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Radar Detector - Escort Max 360 with ARROWS
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09-21-2015, 05:55 PM | #1 |
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Radar Detector - Escort Max 360 with ARROWS
I have been using the a Escort Max for over a year and it has worked well.
I was just reading Motortrend magazine and apparently there's a new Escort Max 360 with arrows. Has anyone heard anything about this or used it? The V1 was always known for the arrows which was a huge advantage and now it seems Escort has leveled the playing field. |
09-21-2015, 06:11 PM | #2 |
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As a radar detector user and extreme offender of traffic laws, I never found any use whatsoever from directional arrows. They're a gimmick. You're never going to have someone shoot radar at you from the side and it wouldn't accurately measure your speed even if they did. As for getting gunned from behind, you really should be paying frequent attention to your rearview since a cop could pace you without any radar warning at all. Finally, once you have the experience to make good use of a detector, you can tell whether a signal is in front or behind very quickly. Speeding and getting away with it has about a 80% / 20% brain-to-detector ratio.
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09-21-2015, 06:25 PM | #3 | |
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This new 360 is intriguing indeed... |
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09-21-2015, 06:29 PM | #4 |
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My issue with the V1 is the lack of a gps lockout feature. I had one a few years ago and around town it was worthless as it would produce false alerts constantly.
I agree that a radar detector alone is obviously not the end all be all however arrows on the highway are a nice feature. |
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09-21-2015, 06:36 PM | #5 | |
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I'm very satisfied with my PMax but for two things:
My Escort is better than the V1 at not going off due to things like door radars, but then when there's a door radar around, the arrows on the V1 point to them, so I don't mind much. A recent annoyance is cars that have "automatic cruise control." The feature uses radar and it will set off either detector. On the highway, you definitely don't want to be around a driver using their auto cruise feature. Check out the Escort forum for more info on these things. Cars that can park themselves also use radar.
Lastly, I strongly suggest getting a laser jammer installed at some point. Radar is relatively easy to defeat if you aren't the only car around. Laser is essentially impossible to defeat unless you have a jammer; when a cop targets you with laser, and you're speeding, you're one of two things -- lucky or f*cked -- and which you are depends entirely on the cop. All the best.
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09-21-2015, 07:28 PM | #6 | |
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Valentine has a new patent received in August whereby he arguably improves on the expired patents arrow design. Many are expecting a new V1/V2 coming very soon. http://www.google.com/patents/US9110149 BTW, there are V1 phone apps (official and unofficial) that permit more control of the V1 using the devices serial protocol. Few know about these apps, but they're quite useful. Here's one. https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...kyl.yav1&hl=en
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09-21-2015, 09:12 PM | #7 | ||
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09-21-2015, 11:13 PM | #8 | |
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I'd trade GPS lockout for better overall detection and reporting (especially laser detection) any day. Sorry. BTW, I NEVER use a detector in town. Really no reason with our traffic. Plus, I prefer to listen to music rather than beeps and braps. I use a detector when on road trips, GPS lockout is unimportant with my use. Not trying to start an argument. Reality is Escort/Beltronics (whatever you want to call them) has chased Mike Valentine/Jim Jaeger's designs all the way back to Cincinnati Microwave days. They couldn't do it with detection, so they threw in selectivity (GPS stuff) to find another angle. Whatever works for you, I say.
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09-22-2015, 07:13 AM | #9 |
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Personally I think all the GPS, arrows, multi-color choices, etc take away from the purpose: finding radar before it finds you.
Ive had several Escorts and my most recent (for the last 4 years) has been the Redline. I've tuned /locked out some of the unused frequencies and I'm getting hits 4500+ft away if not further. I am watching the frequencies pop up as well, so I know if it's a threat or not. It has never ever let me down. Sometimes I think it's wrong and in a minute or two (at highway speeds) I will find the threat. |
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09-22-2015, 07:26 AM | #10 | |
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09-22-2015, 08:03 AM | #11 |
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Arrows increase your situational awareness if you're interested in that kind of thing..
That being said, I run a Redline/V1 combo with the V1 off and turn it on if I want to know where the signal is coming from. Segmented Redline blows my V1 out of the water in terms of sensitivity.
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09-22-2015, 07:21 PM | #12 | |
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Red: How, pray tell, is one going to know the signal is coming from behind rather than from in front of one, or any other direction for that matter, save perhaps on a one way street? Say your driving on the interstate and your detector with whatever X-miles of range it has goes off. Without the arrows, how do you know it's not a cop behind you somewhere going after someone (hopefully someone else) or a cop a couple miles down the road in front of you, or even a cop on the opposite side of the interstate tagging a driver not even going in the same direction as you? All the best.
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09-22-2015, 07:48 PM | #13 |
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I may be a minority here but I disliked V1 due to so many false alerts... Used it for 4+ years and finally got rid of it for $250... I picked up a Escort passport max and loved the detection and the false alert lockouts but hated the flimsy construction. The housing felt like a cheap plastic toy. Eventually the detector started to shake from the windshield mount and loosen the housing / casing. I wish that V1 would update their detector with GPS lockouts or Escort build their detectors with a more solid housing / casing i.e. V1's magnesium construction.
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09-22-2015, 08:59 PM | #14 | |
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09-22-2015, 11:18 PM | #15 |
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I've been running a BEL and or Escort product since I've been driving and that's been since late 80s.I am BEYOND satisfied with their products, customer support and reputation. I have the BEL PRO 500 and the GPS, sensitivity, lack of falsing, construction, and fit & finish has caused me not to go to the Max. It is just that damn good! Be it front, rear or side, it and my prior RX65 has served me very well and danged me more money and tickets than I can count over the course of two decades.
That's my $. 02... Sirens it wisely. |
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09-23-2015, 01:09 AM | #16 |
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Based on the strength of the signal, what it does as you continue forward, and also based on your evaluation of where you think it's most likely to be coming from taking into account what you see and the speed of travel. As long as you're vigilant in the rearview and see no police, potential signals from the rear become of greater diminishing importance the faster you go.
To clarify: a sudden, strong signal is most likely to be in front as long as you've got a good mental picture of the traffic behind you, don't see any police behind you, and are going reasonably fast. It's probably important to mention also that most if not all radar detectors have a directional antenna (feed horn) and it has by far the most sensitivity facing forward. This does some of the filtering work for you, raising the threshold for the detector to find less important signals. Caution, this fact may further diminish the prestige of the Valentine arrows. Anyway, you can further classify forward signals into oncoming, stationary, and mobile. Oncoming signals may have a long low strength detection time, sharply ramping up, then down and quickly off. Stationary signals are similar but with a less sharp ramp. Mobile signals, or radar from a vehicle traveling the same direction as you, but in front of you, will have your detector going mad for a while as your exposure to the signal will be the least brief. How you react to what you think is a legitimate forward signal is up to you. There are really only three things you can do: slow down, speed up, or do nothing. While there may be some debate about which of the last 2 is dumber, there is no debate about the best way to slow down. Do it as quickly as possible, and make sure you slow down to a legal speed! Once I was well in the triple digits and received notice of a moderate and increasing radar signal. I slowed down in time, but still passed the cop doing 15 over (felt like 15 under), and got the ticket. Finally, instant on used wisely will defeat even the best radar detector. You need to know when and where you can most safely speed to bring the odds into your favor. And as far as LIDAR goes, jammers work like magic, but may be illegal in your state and you still may get pulled over if the officer knows about jamming and / or you were obviously going too fast. |
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09-23-2015, 08:50 AM | #17 |
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MSRP: $649.99
They are taking preorders now with shipping in mid October. Count me out until I see this thing tested..
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09-23-2015, 09:23 AM | #18 |
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i've been using my old X50 for YEARS and haven't found the need to upgrade it as it works totally fine. what @TheWindBreezes said was absolutely correct... it all boils down to common sense.
1. don't use it in town. 2. know what bands the LE use around your area. here in NJ/NY, it is pretty much exclusively Ka band. if the detector goes off, no matter in what direction, SLOW DOWN. X band or K band, you can pretty much ignore. 3. if you get hit by a laser, you fucked. i've been driving with these rules in my mind for years and haven't gotten a single ticket. the only time I have gotten pulled over was when i WASN'T using the radar detector. luckily I have a Benevolents Association card with me as backup. that being said, the only time i will actually upgrade is when my current detector fails/breaks on me.
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09-24-2015, 05:45 PM | #19 |
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In my car I use a Escort Max 2 and on the BMW K1600 I use a V1 because I can't get the Escorts to sync through my helmet. In town I regularly turn off the V1 as it can't be muted when used through a helmet.
I will not be getting the Max 360 as I don't want to be distracted by the arrows. |
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09-24-2015, 08:00 PM | #20 |
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I am a diehard BEL supporter and customer. BUT... Fuk that! Unless it's picking up a "new form of radar that is about to be released that my current BEL or other detectors can't detect, that is absurd.
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09-25-2015, 09:35 AM | #21 | |
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09-25-2015, 11:59 AM | #22 |
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