Anyone got a new V1 (2nd gen) - improved over the old?

[masraum]

I've got a V1. It's really, really old, and has never been updated, but it still works, and has saved my butt. I've even been saved from laser several times over the years.

I'm kind of thinking about replacing it with a new model. I'm curious if anyone has had an old one and a new one that can comment on the new one and how much better it is than the old model.

[TimT]

Not yet, I tried, but Valentine has put the upgrade program on hold due to the response.

[mattdavis11]

I have heard that the new ones don't detect, rather they jam the ticket making device and issue the citation to the officer.

[rfuerst911sc]

Interesting question . I also have an older V1 and have thought about sending it in for upgrades . But I think it is almost the cost of a new one to upgrade . In this throw away society it is nice that the V1 can be upgraded .

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Same boat.

It’d be nice to have it updated so I don’t get so many false alarms in the busier areas. It seems a lot more alarm systems and door openers have infiltrated the Ka band in recent years... used to be that any Ka hit was likely real and got treated as such. Now not so much.

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Interesting question . I also have an older V1 and have thought about sending it in for upgrades . But I think it is almost the cost of a new one to upgrade . In this throw away society it is nice that the V1 can be upgraded .

As I understand it, they just sell you a new one at an discount with your trade in,
Mine still works too but way too many false alerts with all the newer cars using some form of collision and lane detection radar.

[unclebilly]

I had mine updated a year ago. It’s not near as ‘noisy’ as it used to be and seems to work well. I have no idea what the display means on it anymore.

[TimT]

I have X and K shut off on my V1m so just Ka and laser are enabled..

Ill upgrade when the hype slows down over the new model..

You still need to drive with a bit of common sense and situational awareness.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by TimT

I have X and K shut off on my V1m so just Ka and laser are enabled..

Ill upgrade when the hype slows down over the new model..

You still need to drive with a bit of common sense and situational awareness.

Sure, and I always do. It's pretty rare that I get a warning that saves me because there's usually nothing to save me from, but it's nice to have the extra info at times, and I do occasionally have times where it probably saves me some hassle.

I just don't feel like my current V1 is letting me down, and even with the discount, the new one is pretty pricey. So I'm wondering is it worth it.

[wdfifteen]

When I traveled a lot my speed limit was my V1. It was nothing to roll at over 100mph in my old Mercedes' or my BMW 535. I had good reflexes and didn't try to speed in traffic.
I sold the V1 after I retired. I had no reason to get anywhere fast and years of doing it took the adventure aspect of it away. It was just work.
I think the best run I had was in northern Wisconsin. I drove my Mercedes C280 for almost 50 miles at over 110 miles an hour. The car didn't idle worth crap once I slowed down, but it was OK the next day. I had another good run from Sterling, Colorado to Lincoln, Nebraska, pushing 100 mph most of the way. Some guy in a Miata was shadowing me. Smart guy - he stayed 75 yards or more behind me for miles and miles. Kinda wished we could stop in Lincoln and buy him a coffee for being a good driving companion. If I was rolling along and some jackass decided he would follow me at a few hundred feet I slowed up and drove the speed limit and let him pass me. I didn't want anyone in my trunk if I had to hit the brakes. When I had the chance I passed him so fast he had no chance to catch up.
I don't do that sh***t any more.

[RSBob]

Bought a new one two years ago after sending in my 10 year old version. The new one is irritating in that it now picks up every Your Speed Is .... sign where the old one was not nearly as sensitive but still picked up police radar very effectively. Wish it still had the old one. They do work very well and they have paid for theirselves several times over.

[porsche4life]

Honestly I don’t use my V1 much anymore. I run Waze on long drives and rarely get a surprise. Granted I don’t drive anywhere near as spirited as I used to, and it’s usually with lots of traffic. But for right now I just don’t see spending the money to upgrade.

[A930Rocket]

I must be getting old, as the V1 I bought 20 years ago stays in the nightstand drawer.

[Por_sha911]

Got my first V1 in 2005 or so. Paid for itself many times. I had it upgraded to the most recent version prior to the all new one they put out. It helps even around town in my dd when I'm not paying attention to the speed in the 45 mpg area and I suddenly hear the beep and realize I'm closer to 55. If course, if my wife is in the car, I shut it off because she tells me everything she thinks I do wrong in real time (and sometimes before I do it).
I am happy with the current version. Once they offer upgrades I'll see what they charge and decide if I need it.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

I have heard that the new ones don't detect, rather they jam the ticket making device and issue the citation to the officer.

I have the original V1. In 2014 I drove to Monterey, CA and I just turned it off and threw it in the glove compartment as it was useless with it picking up every car with adaptive cruise and lots of semis as well. It was alerting more than it was quiet, really. When I returned from that trip I sent it in for the update of 2014 era. That made it usable again.

I tried to send it in for the new V2 and it is suspended for a while. The one real question I have is the mount the same on the new one. I have mine hung under the mirror and the wires that power it are from the aftermarket mirror that has the garage door openers and auto-dimming mirror. I love that mirror. If the new one is a different size, I will need a new mount.

I sent an email to Valentine, but only received a canned standard email with no useful information whatsoever.

And it would be illegal for it to be a jammer. It is 100% legal to have a radio receiver of any band, but illegal to transmit without a license. Jammers are illegal in the entire country by federal statute. Receivers are legal, but a few states have passed laws that restrict federal law. Kinda like gun laws, until the supreme court decided the state laws are invalid or legal, the states will keep doing it. And RADAR speed devices use just a radio signal.

[flatbutt]

Bought my V1 back at the dawn of time.I've never upgraded it as my travels don't often involve heavy traffic areas, Plus I have slowed my general cruising speed.

[blucille]

Like others, I bought my first V1 back around 1996 and have been a devoted user ever since...I upgraded both of mine a few years back, and I'm intrigued by the V1.2 but I'm in no rush. in the past, I had found it was less out-of-pocket if I bought brand new units and sold my gently used units....however, with the new model, I fear any version of the original V1 chassis now has diminished value....like selling a previous generation car when a new model has come out.

Those who are offended by the false alarms from distance sensing cruise control and speed-sensing road signs, need to understand those systems are using the same frequency of radar as the police, so filters will diminish the range of whatever detector you are using.

On a recent cross country trip, I was amazed at the range of my V1 in the long-flat-straight plains states, I would get over a mile of advanced warning.

The day after I got my first V1 back in 1996 or so, I was driving quickly with some friends across florida on I-4 from Orlando to Tampa....picked up K band for a couple of minutes, before I saw the speed trap setup on the side of the interstate. I was sworn on V1 from that moment forward.

I don't mind a little beeping now and again, and have learned to identify the Honda CR-V's and Mazdas with the radar systems that seem to send out the most false alerts.

[GH85Carrera]

The upgrade I had done in 2014 was that is would figure out it was adaptive cruise and not radar. They claim and in my experience believe them, that the range is not diminished. The frequency may be the same, but the pulses and signal are different. On I-40 for over 1,000 miles driving west, it was literally alerting more than not. Constant alerting is useless, totally useless. And something in semis of the large trucking companies was setting it off.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

RF jamming is illegal. Laser jamming is not.

[unclebilly]

I am 100% impressed with Valentine Research and here is why...

My V1 is ~ 9 years old. I sent it in last summer for a update and they turned it around in 1 day. 1 day! Did I mention that their turn around was less than 2 days? When I got it back it was way less 'noisy' as I posted above and works well. Yes the 'your speed is' signs set it off but they are radar which is what it is supposed to detect, and it does. You can turn off this band if you want.

Anyway, this thread prompted me to call them this morning to find out what I am missing with the new Gen 2. The real person (they have real people answering their phone) that I spoke with told me that if my V1 was updated last year, I am not missing out on anything tangible and to save my money on a upgrade or buying a new V1. I don't have bluetooth, that's the big thing I don't have with my upgraded V1. I am not even sure how tying this into my phone which I cant legally use while driving would be a benefit.

Anyway, today's conversation with them reaffirmed my delight with this company.