HELP!! buying first radar detector

[google]

hi everyone im a newbie to this site

so anyways, i need some help on buying my first radar detector and my main concern is the detector's ability to pick up laser signals or the "X band".

i personally have been using one for almost 2 years now and the brand is called "Uniden". it's quite old i and i think my brother bought it sometime in 2000 but it has never ever failed me before except for this past week. just last friday i got clocked by laser going up a hill and the second one was last monday while going to my friends house. on both occasions, i didn't receive any warning at all with the signal strength led's and warning sounds :x..2 tickets all within less than 1 week..just drives me nuts everytime i think about it. just for the record, ive never gotten a speeding ticket and im not a crazy speeder, i was only going 10km/h over the limit for both of the tickets. and yes im from canada in BC lol.
but..it did save me from laser about 8 months ago on the freeway. :roll:

so im guessing that its time for an upgrade. ive done a lot of reaserching in google and also in this site and my choices right now are the Beltronics Pro rx65 and Escort Passport 8500 x50. after everything ive gathered, the beltronics and escort are almost the same but it seems like the escort x50 is better in terms of picking up laser signals. true or false?

if this was true, i will surely go for the x50 because its cheaper and because im more concerned about laser detection. i also looked into the 9500i but its just wayyy too much for me

one last thing, what are some of the things i should look for before buying one? like ive noticed how there are different firmware versions out there or at least thats what i think is being referred to when i see people mentioning something like "(Rev .5)". im assuming that the latest version would be the best so someone could tell me what it is then that would be awsome.

any input is greatly appreciated!..hopefully i can make my upgrade this weekend or sometime next week :)

[Holla]

If laser you want--Get the V-1 it OWNES all radar detectors, pretty much every band.

But if Laser is a major problem, you really need a Laser Jammer--that would be the L.I :D

[google]

looked into v1 but its a little to expensive for my budget...and as far as the laser jammer goes im not sure if its legal in my province

[repeter]

Are radar detectors legal in your province? If not, then the Sti is your only option.

[sciblades]

google it is well worth the extra money for a v1 you will be very happy

[Toronto-radar-chopper]

Look to buy a used V1, that is what you need for good laser protection. Save up for an active laser jammer.

Radar detectors are LEGAL in British Columbia and Alberta. Not sure about the east and Ontario is the Virginia of Canada.

[CJR238]

V1 best laser detection, high price
8500 X50 not best in laser but good all around, and a good price.

[Orbital75]

Well, I've had Unidens in the past and their not the best detector so you
are right to want to switch. All in all, every high end detector will detect
Laser and all the Radar Bands, its just some are better than others.
For instance, the V1 is the master of Laser but will drive you crazy on
radar because its constantly goes off on everything it sees. The escort
8500 X50 is decent at Laser but is a quiet detector. The X50 seems
to filter out everything that's not a Real Threat.

Something you need to keep in mind is that Laser is a speeders
nightmare. When you get a Laser alert, "you" are the only one
on the road being shot and he more than likely has already
acquired your speed. All a detector will do for Laser is to let you
know your getting a ticket. Radar is a different story, you can
have advanced warning with radar.

When your being shot by Laser this is how wide the beam is
at 1000 feet. So you are the only one that is being targeted.
Your not going to get any advanced warning before he has your
speed unless you have Veil or a Active Laser Jammer.

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/866/laserwidthcq5.jpg

I'd suggest you look at either a Escort 8500 X50 or a V1.
If your looking for something less expensive, the Bel Vector 955
is a nice choice.

[google]

Are radar detectors legal in your province? If not, then the Sti is your only option.

they are


Look to buy a used V1, that is what you need for good laser protection. Save up for an active laser jammer.


should i even consider ebay a trusted source when buying either the v1 or the x50?? for the laser jammer im also looking into buying one of these but im not sure if they are legal in british columbia, ive tried to research it but havent had any luck. it would be awsome if someone could lead me to this source of info


Something you need to keep in mind is that Laser is a speeders
nightmare. When you get a Laser alert, "you" are the only one
on the road being shot and he more than likely has already
acquired your speed. All a detector will do for Laser is to let you
know your getting a ticket. Radar is a different story, you can
have advanced warning with radar.

When your being shot by Laser this is how wide the beam is
at 1000 feet. So you are the only one that is being targeted.
Your not going to get any advanced warning before he has your
speed unless you have Veil or a Active Laser Jammer.

but this doesnt really explain why my uniden didn't give me any alerts alerts at all even when the cop is already walking across the road to block me and pull me over compared to 8 months ago when it worked for the once while i was driving on the freeway and the distance between me and the cop was from 1 exit to the other:?

so then this means that whatever detector i choose to go with even if its the almighty v1 you're saying that i'm powerless against laser!? for a temporary solution i think i will give veil a try..anybody know where i can get it or if its available locally? what is the price range for a good laser jammer for a decent price and again will i be able to get this locally?

thx for all the responses and keep the input coming :D

[Orbital75]

But this doesn't really explain why my uniden didn't give me any alerts alerts at all even when the cop is already walking across the road to block me and pull me over compared to 8 months ago when it worked for the once while i was driving on the freeway and the distance between me and the cop was from 1 exit to the other:?

so then this means that whatever detector i choose to go with even if its the almighty v1 you're saying that i'm powerless against laser!? for a temporary solution i think i will give veil a try..anybody know where i can get it or if its available locally? what is the price range for a good laser jammer for a decent price and again will i be able to get this locally?

thx for all the responses and keep the input coming :D
Well, when I said all detectors will detect laser I meant that
they are capable of detecting Laser. Most lower end detectors
such as Uniden, Cobra, Rocky Mountain Radar, KAT, and PNI
have a difficult time and struggle picking Laser up and alerting even
though they have the ability to. Your Higher end detectors such as
Escort, Bel, Whistler, and Valentine 1 will have an extremely
Higher Chance of alerting.... Laser is hard to detector with any
detector but with a cheap one, your not going to have a chance.
Like that photo above, the beam is not even close to your windshield,
your only hope is the officer has a shaky hand and the beam bobs
up and down a little and it hits your detector sensor.

As far as Veil, it will reduce the distance that the officer can get a
lock on you. Basically it's light absorbing paint that works like a
stealth bombers outer panels. Officers are trained to aim at your
Headlights or Front Tag. The theory behind this is anything highly
reflective will give them a strong Laser reading and a faster Speed
Lockon. Veil greatly reduces the reflection so its alot harder to
get a lock. You can purchase it from either
www.radarbusters.com or http://www.laserveil.com

Honestly, if Laser is your main threat I would strongly suggest
a Jammer. The LI is a really nice one..... The LI plus some
laser Veil will solve your laser problem.

If Detectors are illegal where you live, get the Bel STI. Not sure
if your aware but Officers have RDD's ( Radar Detector Detectors )
the Bel STI is immune to the Spectra RDD so the STI is what you
need.

Hope this helps a little......

[google]

But this doesn't really explain why my uniden didn't give me any alerts alerts at all even when the cop is already walking across the road to block me and pull me over compared to 8 months ago when it worked for the once while i was driving on the freeway and the distance between me and the cop was from 1 exit to the other:?

so then this means that whatever detector i choose to go with even if its the almighty v1 you're saying that i'm powerless against laser!? for a temporary solution i think i will give veil a try..anybody know where i can get it or if its available locally? what is the price range for a good laser jammer for a decent price and again will i be able to get this locally?

thx for all the responses and keep the input coming :D
Well, when I said all detectors will detect laser I meant that
they are capable of detecting Laser. Most lower end detectors
such as Uniden, Cobra, Rocky Mountain Radar, KAT, and PNI
have a difficult time and struggle picking Laser up and alerting even
though they have the ability to. Your Higher end detectors such as
Escort, Bel, Whistler, and Valentine 1 will have an extremely
Higher Chance of alerting.... Laser is hard to detector with any
detector but with a cheap one, your not going to have a chance
in H3!! picking it up. Like that photo above, the beam is not even
close to your windshield, your only hope is the officer has a shaky
hand and the beam bobs up and down a little and it hits your detector
sensor.

As far as Veil, it will reduce the distance that the officer can get a
lock on you. Basically it's light absorbing paint that works like a
stealth bombers outer panels.

Hope this helps a little......

ahh yes looking back at that pic made much more sense
im strongly considering getting an x50 now just because i think its the best bang for my buck

one more thing i noticed and would like to know more about is how it says "escort 8500 x50 (Rev. 5) * HardWired *" on your sig
can u tell me more about the "(rev. 5)" part, how can i check for this to make sure that i get the latest and the best one out there

[Orbital75]

Sure...... no problem.....
The Escorts like all other detectors have built in software.
Escort uses the term Rev which I'm pretty sure refers to
Revision. Currently the escorts are running Revision 6.3.
I bought my Escort 8500 X50 back in 2004 so at that time
Rev 5 was the latest. They say that Rev 5 was the best but
if varies from person to person. I've never had any problems
with mine, I really consider it a great Purchase......

One more thing, I wouldn't purchase a detector off e-bay.
Ask anyone on this board, e-bay is a BAD place to buy a
detector.

[google]

how do i check for the revision before i buy the unit? will it just be under the s/n?

thx for the ebay tip. im thinking of picking up one in a good condition on craigslist

[Orbital75]

how do i check for the revision before i buy the unit? will it just be under the s/n?

Well, there is only one way and that is to reset the unit. You have to
press and hold the two buttons on the top along with the mute button
on the front of the detector. Now, Turn the Unit on and it will Boot and show
the Rev #. You can't tell without doing this.

[Nighthawk243]

should i even consider ebay a trusted source when buying either the v1 or the x50?? for the laser jammer im also looking into buying one of these but im not sure if they are legal in british columbia, ive tried to research it but havent had any luck. it would be awsome if someone could lead me to this source of info


You might be able to find a decent V1 on ebay, but usually eBay is not a good source for the V1.

Usually when it comes to ebay, alot of the V1's on there are either A) Over priced, as much as 50+ dollars over what Valentine Research charges., or B) A very "Hot" item, meaning stolen. There have been people who have bought an ebay V1, sent it in to VR for an upgrade, only to find out that that particular detector had been reported as stolen. Another thing is that some of those stolen detectors had the SN scratched off, and if the Serial number is compromised, VR will not service the unit.

[google]

after further research, im having dilemas between the x50 and the v1 especially after seeing this test video

YouTube - V1 Laser Test with VPD Ultralyte (http://youtube.com/watch?v=H-iTl42YYhc)

this is one of the areas where i got my first ticket :(
it seems like the v1 is almost as good as a laser jammer so i might just spend the extra buck getting one or get an x50 and and the active laser jammer thats being used in that vid

what do u guys suggest? ive also heard a lot of stories from my friends recently about how most of them are getting dinged by laser so it seems like laser is whats being used more often around vancouver bc nowadays..

[hockey005]

the v1 does own laser