is the arrows. My friend has one and I love knowing where to look, rather than random alerts and not knowing what caused it.

Do you guys think that the V1 will make some large changes in the near future to combat advancements made by Bel, especially with the 9500ix? Voice alert, improved display and audible tone of alerts would be great. Much of this though would cause a redesign in the actual case of the V1. Frankly, I am still kinda wanting the 9500ix, there are quite a number of good reviews and some claim Ka detection is better than the V1, although it is generally accepted that the V1 handles laser better. The 9500ix is a real challenger to the V1, but I think I am backing a proven winner.

Keep dreaming, we all want different features in the v1 and nothing has yet been adapted. On the v1 vs 9500ix issue, I would wait to see the next GOL results in 2009. Everyone says this and that, but until those tests are done I would not make any hard decisions. I also want a 9500ix because of the gps but I will wait to see what happens with the trulock improvements that everyone would like to see.

[Red Turbo Tegg]

I drive with mine in A mode virtually all the time, i cant fathom a time to use l or L, the detector isnt doing its job if your asking it not to report signals. I just say Give me everything, i'll figure out what they mean.

Putting it in little L mode doesn't cut down your alerts, they just come in at a muted level untill it breaks a time threshold or goes above a certain amount of streanth per the LEDs. Mines set to unmute at 4 LEDs. My V1 is mounted at pretty much eye level for me, so everytime it picks something up and lights up, it gets my attention, but it's completely muted on sound. Haven't missed anything yet as far as real threats go. When it's a real threat, it breaks the threshold rather quickly, but falses generaly don't make it through, unless I'm at a light or something and it breaks the time threshold.