Soon to be a new V1 owner with Questions

[slr_noob]

Hi, I'm going to purchase a V1 in the next couple weeks. Seems like a good all-around RD to me and some of my friends are using it too.

I'm thinking of this mount since nothing can on onto the windshield in CA. Looks like a good one and I'm going to order it. Anyone used this? I hope it should clear the top windshield tint. My only concern is how will adjusting the mirror itself affect the tilt of the RD. It looks the angle of the mirror stem dependents on how flat the RD sits.
The Radar Mount for the Escort or Beltronics

Is there any type of areas where V1 isn't doing so well? What do you guys think of the concealed display?

That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks

[TSi+WRX]

Welcome to RR.net

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For your first question, that of avoiding direct-to-windshield mounting - it can be attacked in many different ways:

Windshield Mount Illegal in California

^ This thread has a lot of references, and I recommend that you read through it in-detail, and link-out where myself and others have cited different products/methods.

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With regard to your second question - that of the V1's "weaknesses."

Honestly, the only concern I have for the V1, particularly of new owners/users - be they either radar-detector usage "veterans" or "virgins" - is one of information overload.

By-design, the V1 is an instrument of war. It's meant to let the end-user see everything, and to let the end-user decide if there are any threats. Full situational awareness, and nothing less.

To me, this poses a danger to the less-experienced user in that this person may not know how to properly interpret and/or respond to the potential threat sources indicated. And it still holds a certain level of danger even for the veteran, well-experienced user in that such persistent alerting could cause "detector desensitization" - whereby the user "tunes out" the alerts from his/her detector, and thus miss a valid threat signal, thinking that it's a false. And yes, that second scenario DOES happen. Search the old RD.net threads, and you'll see more than one case of our fellow hobbyists actually bravely owning up to their mistakes. These are not hypotheticals.

How to better combat this liability?

(1)

The V1 carries with it tremendous end-user enabled programming/customization capabilities. Used properly, these filters can drastically decrease the likelihood of falsing, and in raising the noise floor, be particularly helpful in dense-urban situations, where such spurious signals can be plenty.

However, one must use caution. It is very possible that in taking a too-agressive method of filtering, one cause the detector (or you, the user) to essentially be blindsided by valid signals that go un-reported. Veteran enthusiast the staton on RD.net, when he made his "V1 response video to Escort's 9500i promo" last year, specifically demonstrated this effect - that yes, you can get the V1 to be even quieter than the 9500i, around-town, but even he said that the way the detector was set-up for that video was non-viable, in terms of real-world protection.

Overall, I would urge that you, as a new user to the V1, first get accustomed to how it reports both falses as well as valid threats, for an extended initial "break in" period, before you begin to undertake such programming capabilities.

(2)

Incorporate a second-line, speed-sensitive, filter device, such as the Cheetah GPS-Mirror or C100 and Detector Interface.

This device would enable suppression of the detector's output, via parameters that you select, until you've reached a threshold road-speed (as measured via GPS), at which point the audible alerts would again be reported.

Visual alerting cues would remain.

For someone who must utilize the V1 in a dense-city environment, this would be of tremendous benefit.

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In terms of using the remote V1 display, I would always think that this is favorable, unless you are able to place the V1 within your primary or secondary sightline as-is.

Additionally, it would offer more discrete usage.

[fire65]

I don't really care for that mount, way to visible for me. Even with remote display it is still pretty obvious you have it. I would still hard wire it above the mirror if at all possible.
I do agree the V1 can be overwhelming for a new user. I have had mine for 5 weeks now and it is great where I live, very little falsing. I leave mine in A mode all the time with X off. I still have the X50 mounted if I want quiet I use it.

[slr_noob]

Will it be ok if I mount the RD on the windshield that is below the base where the mirror actually sticks onto and hard-wire it (hope you guys know what I'm talking about)? That location should clear the tint strip. The next thing I need to find out myself is where should I wire it to. I guess I'll just use it as if I don't have the concealed display just to try it out and get used to it.

What are some of the variables for RD in general? I read it won't work as well for both the OP of the gun and the RD when it's foggy outside since the fog is an interference. How about rain? Is it true that a car with a darker color will have some disadvantage? Do I have to mount it low enough so it can detect laser better?

I hope I didn't ask too much questions. Thanks

[stano0098]

Originally Posted by slr_noob

Will it be ok if I mount the RD on the windshield that is below the base where the mirror actually sticks onto and hard-wire it (hope you guys know what I'm talking about)?

That's the same place where i have my RD. In my state i have only encountered K-Band Radar. So i try to mount it high enough to get the very best radar detection range. If the LEO's used lidar i would probably mount it a little lower.