E-Class (W212) 2010 - 2016: E 350, E 550

New Valentine VR1 is out

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Old 03-24-2020, 08:29 AM
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New Valentine VR1 is out

New Valentine VR 1 is out and kinda slick and they still doing upgrades.

Will read it soon but any comments or get one yet?
Old 03-24-2020, 01:31 PM
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Beside pairing with your android I don't see much difference?
They offer upgrade to mine, but would have to go get serial number, so still don't know the price.
Point is that more and more departments use trigger-activated radars. Valentine with its 1 mile range can spot radar if they use on car in front of you, but if they sit quiet and activate it on you, all you get from Valentine is "You've just got busted".
I no longer drive in triple digit speeds and for years I wait for a "volunteer" who speeds and I follow 1/4 mile behind.
When 10 years ago find such drivers doing triple digits was not a problem, today finding somebody going over 80 mph takes 1/2 a day.
Old 03-24-2020, 01:52 PM
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I have latest upgrade from 2 years ago and before this one said I had latest.

$389 +ship to upgrade to this new one.

Difference I read:
Better range detection.
Better at not lighting up for cars with radar systems line lane keeping etc. (was pretty good I thought)
Ability to bluetooth connect (no other part required)
Ability to Bluetooth upgrade software
Mini Headphone jack.
Bit thinner case and mounting bracket stuff tiny bit different.
SAVVY built into APP now for this one.
Lighting and display slightly different to make it easier to see (old farts like that)
No more knob but 3 push buttons, on/off Vol+ & Vol - (supposed to be for future upgrading or modifying or something)

BUT

They are closed to due to CORONA VIRUS.
so everything on hold.

Website update is very nice versus old one which was cumbersome and way too data overload.

I probably will try upgrade 1 of my units later this year after some get moving out the door and see how she goes.
Old 03-24-2020, 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by ygmn
$389 +ship to upgrade to this new one.
.
DARN. I paid $300 for whole thing.
Not spending $400 for new gadgets added to it.
How much range should increase?
On mine I disabled the X (?) band that is not used by Highway Patrol, but would beep constantly on CA freeways due to CB, military radars and walkie-talkie. That was an issue before blind spots radars come on the roads.
Thinking about virus, can you picture yourself getting pulled over for speeding, you open window and start coughing when officer approach. Do you really think he will want you to hand your DL over?

Last edited by kajtek1; 03-24-2020 at 02:16 PM.
Old 03-24-2020, 03:51 PM
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I have the old V1 and I really like it, now that I have a second car maybe I'll get this new one. I always tell people if it saves you from just 1 ticket, it's already paid itself off.
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Old 03-24-2020, 04:23 PM
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I have an old one for sale
Old 03-24-2020, 04:52 PM
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Talking

Originally Posted by Peachy
I have the old V1 and I really like it, now that I have a second car maybe I'll get this new one. I always tell people if it saves you from just 1 ticket, it's already paid itself off.

Well. why do you think I could afford newer Mercedes-Benz?
Old 03-24-2020, 05:37 PM
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New one out the box is lik $499 but...
they are not selling upgrades since closed to the virus..

Makes little sense to me...

I bet he is hurting as he has not had anything for sale for quite some time now.
Old 03-24-2020, 09:53 PM
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Originally Posted by ygmn
New one out the box is lik $499 but...
they are not selling upgrades since closed to the virus..

Makes little sense to me....
I would assume the production lane, where several people had to work together got closed, while single person can ship whatever they have in warehouse.
Than with lines at unemployment offices growing faster than hospital patients, I'd expect not too many buyers for $500 gizmo
Old 03-25-2020, 08:53 AM
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^That's why I'm selling mine for 200 plus shipping.....it can be updated too
Old 03-25-2020, 03:49 PM
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The 2 best detectors are the Uniden R7 and the V1 Gen 2

There are pros and cons for each according to reviews. Both are excellent. If you typically use a radar detector and a phone ap like Waze as I do then V1 is for you. If you like everything in one unit, then go R7. The R7 detects radars at a slightly greater distance but IMO this isn't very useful since both detect radars far enough away for you to slow down. the v1 has better false suppression against auto collision radars, so fewer false alarms there. The V1 has much better laser detection but also more laser false alarms. The V1 does not detect a new type of photo radar presently being used mostly in Canada and fairly rare in the US (NYC and Chicago I think) but the R7 does. IMO, a radar detector that does not have arrows indicating the location of the radar is worthless. Both the R7 and the V1 have that feature.
Old 03-26-2020, 09:21 AM
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I still have my old V1 (latest version) which I'm planning on installing on my weekend warrior SUV but I'm debating whether to upgrade. The beauty of the V1 is the awesome range that has done a consistently excellent job of letting me know when someone ahead of me is getting hit, or when a LEO keeps his gun firing full time. This has kept me citation-free for many years.

On my W212 I installed the Escort Max 360 ci which is everything I wish the V1 would be. Built-in everything with no extra phone to house, warns of everything the V1 does plus photo radar, speed traps and even real-time distance to speed trap (with Mid City Engineering cluster display module). Laser shifters to boot with auto shutdown and restart. It has front/rear arrows but no side arrows. The one gripe is that I'm not convinced the range is as good as the V1's and although it has saved my hide a few times already, it seems like much closer calls than I ever experienced with the V1. I'm suspecting suboptimal mounting of the front sensor.

BTW a few weeks ago I got hit with laser by CHP on a San Diego highway - this is the first and only time I've experienced this.
Old 03-26-2020, 10:27 AM
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I am getting laser warnings occasionally, but seem all of them were false. What can trigger them?
Old 03-26-2020, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by kajtek1
I am getting laser warnings occasionally, but seem all of them were false. What can trigger them?
Laser falses are usually caused by LED headlights or taillights. LED beams emit a wavelength that is very close to a laser's wavelength
Old 03-26-2020, 11:22 AM
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I had the false laser warning before LEDs come on the market.
They happen during daylight as I don't drive much at nights.
The false alarms make the unit unusable. When laser warnings happen rarely, I disabled the first band since it was beeping every few minutes.
Motorcycle cops are still using that band, but I rather take the small risk, than annoyment.
Old 03-26-2020, 12:50 PM
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kajtek1: what detector are you using and which band did you disable?

Laser falsing can occur due to many causes. Other cars can cause it during daytime while braking, collision avoidance systems, blind spot monitoring, etc. I've even read of cases where it was caused by the users' smartphone which was fixed by repositioning it further away from the detector. If you have distronic or park assist that may be doing it. IR sensors within the cabin are another culprit.
However since you stated it has plagued you even before leds, it might be something within your own car. That's unfortunate as a RD is truly a useful tool.
In my experience, even with Ka falsing with time I learned to recognize patterns and identify most falsing. In your case, your best bet may be a different detector. However beware of the new generation V1 - lately I have been reading a lot of stories about it handing out excessive laser falses. I'm waiting for more real-world empirical evidence before I decide to upgrade.
In my case, laser hits have always been relatively rare and even then, except for my recent encounter, laser is practically non-existent in my neck of the woods so until now I never really worried about it and now that it may be a real possibility, the JTK (Jam-to-Kill) feature is a godsend. During my V1 days, most of my laser alerts came form the transponder readers on the toll roads. My Max 360 ci falses even less than my old V1.
Old 03-26-2020, 01:16 PM
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My car has lane assistance and collision assistance, LEDs and no false laser alarms. Those rare alarms I experienced could happen on open freeway with no vehicles close, making me suspecting military involvement.
I disabled K band (or was it Ka?) since it was constantly beeping on West coast. All HP here use the other band radars, so it works well.
Is JTK legal?

Last edited by kajtek1; 03-26-2020 at 01:19 PM.
Old 03-26-2020, 01:29 PM
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What falses were you getting (K, Ka and what bandwidth) and on what detector - the V1?
If that's the case, you need to program band segmentation.
JTK (even just possessing the laser shifters) is not legal. However the penalty here in California is merely a fix-it ticket. If you install them inconspicuously and use them judicially, it should never be an issue.

Last edited by EuroDriverSD; 03-26-2020 at 03:41 PM.
Old 03-26-2020, 01:37 PM
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It is V1 and I think it is Ka band that I disabled. Went to the car to check it, but detector is not indicating the bands till it senses a signal.
Don't know about segmentation, but last time I had actual radar warning on this band was years ago, when city cop had (I assume) old equipement, so disabling whole band works for me.
Old 03-26-2020, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by kajtek1
It is V1 and I think it is Ka band that I disabled. Went to the car to check it, but detector is not indicating the bands till it senses a signal.
Don't know about segmentation, but last time I had actual radar warning on this band was years ago, when city cop had (I assume) old equipement, so disabling whole band works for me.
That may be your problem. The V1 is skull-crushingly chatty under default settings.
Ka band is the last thing you want to disable. The vast majority of police radar guns operate on Ka in the 34.7 and 35.5 bandwidths.
You want to disable K band and X band altogether - most of the automatic door sensors and roadside speed limit signs run on these bands.
You need to make sure you have K-Junk enabled (to reduce falsing from blind spot monitoring (BSM) systems.
From there, you want to put the V1 in Euro mode and segment the bands for 34.7 and 35.5 (leaving a little leeway for poorly calibrated guns), disable all the rest. It's been a longtime since I programmed my V1 but for a comprehensive explanation, you can check out this thread.
Last thing to know is that you can get false alerts from nearby cheap radar detectors - they leak out a signal either as K band or Ka around 33.8.

Once you do this, I'll bet you will be much happier with your V1.

Last edited by EuroDriverSD; 03-26-2020 at 03:24 PM.
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Old 03-26-2020, 03:53 PM
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BTW I clarified my response on post# 18 that the penalty for possessing laser jammers in California is a fix-it ticket. Your mileage may vary per jurisdiction. Radar jammers on the other hand are absolutely illegal under federal law and carry very stiff penalties. If you frequent federal property such as military bases, etc., you may want to think twice before installing them with the risk of having them confused with radar jammers.
For detailed info,see here and here
Old 03-27-2020, 09:43 AM
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I do a lot of travel on rural western freeways with minimal traffic, yet I still had false alarms with my original V1. A radar detector receiver can be overwhelmed by power from a passing truck with a CB and/or radar jammer, a car with a cheap radar detector whose local oscillator is blasting RF radiation, a radio or TV tower etc. When this occurs, harmonics are generated within your radar detector receiver that fall in the police radar band and thus give a false alarm. In my first V1 I was able to eliminate most of them through judicious choices of settings as recommended in several radar detector forums (I wasn't smart enough to figure it out on my own). When the V1 came out with improved rejection of car-based radars, I did an upgrade and found that false alarms had been significantly reduced without having to change settings. The short transient nature of the false alarms and looking at the arrows was enough for me to immediately determine that an alert was false. The V1 Gen 2 provides another significant improvement which I will upgrade to when they open for business again.
I only use my V1 on open road trips or rural driving, and never in urban areas. When not using my V1 I rely on Waze and keeping up with traffic on local freeways to avoid tickets. I try to never speed on urban surface streets since the time saved on traffic light streets is minimal.
Old 03-27-2020, 10:21 AM
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When I disabled the annoying band, (will have to confirm which was it when I drive the car again) I have no more false alarms driving in Las Vegas.
Still catching Highway Patrol as I "tested" few days ago. Maybe splitting the band like Eurodriver suggest could eliminate other radars, still catching potential cop with older radar, but per my experience those old radars might be out of use all together.

Last edited by kajtek1; 03-27-2020 at 10:23 AM.

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