radar detectors

[magus]

what is a good brand for the price? i dont have a bemmer yet but just talk to my state farm agent and the cost from liability only on my truck to full coverage will double my monthly payment. so i was wondering what brand of radar detector you guys are using. cause i wouldnt want to get any tickets.

thanx in advaced

[jllphan]

Bimmer= car
Beemer= motorcycle

Don't want others to bust your balls...

There are really only two brands to look at. The Valentine 1 is very good, arguably the best in the world, but it is pricey ($400.00US). Passport makes the 8500 and the SOLO S2. Both of these are good and are very similar in performance, they just differ with regards to cosmetics and display. Oh, and the S2 is cordless. They are both about $300.00US. All of the others are a waist of money (false alerts due to poor circuitry and a lack of effective filters). Of course if you travel in rural areas where there aren't a lot of other cars around, they are all a waste of money!!

[Scarface]

I have a Passport 8500 in stock, as soon as I pay my screen off(tomorrow), the 8500 is going in the bimmer! I hear it is an awesome detector, guess I will find out soon! I also noticed that the 8500 is reprogrammable for future typesor radar...That is very cool!

[jllphan]

Yes it is upgradeable (you have to send it off the manufacturer, but that is still very cool), my favorite thing about the 8500 is the adjustable X-band sensitivity. The bandwidth that X-band radar guns operate at is similar to the frequncies that are emitted by automated doors at a WalMart or airports, and also similar to microwave ovens (moron nuking a burrito at a 7-11), which means that is where most of the false alerts come from. Radar detectors have a City/Hwy button that compensates for this, but the problem is, by engaging this feature, you also drop the sensitivity for all the other bands as well. The 8500 allows you to "bump down" the sensitivity of the X-band and keep all the other bands at "full Alert". You can even turn the X-band (or any of the others off altogether if you wish!)


Bottom line, very cool detector, i love the 8500 but upgraded to the SOLO S2 because it is wireless!!!

[Cndrella's M3]

I have a Valentine 1 radar detector. I think it works grrrreat! It is a little pricy though ... $399 ... but it was definitely worth it. Then again, I was lucky because I got it as a gift for Valentine's Day!

[BMWJNKY]

I use the 8500. The only thing I do not like about it is not having the direction arrows that the V1 has. But since I saved about $130 by going with the 8500 instead of the V1 I think it was a fair trade. I like having the spec display showing vehicle voltage. It's a pretty sweet feature.