For those who don't 'get' the V1....
Okay, I'm new here, and I've been a V1 "zombie" for almost 14 years without knowing it. There's always been a lot of back and forth about the V1 vs. the Escort / BEL / etc. and too much of it revolves around whether the V1 or the Escort goes off half a second quicker or whether one has a few more falses than the other. Granted, at this stage of the game, the 'detectors' (Escort, BEL, etc.) have gotten very good at detecting radar - often the differences in 'detecting' ability compared to the V1 are sometimes slight.
Even those who have a Belscort would likely still agree that for the purposes of detecting, all these units are very good and the V1 is too.
My spiel here however is this: I don't want a unit that just detects radar so I can slam on my brakes in time to avoid a ticket. I want something which tells me things that help me avoid a ticket in other ways. No, a cop three cars back from me at night is not going to radar me and write me a ticket. He's shooting radar at oncoming traffic, not at me, so why do I care he's back there where he can't radar me? (This is one of the arguments of 'why does anyone really need the arrows?') Because if I know he's there - and the V1 plainly tells me he is - I know that I have to keep a low profile and behave myself. I don't want to get frustrated and pull out and pass the slowpoke ahead of me and call the LEO's attention to myself. I'm not about to try out a maximum-lateral G's left turn at 45 mph with my new tires when I know there's a cop watching. V1 makes it clear but quick if I have reason to suspect an LEO is behind me where maybe he can't radar me, but he can see me. No, not all LEO's will have radar or be using it, but if 1/3 or 1/2 of them do have it and can be detected, it's that many more chances I have to be aware and avoid a ticket.
Another scenario: on a road with minimal traffic a LEO coming towards you shoots you with instant-on. He goes by and you know that he was the threat because V1's arrows now show the threat to the rear as he hits the cars farther back with instant-on. He passes out of sight and after a minute you get another alert. No LEO is in sight. Is it a hidden radar car ahead you just can't see? Maybe an alarm or automatic door at that shopping center to the right? No, the V1 tells you that the sneaky LEO has made a U-turn and is coming up behind you. Long before you can see him, you know you may have to get back down to the speed limit, maybe even move the V1 off the dash and look as pure as the driven snow when the LEO comes up from behind. He doesn't have to radar you to write you a ticket, if he paces you. V1's alerts make it infinitely easier to determine that a LEO is coming up from behind - no playing detective with 'I'm getting higher readings as I pass reflective things ike overpasses and signs, so maybe....' V1 tells me - now.
One of my favorites is knowing that there is a radar cop behind me - somewhere, driving along at about my rate of speed - but I can't see him. V1 gives me a steady low level signal from behind. Every time I crest a hill or get to a bend in the road where I can't be seen from a ways behind, it's time to get on the gas and put distance between myself and the LEO to the point where he's eventually far enough behind me that I needn't worry about him at all. Try that with a detector... is that weak signal the LEO behind, getting farther away for what distance you can even pick him up? Or is there another threat coming from ahead now? Or maybe the LEO in the distance to the rear has decided to go 85 and is coming up from behind again. Only V1 tells you.
Detectors help you avoid getting speeding tickets (pretty much). The V1 helps you know what is going on around you and helps you avoid getting tickets in many more ways than just beating speed traps. This is why all the arguments about 'my Belscort detected Ka 1/4 second faster than the V1 did' mean nothing to me... detecting is fine, but locating is infinitely more valuable.
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Originally Posted by itisjustme
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