Detector Strategics - How The Detector Display Affects Cop Evasion!
Jan 07 '04
The Bottom Line Read my review.
There are very many different kinds of radar detectors out there on the market. Some you can find for as little as $30, while some can be up to over $1,000! If you look at detectors from different makers or from different model lines within a maker, you will see different kinds of displays. Some are cheaper than others. You might be thinking that it's not important, but it is. Evading cops requires strategics. The display will tell you what band the cop is using and the strength. You have to know your enemy! So here are the different types of displays and their high points and low points.
-LED Lights-
+OVERVIEW+
*LED lights are circular little bulbs that are scattered across the display of the detector. They can be different colors which represent the bands or increasing intensity of strength. They can have different lay-outs on the display depending on the features and qaulity of the detector. The LED lights are often found on the cheapest detectors on the market, and aren't so common anymore.
+WHAT'S HOT+
*LED lights are clearly visible in all lighting conditions while icon and text can be harder to see in light.
*They can provide a pretty cool and amusing lights display if you have a "strength bar".
+WHAT'S NOT+
*For detectors with no individual lights to represent signal strength, it might be difficult to see the overall strength based on a single blinking light for the band it's showing.
*If you don't know your detector, you won't know what's going on. The band indicators are written usually in very small and hard to see text above the lights on the display cover. So you might be completely unaware of what is going on.
+OVERALL+
*Less detectors these days are using these LED indicator lights. If you're using a lower end detector that doesn't have a strength indicator by having multiple lights light up (The more that light up means the stronger the alert), it can be confusing in figuring out the signal strength, or how close the cop is to you and how long have you have to slow down. On the bright side though, if your detector has separate lights indicating the strength, then you should get just as good of an idea as to how strong the signal is almost as well as a text display. The other nice thing about these lights is that they are very visible in all lighting conditions. However, lights are almost gone, so you won't be seeing this much longer, and if you do want a detector with them, make sure there are lights that indicate signal strength.
-Icon Display-
*Icon displays have multi-colored letters and numbers on the screen that light up and start flashing when there is an alert going on. They are found on cheap to lower-midrange priced detectors. They are very common on the market, and prove to be effective for many. As for me though, I don't like icon displays.
+WHAT'S HOT+
*In dark conditions, the icons are clearly visible.
*No confusion between bands, unlike LED lights, the actual letter of the band lights up.
*A variety of colors look nice.
+WHAT'S NOT+
*Harder to make a visual estimate on the signal strength. It's poorly represented by either the flashing speed of the band icon, or by numerals that light up progressively as the strength gets higher. It says less than a LED light or text display.
*Icons can be very hard to read in bright lighting conditions.
+OVERALL+
*Since these icon displays are found on a variety of different detectors, different users have different things to say. In darker conditions, the icons can give a detector a more expensive or cooler look. Plus all the different colors can look nice. If you can read the icons and have a good idea of what the band strength is, then you shouldn't have problems with it. However, for people used to text displays, the icons prove to be... Barbaric?
-LED Text Display-
*LED text displays are the most popular types of displays that radar detectors use today. They are found on midrange to the most expensive units available. Different text displays might show different things or work differently.
+WHAT'S HOT+
*Clear band indication.
*Clear signal strength indication.
*Text Messages
*Multiple bogey alerts (Escort Passports only)
*Easy to use digital interfaces to change detector settings.
+WHAT'S NOT+
*Can be difficult to read in bright light conditions.
+OVERALL+
*The LED text display proves to be the most versatile type of display used on radar detectors. It's found on most of the units out there, whether they cost $200 or over $1,000. If you want to have an edge by being able to get a clear view of the band strength and take advantage of SWS warnings which use text messages, then you'd enjoy LEDs. Probably the best way to ride.
-Sentry Display-
*The so-called Sentry display is found on the Valentine One radar detector, and only the Valentine One. Mike Valentine, the maker of Valentine One, says that a detector should be like an AWAC aircraft and can tell you where you're being attacked from in all directions. The only displays that the Valentine One has are separate such as the bogey counter which counts how many radars there are being picked up, the bands which are being picked up, the strength of the bands, and most notably, the three arrows that show you whether you're being attacked from the front, sides, or rear.
+WHAT'S HOT+
*Easy to read under all lighting conditions.
*Bogey counter shows how many threats there are, which can help you discover clever radar traps or find real threats over non-police threats.
*The band indicators light up when there is a threat, so you can have up to 9 from all the bands and you'll know if there is a cop cruising around an area with lots of falsing from non-police threats.
*The arrows are large and effective, and can show you where the threat is coming from. You don't need to feel naked from the back anymore since that's all covered by the Valentine One's rear-antenna.
+WHAT'S NOT+
*You don't find this interface on any other detector!
+OVERALL+
*Years of research by Mike Valentine had made the Valentine One into the greatest radar detector in the world. The interface is seamless which offers you with the best protection if you're a good strategist, or not.
-Pods-
*The pods warning system is a completely hidden type of mechanism that is only found on K40 remote detectors. The way that this works is by having a single or dual-lights (Depending whether you have a rear-antenna) integrated into your gauges. So when a police threat comes up, the light comes on, and you know you may have a cop coming up ahead (Or behind with the dual-transceiver!) of you with no one else on the road or car being able to see your detector.
+WHAT'S HOT+
*Invisibility of the system means that it's not going to be a hot theft target.
*Integration into your gauges is nice since you don't have to look anywhere else to see the threat ID, strength, etc...
*Since it's completely hidden, cops won't be able to find this! Superb where it's illegal!
*Piezo speakers still provide audio alerts so you can distinguish bands.
+WHAT'S NOT+
*Good luck trying to make a visual band identification!
*Reliance on audio for band identification, not good for those who prefer visuals.
*High price tag on these units!
+OVERALL+
*If you need absolute stealth in your car and want to have the visuals located in your gauge cluster, then the pods are pretty effective. However, for those that like the more informative displays like I do, have fun! (Sarcasm)
-In Conclusion-
*I hope that this review has helped you in seeing the different kinds of displays that come on radar detectors. There is no correct display, and there is no wrong display. It all comes down to your personal preference, and the amount of money you're willing to pay for a radar detector.
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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I enjoy many of life's passions... Music, medicine, people, and life itself.
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