Crown

Board: Porsche - 911 - 997 Language: English Region: Worldwide Share/Save/Bookmark Close

Forum - Thread


    Radar Detector

    Any of you using the Calibre K40? They at the shop told me its the best. Opinions would be greatly appreciated. Specially the ones with actual comparisons. Thanks.

    Re: Radar Detector

    most of the posts from the tt forum liked the valentine 1.go to radar test.com for a comprehensive evaluation of various detectors that are available. they seemed to like the bel or was it escort something 65 best. i still haven't made up my mind.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Although many prefer the Valentine, I've been using Escort's Passport SR7 Plus for several years in both of my cars. It has two things that the Valentine does not.

    First, the detectors themselves fit invisibly into the front air intakes leaving only a very small, unobtrusive unit on your dashboard or wherever else you'd like to mount its in your cabin. It's very, very custom looking and very sleek.

    Second, mere "detection" means nothing for laser (or Lidar). Once a unit has detected the beam, police have detected you. There's zero time to slow. So the SR7 Plus has a "laser shifter" that deflects the return beam away from the laser gun so that police cannot get a reading. Believe me, it works. I've passed many police on the sides of highways with very confused looks on their faces!!

    With all of that said, I understand that the new Calibre K40 is very, very good and works similarly to the SR7. It's big plus is that it uses bluetooth, so there is no need to run wires from the detectors in the air intakes to the receiving unit inside the car. That's slick, but I cannot compare its effectiveness with the Escort.

    Re: Radar Detector

    The industry standards have been Escort and Valentine; with a slight edge seeming to going to the Valentine. What does the Calibre K40 (BTW, the name sounds too macho and meant to impress) do better?

    BTW, I have passport an a V1 (in my BMW and Porsche, respectively). I'll tell ya one thing: the V1 HAS ARROWS, which really make the difference for me. Eliminates a huge amount of guessing.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    hinckley said:
    Although many prefer the Valentine, I've been using Escort's Passport SR7 Plus for several years in both of my cars. It has two things that the Valentine does not.

    First, the detectors themselves fit invisibly into the front air intakes leaving only a very small, unobtrusive unit on your dashboard or wherever else you'd like to mount its in your cabin. It's very, very custom looking and very sleek.

    Second, mere "detection" means nothing for laser (or Lidar). Once a unit has detected the beam, police have detected you. There's zero time to slow. So the SR7 Plus has a "laser shifter" that deflects the return beam away from the laser gun so that police cannot get a reading. Believe me, it works. I've passed many police on the sides of highways with very confused looks on their faces!!

    With all of that said, I understand that the new Calibre K40 is very, very good and works similarly to the SR7. It's big plus is that it uses bluetooth, so there is no need to run wires from the detectors in the air intakes to the receiving unit inside the car. That's slick, but I cannot compare its effectiveness with the Escort.



    I too use the Escort SR7+, and it's worked flawlessly so far (knock on wood) I don't have to worry, as much, about slowing down quickly when the detector "detects". Most of the "radar" used where I live is Laser anyway, so the SR7+ has everything I need.

    Re: Radar Detector

    I use Passport - I like the cordless aspect and it fits nicely just above and to the left of the rear view mirror. It works extremely well and the batteries last many months.
    If Valentine ever makes a cordless model, I would consider it (I do like the arrows thing that they offer).

    Re: Radar Detector

    I agree about the name. Its very macho. It seems to offer everything the valentine1 offers. It tells you where the bogey is. It also "jams" lasar. BUT ITS $1600!!! NOT INSTALLED.... Thanks for all the responses....

    Re: Radar Detector

    I've just got hold of a v1 as i'm in the uk and had to buy from europe...

    I have been testing it out on our camera vans which use the lti 2020 and it does give an advanced warning to laser, because we went passed this van so many times and they werent firing at us probibly because they can guess were not speeding......

    We must have been passed at least 10 times before we got an alert and thats only because a jeep overtook us and got in front and they were getting cars from a layby 0.4 to 0.6 mile away just as were coming around a curve!

    At the time we got this warning they must have been firing across the central reservation.

    And then a merc over too us and we got another laser alert, but what supprised us is just how late people were braking...

    This merc must have travel at least 50 meters after he got lasered before he saw the van and braked!

    They have been targetting drivers in an exstended 40mph road on the A34 in tittensor and yarlet in staffordshire..

    only yesterday i found them in this spot and i never got an alert from it obviously they didnt fire at me, i think they know the car by now!!!

    but i wasnt able to get an advanced alert, i think the road has a great affect on advanced warning to laser, i think its better when the road is straight and there are no dips etc..

    theses camera vans are causing a major havoc on the uk roads..

    heres what they use the lti laser with a video camera with a zoom lens on it, plus and lcd screen and a vcr.



    this is where the van was parked


    this is what the vans look like


    and at 0.4 mile you cannot see what this van is as it looks blurred! but they can get your speed from 0.6 mile away, and unless you know what your looking for any van which looked blur and is parked at the side of the road you've had it....

    i'll tell you an encounter i had not long ago it was last year, and i was chasing after a bmw up the A34 and its was a 70mph duel carrageway which has been reduced to 40mph and it now has the vans on it..

    i was chasing the bmw andi was at about 50mph when through the hedges in the central res at the corner of my right eye i saw something blur and yellow and immediatly slammed the ancors on and i slowed jusy before the hedged finnished and i looked in my side mirrow to see a camera van on the opposite side! i knew they parked there thats why i jammed the brakes on when i saw something blur go passed me..

    the bmw carried on so i dont know if they hit him at in the rear with laser but i bet they did....

    on a few occasions i've encountered the vans and i loose memory if i was over the limit, as you have to watch your clock very careful. a laser detector can give you peace of mind, some people say they are just ticket informers may be

    but question is if you spot them before they laser you and you slow down if needs be, then you can have a 14day worry free period that you wont be getting a ticket through...

    or that even if your over the limit abit and they dont fire at you then if the detector doesnt alert then you know you probibly wont be getting a ticket....

    this is what happened when i didnt have a v1, i encounted a van when i was just trying to get passed another car doing under the limit, when i saw the van thoughts in my head were saying what speed were you doing when you saw the van...

    i didnt have much sleep for the following 2 week for fear f getting a ticket through....

    obviously the v1 has changed my ways of driving and i'm not really on edge looking for the vans on certain roads..

    as for the gatsometers the v1 seems to work better with no other traffic on the roads, too many cars seems to block the roange alittle.....

    but i dont have anything bad to say about the valentine 1, only that its for left and drive cars but i can still see it in a rhd car.....

    mike valentine quotes in the v1 manual

    hope you enjoy your Valentine One as much as I enjoy
    mine. Thanks for trusting me to find radar and laser for you.

    i enjoy using the v1 as much as you enjoy your cgt...

    thanks for giving me back my freedom of not driving without due care and attention (watching my speedometer)

    v1 laser detection 10/10
    mike valentine: engineer 10/10 ...

    i just wish there were more people like mike..

    mike if your reading this you should get yourself coloned so i have have your other ''mike'' and then i can have my own mike valentine co pilot, so i can avoid laser traps!


    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    Coochas said:
    I
    If Valentine ever makes a cordless model, I would consider it (I do like the arrows thing that they offer).



    he wont make a cordless v1 unless the laws of physics are repealed.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    911digital said:

    he wont make a cordless v1 unless the laws of physics are repealed.



    The reason is you have to have alot of amperage to get a the antenna sensitive enough to have a decent detection range.

    The cordless units are have a very short range compared to the corded ones. The alkaline batteries just can't produce enough amperage.

    Re: Radar Detector

    that correct, and if thats not bad enough another problem is that according to mike the solos circuits are 85% of the time asleep to save battery power, obviously a sleeping detector wont do much..

    Re: Radar Detector

    So no one here has ever heard of Calibre?

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    chili said:
    So no one here has ever heard of Calibre?



    The discussions, always seem to be about Escort and Valentine and maaaaaybe a couple others (cobra and... ?).

    This is the first time I heard of Calibre.


    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    911digital said:
    that correct, and if thats not bad enough another problem is that according to mike the solos circuits are 85% of the time asleep to save battery power, obviously a sleeping detector wont do much..



    Wow. they certainly don't mention THAT in the comparisons.

    I happen also to have the S2 cordless, use it in my SUV where I travel the same urban roads frequently. Bought it for convenience before I learned about the limited range. It works okay in that situation. Wouldn't trust it on highways.

    Compared to my V1 and Escort I certainly would consider it almost ineffective on roads that are less-well-known.


    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    chili said:
    So no one here has ever heard of Calibre?



    chili:

    The guy that has recommended and installed the SR7s in my last two BMWs and my Porsche is now recommending the Calibre. So I've certainly heard of it from someone that I highly respect. As a matter of fact, if he's still recommending it when I get a 997 Targa, I'll likely install it instead of the Escort. Unfortunatley, I don't have any fisrt-hand experience as to the Calibre's effectiveness.

    Re: Radar Detector

    V1 FTW

    Re: Radar Detector

    k40 electronics makers of calibre filed a lawsuit against roy reyer owner of radarbusters and radardetecetor.net forum, for a comment which was made by a person on the forum about k40, they probibly said its not much good.

    obviously k40 dont like what people have to say about there products and so they filed a lawsuit.... the lawsuit was dropped on a condition that k40 isnt discussed on the forum.

    its not very good for busineses to sue people just because they have their own opinion!

    its like ferrari sueing somebody on here for saying porsche is better than ferrari...... personal opinion, they shouldnt be doing business if they dont like competition!

    when manufacturers start treating people like that, they dont deserve business.

    escort and valentine owners sometimes seem to be saying bad things about the other competition, but you dont see mike trying to sue people just because they picked fault with the v1.. hense ''craig peterson''.

    they should just take things with a pinch of salt.

    obviously better manufacturers deserve your custom hense valentine, escort, bel, you will get more range from a dash detector than you will from a remote detector.. not to mension its easy to place in another car takes 2 seconds.

    where as with a remote detector its in permanant.

    also the v1 is upgradable and if something goes wrong pull it off the window and ship it back... something goes funky with the remote detector back to the fitter for it to be uninstalled and repaired or replaced.... more hassle pulling the car to bits...

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    MMD said:
    Quote:
    911digital said:
    that correct, and if thats not bad enough another problem is that according to mike the solos circuits are 85% of the time asleep to save battery power, obviously a sleeping detector wont do much..



    Wow. they certainly don't mention THAT in the comparisons.

    I happen also to have the S2 cordless, use it in my SUV where I travel the same urban roads frequently. Bought it for convenience before I learned about the limited range. It works okay in that situation. Wouldn't trust it on highways.

    Compared to my V1 and Escort I certainly would consider it almost ineffective on roads that are less-well-known.





    they wont tell you that, otherwise common sense tell you that a detector which is sleeping 85% of the time wont detect properly, wether this is true or not i have no idea, but i would have tought that if a detector is to run on batterys it must use some powersaving circuit.

    but with it coming from mike himself then i'd expect it to be true, after all he is a great engineer.

    Re: Radar Detector

    I think I'll be getting the V1. I like the fact that they upgrade it when there's new technology. Thanks for all the insight.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    chili said:
    So no one here has ever heard of Calibre?



    I have a K40 installed. I purchased a V1 and compared the two; the V1 is far more sensitive in that it gives an alert faster than the K40. The V1 doesn't have Laser jamming; I can't comment on the K40's ability in that respect.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    Dubliner said:
    Quote:
    chili said:
    So no one here has ever heard of Calibre?



    I have a K40 installed. I purchased a V1 and compared the two; the V1 is far more sensitive in that it gives an alert faster than the K40. The V1 doesn't have Laser jamming; I can't comment on the K40's ability in that respect.



    The K40 is useless in any, but the most favorable conditions. A dual-head Lidatek would be a good choice, or the new Drive Smart or Antilaser.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    chili said:
    I think I'll be getting the V1. I like the fact that they upgrade it when there's new technology. Thanks for all the insight.



    Has anyone here actually sent their V1 back for an upgrade? My V1 does not have "two band pop" and I am thinking of buying the upgrade for it. I am curious to know about how long I will be without my V1. Should I be thinking a few weeks or a few months without it?

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    Puffy911 said:
    Quote:
    chili said:
    I think I'll be getting the V1. I like the fact that they upgrade it when there's new technology. Thanks for all the insight.



    Has anyone here actually sent their V1 back for an upgrade? My V1 does not have "two band pop" and I am thinking of buying the upgrade for it. I am curious to know about how long I will be without my V1. Should I be thinking a few weeks or a few months without it?



    Basically, you will get a new unit as a replacement. 1 week is maximum for shipping.

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    sand8dune said:
    Basically, you will get a new unit as a replacement. 1 week is maximum for shipping.



    Sweet! I knew there was a reason I've been holding onto the original box and packing foam all these years!

    Re: Radar Detector

    Is yours hard wired? If not, arent the wires all over the place?

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    chili said:
    Is yours hard wired? If not, arent the wires all over the place?



    Who's post are you referring to? If its mine, no it is not hard wired in, I run a long cord from my cig lighter... :-)

    Re: Radar Detector

    How does it look with the wires running from the cig lighter to the dash? Pix would really be arreciated. You can hard wire right?

    Re: Radar Detector

    chili: My V1 is in my Range Rover. I haven't made the P-car purchase. I am holding out to see the options list for MY07! :-)

    Re: Radar Detector

    when you send your v1 in for upgrade they will upgrade your v1 with software. a week is normal time...

    Re: Radar Detector

    Quote:
    Puffy911 said:
    chili: My V1 is in my Range Rover. I haven't made the P-car purchase. I am holding out to see the options list for MY07! :-)



    Thanks bud..................

     
    Edit

    Forum

    Board Subject Last post Rating Views Replies
    Porsche Sticky SUN'S LAST RUN TO WILSON, WY - 991 C2S CAB LIFE, END OF AN ERA (Part II) 3/28/24 3:21 AM
    watt
    690825 1780
    Porsche Sticky Welcome to Rennteam: Cars and Coffee... (photos) 2/19/24 11:51 PM
    Wonderbar
    410079 564
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Cayman GT4 RS (2021) 5/12/23 12:11 PM
    W8MM
    256159 288
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Porsche 911 (992) GT3 RS - 2022 3/12/24 8:28 AM
    DJM48
    235379 323
    Porsche Sticky The new Macan: the first all-electric SUV from Porsche 1/30/24 9:18 AM
    RCA
    65734 45
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Taycan 2024 Facelift 3/15/24 1:23 PM
    CGX car nut
    4744 50
    Porsche The moment I've been waiting for... 2/1/24 7:01 PM
    Pilot
     
     
     
     
     
    858753 1364
    Porsche 992 GT3 7/23/23 7:01 PM
    Grant
    775040 3868
    Porsche OFFICIAL: New Porsche 911 Turbo S (2020) 4/6/23 7:43 AM
    crayphile
    448544 1276
    Porsche Welcome to the new Taycan Forum! 2/10/24 4:43 PM
    nberry
    379644 1526
    Porsche GT4RS 2/22/24 5:16 AM
    tso
    366203 1424
    Porsche Donor vehicle for Singer Vehicle Design 7/3/23 12:30 PM
    Porker
    361294 797
    Others Tesla 2 the new thread 12/13/23 2:48 PM
    CGX car nut
    355226 2401
    Lambo Aventador and SV 3/30/23 1:59 PM
    CGX car nut
    279858 724
    Ferrari Ferrari 812 Superfast 4/21/23 8:09 AM
    the-missile
    276266 550
    Porsche Red Nipples 991.2 GT3 Touring on tour 3/14/24 8:55 PM
    blueflame
    272976 658
    Porsche Collected my 997 GTS today 10/19/23 7:06 PM
    CGX car nut
     
     
     
     
     
    248434 812
    Lambo Huracán EVO STO 7/30/23 6:59 PM
    mcdelaug
    225421 346
    Others Corvette C8 10/16/23 3:24 PM
    Enmanuel
    218244 488
    Lotus Lotus Emira 6/25/23 2:53 PM
    Enmanuel
    197136 101
    Others Gordon Murray - T.50 11/22/23 10:27 AM
    mcdelaug
    155576 387
    Porsche Back to basics - 996 GT3 RS 6/11/23 5:13 PM
    CGX car nut
    127070 144
    Ferrari [2022] Ferrari Purosangue (SUV) 4/15/23 5:20 AM
    watt
    120657 141
    BMW M 2024 BMW M3 CS Official Now 12/29/23 9:04 AM
    RCA
    106159 303
    Motor Sp. 2023 Formula One 12/19/23 5:38 AM
    WhoopsyM
    102635 685
    Others Valkyrie final design? 4/28/23 2:45 AM
    Rossi
    97764 219
    Porsche 2022 992 Safari Model 3/7/24 4:22 PM
    WhoopsyM
    81111 239
    AMG Mercedes-Benz W124 500E aka Porsche typ 2758 2/23/24 10:03 PM
    blueflame
    74387 297
    Porsche 992 GT3 RS 3/3/24 7:22 PM
    WhoopsyM
    52194 314
    Motor Sp. Porsche 963 3/16/24 9:27 PM
    WhoopsyM
    23116 237
    132 items found, displaying 1 to 30.