What radar detector do u have?

Where and how is it installed and

Are you happy with it.

Trying to decide what to buy and how to install it. Thanks for your opinion in advance.

IMO it comes down to the Valentine One or the K40 Calibre (ultra clean install, but pricey). I have the Valentine One and I'm very happy with it.

<a href="http://www.speedzones.com">http://www.speedzones.com</a>

It has saved my ass more times than I can count in the 10 years I have one.

I got a great price on a unit and went for it. I can post picks of the installed unit if that is helpful, but not much to see when it's installed. Just 2 led lights on the dash. Very discreet.

If i was buying one today it would probably be a Bel Pro RX65 which is an 8500 X50 with Ku band detection and an option for Ka - USA as opposed to being forced to scan for all Ka's

Most everyone rants and raves for the V1 and the only thing they will ever say is it has arrows... this just flat out gets old.

If your detector is picking up Ka band or even K in an unusual location you will slow down the arrows are utterly useless.

The other thing a V1 person will say is that its the only one with a bogey counter which is also false as both the Bel and Escort have a bogey counter which shows strength of each band all at the same time.

Also both the Escort and Bel have immensely better filters than the V1 with regards to falses and are a lot less annoying.

Personally in this order this is what i'd buy....
1. Bel Pro RX65
2. Escort Passport 8500 X50
3. Valentine One

that being said Ku is not used in the United States yet so I don't mind that my Passport doesn't detect Ku.

Those are the only 3 detectors I would ever consider however and if I had the money I'd match it with Blinder Laser Jammers (however I do not)

My detector is hardwired to the fuse panel and the wire is completely hidden until it comes out under the rear view mirror and plugs in.

I used the fuse for the reverse lights/rear view compas (because you don't want a fuse that is on when the car is off otherwise your detector never turns off)...

P.S. 99% of people will probably swear by the V1 so you've gotta do a little testing on your own if possible.

I have the 8500 X50 as a I said, I have one friend with a V1, another friend with an X50, another friend with a Bel Pro RX65, and one friend with all 3 I mentioned.

Testing of them came to the conclusion both the Bel and Escort are much better than the V1 and comparably the only difference was that the Bel Pro already has Ku ability (however in an email Escort told me if Ku does actually make it to the U.S. the Passport will be upgradeable to Ku)

Valentine 1.

Suction cupped to the top of the windshield. Power lead runs along the windshield edge to the fuse panel.

Yes.

it was down to the v1 and the passport 8500. i decided on the v1 due to the arrows, size/shape/display color(red matches the rest of the interior), plus the fact that pretty much everyone on the forum recommends it.

i hardwired mine into the fuse box, it sits nicely next to my rearview mirror... it's almost invisible from the outside in that location due to the tint band.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/34909/v1-hardwire.jpg">

arrows are just one of the features that i like about it.

"it was down to the v1 and the passport 8500. i decided on the v1 due to the arrows, size/shape/display color(red matches the rest of the interior), plus the fact that pretty much everyone on the forum recommends it."

where are the other points ?

size/shape/diisplay color ?
passport is smaller, more compact body, with the same RED display as the V1 to match the audi interior, however from a display standpoint the passport has bright LEDs which make a very customizeable to your own needs/wants display.

I.E. the display I've chosen shows all bands of radar at the same time, showing multiple bogeys on each band and the individual strength of each band.

I don't think you can beat that.

The arrows are nice, but like I said Ka band is Ka band... I'm going speed limit till the threat is gone I dont need arrows to tell me that

in order for me to mount it properly to the right of my tt's mirror, the escort was too long and would stick out too far. the v1 is more square and rests behind the mirror as opposed to sticking out. also i wanted the body to be black and not a grey-silver color.

id find that hard to see ...

i mounted mine below my rear view mirror... from my perspective all i actually see if the face of the detector that is black with red lettering...

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/39591/hardwired_passport_k_x.jpg">

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/39591/hardwired_passport_rs6.jpg">

the location works pretty well for me. i don't find the need for a remote display. the only thing that gets annoying is having to reach up when you want to mute it (lol that sounds lazy as hell)

i hate reaching up to mute... i want to hardwire the mute switch but i dont wanna do that much work

The arrows would be nice, but on the other hand, you don't have distinct audio tones for each band of radar. As you know, the majority of detections are X-band, and with a distinct audio tone for X, I don't even have to *look* at the display to know it's a non-threat. The S2 has other advantages also...for example, the ability to display the band and strength of up to 3 different sources of radar simultaneously (i.e. you could have 3 X-sources, 3 Ka-sources, and 3 K-sources showing on the display at the same time).

But for me, the real advantage is the ease of swapping the unit from one vehicle to another.

Here is the on/off switch for the Lidatek and the head unit for the Bel 966R. I have been completely happy with the Bel, although it is only really available in europe. The lid for the ashtray does still close for complete stealth.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/91634/966r_head_and_lidatek_switchresize.jpg">
The sunshade button is actually my Lidatek LED. I like the setup alot, becuase noone would know it wasnt part of the car already.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/91634/lidatek_lightresize.jpg">
One of the whole dash
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/91634/complete_installresize.jpg">

are you going to do anything but slowdown when the thing buzzes? Are you going to say " well it's behind me, I am going to nail it...".

i recently bought the Passport 8500 x50, and the thing works like a charm. my only complaint is the awkward power chord that runs down to my cigarette lighter. how did you hardwire it? if you could email me details, that would be great- dangola33@hotmail.com

i've never driven with the v1, so my thoughts are obviously biased... but last night my passport picked up a speed trap from about a mile and a half away. by the time i was getting the high-beam flash from oncoming traffic, i had known it was there for a minute.

i'm sure both detectors do their job exceedingly well... i think it comes down to: do you want to spend $100 extra for arrows, but more false alarms?

where is your main unit installed. I like the set up you have an am considering following your lead. thanks

One each in the Audi and the Touareg. Love that thing and I feel strange driving a car without one now.

I hear a beep, I slow down. Easy to use, and the X50 has a lot less false alarms than the V1 and previous 8500.

On my B5 S4, I mounted the remote display under the dasy on one of the plastic covers that hide the lower bolster screws.

On my B6 S4, I've just don't use the remote display.

I wired one lead into a spare slot in the fuse box and grounded there as well. I ran the cable up to the corner of the A piller and window.

i.e. a hardwired passport would give more range, and you never have to worry about the batteries going dead on you

i did a fuse tap and shared the fuse with the (Reverse lights / map compass) you want a fuse that is off when the car is off so the detector doesn't stay on all the time.

I ran the wire up the A-Pillar from the fuse panel, then in the headliner, and out where the plastic covering for the rear view mirror is.

Everything I read said Ku band was a band specific to europe that most units will not pickup including the RX75 pro. Now if I was in the states I might have gone for the RX75 in the end, but price was also an issue. I didnt want to pay $1000 either. I got the 966R for right around $500. so in the end it was price and ability of the detector for where I live

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I am used to having all the cigarette lighters come on with the ignition. Now in my 06 S4, they are all wired hot. I would like to have my V1 wired through the dash and come on with the ignition but am reluctant to have the local stereo shop do it. Opinion?

...most people who have a detector with no arrows and have a constant signal are more likely to ignore it whereas with the arrows you can slow down and eventually identify the source. I once did this to discover - get this - an unmarked Sheriff deputy (female) on a motorcycle. She nailed two drivers that were going with me in a pack. I think everyone thought it was a false alarm but the arrows kept changing direction when I let her pass me.

then ran the power wire up the a-pillar across the headliner and to the detector mounted above the mirror. Maybe a 45 minute job first time. Probably more like 20 the second time around. I would take a stab at it if I were you - if that doesn't work, any shop will be able to do it for a minimal charge - it's quite simple (of course mine is a B6 but I can't imagine significant changes in that area).

for that matter anything Ka is never a false to me, and strong K on the highway unless i know the area and see that same 1 bogey is not a false

i as well hardwired to the fuse panel... selected the fuse for the reverse lights/compass

thats not hot when the car is off... i assume the same fuse is there on the b7

I am going to do the install similar to miketaylor to make it as stealthy as possible.

BTW I have a friend who bought the RX65 for his M3 over here and loves it. I just wanted the system installed.

....the range of the Solo/Escort is more than adequate. I'm going on 4 years with this unit and not a single stop for speeding. The batteries last about a month...and I commute about 250 miles/week on average.

Photos would be great. I would also love to hear from other K40 users or folks who considered the K40 versus the standard V1/Bel detectors. One of the local custom installers will install the new Bluetooth version of the K40 for about $1700 with a front and rear radar detector and front laser jammer. Thats pricey and I'm trying to figure out whethere the extra $1k is worth it?

However, I have heard very little discussion on how the K40 compares to the V1 / RX65 / Escort / Passport from a performance point of view? It is clearly neater, sexier, more stealth but is it faster, more/less features, fewere false alarms etc.? Ant views from the gurus?

adanny