Valentine 1 let me down..

[Falconeer]

I have had the Valentine 1 in my Viper for close to two years now and it has never let me down.. until now

I was driving home from Edmonton drivin a little too fast when I noticed a car approaching me in the horizon. It looked like a police car but I had no signal from the Valentine. I eased off the throttle just in case. When the car came closer I saw it was a police car and I started braking hard. When he passed me the lights came on of course and he turned around. All of a sudden when he turned around my Valentine went crazy, so it did work (at least the rear sensor). I hoped he only stopped me because he saw I drove fast and not because he actually clocked me. It turned out he did clock me and I got a nasty ticket which I off course plaid myself guilty for. I was speeding.. But I am dissapointed my Valentine didn't give any warning. There were no planes in the area and it should spot laser too. What is your experience with it? Could it be broken? I am just surprised I got no signal at all!

Erik

 

[AZTVR]

Did the officer tell you how he detected your speed? Radar, Lidar (laser), Vascar (visual, plus stopwatch, plus, in this case a buddy with a radio) or WAG (wild ass guess)? I have had good luck with my V1, not that I have ever exceeded the maximum legal speed limit. I just use it to determine whether there may be any officers nearby in case I see someone in need of police help; and I would want to know which direction would be the quickest route to go get assistance.

 

[twinturbo3150]

I doubt it was lazer, they have to be stationary to use lazer. Was there any other traffic in front of you? Sounds like you were the only 1 heading in that direction at the time of the radar. Unless there is traffic already in front of you to take the first hit from the radar. If so I think any detector is useless, against instant on. Sounds like the cop hit his radar just as you got in range, expecting you to have a detector of some sort, .02

 

[Randy]

Reminds me of a story when I was out on a first date back in the early '80s. She wasn't familiar with radar detectors, but was curious about mine. We're stopped at a light with a local officer next to us at the light, and she looks at the patrol car, then points to the remote display on my built-in Cobra X/K remote (whose display was dark except for the power light) and asks, "Why isn't it going off?"

My response: "Its not a cop detector, its a radar detector".

A Valentine-1 will not protect you any more than any other radar detector if the office isn't using radar. The two detectors in the V-1 are not mutually-exclusive - if there is a radar in the vicinity on the bands that it picks up, both of them *will* pick it up if one of them is at more than two lights - just the stronger one gets the flashing arrow. So, your story implies the officer did not have the radar on at all.

For that matter, if an officer is using radar the way its *SUPPOSED* to be used (as supposedly dictated by many police departments): by initially making a visual estimate, then using the radar only to verify his estimate, then radar detectors would rarely be useful.

 

[sbkim]

Same thing happened to me. Here are my conjectures

1. He heard your car and was ready for you - I also have borla and they are pretty loud and mean from outside.

2. he used the POP that V1 website mentions. I am thinking about upgrading but doubt it helps when he does instant on radar

 

[Purdue_Boiler_Viper]

Only time I saw a ticket for a V1 was when my buddy was driving his car using my V1. Instant on got us. The officer came over a hill, coming toward us, and the detector made a short brap noise at just about the same time. End of story. Got a ticket.

 

[SylvanSRT]

VASCAR- marks on the road with an airplane above

 

[99 R/T 10]

Guys, POP radar is becoming more prevelent. I was in GA last week and my detector didn't even go off. I have a Bel 980 in my truck, and I was completely taken by surprise. They aren't SUPPOSE to be writing tickets while using POP, but they are. Keep your eyes sharp while drivng out there!

 

[gotV10]

what is pop?

 

[Matt M PA]

First of all POP is a very fast radar signal used by radar guns made by MPH. The idea is that the signal hits your car and comes back to the gun faster that a detector can see. Newer V1 have POP ability. When the V1 starts up...it will show the letters P O P.

According to the MHP website's info on POP...here's a quote...
"MPH recommends that the officer obtain a tracking history of a speed violator by operating the radar in normal transmit mode after determining with POP mode that the vehicle is speeding. This is because most radar case law is based on tracing a vehicle in normal radar operation. The information obtained in POP mode is accurate and reliable, but may not be supported by case law in court."

My understanding from reading various places on the internet is that POP is simply not accurate enough to write citations with. Apparently it also has much to do with the distance from the target as well.

POP is supposed to be used for monitoring traffic.

Common sense dictates that any radar receiver cannot warn you of instant on radar unless traffic around you is checked first.

 

[Falconeer]

There were no planes in the air.. and because I was so humble at that point I didn't ask how he clocked me. But he must have clocked me since the speed he said I was driving was very close to what I saw on the speedometer.

I never heard of POP, but up here on the deserted Canadian highways I just can't imagine the cops having such new technology. I guess I have to be more careful when driving from now on.