My recent X50 performance. What do you think?

[Surgeon]

Since everyone's talking about how they get different performance in the city due to reflections and low radar gun power, I decided to turn on my trip odometer so I can find out, within reason, the amount of warning I get from signals in the city. So today, I decide to take a back road from the main street because the speed limit is 30 (too low), there are no stop lights, I have encountered cops on that road before, and the road is windy and hilly towards the end and this is where the cops always sit.

As I'm driving, I'm second in line and doing about 35-40 with the guy in front of me. As I approach the end, where I would expect a cop to be, the road, as I said earlier, is a bit of a hill and its also a corner. The hill crests right as it goes around the corner, and then, as you come around the corner, it goes downhill again. This is where the cop normally sits, at the bottom of the hill, about 600-700 feet from around the corner.

Therefore, I've got two obstacles...a corner, and a hill to hinder my warning time.

As I begin to climb the hill, I immediately get a single K alert. I never get falses here so I immediately know that a cop is running radar up ahead. So...I look at my odometer, note the mileage, and slow to 30 mph (meanwhile the car in front of me kept going about 35-40). As I begin to crest the hill and turn the corner, the signal strengthens to about 3-4/9 until its about 8-9/9 a couple seconds before I round the corner and see the cop up ahead. When I pass the cop, my odometer has gone about 3/10 of a mile or about a 1/3 of a mile (hard to tell exactly because I can only measure tenths of a mile).

All in all, I got about a 5-10 second (from seeing the cop), 1/3 mile warning (from passing the cop). I figure I'm going to try to get some video footage of it with my digital camera the next time. Hope it turns out ok.

Does this seem about the right amount of warning to everyone else?

[Iknox]

in city around here yes this seems right with me i do not get falses

[pemarsh]

I dont know if this has something to do with it, but I have noticed that my x50 is pointing upwards, rather than straight ahead.

It is attatched to their stock windshield dual suction cup mount, but the x50 does not lay horizontal...rather it is on an angle, with the front of it pointing more upwards.

ANyone else notice this?? Is this much of an issue??

If needed I can get pics.

Perry

[marlinspike]

Isn't the angle adjustable? I know it is on the V1, and I would think it would be on all detectors.
Richard

[pemarsh]

Not from what I see...I would literally have to bend the metal.

[SmaartAasSaabr]

Yes and this is what you are supposed to do.

[pemarsh]

Just went outside like some freak iin 20 degree weather....bent the metal...how its perfect.

I have no idea if it really makes a difference in performance though.

[SmaartAasSaabr]

Well if it is not pointing 180 degrees with everything it will be "looking" upwards or downwards. Ideally you want the detector aimed directly at the radar gun, and unless you're trying to pick up radar guns operated by guys in helicopters you want it at 180 degrees.

Unfortunately all automobiles have varying rakes to their windshields. When you are dealing with extremes, such as the 1950's-style wraparound upright windscreen on my Saab 900's (my wipers are 16" long, and they are too long...) or the space-age 850lb deals on the old GM "Dustbuster" minivans from 1990-96, you better hope you don't get metal fatigue :lol:

The best setups involve a kind of hinge device which the V1 has IIRC. But most detectors rely on you bending the metal, which is a real PITA when you go from driving certain "special" automobiles to something "not so special", ie when I take a detector from my Saab and go into a Grand Prix suddenly my detector is pointing downwards at 45 degrees...

[Radar 4 Ever]

I live in Albany NY and i'm getting a x50 red screen once i get the money for X-mas. When you have POP on, is Ka, K, and X band still on? and why would you have to turn POP off if that's the new gun that they use?

[tjbender]

I live in Albany NY and i'm getting a x50 red screen once i get the money for X-mas. When you have POP on, is Ka, K, and X band still on? and why would you have to turn POP off if that's the new gun that they use?

POP is just a very quick burst of K/Ka band, designed to be too quick for radar detectors to pick up.

The best argument for keeping it off is that you'll get far fewer falses, plus cops aren't supposed to give tickets in POP mode anyway. If they do, go to court, and ask the officer everything you can about the gun--especially whether or not they used it in POP mode when issuing the citation. Then hand a copy of the gun's manual to the judge, with a post-it note marking the page where it says not to issue tickets from POP mode.

[Zaltekk]

Although you may get a ticket thrown out of court if a LEO exclusively uses POP mode as a basis to issue the ticket, this doesn't warrant disabling detection of POP. It is highly likely that a LEO will switch to constant Ka or K after using POP to tell if you are speeding. This may give you enough warning to decrease your speed before the LEO is able to acquire your speed through legitimate means, saving you from a ticket. The amount of warning significantly increases if a car ahead of you is hit with POP(giving you a POP alert), but isn't going fast enough for the LEO to switch to constant Ka or K and issue a ticket.