on a budget...

[texasspeed]

ok i really dont want to spend no more than 300 bucks on a new radar. i found the beltronics v955 for 200 dollars at circuit city. I live in west texas and drive alot of open highway and in a city(abilene, tx). is the 955 good enough. i recently have had a cobra and well it sucks..haha..let me know ya'lls opinions...

[djrams80]

ok i really dont want to spend no more than 300 bucks on a new radar. i found the beltronics v955 for 200 dollars at circuit city. I live in west texas and drive alot of open highway and in a city(abilene, tx). is the 955 good enough. i recently have had a cobra and well it sucks..haha..let me know ya'lls opinions...

The v955 is my pesonal favorite "best bang for the buck" RD. You should do just fine with the v955. Beware though, Texas DPS loves their I/O.

[texasspeed]

ok, i am totally new to everything. what is an I/O? and i'll prolly mount my detector on the dash in the middle(i drive a f150 that has a lift). i think i sit high enough that its a good position or is it? and riding around with a buddy that has a escort the troopers around here usually use ka band. thats my experience(not much at all)..i will definitly take everything ya'll say into consideration. im all ears.

[djrams80]

ok, i am totally new to everything. what is an I/O?

Instant on.

and i'll prolly mount my detector on the dash in the middle(i drive a f150 that has a lift). i think i sit high enough that its a good position or is it? and riding around with a buddy that has a escort the troopers around here usually use ka band. thats my experience(not much at all)..i will definitly take everything ya'll say into consideration. im all ears.

We around here usually prefer the highest mount possible. The less cars your RD has to look through, the better the range. The high mount is not condusive to alerting you to when youo've been hit by laser, but this is almost always just a ticket notifier anyway, so nothing lost there.

[texasspeed]

ah.ok. i get it.well im pretty sure im gonna go with the 955 and i will try mounting it by the rvm and see how that goes.. i have one more question and then i will quit bugging ya'll..whats the difference in the 955 and say a more expensive one like the gx65. are they the same sensitivity or is it just the features.

[erickonphoenix]

ok, i am totally new to everything. what is an I/O? and i'll prolly mount my detector on the dash in the middle(i drive a f150 that has a lift). i think i sit high enough that its a good position or is it? and riding around with a buddy that has a escort the troopers around here usually use ka band. thats my experience(not much at all)..i will definitly take everything ya'll say into consideration. im all ears.

DPS uses Ka band radar (Stalker guns, frequency 34.747) The new chargers have brand new Stalker DSR video radar which is about the coolest gadget I've ever seen.

Anyways, they can use this in one of two ways. Constant On: where they leave the radar on to acquire speeds all the time. And Instant On: where they leave the radar in "standby mode" (undetectable by radar detectors) then click it on for a speed lock.

DPS operators can use both modes while moving or stationary but the Instant On moving is the one that is particularly hard to beat. The most sensitive Radar Detectors on the market the Valentine One and the Escort 9500i take about 3 miles to catch a radar signal from an Instant On trigger. This IO trigger is usually off/on/then off again so it takes a very sensitive Radar Detector to give you that small Ka blip of warning. If a patrol car is moving he only has to limit his triggers to roughly 1 every 30 seconds to keep even the best Radar Detectors silent.

So for defense against West Texas State Troopers you need the best detection possible since moving IO is their principle targeting method. On those flat highways the Valentine One is probably the best option you can get but not the cheapest.

If your really just needing protection from local County PDs then the v995 will do you just fine and it will probably alert you to DPS traffic stops since they tend to leave their Stalker units on during stops.

good luck.

[djrams80]

ah.ok. i get it.well im pretty sure im gonna go with the 955 and i will try mounting it by the rvm and see how that goes.. i have one more question and then i will quit bugging ya'll..whats the difference in the 955 and say a more expensive one like the gx65. are they the same sensitivity or is it just the features.

Lots of better features among which some are RLC and speed camera alerts, GPS false alert lockouts and greater sensitivity.

[texasspeed]

oh wow..ok..my gf's dad had a v1, but i am however not ready to spend 500 or more on a radar..thank ya'll for all of the great info. i appreciate it very much..well at least if i do get a ticket i get to take defensive driving once a year. took it last year and it wasnt all that bad except for the 86 in a 65 ticket..(no radar detector near austin)ouch...

[siRman20]

Very great info price is right! better to buy the best or dont waste your money the dsp's are sneaky bastards ive been past em several times got 4 saves with one blip on bush turnpike at nights i was tryn to figure that out then its full blast thought my radar was screwed up those stalkers are like bulletproof just today on dallas tollroad i was doin 60 and saw dps takin my time then bang again then his brakes come on i look back and a 90g rover flew on my tail at like 90 im sure he got stopped scared me 4 sec. i knew i wasnt speeding

[texasspeed]

hey is that bush turnpike the one that passes by plano and garlend? my aunt and uncle live in garland and i visit often. i know the dps up there like to hide under the overpasses and where all the roads combine..