Could they make a better Valentine One Radar Detector With Gps?

[Jstglockem]

I was thinking "Google" I would pay $2000 for this kind of detector. Would any of you spend the money for this kind of RD?

I was not trying to make Cobra out to be good @ all. But one thing they do is spend money. With that said...that is going to be the down fall of V1.

25 years ago I bought a Nakamichi sound system with a Pickering cartridge.(look it up) This was Lamborghini of Amplifiers . Now I can buy a Nakamichi @ Best buys.


I am sure I have bought @ least 8 V1's over the years. I guess once again I am saying they need to step up. I want the best and have no problem spending the cash that I don't have for it.

I never forget that I came from nothing and still have most of it

These smile faces suck.

[ZPrime]

GPS alone wouldn't be able to tell you where a radar signal originated.

Triangulation requires two detectors to find the origin point in a 2D plane, three if you need to know vertical. This assumes that a detector is equally sensitive 360 degrees around it (which they aren't) and that it can differentiate left to right, which they can't. You'd need an array of at least 4 horns to give any vague sense of position on ONE detector, and again the only way to triangulate is with at least two separate detectors with sufficient separation to be useful for the math to work.

GPS doesn't tell you squat in a detector, other than YOUR position. Your GPS receiver triangulates based on the positions of the satellites in orbit.

If you could NETWORK (i.e. put on the internet) radar detectors, and equip them with GPS so they know their own position, then you could "pseudo-triangulate", but you'd have to have multiple people with these special detectors driving past the same radar source. If one guy drives past a source you can at least tag that source (think Escort trulock) and then share it with others in realtime if you have network access (think cellphone/data-only inside your RD), but again, you have no idea if it's a valid police source or a junk signal.

Really, other than GPS for quieting the detector like Escort has done, there isn't a lot more that we (enthusiasts) can do with radar detection. There are all of the trapster-type systems, and those could theoretically be automated, but then youd' probably need a monthly cellular data plan for your radar detector, and again, there's no easy way to VERIFY those databases. IMHO, a GPS-enabled V1 would rock due to its better speed than Escort (at least from the tests I've seen).

[Jstglockem]

I understand what you are saying. But with the burst that comes out of a Radar when it is in instant on Mode or just on..The V1 can pick up an most miss.

This burst is what I am referring to. Its not the GPS that is the problem. The problem is how to acquire the cops radar signature back to the RD and then break it down to everything that we do not have now.

More technology goes into a cell phone then what I am thinking of. If you need to bounce the signal out of your RD from object to object there is enough digital crap out on most roads to do it.

We use the same thing in city's that detect gun shots and can narrow it down with in a few feet.

GPS alone wouldn't be able to tell you where a radar signal originated.

Triangulation requires two detectors to find the origin point in a 2D plane, three if you need to know vertical. This assumes that a detector is equally sensitive 360 degrees around it (which they aren't) and that it can differentiate left to right, which they can't. You'd need an array of at least 4 horns to give any vague sense of position on ONE detector, and again the only way to triangulate is with at least two separate detectors with sufficient separation to be useful for the math to work.

GPS doesn't tell you squat in a detector, other than YOUR position. Your GPS receiver triangulates based on the positions of the satellites in orbit.

If you could NETWORK (i.e. put on the internet) radar detectors, and equip them with GPS so they know their own position, then you could "pseudo-triangulate", but you'd have to have multiple people with these special detectors driving past the same radar source. If one guy drives past a source you can at least tag that source (think Escort trulock) and then share it with others in realtime if you have network access (think cellphone/data-only inside your RD), but again, you have no idea if it's a valid police source or a junk signal.

Really, other than GPS for quieting the detector like Escort has done, there isn't a lot more that we (enthusiasts) can do with radar detection. There are all of the trapster-type systems, and those could theoretically be automated, but then youd' probably need a monthly cellular data plan for your radar detector, and again, there's no easy way to VERIFY those databases. IMHO, a GPS-enabled V1 would rock due to its better speed than Escort (at least from the tests I've seen).

[ZPrime]

If the gun-shot detection thing you're talking about is what I believe it is (audio-based)... it has multiple receivers. More than your RD, even a V1.

That gunshot detection system is EASIER to do than radar, because it doesn't need to be anywhere NEAR as specific. Radar you have to have a specific range of frequencies in microwave range. Gunshots, you just need a half-decent microphone array with precise spacing, and the right signal processing. Mics are cheaper than radar horns.

I'd be willing to bet that this gunshot system is fairly large too. Try to do the same thing with radar and it's going to be too big to put on a windshield or a dash...

From wikipedia article:

Most stand-alone systems have been designed for military use where the goal is to immediately alert human targets so they may take evasive and/or neutralization action. Such systems generally consist of a small array of microphones separated by a precise small distance. Each microphone hears the sounds of gunfire at minute differences in time allowing the system to calculate the range and bearing of the origin of the gunfire relative to the system. Military systems generally rely on both the muzzle blast and projectile shockwave “snap” sounds to validate their classification of gunfire and to calculate the range to the origin.

Distributed sensor arrays have a distinct advantage over stand-alone systems in that they can successfully classify gunfire with and without hearing a projectile “snap” sound, even amid heavy background noise and echoes. Such systems are the accepted norm[1] for urban public safety as they allow law enforcement agencies to hear gunfire discharges across a broad urban landscape of many square miles. In addition to urban cityscapes, the distributed array approach is intended for area protection applications, such as critical infrastructure, transportation hubs, and campuses.

Your idea, as I see it, would basically use the GPS-equipped, cellular-networked RDs as a distributed sensor array, the second paragraph.

This would possibly work, but again you'd have to have enough RDs around the source for it to do anything. If you drive past a speedtrap and you're the only car, there's no way to know where the guy is. The arrows on the V1 are the best you're going to get with only 2 opposite-direction horns and no external signal processing.

If you're willing to mount a bunch of horns on your car, throw a laptop under the seat to run the signal processing, and are willing to have a few SECOND delay, then you can probably do your own on-car system that will give you a better idea of where the LEO is. This will also cost you many thousands of dollars.

The networked system would be more feasable, but only if several cars on the highway at any given time had the special detectors. Plus, you'd have to find a way to deal with the data portion. If you could work something like Amazon did with the Kindle and provide lifetime data service as part of the detector you might be OK, but that will have a lot of up-front cost to the cell provider. Alternative B is to make the detector owners pay a monthly fee, which probably will not go over well.

[Jstglockem]

Gun thing bad example. But...we have the technology to make what I am talking about, in my opinion. Back in February of this year ( i think that was the month) Roy had talked with some group that was trying to team up with Trapster I think. They were going to do what trapster does but a much better program. Meaning you push a button on the unit and it was going to fly up in the sky among all the gps units and shoot down to the little box in your car and let you know where the threat was. (long story short)

I am sure someone on here knows the name of it. I want to say Fox or something like that...no idea

Trust me if my ass has thought of this..I guarantee I am not the only one.

I have not herd anything about this since. It makes me wonder what is going to be the new RD. What we have today sucks for this day an age. We have a bunch of little lights and some beeps and some numbers to make sure you know which band you are about to get nailed with. Give me a efing break.

Or are we at a point where if the company's get to smart they well out law them?

[Jstglockem]

I think the first RD I bought was back in 1985-86. I want to say it was a Whistler. It worked like a champ. It went beep and flashed lights. Not much has changed.

[takeshi]

Gun thing bad example. But...we have the technology to make what I am talking about, in my opinion.

This was pointed out long ago and in multiple threads but triangulation is still an issue with your idea.

Back in February of this year ( i think that was the month) Roy had talked with some group that was trying to team up with Trapster I think. They were going to do what trapster does but a much better program.

Have you actually used Trapster? Crowdsourcing is only useful if you get enough data collection points. I'm not convinced that any single manufacturer could pull this off. Just starting out, you're restricting data sources significantly by relying solely on RD users.

What we have today sucks for this day an age. We have a bunch of little lights and some beeps and some numbers to make sure you know which band you are about to get nailed with. Give me a efing break.

What we have today works. Too many people seem to fixate on the whistles and bells IMO. I could care less what my RD looks like or how it notifies me as long as it gets the data across to me in a timely and effective manner. YMMV, I guess.

Not much has changed.

A lot has changed. Just because you can't see the changes doesn't mean that they're not there. If there haven't been any changes then why aren't you using the antique Whistler?

[ben721364]

I have full confidence that Valentine Research will do whatever necessary to remain at the top of the heap.