Valentine 1 and lasers

[Bill_Walker]

I've gotten used to getting laser alerts from my V1 occasionally due to, seemingly, LED taillights, or possibly infrared laser proximity sensors.  But I learned something as I was riding away from my daughter's new apartment in San Francisco this past Wednesday: you haven't seen a V1 laser alert until you get behind a self-driving test car festooned with LIDAR sensors while simultaneously passing another one headed the other direction!  Man, that thing was going nuts being hit by multiple lasers at once.

 

I did get a legitimate laser alert on 101 between Santa Maria and Buellton, at about the same time as I saw the CHP car hidden in the trees alongside the road.  I wasn't going fast enough to generate interest, apparently.

[MikeB60]

The Express lanes around Atlanta use some type of laser causing an alert every couple of miles.  Gets so annoying that  I usually just turn the V1 off.  Everyone hauls ass anyways, plenty of choices for the LEOs... 

[RandyShields]

Pulled my V1 off the bike a couple of years ago.  With all the radar and lasers out there, and the heavy use of instant on radar, it was becoming more of a nuisance than a help.  Unfortunately, Michael Valentine and the other manufacturers have been riding old technology and "upgrading" units, which really does not help much, instead of investing in technology that will focus on the LEO use of radar/laser versus the signals that don't matter.  Either it is too hard to figure out a way around the problem, or the profits are just too good to bother, or both.  My two cents.

[Ewell D.]

I upgraded my V1 about year ago and find the new version much better than the old at filtering out false alarms. They no longer upgrade your old unit but take it in for a discount on the new one.

[Bill_Walker]

13 hours ago, Ewell D. said:

I upgraded my V1 about year ago and find the new version much better than the old at filtering out false alarms. They no longer upgrade your old unit but take it in for a discount on the new one.

Yeah, I "upgraded" mine a year or so ago.

[Bill_Walker]

On 5/27/2019 at 6:51 PM, RandyShields said:

Pulled my V1 off the bike a couple of years ago.  With all the radar and lasers out there, and the heavy use of instant on radar, it was becoming more of a nuisance than a help. 

 

My V1 helped me avoid at least two possible tickets on my ride home to San Marcos from San Francisco last week, so I'll be keeping it.

 

I discovered a feature of the recent V1 software that made life a lot more pleasant: I simply turned off detection of X and K bands.  In the places I ride (western US), it's been years since I've seen a traffic radar that wasn't Ka band, even in rural areas, so I saw no point in being alerted about shopping centers and "Your speed is" signs (most of which are still K band, in my experience.  I encountered one using Ka a couple of weeks ago, though).  You can get some help from instant on detection if they're targeting people in front of you.  A real laser alert pretty much means your speed has just been clocked.

[dirtrider]

On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 9:51 PM, RandyShields said:

Pulled my V1 off the bike a couple of years ago.  With all the radar and lasers out there, and the heavy use of instant on radar, it was becoming more of a nuisance than a help.  Unfortunately, Michael Valentine and the other manufacturers have been riding old technology and "upgrading" units, which really does not help much, instead of investing in technology that will focus on the LEO use of radar/laser versus the signals that don't matter.  Either it is too hard to figure out a way around the problem, or the profits are just too good to bother, or both.  My two cents.

 

Morning Randy

 

It is a difficult work around as a far as Lidar detection goes as laser is a very narrow beam that doesn't have signal scatter or a wide  general area output. For all practical purposes a (true) laser hit is direct line-of-sight.

 

With a laser, if you get a good detection notification then you have already been detected & your speed has already been recorded. That is why most of us call laser detectors (ticket notifiers).

 

The true (fairly effective)  work around is a laser jammer (with a 4-5 second fade out). That gives the rider enough time to slow to the speed limit but not alert the LEO that they are being jammed (I won't go into this any farther here).

 

 

[Ewell D.]

10 hours ago, Bill_Walker said:

I discovered a feature of the recent V1 software that made life a lot more pleasant: I simply turned off detection of X and K bands.  In the places I ride (western US), it's been years since I've seen a traffic radar that wasn't Ka band, even in rural areas, so I saw no point in being alerted about shopping centers and "Your speed is" signs (most of which are still K band, in my experience.  I encountered one using Ka a couple of weeks ago, though).  You can get some help from instant on detection if they're targeting people in front of you.  A real laser alert pretty much means your speed has just been clocked.

 

I have been using that feature as well. The detector is still really annoying in urban areas. Sometimes I just switch it off or at least turn the sound off until I get out of town. I agree with and live by the premise that if you get a laser warning you are about to receive a ticket. Where mine has been of benefit is in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington where the country is pretty wide open and you can see to slow for a vehicle alongside the road. Mine has paid for itself a couple of time when it alerted to an approaching radar long long before I could see by eye that it was a patrol car.

[steve.foote]

Like Randy did, I quit using my V1 years ago.  Hardly any of the LEO in our area use radar anymore, and Laser detection basically tells you that you are about to get a ticket.  I just don't ride as fast now.  I guess their strategy is working.  ;-D