[Stargazer]

I remember seeing someone with another vehicle make who had hidden it in the 3rd brake light. Tinted windows would probably make it less visible without having to resort to a hat. Maybe a tissue box with holes cut into it?

[dukenukem]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

Maybe a tissue box with holes cut into it?

That would be the indian car camoflague

Very interesting idea right there ! thanks

[altezza]

Originally Posted by The Brick

and that hat doesnt effect the V1 or the strength of the signal?

if you put a hat over antenna of a radio, would it effect the radio or the strenght of the signal?
X, K and Ka bands are radio frequencies.
Laser is a light(infrared), and it will be effected by the hat, but i've been shot with police laser a few times already and it catches it.

RADAR - RAdio Detection And Ranging
LASER - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emissions of Radiation

[Stargazer]

Originally Posted by altezza

if you put a hat over antenna of a radio, would it effect the radio or the strenght of the signal?

The weak ones, no? Wouldn't you want the V1 to catch the weak signals for maximum protection? Any detector can detect the strong signals.

Edit: For sure, the effect of the hat is small, but it's not 0%.

[altezza]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

Edit: For sure, the effect of the hat is small, but it's not 0%.

how is a hat going to effect radio frequency.
lets put it this way, put your cell phone on the table and see how many bars it has. now put a hat on top of it and see how many bars it has.

[Stargazer]

Originally Posted by altezza

how is a hat going to effect radio frequency.
lets put it this way, put your cell phone on the table and see how many bars it has. now put a hat on top of it and see how many bars it has.

Think of a radar unit as a flash light. Instead of emitting visible light, radar emits invisible electromagnetic waves at a certain frequency. When you shine a light beam from a flash light over an object, the light is reflected back to your eyes so that you can see the object. The same principle applies to radar beams. The electromagnetic wave that radar emits is called microwave, which will reflect off most metallic objects, concrete, trees, wood etc. It will however go through grass, bushes etc, just like light will go though glass and transparent objects.

Obliviously, the hat is porous and the V1 can detect strong radar signals even while covered, just like you'd probably be able to see light if you shined a flashlight on it. Those are strong signals. But what makes the V1 better than other detectors is its ability to detect weak signals. Weak signals can only deteriorate if there are additional obstacles. It might not be that much deterioration, but you can't say there is none.

To use your radio metaphor, I live at the top of a mountain and the radio reception at my house can be quite good/poor. I can get stations in Seattle quite clearly because they are broadcasting very strong signals. But our local stations, I don't get so well because the signal is less and it's blocked by a neighboring mountain. If I were to move my clock radio around or cover it up it would affect the clarity/quality of the weak stations, but not affect the quality of the strong stations.

Any radar detector can detect strong signals. People usually buy the V1 because it can detect the weak ones.

Check out this page from V1 about testing radar detectors and how radar works:
http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt5.asp

And this one about how radar works:
http://www.magma.ca/~fyst/appndxc.htm

[altezza]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

...

ok, i'll agree with you, the hat will have some small effect on the V1.

anyway, i've used it like that for years and it works good enough for me. the reason it's under the hat is because i would hate to find my car with a broken window one morning. maybe someone can come up with better idea, like you suggested a tissue box.

[Stargazer]

Originally Posted by altezza

the reason it's under the hat is because i would hate to find my car with a broken window one morning.

Agreed! I still think your setup is one of the best I've seen.

[fullerton]

Originally Posted by altezza

if you put a hat over antenna of a radio, would it effect the radio or the strenght of the signal?
X, K and Ka bands are radio frequencies.
Laser is a light(infrared), and it will be effected by the hat, but i've been shot with police laser a few times already and it catches it.

RADAR - RAdio Detection And Ranging
LASER - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emissions of Radiation

time for someone to read up on electromagnetic energy.

[fullerton]

the "light" spectrum

[altezza]

Originally Posted by fullerton

time for someone to read up on electromagnetic energy.

i did last night, after the coments from Stargazer
it's all waves, just different frequencies and wavelengths.

specs for V1:

10.500 - 10.550 GHz (X band)
24.050 - 24.250 GHz (K band)
33.400 - 36.000 GHz (Ka band)
820 - 950 nanometers (Laser)

[new2subaru!]

can anybody tell me if the 07 Sti with the standard mirrior has different wires to hook up the v1

[The Brick]

call me an idiot, but this is way to technical for me, hat covering the V1 will effect it, whether it be a big effect or a minuscule one, it still does effect it.... correct?

[altezza]

^ if you are traveling for somewhere where you need full protection, you can always take the hat off, just make sure to put it back on when you park, so bad eyes don't see it.
but honestly, i don't think you'll see any difference in the performance of the V1(accept Laser detection)

[Gondy]

Would tinted windows effect the V1 (or any radar detecors) performance? Since it does block out UV light, I am thinking it might also block out other waves.