Not sure if the display is laser or LED, but blue is more difficult to create than red, hence the price difference.

If you actually check out the link to the newspaper story, it shows the CHP officer with a Lidar gun. V1 and Passport are equally ineffectual against Lidar.

Best bet is to not have a front license plate. Technically this is illegal but up to now it has not been enforced. Now that CHP is starting to use Lidar they may start ticketing for no front plate, but the fix-it ticket for that is way cheaper than a speeding ticket for 30 over.

So how do we find out in what states the "Blinder" is legal, or illegal?

I know radar detectors are illegal in Virgina, so I'd assume a laser jammer would be as well.

Of course, they're illegal in VA, but it's very difficult to get caught and the penalty for getting caught is less than any speeding ticket. It's a risk well worth taking IMHO.

The 8500 also has a bogey counter but it actually displays what bands are being shot and how many, not just a count number.

It also has a spec display where you can see what frequency they are using and you can figure out what radar/laser equipment they are using.

V1 displays the bands in use as well as the bogey counter and the direction that the signal is coming from. Not the exact freq though.

Here is a lively thread on Officer.com discussing the use of radar detectors..Officer.com is a website dedicated specificly to law enforcement officers and topics..It consists of 90%LEOs..Check it out.

http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57808

Correct. The laser beam is very narrow and aimed at your plate, away from your windshield where the detector is located.

This is no longer a fix-it ticket in California. It has been made into a moving violation. Besides, they can aim at your headlights as an alternative.

Valentine, no doubt. Also a:
http://blinder.net/ Why? Laser "gots yas in an instant". Yes it works.

Regarding front license plates...
I've wondered about this on the 944 with retracted headlights. With no front plate and no headlights to aim for, what do they point the laser at next?
Any law enforcment guys on the board have any ideas?

Plenty of front end and bumper to aim at.

The laser flares out fairly significantly by the time it reached the average vehicle - it's just that when you detect the laser..........you have already been had.

You think 18" at 500' is wide? You're right, though. Usually when you detect it (if you do), you've already been painted.

Recall that the laser is hand held and that the 18" waves around a bit before lock on.

The ultimate: Blinder Laser Jammer - they work very well.

And travel in a pack, or pick an area that cannot hide the fuzz.
Cogito ergo zoom!

Ok, so now I have my radar detector and I have it mounted on the winsheild right below the rear view mirror. To my limited understanding of California law, I don't think RD's are illegal but I know that you can't mount anything to your wind shield. So what do you when your in the city, at a light, and a police car is right behind you? Obviously he see's the RD. In your experience guys, do cops generally pull you over for having and RD in the car where an RD isn't legal but mounting on the windshield is?

Am I supposed to scramble to hide the RD if I see a cop closing in behind me?

Mount it low, on the dash, in the middle so it is resting on the dash itself.
V! works A1 this way -

I had it mounted low at first but then I read somewhere, possibly in the manual to not obstruct it by windshwield wipers..hehe...so i mounted it high again.

Receives right under the wipers - up high you have the freaking cord and hard to read etc - go low....

Good article on the V1 here...

http://www.laserveil.com/valentine/one/

Mounted up high is the way to go. Mounted higher gives you more advance warning of upcoming stuff. I have a V1 and used the longer straight (not coiled) cable and ran it up the A-pillar, across the top of the windshield, down to the rear view mirror, and then over to the radar detector. That way there's very little wire exposed.

LOL--great link! Those fellas aren't exactly breaking any stereotypes are they?