The search for the right detector...

[shanepj13]

Hey everybody! My name is Shane and I am currently a student studying mechanical engineering in upstate New York.

I stay on my campus but travel a lot between school, home, and elsewhere. The drive is about 2 hours of highway where I often see state troopers and county sheriffs, and about 2 hours of larger back roads where I occasionally experience a state trooper. Both the highway and the back roads are winding and hilly since they are all in and around mountains and valleys. Other than that, the small college town has a state troopers barracks, state university police, and county sheriffs office.

I have never had a run in with officers until the first week of college last year, and since then I have received four tickets, two of which were speeding, an "inadequate" muffler, and a seatbelt violation (while I had it on, that was interesting). At this point, as a broke college student, I cannot afford to deal with it anymore, especially since my experiences include things that I am not even guilty for. I've done a lot of research on radar detectors trying to separate fact from fiction.

I am searching for a radar detector in the hopes of becoming more aware of my surroundings, as well as attempting to save some cash.

After finding out that some of these things may actually help me, I've found a few detectors that I may be interested in. Two that stand out to me are the Escort Redline and the Escort Passport 9500ix, but I want to get some more opinions, hence the reason why I decided to join the forum.

Thanks.

[North Alabama]

Welcome! The best thing is to obey the law which will save one a lot of money. But since your here, we shall go to your option #2, which RD? If you only are looking at these 2 RDs only, stay away from the ix period if it is open road driving. Many folks have complained about the "short to little advanced warnings" which scares the drivers. The ix is a slow filtered RD for Metro areas at least. A segmented Redline is the way to go, but, have you studied and know how to drive with a RD? The RD is not a free pass to speed for you will get nailed by I/O (instant-on radar) and Lidar! There is a lot of information on the Valentine One website about radar and laser which you must know for a start, then learn the Leo's equipment and how he uses it against you for better odds. Good luck!

[BrownOut]

I noticed that the redline has been mentioned another fine choice would be the V1 with BT dongle and YaV1 app for android. That set up will give a great amount of awareness because of the custom sweeps, gps lockouts of non threats as well as band recognition and direction. Redline also is stealth to RDD's making it suitable for states that ban their use. Consider both these options in your pursuit. Read here and other forums there is a wealth of knowledge that is available. Welcome to the forum.

[RedRocket]

Hi Shane & welcome to the Forum.
I have plenty of experience driving in NY (Buffalo native) over many decades & many tickets,too- before fully defending myself w/ the best CM gear.The Redline & V1 are both superb RDs.There are a couple of considerations to evaluate before choosing either one.Both are quite expensive for a starving,broke Student (you at RPI ?) for your limited budget.The Redline is considered the King of RDs w/ superb long range sensitivity & excellent "off-axis" radar detection.

The V1 also has excellent long range capabilities but its one weakness is its tunnel vision (lack of superb "off-axis" response).The V1's arrows are perfect for a 1st time RD buyer like you as a great aide to learn from.
I've been using one ever since they were 1st introduced many,many years ago.The RD I would recommend for your budget is less than half the cost & a serious contender to both the ones we're talking about above.It has excellent range,excellent "off-axis" response & is lightening fast & most times equal to the V1,but doesn't have quite the long distance range of the others.

That RD is the Beltronics RX-65 "S7" model.ER (Escort Radar) sometimes has "refurb'd" units factory fresh for $199.I have been using one for several years paired w/ my V1 so I speak from personal knowledge & use.You can also find them used for even less money but I would only buy from a person you trust & if it is in excellent condition.Just make sure it's "S7" version b/c not all RX-65s are the same internal electronics & radar Horn's (antenna) inside.

[shanepj13]

Thanks for the advice, money isn't a huge deal in this case. I'm leaning towards the Redline at this point after all of my research, I look to purchase closer to Christmas.
Speaking of Buffalo, I hear the weather is lovely there lately

Thanks again.

[RedRocket]

Thanks for the advice, money isn't a huge deal in this case. I'm leaning towards the Redline at this point after all of my research, I look to purchase closer to Christmas.
Speaking of Buffalo, I hear the weather is lovely there lately - yep,it sure is !-hahaha...sunny & warm,bring your sun tan oil.

Thanks again.

You're welome.
When you get it,make sure you keep it outta sight (for theft reasons) & that goes for the wiring,too.Keep it out of direct sunlight in the summer,otherwise it will get to hot which is not good for internal electronics !

[Veil Guy]

From an RPI graduate here, consider the V1C. It's an engineer's product designed by real engineers. I take it over the RL, by a nose. But really both are fabulous in their own right and if you ever go to VA, then its the RL for the win.

VG

[shanepj13]

From an RPI graduate here, consider the V1C. It's an engineer's product designed by real engineers. I take it over the RL, by a nose. But really both are fabulous in their own right and if you every go to VA, then its the RL for the win.

VG

Why would you suggest the V1C for general use everywhere except for VA? I don't plan on making a trip down that way anytime soon, just curious why the RL would be better for VA.

[CJR238]

From an RPI graduate here, consider the V1C. It's an engineer's product designed by real engineers. I take it over the RL, by a nose. But really both are fabulous in their own right and if you every go to VA, then its the RL for the win.

VG

Why would you suggest the V1C for general use everywhere except for VA? I don't plan on making a trip down that way anytime soon, just curious why the RL would be better for VA.

The use of Radar Detectors and jammers is illegal in VA, and they have devises that can detect if your using a RD. The RedLine is immune to those detecting devises.

[Veil Guy]

From an RPI graduate here, consider the V1C. It's an engineer's product designed by real engineers. I take it over the RL, by a nose. But really both are fabulous in their own right and if you every go to VA, then its the RL for the win.

VG

Why would you suggest the V1C for general use everywhere except for VA? I don't plan on making a trip down that way anytime soon, just curious why the RL would be better for VA.

When I attended RPI in the early eighties Connecitcut also banned them as had Virginia. At the time though there were no electronic devices that were designed available to law enforcement. All one had to do then was to use an RD discreetly--something we did.

Eventually technology did come (from down under) that was designed to detect certain frequencies that all conventionally designed superhet RDs put off. You'll often see on the packaging of detectors, VG-2 immune. Problem is the VG-2 has long since given away to Spectre. Only Escort and Beltronics M3-based detectors like the Redline have been designed to be immune to Spectre detection.

There are other detectors that while not immune like the M3s are actually quite hard to detect by Spectre and only when quite close to the RDD. This makes them usable in many cases in VA albeit with a bit more caution.

Fortunately the only remaining restrictions of RD usage today are:

Virginia
Washington D.C.
Military bases
Nationally, if you are driving a truck with a CDL

Here's a small piece on the Spectre IV RDD:

Veil Guy: Spectre RDD ™ Mk IV and Spectre RDD ™ Mk IV + Radar Detector Detectors

VG