What to do with V1 in the summer?

[Jstglockem]

I was wondering if buying one of those solar powered fans would be a good idea?

They don't really do anything except waste your money

Figures! Thanks

[fwb]

I used to leave mine up on the windshield all year, but now that I'm in florida and it's summer, I noticed the black nob starts to get kind of sticky on hot days (yikes, starting to melt? I think it's a different material than the case), so I started taking it down. Never have observed drops in performance.

[ben721364]

I have had no problems with heat, or anything else beyond normal wear and tear, in the Gulf South or in Central and West Texas.

[NormSky]

I left the V1 mounted on the brake reservoir on the bike in a brief shower. It took on some water as it came dripping out when I tilted the R-11 jack toward the ground. I let it dry out and all radar and laser work great.

[North Alabama]

Have any of you guys noticed that your V1 is performing better during this heat wave? My 3.872 has turned into a super RD. I am getting over-the-hill ranges and off axis alarms like never before (even with the Ka Guard on), wow, do not understand what is happening on the Ka band but it is unreal.......

[NormSky]

I think the V1 very consistent but do find dryer weather the radar travels farther.

[pipinos1976]

We should consider two different things: a) the environmental temp and b) the direct sunlight. I'll use Celsius degrees but you'll get the point.

1. As long as the environmental temp is "normal", it's very difficult to exceed manufacturer limits. If the outside temp is, lets say 50o C, then the limits are close and if the RD is used frequently under these conditions the aging factor will destroy the device sooner. Storage is another thing. No damage can be done when storing the device inside a car.

2. Direct sunlight is another thing. If you measure the temp when direct sunlight hits a certain spot, you can see temps higher than 120oC during summer and even 80oC in a sunny winter day (I don't remember exact values, it was 1995-96 when we measured such things in Athens, Greece). Of course, the fact that a certain spot (or even whole RD) is exposed to these temps, doesn't mean that the inside of the RD is at the same temp. It's just another factor that rises the temp and ages the RD.

To summarize and be more practical:

1. Use the RD without fear when mounted high. Unless you are in Death Valley or Sahara, there is no problem from the heat, just small performance variations (usually degradation).

2. Avoid high temps and especially direct sunlight when mounted low = mount high.

3. When mounted low, remove the RD when it's not used to avoid exposure to direct sunlight.

4. You can store it inside the car without any fear. Damage caused by heat is unlikely to happen before you change the RD. If you mount the RD high there is no need to remove it (no direct sunlight exposure).

5. If you want to use custom vents or some automatic systems certain cars are equipped with (ex. Mercedes with solar cells on the roof), let the windows open to remove the hot air. With windows closed, the ventilation just mixes the already hot air.

Thnx for your time.

* Excuse me for my english. I wrote the text very fast, without any grammar and spelling check.

[jas0ndotc0m]

Today, I swapped the non-coiled wire to the coiled wire, and left it in the car as usual (I put the v1 in the glove conpartment). When I came back to my car, the coiled wire was all sticky cause the plastic around the phone line melted, this happen to any of you?

[speeddemon]

.

[chawski]

I always take my V1 down, but more as a means of security than heat protection. If it ever gets hot enough in your car to melt the internals of the V1, the V1 is gonna be the least of your worries ha