Where do you guys hide your radar detector?

It's legal in indiana, but cops will be pissed off if they see you have this kind of technology... My friends told me I can just put the detector away very quickly if I'm pulled over... But I don't think I can do that...

My passport is hardwired to be suction-cupped just above my rear view mirror and it works great! Got pulled over last week and the cop didn't say anything. I would highly recommend putting it up high around either the mirror or the a pillar, they get better range.

Also a Valentine 1 with remote display works well. Mounted up high with the remote display wire tucked into the headliner is good.

 

Don't bother fumbling if he's got you dead-to-rights. It's very easy to make out if someone is trying to put a seatbelt on or hide something. In many areas you're more likely to arouse suspician of drugs or weapons and you don't want that scrutiny.

 

If you're out in valpo you might be ok, just don't try that on the west side

I have my V1 on the window right below my rear view mirror... and can tuck it away if i so choose... but I dont. eventually I want to hard wire it in and put it right below the headliner above the rear view. And wire in a mute button somewhere more convienent.

Yeah, that is a pretty slick solution.

It's legal in indiana, but cops will be pissed off if they see you have this kind of technology... My friends told me I can just put the detector away very quickly if I'm pulled over... But I don't think I can do that...

 

Don't bother fumbling if he's got you dead-to-rights. It's very easy to make out if someone is trying to put a seatbelt on or hide something. In many areas you're more likely to arouse suspician of drugs or weapons and you don't want that scrutiny.

 

^ This.

 

Like CDubbs said, you do *NOT* want to be doing anything but keeping your motions down.

 

Reaching all over and cramming things away? That's the *best* way to instantly raise the threat-level of your roadside encounter/interview, and that's something that you don't want to do, not only for obvious reasons, but also as a courtesy to the enforcers.

 

Just about any detector can be rigged with a remote mute and/or power-cut switch ("kill switch"). The former requires a bit more planning and electrical knowledge/know-how, but the latter is a simple matter of splicing a switch into the wiring that supplies power (or ground) to the detector.

 

A remote mute is a convenience/safety factor - the less time you spend with your hands off your vehicle's primary controls, the better, and a properly placed remote mute takes care of your most-often "interface" with your detector.

 

Valentine Research, Escort (thus, Beltronics) and Whistler all have their own plug-and-play remote-mute/control solutions, but you can also order semi-custom solutions such as:

 

http://www.safe-n-sound1.com/Escort%20Direct%20Cord%20Flat%20Mute.html

 

^ which, as you can see, they make for *many* different brands/models of detectors.

 

And that brings up the other point:

 

This type of interface is typically rather easily "home-made," if you've got basic electronics skills, and a healthy imagination:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/which-radar-jammer-do-you-have-recommendi-115601.html?highlight=concealed+detector

 

^ Page 5 of this thread, post number 63, one of mine. Follow those outlinks. All you really have to remember is what RADAR and LIDAR will and will not "pass through," what your detector needs to "see," and you'll be just fine, in terms of reception/detection.

 

I am big on the man/machine interface (visualization, actuation of controls, etc.): I truly believe that you'll want to situate a remote mute and/or kill-switch somewhere within easy reach, so that you will *NOT* "telegraph" any undue motion to the outside world, as you engage in procedures to quiet and/or shut-down your defenses.

 

Oh, and if you want to get crazy?

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/installing-v1-display-gauge-cluster-61800.html?t=61800

 

 

Puzzled's effort is the best V1 integrations I've seen, for the BL/BP - and one of the best, period, anywhere.

 

Alternatively, there are also high-dollar ($1000+) solutions for remote-mounted (sensors beyond the firewalls) detectors, such as the Escort 9500ci and Bel STi-R+ (or, for lesser amounts, units which use "yesterday's technology, such as both the current Escort Qi45 or the defunct SR7-series units), which will make installation easier for you, due to the less amount of true custom work you'd be required to do, yourself.

 

But if you want to stay in-cabin with your detector, be it you need multiple-vehicle portability or simply don't want to invest that much in your setup, there are ancillary devices, such as those from SpeedCheetah/Cheetah USA, which can allow you to integrate your chosen detector with a secondary, GPS-based processing unit, that will allow you more flexibility in placement of controls as well as the units.

I put mine just under the rearview mirror... extremely close to the rearview mirror... it is tucked perfectly so that you can easily see the display when glancing in the rearview, but it is hidden from the viewpoint of a cop who is looking in from the window. Also, it is so close to the rearview that from a distance (front or behind), one would think that it is a part of the rearview.

My passport is hardwired to be suction-cupped just above my rear view mirror and it works great! Got pulled over last week and the cop didn't say anything. I would highly recommend putting it up high around either the mirror or the a pillar, they get better range.

 

This is what I have done in every car I've owned and now I did the same in the Legacy. Been pulled over a few times and a cop has never said anything nor seen it.

This is what I have done in every car I've owned and now I did the same in the Legacy. Been pulled over a few times and a cop has never said anything nor seen it.

 

Yeah it's kind of the only way to be.

 

Even before I did the hardwiring and had it lower on my windshield, the cop pulled me over and didn't say anything. They aren't illegal so there's no point for them to give you flak...if you're pulled over, they got you anyway. That's bragging rights, not nagging rights.

I have mine proudly on display on the base of the windshield.

 

They can get pissed, I really do not care. I get pissed being sprayed with radar at me several times a day.

The U.S. Air Force sponsored a study of rats exposed to pulsed microwaves at 24.5 GHz. Note that K band traffic radars operate at around 24.025 - 24.250 GHz (475 - 250 MHz lower); also the study used pulsed microwaves and traffic radar is continuous (not pulsed). The research cost 54 million dollars and was conducted by the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and published in 1984. The study showed a significant increase in malignant tumors and noted affects in the adrenal glands and the entire endocrine system. This investigation suggests the maximum allowable exposure for humans set by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) are too low; human exposure limits should be more stringent. The London Times reported on 1998 December 31 that Dr. Henry Lai, an expert in non-ionizing radiation and professor at the School of Medicine and College of Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, announced that low-level microwave radiation can split DNA molecules in the brains of laboratory mice. DNA is Deoxyribonucleic acid; a complex, usually helical shaped chemical compound that is the substance that makes the organic matter of genes and chromosomes. Splitting DNA molecules in the brain is associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease, and cancer. The cellular telephone industry supported Dr. Lai's research grant, but suppressed the report's publication

hardwired and mirror-mounted here. To most people it looks like part of the mirror, and I figure cops would likely look for hanging wires as the most direct giveaway of a radar detector.

 

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/0honegt/Legacy/100_0609.jpg

^ Be careful, 007 - try this experiment. Turn on your detector or, better yet, park it somewhere like in a grocery-store parking lot, and manipulate the settings (since you have a 9500i/ix - more on this, later, too) so that you do see an alert from the "automatic door openers."

 

Now, go to the rear of your vehicle, and simulate ride-height viewing through the rear windscreen.

 

Do you see your detector alerting?

 

And even if it's during the day, and you have "limo-tint" back there, and you don't, you should still repeat this test, at night, to be sure.

 

Remember that most typical enforcement action will occur from behind the vehicle, be it pacing, the take-down, or how the enforcer's vehicle will be stationed at-take-down/roadside.

 

If your detector is easily visible from such angles and you do not normally run it in "dark" mode, you may want to install an in-line "kill switch" to insure blanking of the screen, particularly at critical moments (And here's where I'll return to the 9500i/ix: while most detectors will "do weird things" when exposed to an overwhelming flood of incoming signal, the "intelligent" Escort products can behave even more strangely - since at a roadside take-down/interview many enforcers are fond of engaging their RADAR units in order to alert incoming vechicles so-equipped that enforcement activity is present [since the take-down leaves them so vulnerable], it's very possible that despite your vehicle being stopped, GPS-speed of zero, the strong signal still floods and overwhelms the 9500's processor. Since the "mute" is a reactive device/scenario, this could leave you in the awkward situation where the enforcer's at your window, and your detector suddenly belching out a full-alert. ).

 

 

BTW, 007, if your area utilizes the LTI-TruSpeed, and you don't have primary LIDAR protection, be careful. My 9500i, also high-stationed (albeit a few inches higher than yours, as I prefer the left-of-RVM position, just at the factory tint-band), failed to pick up a true TruSpeed hit (verified by my LI) at ~400 ft. These Escorts aren't known for their LIDAR performance, and this example is one more demonstration of that.

 

 

----

 

 

All:

 

Even in detector-legal areas, even today, there still remain a subset of enforcers who do see these countermeasures as "licenses to speed" or "the tool of the professional speeder" (to me, the only people who fit the definition of a "professional" speeder are truck/courier-drivers [by this, let me clarify: I don't mean that courier drivers or truck-drivers are outlaws (my father has been a warehouse manager for nearly three decades, so you can imagine who many of our friends are ), rather, that if they did choose to speed, then their chosen profession, along with that fact, would then make them "professional speeders" by-definition] and those engaged in illegal/semi-legal road-rally activities; and of the latter group, their countermeasures compliments are in a world to their own, and far beyond than what even the most hardcore of us countermeasures enthusiasts would ever want to utilize on a daily basis).

 

However, at the same time, there also exists those who don't mind such devices, at all.

 

So, if you live in a detector-banned area and/or are committed to such "out of sight" projects, you'll want to *really* carefully review your setup, and realize that even the slightest peek of illumination or noise will be against your expressed objective.

 

[ And here, it's critical to remember that while hardware/interface concealment is an art in and of itself, so is the proper use of your countermeasures in such banned or otherwise unfavorable areas. Sure, you may have a RedLine or a STi-Driver - or even a 9500ci or STi-R+ buried forward-of-firewall - but while these detectors may be undetectable, your USE of the detectors should also not betray their presence in-vehicle, either. If an enforcer is RADAR'ing a pack of vehicles traveling above PSL and notices that your vehicle is the only one to suddenly and drastically slow, guess what? you've just betrayed yourself. Tactical concerns of countermeasures use spans everything from the device itself to your usage practices. In going back to the "kill switch" example, it'll do you no good if you've placed the switch under the dash, and you have to bend over to reach it, as, to the enforcer, from outside the car, it'll just look like you're stashing something away. ]

 

For the rest of us, though, it's typically a matter of compromise: that we want to get the detector as out-of-sight as reasonably possible (either for enforcement concerns or for theft; or, for some, to decrease case temperature or to better case-cooling), while still maintaining our own aesthetic as well as end-usage (visualization of alerts, audio, as well as control-interface) preferences.

drive FAST, dont speed, no need!

drive FAST, dont speed, no need!

 

^

 

Anything exceeding the posted legal speed limit is illegal, and subject to enforcement action, period.

 

There's no objective distinction between "fast" and "speeding."

 

Anything over the speed limit is simply that.

^ Be careful, 007 - try this experiment. Turn on your detector or, better yet, park it somewhere like in a grocery-store parking lot, and manipulate the settings (since you have a 9500i/ix - more on this, later, too) so that you do see an alert from the "automatic door openers."

 

Now, go to the rear of your vehicle, and simulate ride-height viewing through the rear windscreen.

 

Do you see your detector alerting?

 

And even if it's during the day, and you have "limo-tint" back there, and you don't, you should still repeat this test, at night, to be sure.

 

Remember that most typical enforcement action will occur from behind the vehicle, be it pacing, the take-down, or how the enforcer's vehicle will be stationed at-take-down/roadside.

 

If your detector is easily visible from such angles and you do not normally run it in "dark" mode, you may want to install an in-line "kill switch" to insure blanking of the screen, particularly at critical moments (And here's where I'll return to the 9500i/ix: while most detectors will "do weird things" when exposed to an overwhelming flood of incoming signal, the "intelligent" Escort products can behave even more strangely - since at a roadside take-down/interview many enforcers are fond of engaging their RADAR units in order to alert incoming vechicles so-equipped that enforcement activity is present [since the take-down leaves them so vulnerable], it's very possible that despite your vehicle being stopped, GPS-speed of zero, the strong signal still floods and overwhelms the 9500's processor. Since the "mute" is a reactive device/scenario, this could leave you in the awkward situation where the enforcer's at your window, and your detector suddenly belching out a full-alert. ).

 

 

BTW, 007, if your area utilizes the LTI-TruSpeed, and you don't have primary LIDAR protection, be careful. My 9500i, also high-stationed (albeit a few inches higher than yours, as I prefer the left-of-RVM position, just at the factory tint-band), failed to pick up a true TruSpeed hit (verified by my LI) at ~400 ft. These Escorts aren't known for their LIDAR performance, and this example is one more demonstration of that.

 

 

----

 

 

All:

 

Even in detector-legal areas, even today, there still remain a subset of enforcers who do see these countermeasures as "licenses to speed" or "the tool of the professional speeder" (to me, the only people who fit the definition of a "professional" speeder are truck/courier-drivers [by this, let me clarify: I don't mean that courier drivers or truck-drivers are outlaws (my father has been a warehouse manager for nearly three decades, so you can imagine who many of our friends are ), rather, that if they did choose to speed, then their chosen profession, along with that fact, would then make them "professional speeders" by-definition] and those engaged in illegal/semi-legal road-rally activities; and of the latter group, their countermeasures compliments are in a world to their own, and far beyond than what even the most hardcore of us countermeasures enthusiasts would ever want to utilize on a daily basis).

 

However, at the same time, there also exists those who don't mind such devices, at all.

 

So, if you live in a detector-banned area and/or are committed to such "out of sight" projects, you'll want to *really* carefully review your setup, and realize that even the slightest peek of illumination or noise will be against your expressed objective.

 

[ And here, it's critical to remember that while hardware/interface concealment is an art in and of itself, so is the proper use of your countermeasures in such banned or otherwise unfavorable areas. Sure, you may have a RedLine or a STi-Driver - or even a 9500ci or STi-R+ buried forward-of-firewall - but while these detectors may be undetectable, your USE of the detectors should also not betray their presence in-vehicle, either. If an enforcer is RADAR'ing a pack of vehicles traveling above PSL and notices that your vehicle is the only one to suddenly and drastically slow, guess what? you've just betrayed yourself. Tactical concerns of countermeasures use spans everything from the device itself to your usage practices. In going back to the "kill switch" example, it'll do you no good if you've placed the switch under the dash, and you have to bend over to reach it, as, to the enforcer, from outside the car, it'll just look like you're stashing something away. ]

 

For the rest of us, though, it's typically a matter of compromise: that we want to get the detector as out-of-sight as reasonably possible (either for enforcement concerns or for theft; or, for some, to decrease case temperature or to better case-cooling), while still maintaining our own aesthetic as well as end-usage (visualization of alerts, audio, as well as control-interface) preferences.

 

Agreed on 99% of your points. I mirror mounted mine in order to both give a clean/stock (to those who know very little of radar detectors) appearance, as well as to give myself as good of LIDAR as possible (as I believe it to be the best location to detect such threats). I mounted my previous Passport X50 in the same location as your, and I get more LIDAR hits at the mirror mount position, albeit with the newer 9500ix. But in reality, there's very little any detector can do to avoid getting popped by laser, as it's pretty much too late once it happens.

 

One side point I did want to make, which I feel is a cool feature of the 9500ix (and possibly not present in your 9500i?) is in regards to your statement in bold. The 9500ix contains a feature (the name of which I cannot remember) which eliminates the "belching out" of a full alert when the vehicle is not moving. When an alert of any type is made, and the car is stopped, the detector simply elicits one small, auto-muted beep, rather than going crazy. This is one feature of the 9500ix that I really like.

 

However, with all of the above having been said, I sold my 9500 just the other day, and will be replacing it with a V1 soon. I likely would have stuck with the 9500ix indefinitely, but a ride in a V1 equipped friend-of-mine's car changed my mind. Never thought it would matter to me, but I really like the arrows, and the GPS functionality of the 9500ix doesn't really offset that to me, especially with the widely and freely available red light camera location data bases on the market today.

...as well as to give myself as good of LIDAR as possible (as I believe it to be the best location to detect such threats). I mounted my previous Passport X50 in the same location as your, and I get more LIDAR hits at the mirror mount position, albeit with the newer 9500ix.

 

The newer Escort offerings have made improvements over their previous iterations, in terms of LIDAR reception, but it's honestly still very much a crapshoot:

 

http://www.laserveil.com/laser/detectors/reviews-tests-2009/

 

VEIL Guy's reputation speaks for itself, but I can testify cleanly to the fact that what he reported is no joke.

 

My 9500i, mounted as-stated prior, just to the left of the inside-RVM, with the front LASER sensor peeking out just below the factory tint-band, completely missed a LTI-TruSpeed shot, verified by my Laser Interceptor reporting, at an initial engagement distance of just under 400 ft.

 

Similarly stationed in my wife's '09 FXT, it also missed an approx. 1000 ft. initial engagement via LTI-UltraLyte, which was also reported via my LI setup on that vehicle.

 

While high(er) mounting would allow for an increased likelihood of picking up "up-road" use of LIDAR and/or scatter/reflections - and it is my firm belief (from personal observation) that this is a chance that's worth taking, as early-warning is *always* favorable to heading into the threat, unknowing, regardless of countermeasures compliment - it should be cautioned that even in "reasonably sized" vehicles where the greenhouse/beltline ratio is not extreme, there still resides a *very* real possibility for a true hit to be missed.

 

With your V1, it's a no-brainer: mount it high, as Mike Valentine himself recommends. This not only maximizes your "down the road" visibility as well as increase your odds of catching a stray scatter/reflection, as he suggests, but will also get the detector out of direct sunlight - the V1 is among the more temperature-sensitive units out there. [ Aside -- if you're up for it, think about primary LASER protection: i.e. active jammer. The V1 compromises LASER "falsing" for extreme sensitivity, and you may find this to be a problem. Having good primary LASER protection will allow to you be less reactive/hyperalert to the V1's LASER alerts, while further conferring your vehicle true-hit protection. ]

 

But in reality, there's very little any detector can do to avoid getting popped by laser, as it's pretty much too late once it happens.

I both agree and disagree with this sentiment.

 

I agree with the sentiment, as it is written and read.

 

I disagree with it in an academic sense, for it precludes the possible.

 

What do I mean?

 

Well, the truth of the matter is that although far from common occurrence, it is also far from uncommon for a police LIDAR's acquisition/"lock" time to be much more delayed than the "third of a second or less" that both the enforcement community and the devices' makers would have us believe. In the real world, constraints of usage - including the proficiency/usage of the enforcer, weather effects, and even tertiary concerns such as how dirty the target vehicle happens to be - can all *drastically* impact latency.

 

As such, good LASER detection should not be overlooked - it should never be looked-upon as a complete lost cause.

 

Certainly, one needs to understand that even the best LIDAR detector (such as the V1) is already working from a losing angle, in a manner of speaking. But it should not be overlooked, in the search for proper or complete protection.

 

One side point I did want to make, which I feel is a cool feature of the 9500ix (and possibly not present in your 9500i?) is in regards to your statement in bold. The 9500ix contains a feature (the name of which I cannot remember) which eliminates the "belching out" of a full alert when the vehicle is not moving. When an alert of any type is made, and the car is stopped, the detector simply elicits one small, auto-muted beep, rather than going crazy. This is one feature of the 9500ix that I really like.

I agree, SmartMute is a very useful feature, particularly for those who enjoy having a quieter, more aggressively-filtered detector.

 

While some have complained about this particular feature in that it carries the potential to minimize a true threat, my personal belief is both that the targeted users of the 9500ix would trade one for the other, and also, in large part, such a potential oversight can be traced more to "operator error," in that if one were to have read the instrument manual properly and properly understood the implications of this feature, such risks can be mitigated.

 

However, with all of the above having been said, I sold my 9500 just the other day, and will be replacing it with a V1 soon. I likely would have stuck with the 9500ix indefinitely, but a ride in a V1 equipped friend-of-mine's car changed my mind. Never thought it would matter to me, but I really like the arrows, and the GPS functionality of the 9500ix doesn't really offset that to me, especially with the widely and freely available red light camera location data bases on the market today.

 

In the right context, the "Arrows" make all the difference.

 

It's quite possible, it seems, from early reports, that the RedLine has finally stolen the raw-sensitivity crown from the V1, but even if that's the case, it's still, in my view, only half a victory for Escort, as the "Arrows" are irreplaceable, and offers the V1 an incredible tactical advantage in many critical situations (nevertheless, be aware that "ghosting" is still a problem, and with a unit that places so much emphasis on the value of locating the threat, this could cause - especially a new user - quite a bit of confusion; again, this is something you should get used to).

 

Indeed, there's a reason why so many truly hardcore countermeasures enthusiasts as well as "professional speeders" incorporate both the V1 in-cabin plus an Escort forward-of-firewall remote antenna offering - taking the best of both worlds (for a visual of some of the above, please see this post and its relevant outlinks: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2166985&postcount=28).

 

I have been, since 1996 or so, a dedicated Escort user - and I will likely remain so, until either their filtering no longer suits my needs or until a better product comes along.

 

With 99% of my driving occurring in signal-dense areas typical of urban and dense-suburban surroundings, the "sanity" that's afforded by the more aggressive - yet very risk-reasonable, in my personal view - filtering of the Escort products best meshes with my preferences and needs.

 

Truthfully, I've always been among those who've thought that the purchase of a top-tier detector should be more about matching personal preferences and usage needs to the detector, rather than magically seeking some "best" that's been qualified by another's judgment.

 

Given your fondness for the 9500ix's SmartMute, I wonder if you may not benefit from looking at the Cheetah C100/C50 + Detector Interface for your new V1.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPGRh8j3yaA]YouTube- Radar Detector Interface for GPSmirror[/ame]

 

^ The above is a demonstration of the audible-alert suppression feature of the Cheetah products - here, specifically, their now-defunct (but still supported) GPS-Mirror, but a similar interaction is had with the stand-along GPS-camera warning devices, the C100 or the C50.

 

Also, as I'm sure you must know, the V1 offers an extensive set of in-depth programming subroutines, to help the more involved user minimize "falsing." Instead of playing with these factors outright, I would honestly implore you to first simply use the three normal settings to get a feeling for what they each have to offer, and to, only after you're fully comfortable with the detector, get more aggressive with filtering (if you so desire). As a "counter" to the original Escort marketing videos for the then-new 9500i, thestaton of RD.net and the GOL made a video showing how the V1 can be programmed to be just as quiet, if not moreso. However, as a part of that academic exercise, he was also quick to point out that being that aggressive on the filtering would literally mean that you'd be at an unreasonable level of risk: that it would be easy for the detector to mask true threats, with such settings.

 

Finally, in terms of camera databases:

 

Be careful - the vast majority that's out there are incorrect and/or horribly out-of-date.

 

In all honesty, the only one I trust would be the SpeedCheetah-maintained Trinity database (which Escort licenses, BTW, as their "Defender Database"). While still imperfect, they at least truly try, and try on a timely basis, too. If you use any other form of GPS-based POI, be sure that you are able to vet the information via at least one other secondary source, if not a true-primary source (i.e. municipal listing or press-release, etc.).

i have mine on my driver side visor and it seems to work great.

________

Penny Stocks To Watch

Lots of good info in this thread so far. TSi, what are your thoughts on the tint band affecting range? I've heard from some who say it doesn't, more who say it does. Seems obvious to me that since most everyone mounts their detector below the tint band on purpose, it must affect range somehow, but could this just be myth? There would be essentially no front-visibility of the detector with it mounted in the tint band. I suppose my "dream" setup would be a purpose-cut rectangular "hole" in the tint band which would allow the detector to be mounted that high, stay out of sight as much as possible, and still have the desired range.

Have you considered something like this: http://stealthmirror.com/showcase.htm

 

pretty neat - but also pretty pricey.

I like the idea... Anyone wanna buy my homelink for 500? LOL

I like the idea... Anyone wanna buy my homelink for 500? LOL

Have you considered something like this: http://stealthmirror.com/showcase.htm

 

pretty neat - but also pretty pricey.

 

^ The etched mirrors are a good way to integrate, but remember, with something like the V1, the detector itself, physically, must still be allowed its degrees of "visibility/visualization," in order to function properly.

 

So yes, getting such a display would allow you to perhaps move the detector even further out-of-sight (i.e. bury it in the headliner or a headrest, or the CHMSL "hump," etc.), but you will still necessarily have to work out the sightline compromise, to insure proper detector operation (or achieve, for you, an acceptable compromise).

 

One additional caveat is that such a setup isn't completely "stealth." Again, from various angles behind and to the side of the vehicle, the detector's alerts - as-visualized in the etched/embedded portion of the mirror - will still be visible.

 

Finally, placement: prior to purchase, be sure that having the visual cues so far offset "right" is acceptable for you.

 

 

-----

 

 

TSi, what are your thoughts on the tint band affecting range? I've heard from some who say it doesn't, more who say it does. Seems obvious to me that since most everyone mounts their detector below the tint band on purpose, it must affect range somehow, but could this just be myth? There would be essentially no front-visibility of the detector with it mounted in the tint band. I suppose my "dream" setup would be a purpose-cut rectangular "hole" in the tint band which would allow the detector to be mounted that high, stay out of sight as much as possible, and still have the desired range.

 

Very good question.

 

Only select "metallic" tints as well as various factory/OEM "solar-rejecting"/athermic windshields have been known to definitively negatively impact RADAR receptive range.

 

With the various OEM athermic windshields, you can actually spot, using polarized sunglasses, often just such a "cut-out square/rectangle" in the glass, where the manufacturers realized that they needed to leave a radio-wave transmissible spot, for both OEM as well as aftermarket accessories (including various automated toll-booth "passes").

 

In terms of a tint band such as the one present on our OEM windshields, it will not affect RADAR receptive range any more than would a comparable plane of non-tinted vehicle greenhouse glass - note that I didn't say that it would not cut range, at all: and that's because even standard vehicle greenhouse glass will slightly impact raw sensitivity.

 

That effect, though, is magnified for LIDAR/LASER.

 

What Mike Valentine and the Car and Driver group proved in the early days of the game is that even the most "clear" and supposedly non-obstructive vehicle greenhouse glass will, to some degree, negatively affect LIDAR receptive range. Valentine's analogy of the glass serving as "sunglasses" is indeed a good one - and remember, that's without any tint. With tint, you can imagine how the result would be even more drastic. [ Aside: This effect can even be seen in off-protocol enforcement usage of police LIDAR - the LASER-from-within-the-vehicle technique is a favorite of enforcers in colder climates, and while both lock-time is significantly increased and lock-range is significantly decreased when the LIDAR device is made to "pass through" vehicle greenhouse glass, such signal attenuation still typically gives target-acquisition at around 700 to 800 ft., which is more than sufficient for enforcement purposes. ]

 

So, to some degree, this is why you'll see speed-detection countermeasures hobbyists somewhat hedging their bets, by placing the LASER receiver so that it "just pokes out" from under the tint-band. But for us, it's more of a for-fun or OCD kind of thing. We know better than to truly expect this to be the saving grace, in any typical encounter.

 

In-reality, though, this is not likely to make much of a difference - virtually all in-cabin standalone detectors today, with the noted exception of the V1 - performs rather disappointingly, when it comes to detecting even "true hit" LIDAR.

 

[ Another aside: The V1, which is tremendously sensitive to LIDAR, also thus "false" more to that effect. In a way, with the V1, hiding the detector completely behind the factory tint band can help squelch false-alerts caused by flickering bright (visible) light. ]

^ Again, great info. All that in mind, once I get the V1 i'm thinking of attempting to mount it above the mirror, in the narrow window of unobstructed tint band there. In previous vehicles, I used to mount my detectors right below the tint band, to the left of the rear-view mirror. This allowed me good detection, and also put the detector in a more direct line of sight. What I did not like about this was that the drivers-side visor would not come down all the way. Hoping mounting it above the mirror will give me the best of all worlds. Something like this, with minor differences obviously:

 

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/0honegt/v1mount1.jpg

^ Again, no problem - just glad to help as best I know accurate.

 

I get, exactly, what you mean about the visor. That's one of the biggest drawbacks, with my current setup to the left of the RVM, too. Unfortunately, for me, it's more the choice of detector (Escort 9500i) and its physical case shape that interferes with my other add-on, the Cheetah GPS-Mirror. I've no choice.

 

In the wifey's '09 FXT, I've got the detector snugged up above the RVM, like the picture you cited (albeit on the other side), and that does allow the visor to work properly. I honestly wish I could do that in my car, as I much more prefer having a working sun-visor....

 

But that brings up another point.

 

Those "stipples/dots" above the inside RVM, spanning the gap between the sun-visors.

 

Typically, they're made of a "ceramic" type material, embedded into the windshield glass. Efforts at their removal typically are met with some degree of failure or aesthetic compromise.

 

The good thing about it is that hobbyist/enthusiast-level testing has shown that they have virtually no effect on RADAR sensitivity.

 

As for LIDAR? It's somewhat of an unknown - those dots are pretty big, and depending on the density of the matrix, one could easily imagine that they'd "block sight." But truthfully, I cannot recall an actual test of this interference.

 

Further good news arrives in that there are many ways to mount the detector to this surface, without the aforementioned destructive "removal" methods. 3M's VHB-based "SuperLock" attachment strips, available at RadioShack, offer various ways with which to attach the detector - with or without its mount - to this area, via direct adhesion (which should be viable for upwards of a year, even in the most extreme of climates). Additionally, home-brew methods to "smooth" this surface, such as the use of two or three thicknesses of clear plastic packing tape, or the use of a plastic or even a metal "strip" inserted into the headliner to span/cover this area, thus allowing, in each case, a smooth place for suction-cup attachment.