Valentine 1 & muting audio?

Does anyone know how or if it is possible to wire the Valentine one in a fashion that an alert on the radar detector will provide a signal that could be used to mute the audio?

Thanks

Jeff

Probably but you'd no doubt have to whack your V1 apart to do it, and OH MY GOD it would mute your audio alot. At least where I live, even with maximum filtering I get a lot of false alarms...

Does anyone know how or if it is possible to wire the Valentine one in a fashion that an alert on the radar detector will provide a signal that could be used to mute the audio?


You could get the external audio component, and rig a logic control to trigger on the mute line whenever the volume went high... It's not that difficult, nor expensive, but in the end, I just rely on the idea that if I can't hear the V1 at Max, I've already lost my hearing..

So, I'm curious...is the Valentine one really worth the $400? Has it saved your butt a few times?

Speeding tickets down here start at $200 and go up from there...so, I imagine this thing would pay for itself if it kept you from getting a ticket.

I just wonder about accuracy. Do police cars always have their radar on? Or do they need to actually have a gun turned on or something for the detector to sense it?

So, I'm curious...is the Valentine one really worth the $400? Has it saved your butt a few times?

Yes, three times in one day on the way to AZ from TX. All three occasions, the trooper was behind me in traffic and it indicated radar in the area. That's one of the great features on the V1, it detects behind as well.

So, I'm curious...is the Valentine one really worth the $400? Has it saved your butt a few times?


My personal opinion. It's better than that. The number of times I've NOT been caught is very large. But, I wouldn't attribute it ONLY to the detector. It's only a tool, not a get away free card.



Speeding tickets down here start at $200 and go up from there...so, I imagine this thing would pay for itself if it kept you from getting a ticket.



Factor in your insurance costs as well.....



I just wonder about accuracy. Do police cars always have their radar on? Or do they need to actually have a gun turned on or something for the detector to sense it?



Most of the smarter police RARELY have their gun on all the time. It's called Instant on, and it will catch any detector user. The Gun must be emitting to be detected. The Glory of the V1 is that it has very good distance, which means that if the cop instant on's a car that is half a mile down the road, there is an excellent chance you'll pick up the trace and know. Plus, with the directional LEDS, you know where to look.

Of course, you have to be smart enough to recognise this is a trap.... and if you are leading the pack, well, no detector is going to save you.

But, as a tool, it's really unparalleled.

IMNSHO.

Getting back to the original question....there's an attachment sold by Valentine called the Remote Audio adapter. It can be found at http://www.valentine1.com/moreinfo/Audio.asp

Not sure if you can take this signal (from one of the outputs) and run it into the mute of the Rio Car but it's worth a try.

As far as my rating of the V1, it's money well spent.
Good luck!
Wes

I've not used the remote audio option. I just have the display & the detector. But, I can imagine if the remote audio does what I htink it does you'd have the biggest damn heart attack of your life.

Picture if you will, yer driving down the road, stereo is blasting windows two blocks ahead, and the radar goes off as you pass yer local quicky mart.

At that volume, I'd jump clear out of the car.

That is if I understand the remote audio connector right. The way it reads is you put it through headphones, helmet, whatever and it'll send the signal there. If it's amped at all by the Amplifier in your car, or the Empeg itself.

Well, as Keanu said in the Matrix. Whoa.

In reply to:

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So, I'm curious...is the Valentine one really worth the $400? Has it saved your butt a few times?

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>sigh< I had one of these in my first car; didn't realize how much i depended on it until it was stolen (someone broke in and grabbed it from my car) - I got *5* tickets within 2 months after that:(
-mark

Why could you not just use the mute option and attach it to the mute lead in the EMPEG? This way the sound will not get pumped though the stereo and scare you half to death.

Steve

Thanks steve....that's exactly what I meant. If you hook it up to your mute, it will mute your stereo and the V1 will just beep at it's normal level so you can hear it.

Also, I mounted my V1 in the 3rd brake light housing in my 1995 M3, works like a charm. I get very little attenuation of the signal because the rear deck and 3rd brake light components are made of plastic or cardboard with radar goes right through. Completely stealth. As an added benefit, I got the rear view mirror with the concealed display mounted behind it. See http://www.apexcone.com/Radar/RadarLove.html for more details. It's the coolest thing I've ever seen. Virtually impossible for someone to steal, and cops can't even find it if they're in the car!!
Wes