Radar detector - any thoughts?

[tmrqs]

Debating between the Uniden R8 and Valentine 1 Gen 2.
Any feedback on either?

Thanks!

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[stevieg]

Debating between the Uniden R8 and Valentine 1 Gen 2.
Any feedback on either?

Thanks!

Just use Waze, don't waste your money on a detector...

 

[tmrqs]

Just use Waze, don't waste your money on a detector...

Waze works well when there is a) cell coverage and b) a lot of traffic.

I agree with your statement for the most part, but if one or both are absent, it’s pretty useless.

 

[stevieg]

Yeah, probably different in Europe...

 

[Tacoman]

I have an escort 9500ix. It's about 12/13 years old. It still does what I need it to do ..but have been thinking about upgrading (taking advantage of the new tech). Leaning towards the R8.

 

[llindenb]

The R8 is terrific. Having owned a V1 as well as an ALP system, I would say the R8 is the best single, non-remote detector system you can buy now.

 

[BigApple]

The R8 is terrific. Having owned a V1 as well as an ALP system, I would say the R8 is the best single, non-remote detector system you can buy now.

Redline ci 360 max. Works well.

 

[llindenb]

Oh yeah, have a redline too but not the new one, lol. With the R8, I strongly recommend the R8 Companion software as well.

 

[Petzi]

in my opinion - at least in europe - a laser blocker is much more important.
i used to use the stinger glass fiber radar warner & laser detector for this. i now use waze.
it's important to know that unlike radar, there is no warning time with lasers. (no reflections) once the laser hits the car, it's over. the laser blockers work by sending an error code back to the laser gun and simultaneously warning and shutting down. you can reduce speed before a second measurement is taken.

https://www.stealthveil.com/guides/best-laser-jammer-reviews/

 

[llindenb]

Agreed -- I use the ALP system with 5 sensors and two radar antennas on my other car, but I did not want to install that on my Macan as well since I rarely see laser here in MN.

 

[tmrqs]

I bought the Uniden R4 at Sam’s Club about 10 days ago and drove over 500 miles with it. I was wowed!

Some police/troopers car were exactly were Waze had called out… but several others were not showing at all on Waze. And the moving ones, cruising until they catch someone, were obviously not visible on Waze either.

I also very much enjoyed getting a sense of how far away they were, with the signal getting stronger as I got close.
To my surprise, it didn’t pick up too much noise from other cars and automatic doors, likely thanks to the settings from Vortex.

But my biggest gripe was the lack of arrows indicating where the signal was coming from: was the danger ahead of me, or catching up to me from behind? Hence the uncertainty around the Valentine and the R8.

Yesterday I received the R8 and took it for a spin today. Think it looks much better than the R4 (even though still just plastic) and gosh are the arrows a great feature!

Still need to fine tune and test it more but really happy so far!
Now trying to figure out how I want to power it, either through mirror tap or fuse box, so I don’t have a cable dangling.

 

[llindenb]

It’s super easy to run it under the headliner, down the door panel, under the dad and to the cigarette lighter (you just need to get a 12-15’ cord for it; I found one on Amazon). The whole installation took me 30 minutes and you can’t see a darn thing anywhere.

 

[tmrqs]

It’s super easy to run it under the headliner, down the door panel, under the dad and to the cigarette lighter (you just need to get a 12-15’ cord for it; I found one on Amazon). The whole installation took me 30 minutes and you can’t see a darn thing anywhere.

Would you have pics of the installation by any chance? So you bought a long RJ11 cable then and plugged it into the cigarette lighter? Any reason you went this route vs the fuse box directly?

 

[llindenb]

Only because I couldn’t find a switched fuse in the box in the passenger footwell. I did put my dashcam in the fuse box though (and also ran those cables under the liner and down the door or to the back window).
‘I’ll try and tack a couple pics, but there’s not much to see, now! lol.

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