My V1 first impressions.

Let me begin by saying that the previous detector that I had was a whistler xtr-695se, which some say can keep up with the big boys on ka using KaMAX mode. The one thing that I felt it was missing was a little bit of range. So when I had the chance, I sold it and purchased a "returned" V1.

I've driven about 400 miles with it so far through NYC, NJ, and upstate NY. In a word, this thing KICKS ASS. I never thought that the arrows were that useful because with the Whistler, I could tell whether I was moving towards or away from a stationary target by the signal strength. Where the arrows were really useful was in determining if I'm being shot from behind or if someone is approaching me from behind with C/O. The reactivity and sensitivity was also really good. My first trip up, I was able to pick up C/O from about 1/2 mile away around a bend with the cop on the shoulder facing AWAY from me. The 2nd encounter was I/O shooting at the cars in front of me, once again, from around the corner. The V1 picked up a blip from about a mile out, giving me about 30 seconds worth of warning before I saw the officer coming around the corner.

The BIGGEST surprise about the detector was how quiet it was. I expected something with this much sensitivity to be a chatter box compared to the whistler. I realized, after confirming with a few board members, that it just did a better job of verifying what signals were real and false. This is most apparent when I drive through brooklyn and manhattan because the V1 is actually QUIETER than the Whistler by about 25% to x-k falses and almost 50% to ka-falses. I think it's something that should definitely be conveyed to new owners of the V1 who are coming from low/mid-end detectors because it certainly caught me by surprise and made me think my V1 was defective!

One of the first things I did was turn ka-guard and pop off but that turned out to be a little too noisy. So far now, ka-guard is back on and pop remains off. Does anyone have any idea, quantitatively how much difference pop on/off makes?

The 2nd thing I did was make the display easier to see. The thing is near impossible to see where the dials are at night. I put 2 strips of white tape on it to make it easier to see. Then I put a small dot of tape over k-band and strip over the x-band. This makes it much easier to distinguish at a glance what bands it is since I'm not able to tell the difference in sound. The last thing I did was put a small strip of tape down the center of the arrows where the LED's were. This cut down on the sharp point of light coming from the arrows that would give the unit away at night.

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/2...mallcustom.jpg

After accounting for what I got for the whistler, the V1 cost me $250, not too bad! Thanks for listening! :cool:

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how much difference pop on/off makes?

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From my experience, POP OFF makes a big difference when it comes to Ka flases and J-outs. On my 3.872, I have yet to see a J-out or Ka false with POP off.

Your tape idea to distinguish bands is cool but I don't think it was necessary. Once you drive around with the V1 for awhile, you should be able to ID what band an alert is without looking up at the display. One beep for X, one brap for K, and two braps for Ka.

Welcome fellow tri-stater!! I'm glad that you went with the V1 and good that you love it!

I actually like your tape idea. For the bands you really don't need them there, you'll get used to the tones, but for the arrows that's smart.

X-band is used out here in frontier territory and I use K-band AutoMute in logic-mode. Weak X and K alerts can be hard for my tired ears to distinguish.

I completely blocked the X-band LED
With barely a glance it's easy to know 'low-level alert with no Band-ID = X-band'

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Originally Posted by Xil

My V1 first impressions....the previous detector that I had was a whistler xtr-695se...in a word, this thing KICKS ASS

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Great to hear, mate. Welcome to the top! :D Cool ideas with the tape but agree that it won't take long to know the tones.

Good write up man. I'm thinking of doing the same after I put some more miles on my V1 (I've only put on about 150 miles).

I made a similar step and have similar observations. Going from my X50 (S7) to my V1 (3.813), I noted it's much quieter with regards to falsing in areas where my only RD would always false.

I know it needs a tune but I'm going to see how it works for a little bit before I send it in.

Good on ya xil, the V1 is a beast of an RD and the arrows are what seperate the V1 from the rest of the pack IMO. I also like the Tape job around the volume knob that's kinda unique.